Nov.30 (GMM) F1’s two Finnish drivers aren’t sure what they will be doing in 2021. Like many drivers on the grid this year, both Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas are only signed up to their current teams for 2020. “Well, that decision must be made somewhere before then, but I haven’t even thought about it,” […]
Canada GP promoter in Abu Dhabi for Latifi news
Nov.30 (GMM) Canada GP promoter Francois Dumontier travelled to Abu Dhabi for the announcement of Nicholas Latifi’s 2020 race seat with Williams. Le Journal de Montreal said Dumontier also travelled to England in late 2016 when the same British team was about to announce Lance Stroll’s signing. “When I heard that Williams would make the […]
Renault to test ‘e-sport’ driver in F1 simulator
Nov.30 (GMM) F1 teams are beginning to explore the crossover between so-called ‘e-sports’ and its real-life counterpart. Once simply a world of video games for fun, technological progress means that the official “Formula 1 Esports Series” is getting tantalisingly close to the real thing. “There are a lot of similarities between the two,” Jarno Opmeer, […]
Leclerc will aim for 2020 title – Binotto
Nov.30 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says he is still fully supportive of Ferrari’s current driver lineup, even after their clash in Brazil. That is despite the fact that many in the paddock think the momentum at Ferrari is clearly shifting for the future towards Charles Leclerc. “For his first season with Ferrari, under a lot of […]
Williams puts Sirotkin on stand-by in Abu Dhabi
Nov.30 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin, who is actually Renault and McLaren’s reserve driver, was put on standby to potentially replace Williams’ George Russell in Abu Dhabi. British rookie Russell is not saying what the problem is. “It’s not an illness, it’s something different,” he is quoted by Auto Hebdo. “Everything will make sense when I can […]
Honda confirms Red Bull talks about 2022 underway
Nov.30 (GMM) Honda boss Masashi Yamamoto says it is likely the Japanese manufacturer will stay in Formula 1 beyond 2021. After signing a one-year contract extension beyond 2020 with Honda, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said talks about 2022 and 2023 are already underway. Red Bull is clearly under pressure to wrap up a longer […]
Ferrari ‘happy’ to consider Hamilton for 2021
Nov.30 (GMM) Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has expressed interest in snapping up Lewis Hamilton for 2021. In Brazil recently, amid rumours the absent Toto Wolff could leave Mercedes to replace Chase Carey as F1 CEO, Hamilton suggested his boss’ future would influence his own decision about 2021. “I think it’s nice of Lewis to say […]
‘No room’ for second driver at Red Bull – Boullier
Nov.29 (GMM) Any driver would struggle to be Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull-Honda. That is the view of former McLaren team boss Eric Boullier, who was asked by Ouest France newspaper about Pierre Gasly’s up-and-down 2019 season. Fellow Frenchman Gasly moved up to Red Bull Racing for 2019 to replace Daniel Ricciardo, but by […]
Renault needs ‘patience’ for works success – Boullier
Nov.29 (GMM) Renault only needs “patience” and it can eventually catch the top teams in Formula 1. That is the view of Frenchman Eric Boullier, the former McLaren boss who actually entered F1 to front a former incarnation of the team based at Enstone. “It’s a big challenge to take over a team and reconfigure […]
‘Interesting times ahead’ for Renault – Hulkenberg
Nov.29 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says Renault is showing “encouraging signs” at the tail end of his difficult first season since leaving Red Bull. The Australian insists he does not regret quitting as Max Verstappen’s teammate to join Renault, who are fighting to keep fifth place in the constructors’ championship at the Abu Dhabi finale. “It […]
Honda engine now ‘on par with Mercedes’ – Albon
Nov.29 (GMM) Red Bull driver Alex Albon thinks Honda is now “on a par with Mercedes”. Just four years after Honda’s abysmal 2015 return to Formula 1 with McLaren, the Japanese supplier has finally caught up with the other engine manufacturers. However, some think it was the high altitude in Brazil that helped Honda-powered Max […]
Relationships ‘tough’ for F1 drivers – Hamilton
Nov.29 (GMM) Six time world champion Lewis Hamilton says having personal relationships outside of Formula 1 is difficult for the drivers. Sebastian Vettel was late to arrive in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after the birth on Wednesday of his third child – a son. “Congratulations to Seb, he’s obviously a great father,” Hamilton said. “But […]
2020 F1 debut ‘would have been nice’ – Schumacher
Nov.29 (GMM) Mick Schumacher admits it “would have been nice” if he had been able to step up to Formula 1 for 2020. However, as he looks set to finish just 12th overall this year, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher is instead signing up for a second season of Formula 2. “I’m glad […]
Hulkenberg admits future ‘in the stars’
Nov.29 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says the only sure thing in his immediate future is a “break”. After a decade on the grid, the 32-year-old German lost his Renault race seat for 2020 and also failed to reach a deal with an alternate team. “My future is still in the stars, but for me that’s fine. […]
Ferrari duo still allowed to race – Leclerc
Nov.29 (GMM) Ferrari’s two drivers will still be allowed to race, despite angering bosses with their collision in Brazil. While Sebastian Vettel was absent on Thursday due to the third of his third child, a son, his teammate Charles Leclerc said in Abu Dhabi that they will simply be “a bit less aggressive” in future. […]
Doping scandal will not affect Russia GP – official
Nov.29 (GMM) A Russian official has played down suggestions the future of the country’s Formula 1 race could be in danger. The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering banning Russia from hosting major sporting competitions for several years for not cooperating with doping investigations. But Svetlana Shakhova, who is secretary of the Russian Automobile Federation, said […]
Williams did not use my experience – Kubica
Nov.29 (GMM) Robert Kubica says Williams did not make the most of his contribution in 2019. The Pole admitted in Abu Dhabi that this weekend is “probably” his last ever in Formula 1. Next year, he admits he is targeting a race seat in DTM, and aims to combine it with a F1 reserve role […]
Latifi ‘sure’ Williams will improve
Nov.29 (GMM) Nicholas Latifi thinks Williams can bounce back after horror 2018 and 2019 seasons. The 24-year-old Canadian, with the powerful backing of his billionaire father and McLaren co-owner Michael Latifi, has been signed by Williams to replace Robert Kubica in 2020. Latifi denied the seat is a poisoned chalice. “Two bad years do not […]
Vettel and Leclerc ‘get on well’ – Binotto
Nov.28 (GMM) Ferrari’s two drivers “get on well”, team boss Mattia Binotto insists. Binotto, as well as Ferrari’s chairman John Elkann, was openly furious after Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided in Brazil. It was just the culmination of a full season that was characterised by the media as a battle for ‘number 1’ billing […]
2019 front wing rule change ‘unnecessary’ – Horner
Nov.28 (GMM) Christian Horner says he still thinks the new front wing regulations for 2019 were “unnecessary”. Liberty Media pushed for the design change to make overtaking easier, but Red Bull boss Horner says the actual result was a big bill for the teams. Horner also admitted to Auto Motor und Sport that it took […]