Jan.8 (GMM) Former F1 driver Jan Lammers thinks it is possible that Mercedes will quit the sport. At present, no team or manufacturer is officially committed to Formula 1 beyond 2020, but top outfits Ferrari and Red Bull have at least signed up their key drivers for the long-term future. The future is less clear […]
Marko to discuss new Honda deal ‘soon’
Jan.8 (GMM) With Max Verstappen now signed up through 2023, Dr Helmut Marko’s next step will be to keep Honda at Red Bull for the future. Currently, the Japanese manufacturer is committed to Formula 1 only for 2021, but the new Verstappen deal could be the key to an extension. “Honda is positive about this […]
Marko was ‘worried’ about losing Verstappen
Jan.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits he was “very worried” that Max Verstappen could quit Red Bull and switch to Mercedes for 2021. It was announced on Tuesday that the Dutch driver is staying at Red Bull until at least the end of 2023. “I spent the holidays fixing the contract,” Marko told Auto Bild. […]
Williams loses major sponsor Rexona
Jan.7 (GMM) Amid a deep performance crisis, Williams has lost yet another major sponsor. PKN Orlen, the Polish oil company backing Robert Kubica, has departed for Alfa Romeo, and Sportowe Fakty reports that Symantec, Omnitude and Tata have also recently left. And now, the same Polish source says Rexona, a highly visible presence on the […]
Mercedes, not Ferrari, will be 2020 rival – Marko
Jan.7 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko does not think Ferrari will get in the way of Red Bull’s fight for the 2020 title against Mercedes. Red Bull actually finished third last year behind both Mercedes and Ferrari, but Marko thinks the energy drink-owned team is poised to leapfrog its Italian rival. “We were ahead of them […]
Canada GP promoter defends Lance Stroll
Jan.7 (GMM) Canada GP promoter Francois Dumontier has defended Lance Stroll, as the young Canadian prepares for his second season with his billionaire father’s F1 team. Stroll, whose father is Lawrence Stroll who took over the financially flailing Force India team in 2018, admits he must up his game against teammate Sergio Perez at Racing […]
Rossi admits he turned down Ferrari in 2006
Jan.7 (GMM) Valentino Rossi says he came tantalisingly close to switching to Formula 1 in 2006. Last month, the MotoGP legend swapped his bike for Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in a highly publicised event at Valencia. Rossi, 40, told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he came close to being just a second off Hamilton’s pace. And […]
Mercedes seat not worth ‘risk’ for Ocon – Wolff
Jan.7 (GMM) Signing up Esteban Ocon to be Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate in 2020 was ruled out by Toto Wolff because of the “risk”. Instead, the Wolff-promoted Ocon is emerging from his sabbatical with Renault this year, while Valtteri Bottas keeps his seat alongside Hamilton for another season. “Putting him against Hamilton, who has been […]
Engineer switch helped Bottas in 2019 – Hamilton
Jan.7 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says losing a key engineer to his teammate’s side of the garage hurt his performance at the start of 2019. Last year, Mercedes promoted Ricciardo Musconi – Hamilton’s second engineer – to the role of primary race engineer for Valtteri Bottas. “It certainly didn’t help,” Hamilton, who ultimately won his sixth […]
Porsche built F1 engine in 2017
Jan.6 (GMM) Porsche motorsport boss Fritz Enzinger has revealed that the German marque designed a Formula 1 engine in 2017. A full F1 project was subsequently ruled out, but Enzinger says Porsche was so serious about its deliberations that it actually designed a turbo V6 engine. “It was so close,” he told Speed Week. “When […]
Haas came ‘close’ to ousting driver for 2020
Jan.6 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has admitted he was “pretty close” to taking drastic measures after Haas’ two drivers crashed at Silverstone last year. “I was pretty close,” the team boss smiled to Denmark’s Ekstra Bladet. “As you know, I’m temperamental.” The newspaper claims that the situation became very heated in the hour after the incident, […]
F1 in talks with Saudi Arabia – Briatore
Jan.6 (GMM) F1 could soon add Saudi Arabia to the race calendar. That is the news from Flavio Briatore, who some years ago helped to broker the deal that took the sport to Azerbaijan. Referring to Saudi Arabia, the former Renault boss told Rai radio: “It is a country that has had an incredible evolution […]
Wolff not going to Ferrari – Briatore
Jan.6 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has scoffed at speculation that Toto Wolff could be set to switch to Ferrari. Amid speculation Lewis Hamilton could be eyeing the move to Maranello for 2021, also rumoured is that his current Mercedes boss might join him in red. “Toto Wolff at Ferrari in 2021? He is a shareholder at […]
Sirotkin admits F1 return ‘unlikely’
Jan.6 (GMM) Former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin has admitted that he is “very unlikely” to ever race again in Formula 1. The Russian lost his race seat at the end of 2018, and last year served as the reserve driver at both Renault-powered teams, Renault and McLaren. Sirotkin admits 2019 was difficult for him. “This […]
Beating top teams ‘not possible’ in 2020 – Seidl
Jan.6 (GMM) It is “not possible” for McLaren to take on the top three teams until the budget cap comes into force. That is the admission of team boss Andreas Seidl, who is nonetheless upbeat about McLaren’s chances from 2021 after a strong recovery last year. “We believe we can improve with the new rules,” […]
Dakar not a Hamilton-like ‘show’ – Alonso
Jan.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso insists his participation in the fabled Dakar Rally is not a marketing gimmick. The Spaniard, who quit F1 at the end of 2018, finished stage one of the notorious off-road rally eleventh, admitting he was “on tiptoes”. “It’s not a show where you go out on the track swapping a motorcycle […]
Ferrari must improve pitstops – Binotto
Jan.6 (GMM) Ferrari must speed up its pitstops in 2020, boss Mattia Binotto has admitted. Red Bull had the fastest pitstops last year, with five stops performed under the two second barrier, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. Perhaps surprisingly, Williams was second best, with Ferrari slipping to third ahead of Mercedes. “Our pitstops […]
Hamilton better than Verstappen – Marko
Jan.6 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is still better than Max Verstappen, according to the Red Bull driver’s boss Dr Helmut Marko. “Max may already be the fastest,” Marko told Germany’s motorsport-total.com. “But as a package, Hamilton is still the best,” he added, referring to the Mercedes driver and reigning six-time world champion. “He has an incredible […]
Hockenheim says F1 return up to Liberty
Jan.6 (GMM) Whether Germany returns to the F1 calendar is in large part up to Liberty Media. That is the view of Jorn Teske, the boss at Hockenheim. In 2020, the circuit and Germany are missing from the schedule. “Germany is a country with a long racing tradition, a strong federation and automobile clubs, but […]
Dutch GP to survive without Verstappen – boss
Jan.6 (GMM) The Dutch GP is being set up to survive without Max Verstappen, according to Zandvoort circuit boss Robert van Overdijk. Extensive renovations at Zandvoort are currently taking place to prepare for Holland’s 2020 return to the Formula 1 calendar, including novel banked corners. “We are setting up the ultimate racing festival which can […]