Mar.4 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he left Red Bull because he no longer felt like the number 1 driver. Red Bull boss Christian Horner said recently that Ricciardo is “running from a fight” with Max Verstappen by switching to Renault. But Ricciardo insists that his decision was more to do with Red Bull than his […]
Boss denies Ferrari clear 2019 favourite
Mar.4 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has denied that Ferrari is the clear favourite to win the 2019 title. Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi told Radio Sportivo: “For sure Mercedes will be very strong, but Ferrari seems stronger.” Crucially, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton also thinks Ferrari has a 5 tenths per lap lead heading into Australia. “It’s nice […]
Vettel not planning to retire yet
Mar.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he has no plans to retire. At the end of last year, the German was criticised for making mistakes that contributed to Ferrari not winning the world championship. And now, those same critics are saying Vettel could be challenged in 2019 by his new teammate Charles Leclerc. “Over the years […]
Red Bull has ‘competitive engine’ – Mateschitz
Mar.4 (GMM) Red Bull finally has a “competitive engine”. That is the view of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who made a rare visit to the Barcelona paddock last week. He was there to check out progress at Red Bull Racing, which has dropped its customer Renault engines and teamed up with a works collaboration with […]
2019 is ‘last chance’ for Kvyat – Marko
Mar.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he is very happy with Red Bull’s full F1 driver lineup for 2019. Daniel Ricciardo has left for Renault, but still Marko is smiling after what he describes as the “best winter for us in the hybrid era”. Max Verstappen is now the clear number 1. “At the age […]
Kubica ’20pc ready’ for F1 race return
Mar.4 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he is only 20 per cent ready for his return to F1 in 2019. Having failed to get its new car ready on time for Barcelona testing, the Williams team’s rookie driver George Russell admitted: “I would be lying if I said that we are not the slowest team right […]
Mexico misses deadline for 2020 race
Mar.4 (GMM) Mexico’s place on the F1 calendar appears more and more endangered. We have already reported that government funds for the event in Mexico City beyond 2019 will be switched to the Maya Train project. And now, the race organisers have missed a Liberty Media-imposed deadline to host the race in 2020. “In my […]
F1 ‘pay TV’ trend is worrying – Hamilton
Mar.4 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says it is a shame that F1 is steadily moving behind a ‘pay wall’. When the Mercedes driver won his first title in 2008, 6 million British viewers saw it. By 2018, for his fifth world championship, the number had dwindled to 2 million. “That sounds terrible,” Hamilton said when told […]
Did Mercedes make two different cars for 2019? – Perez
Mar.4 (GMM) Sergio Perez has floated a fascinating theory about Mercedes. In week two of the Barcelona test, Mercedes brought a ‘B’ car to the track. An engineer said “every aerodynamic surface” of the silver car has been changed. Some said it was a reaction to Mercedes’ realisation that it is lagging behind Ferrari by […]
Midfield pecking order ‘a mystery’ – Raikkonen
Mar.4 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says the pecking order behind the top three teams is “a big mystery”. Some are predicting that Alfa Romeo is now ready to take on Renault to be the ‘best of the rest’ in 2019. “It’s unclear to us where we stand,” Finn Raikkonen, who has switched to the former Sauber […]
Prost sceptical about improved overtaking
Mar.4 (GMM) Alain Prost has added his scepticism to the new aerodynamic rules for 2019. In the paddock, opinions are split as Liberty and the FIA move to make overtaking easier. “It was a change in the regulations that cost us a lot of money before another major change of regulation for 2021, the details […]
Ocon to ‘grab opportunity’ in 2019
Mar.4 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he wants to “grab” any opportunity that comes from his new role in F1. Dropped by Force India at the end of last year, the talented Frenchman remains strongly backed by Mercedes and will be the reigning champions’ reserve in 2019. “I am positive about my situation,” Ocon told RTBF. […]
Ferrari drops ‘Mission Winnow’ name
Mar.4 (GMM) Ferrari has dropped ‘Mission Winnow’ from its official name for 2019. The move, not announced publicly but clear from the latest version of the FIA entry list, follows speculation Ferrari is in the spotlight for reportedly clandestine cigarette advertising. ‘Mission Winnow’ is the new message from Ferrari’s main sponsor Philip Morris. “We know […]
McLaren ‘at the back’ – Marko
Mar.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says McLaren has made a “surprisingly good” step forward in some areas for 2019. The Spaniard has stepped down from his role as a race driver, but whilst racing in other categories this year will remain a McLaren tester. “There are areas that we need to revise and develop to improve […]
Hamilton hits out at ‘hard’ Pirelli tyres
Mar.4 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit out at F1’s tyres for 2019. Days ago, the world champion published a video on social media of his dog attacking a Pirelli tyre. “He was trying to bite into it but found it to be too hard,” the Mercedes driver joked. “I don’t have a lot of good […]
Prost backs Ferrari over driver hierarchy
Mar.1 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost has backed Ferrari’s decision to impose a clear driver pecking order ahead of the 2019 season. Mattia Binotto kicked off his tenure as the Maranello team’s new boss by declaring that Sebastian Vettel would have “priority” over newcomer Charles Leclerc. Leclerc, 21, said in Barcelona that Binotto’s call was […]
Leclerc says his number 2 status ‘logical’
Mar.1 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says it is “logical” that he starts his career at Ferrari with number 2 status to Sebastian Vettel. Since the highly rated youngster was signed by Ferrari, and after four-time world champion Vettel’s difficult 2018 season, many in the paddock predicted that it could be Leclerc with the upper hand this […]
Lowe ignoring rumours about Williams future
Mar.1 (GMM) Paddy Lowe says he has blocked out media speculation about his future at Williams. As the man most directly responsible for the struggling British team’s delayed and uncompetitive 2019 car, the voices calling for him to step down were loud. But Lowe, the technical director and also reportedly a team shareholder, says the […]
Bottas thinks overtaking easier in 2019
Mar.1 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has joined a growing number of drivers who think overtaking will be easier in 2019. Initially, there was great scepticism about the changes to the front wing rules for this year. Red Bull denounced it as a waste of EUR 15 million per team. But some drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo and […]
Lauda needs more time before F1 return – Marko
Mar.1 (GMM) Niki Lauda needs more time before he is ready to return to formula one. That is the view of his friend and Austrian countryman Dr Helmut Marko, who says he misses his breakfast buddy in the Barcelona test paddock. Although rivals, Marko says he has a “respectful friendship” with the F1 legend. “It’s […]