Jul.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has once again played down suggestions Max Verstappen is on the move. In Austria, a story emerged that said Verstappen could leave Red Bull at the end of the year thanks to a performance clause in his contract. But Verstappen then won the race, prompting Red Bull driver manager Dr […]
Binotto defends Vettel mistakes
Jul.4 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has leapt to the defence of Sebastian Vettel. German Vettel, who turned 32 this week, is clearly under pressure at Maranello, amid rumours he could retire or return to Red Bull. Some say he is making too many mistakes, which could prompt Ferrari to promote Charles Leclerc and put a driver […]
McLaren’s Pat Fry headed to Williams – rumour
Jul.4 (GMM) Pat Fry could be heading to Williams. Last year, Fry – one of the most experienced top engineers in Formula 1 – was signed up by McLaren to be engineering director. The 55-year-old also worked for McLaren between 1993 and 2010, before moving to Ferrari and departing in 2014. Subsequently, he worked for […]
F1 stock market listing hurting Liberty – Ecclestone
Jul.4 (GMM) Liberty Media is struggling to negotiate F1’s future after listing it on the Nasdaq stock exchange, according to former supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The American company bought the sport early in 2017, listing it on the world’s second largest stock exchange and ousting Ecclestone. 88-year-old Ecclestone was in Austria last weekend and commented on […]
‘Real races’ in Indycar, not F1 – Ericsson
Jul.4 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson says the “real races” occur not in Formula 1, but in Indycar. The Swede, who lost his Sauber seat at the end of last year, is still an Alfa Romeo reserve driver and tester. He was in action for the Hinwil based team in the post-Austrian GP test. But the 28-year-old […]
Stop calling F1 ‘boring’ – Hamilton
Jul.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has urged reporters to “chill” rather than denounce Formula 1 as boring. Mercedes has won every race so far in 2019 except for Austria, where the team suffered cooling problems. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, in the Ferrari, instead tussled for victory in a thrilling race. “You guys have […]
Montoya raises hand to be F1 steward
Jul.3 (GMM) Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has raised his hand to become a FIA steward. The sport has been rocked by controversial stewards decisions in recent races, with many figures calling for better rules and greater consistency. “It would certainly be interesting,” Montoya was quoted by Auto Bild when mentioning the possibility of […]
2019 tyres ‘impossible to understand’ – Magnussen
Jul.3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has slammed the “super uninspiring” situation with F1’s Pirelli tyres in 2019. In Austria, a push by some of the ten teams to axe the difficult-to-understand tyres and replace them with the ones supplied by Pirelli last year was voted down 5-5. Haas has been among the most affected teams. In […]
Female F3 driver slams W Series
Jul.3 (GMM) Formula 3 driver Sophia Florsch has hit out at the new female-only open wheel category called W Series. Last year, 18-year-old German Florsch came to international attention thanks to her spectacular airborne crash during the fabled Macau grand prix. But she is vowing to return to Macau later this year, dismissing the lure […]
Alonso plays down latest F1 comeback rumours
Jul.3 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has apparently moved to downplay the latest speculation about his future in Formula 1. Marca newspaper claims that Toyota is simply waiting on the Spaniard’s decision about 2020 before green-lighting a full Dakar Rally effort for Alonso. At the same time, there are reports the Spaniard could return to the paddock […]
‘Error’ crowned Kubica driver of the day
Jul.3 (GMM) Formula 1 says a “technical error” meant that Robert Kubica was voted driver of the day after the Austrian GP. The Pole actually qualified and finished dead last at the Red Bull Ring, so according to Osterreich newspaper F1 authorities launched an investigation when Kubica won the popular vote. Subsequently, it was announced […]
Fans suspect unfair Ferrari treatment – Piero Ferrari
Jul.3 (GMM) Piero Ferrari, the Maranello company’s vice chairman, has admitted his concern about recent events regarding the famous Formula 1 team. In Canada, Sebastian Vettel lost his victory with a time penalty, and Ferrari lost a ‘review’ of the controversial decision two weeks later. Then in Austria, Ferrari and four other teams lost a […]
‘Currently no intention’ of Gasly axe – Horner
Jul.3 (GMM) Christian Horner has moved to play down rampant speculation about Pierre Gasly’s future at Red Bull. Dr Helmut Marko said after Austria that the French driver’s performance in 2019 has been “unacceptable”, which gave fresh fuel to rumours Gasly will soon be axed. “He is our driver,” Red Bull team boss Horner told […]
Next Red Bull junior pushing towards F1
Jul.2 (GMM) Red Bull’s next generation of young drivers appears poised to push into Formula 1. At the senior F1 team, victory in Austria after a thrilling race appears to have eased doubts that Max Verstappen could be heading to Mercedes. “I have thought it for a while, but now I know it for sure: […]
Italian press questions Ferrari’s ‘political weight’
Jul.2 (GMM) The Italian press has reacted with anger after the thrilling Austrian GP. While Mattia Binotto congratulated Max Verstappen on his win and accepted the stewards’ decision, he made clear Ferrari did not agree that the Red Bull driver should have escaped penalty for his overtaking move on Charles Leclerc. It followed the Canadian […]
McLaren quiet over Honda axe regrets
Jul.1 (GMM) McLaren boss Andreas Seidl is refusing to say whether he thinks the British team should have stuck with Honda. Honda was McLaren’s works engine partner between 2015 and 2017, until the once-great team lost patience with the Japanese brand and switched to customer Renault power. But on Sunday, Honda’s new works partner Red […]
‘Too early’ to say if F1 career will go on – Kubica
Jul.1 (GMM) Robert Kubica says it is “too early” to say whether he will still be in Formula 1 in 2020. The Pole’s return to F1 after an eight year recovery from permanent injuries was widely lauded, but he has notably struggled to keep up with his rookie teammate George Russell. When asked if he […]
Overheating Mercedes ‘not racing’ in Austria – Wolff
Jul.1 (GMM) Mercedes’ “Achilles heel” was exposed in Austria, team boss Toto Wolff has admitted. “We knew it would be a difficult race for us,” said Valtteri Bottas. “In the end it was even worse than we expected.” After a run of eight consecutive wins for Mercedes, it was Red Bull and Ferrari finishing one-two […]
Victory eases ‘doubts’ over future – Verstappen
Jul.1 (GMM) Max Verstappen appears to have cemented his place at Red Bull with a thrilling victory in Austria. Earlier, it had emerged that a clause in the Dutchman’s contract may allow him to switch to a rival team like Mercedes for 2020. But Max’s father Jos Verstappen told the Finnish broadcaster C More that […]
Long wait for victory decision ‘stressful’
Jul.1 (GMM) Red Bull and Max Verstappen had a long wait to discover if their highly popular victory in the exciting Austrian GP would stand. Stewards deliberated for almost four hours before confirming that the Dutchman would not be penalised for his overtaking move on Charles Leclerc. “It was very stressful,” Max’s father Jos Verstappen […]