Aug.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has issued a ‘Honda or me’ ultimatum to McLaren, according to Germany’s authoritative Auto Motor und Sport. It appears that the fiery Spaniard’s three years of patience are finally up, amid rumours he faked a Honda engine failure to retire from last Sunday’s race at Spa. “He had a funny feeling […]
Force India not ruling out driver change
Aug.29 (GMM) Force India is not ruling out making a change to its driver lineup for 2018. Earlier, although Sergio Perez is yet to commit to the Silverstone based team beyond this year, Force India bosses seemed more than happy to keep the Mexican alongside Esteban Ocon. But tension has been steadily rising between the […]
‘Few weeks’ until future resolved – Alonso
Aug.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has tipped the future of the McLaren-Honda collaboration and his next move in F1 to be decided in “the next few weeks”. The Spaniard made his feelings about Honda’s continuing problems clear at Spa, where over the radio he said using the Japanese power unit was “embarrassing”. Asked if McLaren needs […]
No Hamilton contract talks this season – Wolff
Aug.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff has scotched rumours the extension of Lewis Hamilton’s contract will be a topic over the course of the next months. At Spa, rumours emerged that suggested on the one hand that the triple world champion might quit Mercedes after 2018, whilst on the other claiming Hamilton was ready to talk about […]
Wolff plays down Ferrari engine argument
Aug.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff has vowed to keep “behind closed doors” any spat with Ferrari over engine rules. We reported at the weekend that Ferrari is angry after Mercedes broke a ‘gentleman’s agreement’. The saga surrounds the ‘oil in fuel’ controversy, with Mercedes launching a new engine specification at Spa despite promising it would wait […]
Wolff plays down safety car conspiracy
Aug.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down a conspiracy theory triggered by comments made by Lewis Hamilton after the Belgian grand prix. The Mercedes driver won at Spa, but only after a race characterised by intense pressure from Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and controversial safety car periods. “I felt it was like Nascar, with safety cars […]
Pirelli insists 2017 tyres ‘safe’
Aug.28 (GMM) Pirelli left the Belgian grand prix insisting its 2017 tyres are safe. During the Spa weekend, alarming slow-motion footage showed the rear tyres of some cars vibrating so severely under acceleration that parts of the cars broke off. F1’s official tyre supplier launched an investigation. Pirelli technical boss Mario Isola said: “It only […]
Steward defends decision to penalise Raikkonen
Aug.28 (GMM) F1 steward Mika Salo has defended the decision to penalise Kimi Raikkonen at Spa. The Ferrari driver hit out at his penalties for failing to lift the throttle for the double waved yellow flags caused by Max Verstappen’s retirement. But his Finnish countryman Salo, a former F1 driver, defended his call. “It’s a […]
Wehrlein admits Sauber exit likely
Aug.28 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has given the strongest sign yet that he will leave Sauber at the end of the year. Recently, both the German, his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, and Sauber chiefs have hinted that Wehrlein will be replaced next year by a junior Ferrari driver. Wehrlein, 22, admitted at Spa: “I do not […]
Red Bull drops young talent
Aug.28 (GMM) Another Red Bull junior driver looks set to bite the dust. The energy drink company is known not only for producing great F1 talents, but also ruthlessly dropping youngsters who do not live up to expectations. “Talents like Verstappen or Vettel or Ricciardo don’t come along every season,” said Red Bull’s Christian Horner. […]
Verstappen questions commitment to Red Bull
Aug.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen and his father Jos have questioned their commitment to Red Bull. At Spa, in front of thousands of Dutch fans, the 19-year-old’s car broke down for the sixth time in twelve races so far this year. Engine supplier Renault got the blame. “All we can do is put pressure on our […]
Force India eyes race bans for Perez, Ocon
Aug.28 (GMM) Force India is not ruling out imposing race bans on its drivers. At Spa, weeks of tension between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon spilled over as the pair collided twice during the Belgian grand prix. “We have to look back to Baku where he put me in the wall,” said Perez. “I’m not […]
Alonso, Williams not denying 2018 rumours
Aug.27 (GMM) Fernando Alonso and Williams are not denying rumours that they might team up for 2018. At Spa, Spaniard Alonso seems out of patience for Honda, who have struggled since day one of the works McLaren project. “The current situation didn’t arise in a single day — it’s been three years,” he said. And […]
Ricciardo rules out Ferrari move
Aug.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has counted himself out of the running for a Ferrari seat in the foreseeable future. The Australian is regularly linked with a switch to red, but he now sees Sebastian Vettel’s new three-year deal as a clear sign that Ferrari is planning without him. “When Kimi’s contract was confirmed, I knew […]
‘Another 2018 option’ for Wehrlein – Wolff
Aug.27 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein is not yet out of the running for a F1 seat in 2018. That is the view of Toto Wolff, who oversees the career of the Mercedes-backed German driver. Currently, Wehrlein is at Sauber, but the Swiss team looks set to take on a Ferrari junior like Antonio Giovinazzi or Charles […]
Renault deal for McLaren ‘impossible’ – Prost
Aug.27 (GMM) Renault has played down the chances it might supply engines to McLaren next year. As the British team struggles with Honda, Mercedes and Ferrari have already made clear they will not be leaping to McLaren’s rescue. So at Spa, rumours emerged that if McLaren does split with Honda, the only option could be […]
Mercedes to decide team orders ‘race by race’
Aug.27 (GMM) Mercedes will take a race-by-race approach to the issue of team orders for the remaining nine grands prix of 2017. In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton lost precious points to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel as the Briton honoured an agreement to return a place to his teammate Valtteri Bottas. “Some people said we are naive in […]
Bottas to get 2018 contract before Monza
Aug.27 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is set to be the next piece of the 2018 driver puzzle to slot into place. With Ferrari’s current lineup staying next year, the path is now clear for Finn Bottas to ink a new single-year contract with Mercedes. “It goes without saying that Valtteri is staying,” team boss Toto Wolff […]
Kubica set for Friday practice in Malaysia
Aug.27 (GMM) Robert Kubica could be set for another outing in Renault’s 2017 car. Recently, the Pole caused a stir with an impressive performance in the post-Hungarian GP test. But Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul said it was not enough to be sure that the former BMW driver is really ready to return to F1 six […]
Lauda plays down Vettel talks confusion
Aug.27 (GMM) Niki Lauda has played down the confusion about whether Mercedes came close to signing Sebastian Vettel for 2018 and beyond. At Spa, Ferrari ended the uncertainty about Vettel’s future by saying it has agreed a new three-year contract with the championship leader. The news came just 24 hours after Vettel said there would […]