Oct.9 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has admitted that the Rich Energy affair will have an impact on Haas’ bottom line. For 2019, the American team signed up the mysterious British energy drink company to be its title sponsor. But after a controversial saga involving Rich Energy’s peculiar boss William Storey, Haas is now without a title […]
Kubica sponsor ‘will remain in Formula 1’
Oct.9 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s sponsor says it is staying in Formula 1 in 2020. Kubica, who has struggled on his return to the grid this year, has already announced that he is leaving Williams at the end of the season. But his sponsor, Polish oil company PKN Orlen, says it is staying in F1. “You […]
FIA proposes active aerodynamics for 2021
Oct.9 (GMM) F1’s governing body is proposing that the Formula 1 cars in 2021 feature active aerodynamics. The news, reported by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, comes amid pressure from some teams for a watering down of the major car changes for 2021. Led by Mercedes, it is believed that some teams want Liberty and […]
Hockenheim axe ‘disaster’ for Germany – Danner
Oct.8 (GMM) Germany’s departure from the unprecedentedly-large F1 calendar for 2020 is a “disaster”. That is the view of former driver and now German television pundit Christian Danner. The FIA has now officially ratified the 2020 calendar, which features new races in Vietnam and Zandvoort but no new deal for the German GP at Hockenheim. […]
Haas ‘goals’ did not match Hulkenberg’s – Abiteboul
Oct.8 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg turned down Haas for 2020 because he only wants to drive for teams with more potential. That is the view of Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, who is replacing the German with Esteban Ocon for 2020. Hulkenberg was linked with a move to Haas, and has not explained precisely why those […]
FIA monitoring typhoon days before Japan GP
Oct.8 (GMM) F1’s governing body is monitoring severe weather reports in the days before the Japanese grand prix. Alarming forecasts by the Japanese meteorological agency (JMA) are predicting that Typhoon Hagibis will be categorised ‘violent’ when it hits landfall – the highest possible descriptor. “It could be the strongest to hit Japan this year,” JMA […]
St Petersburg ‘capable’ of hosting Russia GP – Tilke
Oct.8 (GMM) A circuit close to St Petersburg is “capable” of hosting Formula 1. That is the view of the track’s architect, Hermann Tilke, referring to the new Igora Drive circuit that will host a round of the DTM series next year. Igora is located two hours from St Petersburg, linking it with recent rumours […]
Verstappen not committing to Red Bull after 2020
Oct.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he currently will not commit to Red Bull beyond the end of his contract. Earlier this year, there were rumblings about a performance-related exit clause in his contract, but the Dutchman remains tied to Red Bull until the end of 2020. However, a spate of comments in the media by […]
F1 to improve car strength after Hubert death
Oct.7 (GMM) F1 teams are looking into how to improve the safety of the chassis following the crash that killed Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert. Juan Manual Correa is also struggling to recover from a 17 hour operation in London to save his right leg following the Spa crash. “We have been invited to analyse […]
Marko has ‘no problem’ with Verstappen criticism
Oct.7 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he has “no problem” with Max Verstappen’s recent criticism of Red Bull. “In the second half of the season you would expect that we would get better, but so far that has not really happened,” the Dutch driver told his own website. That criticism, coupled with even harsher criticism […]
Newey ‘very involved’ at Red Bull – Verstappen
Oct.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen has played down reports that Adrian Newey is steadily stepping away from Formula 1. Red Bull’s famous technical boss has been part-time for several years now, but that involvement looks to be diminishing even more. Former team driver Robert Doornbos said recently that Newey is working “much less” than before, as […]
F1 still squabbling as 2021 rules deadline looms
Oct.7 (GMM) Just weeks before the deadline for finalisation of the 2021 rules, the F1 teams, Liberty Media and the FIA remain at an impasse. The June deadline had already been postponed to the end of October, as the parties squabble over the details of the major rules shakeup. The biggest argument is over the […]
Long calendar making F1 ‘boring’ – Villeneuve
Oct.7 (GMM) The Formula 1 calendar is becoming “too long and boring”, according to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve. The outspoken Canadian’s comments come after Max Verstappen predicted that a greater than 22-race calendar will lead to a spate of divorce in the F1 paddock. “It’s too much,” Villeneuve told Russia’s Championat, as the FIA […]
Sprint race qualifying ‘not F1’ – Villeneuve
Oct.7 (GMM) F1’s forthcoming sprint race qualifying format risks turning the sport into “a game”. That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, but it comes at the same time as Max Verstappen likened the reverse-grid Saturday race idea as akin to “American wrestling”. Villeneuve told Russia’s Championat: “It’s fun, but it’s not […]
McLaren ‘never considered’ own engine – Seidl
Oct.7 (GMM) Team boss Andreas Seidl says McLaren “never considered” building its own Formula 1 engine. After 2020, the British team will continue its push to catch the top three teams by switching from customer Renault to customer Mercedes power. However, McLaren supremo Zak Brown had said last year: “It is possible, but not very […]
Russian DTM track denies Formula 1 race talks
Oct.4 (GMM) The boss of a Russian racing circuit located north of St Petersburg has denied it could be in the running to join the Formula 1 calendar. Recently, reports emerged that Russian president Vladimir Putin favoured moving the Russian GP from Sochi to St Petersburg. “I heard that it could change to St Petersburg,” […]
Hulkenberg confirms talks with Alfa Romeo boss
Oct.4 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has confirmed that he has been in contact with Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur. The German has lost his Renault race seat for 2020, and he admitted that Haas’ troubles this year are among the reasons he failed to do a deal with the American team. “It was about various factors, […]
Red Bull ‘more behind than it seems’ – Verstappen
Oct.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen thinks he is “two tenths faster” than top F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton and Leclerc drive for Mercedes and Ferrari respectively. “If I find myself in the same car as Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc, I feel that I would be two tenths faster,” he told De Telegraaf […]
Liberty says no ‘serious’ talks with new F1 teams
Oct.4 (GMM) Liberty Media has officially played down the hopes of multiple teams that reportedly want to enter Formula 1. We reported recently that two prospective teams, one called Panthera Team Asia F1 and another thought to be Boris Rothenberg’s SMP Racing outfit, might be interested in entering the sport. And now a Spanish outfit […]
Kubica sponsor demands Williams explanation
Oct.4 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s sponsor officially demanded that Williams explain why the Pole retired from the Russian GP. Williams admitted immediately after the Sochi race that the decision was taken to retire Kubica’s healthy car “to conserve parts ahead of the coming races”. There was already tension between the struggling British team and Kubica’s sponsor […]