Jan.22 (GMM) Miami is working through the “issues” standing in the way of F1’s second grand prix in America. In December, F1 CEO Chase Carey said he is still determined to take the sport to Miami. “We still have some issues to resolve in Miami,” he told CNN. “They’re, probably at this point, predominantly political […]
Hamilton ‘fitter than ever’ for 2020
Jan.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he feels “fitter than ever” as he targets a record-equalling seventh world championship in 2020. A few days ago on Instagram, the newly 35-year-old Mercedes driver warned that he will be “a machine this year, on another level than ever before”. But he now tells GQ Hype that he hopes […]
Marko plays down Vergne’s F1 return chances
Jan.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has all but ruled out a return to Formula 1 for Jean-Eric Vergne. Vergne, now 29, raced for Toro Rosso between 2012 and 2014, but since being ousted by Red Bull he has established himself as a top Formula E driver, winning the title twice. But Red Bull boss Marko […]
Alonso could have won 2019 title – Briatore
Jan.21 (GMM) “Five or six drivers” could have won the 2019 world championship at the wheel of Mercedes’ car. That is the view of Flavio Briatore, who thinks a driver whose career he has promoted for a long time, Fernando Alonso, would have been among them. “Mercedes is an invincible battleship,” the Italian told Autosprint […]
Tall Ocon happy to fit in 2020 Renault cockpit
Jan.21 (GMM) Esteban Ocon may not have raced since 2018, but he is already hard at work as he prepares for his Formula 1 return with the works Renault team. The first step, according to the Frenchman, was to get to know the Enstone based team at the factory. “The goal at the beginning of […]
Williams aims to debut 2020 car on first test day
Jan.21 (GMM) Claire Williams is expecting the struggling British team to be ready for the very first day of winter testing next month. Before struggling to dead last in the constructors’ championship last year, Williams was the only team that was not even ready for the start of pre-season testing. “The goal is to have […]
No big step for McLaren in 2020 – Brown
Jan.21 (GMM) Zak Brown is not expecting McLaren to be much higher in the pecking order in 2020. The British team’s recovery from a recent slump took a major step forward last year, as McLaren finished a distant fourth overall in the constructors’ championship. But team supremo Brown is quoted by Marca sports newspaper: “I […]
F1 door ‘not closed’ to Hockenheim
Jan.21 (GMM) Formula 1’s door is “not closed” to Hockenheim, according to Thomas Reister. Reister is the boss of Emodrom, a company charged with the strategic development of the venue that has been left off F1’s 2020 calendar. It is reported that, in the wake of the collapsed F1 deal, Hockenheim will focus on hosting […]
McLaren confirms Alonso split
Jan.21 (GMM) Fernando Alonso and McLaren have officially split. At the end of 2018, the Spaniard called time for now on his long Formula 1 career, choosing instead to focus on other pursuits like Le Mans, the Indy 500, and the Dakar rally. But until now he has remained part of the McLaren team as […]
Haas to revert to 2018 colours in 2020
Jan.21 (GMM) Haas looks set to revert to its 2018 style livery this year, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. Last year, the small American team exchanged its predominantly white, grey and red livery for all black and gold colour scheme in deference to title sponsor Rich Energy. But with that ill-fated deal now […]
Bottas not surprised top teams signing drivers for 2021
Jan.20 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is not surprised that top teams Ferrari and Red Bull are leading the way with the 2021 driver ‘silly season’. Like many drivers on the grid, Mercedes driver Bottas is out of contract at the end of this season. So it is interesting that top teams are already busily […]
Stroll, Wolff, eye Mercedes team takeover – report
Jan.20 (GMM) Lawrence Stroll and Toto Wolff could be planning to take over the Mercedes works team from 2021, according to veteran German correspondent Ralf Bach. The report, published on Bach’s website f1-insider.com, says team boss Wolff had actually negotiated a deal to replace Chase Carey at Liberty Media. But Ferrari vetoed that plan, demanding […]
Van der Garde warns Red Bull over reliance on Newey
Jan.20 (GMM) Red Bull must be cautious not to become over-reliant on technical boss Adrian Newey, according to former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde. Newey is regarded as being among the greatest ever car designers in F1 history, but in recent years he has stepped away from the sport to design an America’s Cup […]
Giovinazzi expects ‘very close’ 2020 midfield
Jan.20 (GMM) Alfa Romeo’s 2020 car has passed the FIA crash tests on the second attempt. Just before Christmas, we reported that the Swiss team’s 2020 chassis had been “completely destroyed” whilst trying to clear the mandatory tests at the CSI facility near Milan. It emerges that Toro Rosso, to be renamed Alpha Tauri this […]
Hamilton to stay at Mercedes in 2021, 2022 – report
Jan.20 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton looks set to re-commit to Mercedes, according to the authoritative Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. The report claims that the six-time world champion, earlier linked with a 2021 switch to Ferrari, will in fact re-sign with Mercedes for 2021 and 2022. Recently, the 35-year-old Briton’s options for 2021 and beyond […]
Bratches’ F1 exit to be announced this week
Jan.20 (GMM) F1’s commercial director Sean Bratches is set to leave the sport. We reported last September that an announcement could be “imminent”, with Liberty’s Chase Carey and Ross Brawn staying put but Bratches set to leave. Mark Kleinman, Sky News’ City editor, believes an announcement could now be made “as early as” this week. […]
Wurz designs Saudi Arabia’s new F1 track
Jan.20 (GMM) Former F1 driver Alex Wurz has penned a circuit intended to be the host of a Saudi Arabia GP in 2023. Arabian Business reports that the venue on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh is part of state-run Qiddiaya, an entertainment “giga-project” that hosted the final stage of the Dakar rally. Among those […]
Nissany part of Israel GP push for 2021 – report
Jan.17 (GMM) There is more than meets the eye to Williams’ new test driver signing. At the post-grand prix test in Abu Dhabi last year, the largely unknown 25-year-old Roy Nissany was suddenly at the wheel of Williams’ 2019 car. He was quickly ridiculed, not only because he was several seconds off the pace of […]
Red Bull-Honda eyes ‘more than five’ wins in 2020
Jan.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he has set a target of “more than five” wins for Red Bull-Honda in 2020. The team, having finished behind Mercedes and Ferrari last year, is clearly targeting the title with Max Verstappen in 2020. Marko also set the five win target for 2019, but Verstappen only won in […]
F1 uses women drivers to ‘attract attention’ – Florsch
Jan.17 (GMM) German racer Sophia Florsch thinks Formula 1 too often uses female drivers purely to “attract attention”. On Twitter, the 17-year-old hit out after Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto announced that the Italian F1 team’s driver ‘academy’ is looking for female drivers. She said women are too often seen as mere “marketing stuff”. Following her […]