Dec.18 (GMM) Force India has become the second F1 team to announce a reveal date for its 2019 car. Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene recently announced that the Italian team’s new car will be launched on February 15, just days before the start of winter testing. Force India has now announced a February 13 launch date. […]
Sirotkin eyes 2020 F1 return
Dec.18 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says his aim is to return to formula one in 2020. The Russian has been replaced at Williams by Robert Kubica for 2019. Backed by SMP Bank, the 23-year-old is tipped to become a Ferrari development driver, but he told Tass news agency that he has no word yet. “Now we […]
McLaren success is ‘long term’ aim – Sainz
Dec.18 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says McLaren is aiming for success only in the medium to long term. The Spaniard says he is happy to move from the works Renault team to McLaren, the beleaguered yet once-great British outfit, on a new two-year contract. Sainz said his countryman Fernando Alonso advised him to sign, because it […]
Silverstone proposes new F1 deal for 2020
Dec.18 (GMM) Silverstone has stepped up its bid to remain on the F1 calendar. Last year, amid growing losses, the circuit-owning British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) triggered a break clause in its contract. As it stands, the last British grand prix will take place at historic Silverstone in 2019. But F1 business journalist Christian Sylt […]
Leclerc targets two race wins for 2019
Dec.17 (GMM) Charles Leclerc is targeting two grand prix wins for his first year with Ferrari. A few days ago, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said he will work to “protect” the young Monaco-born driver from “the possibility of being burned” in 2019. “He must think of next season as a year of apprenticeship,” the Italian […]
Berger tips Mick Schumacher for Ferrari seat
Dec.17 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger thinks Michael Schumacher’s son is on the road to a career at Ferrari. Currently, rumours are strengthening that Mercedes and Ferrari are tussling to secure 19-year-old Schumacher for their respective driver development programmes. “Mick will be at Ferrari in two years, but I don’t know if he will drive […]
Vettel no fan of electric cars
Dec.17 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is no fan of the trend towards electrically powered cars. The new Formula E season has just kicked off, with big manufacturers including Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Nissan and Jaguar involved, and former F1 stars like Felipe Massa, Stoffel Vandoorne and many others. But F1 traditionalist Vettel says he […]
Canada GP not in danger – promoter
Dec.17 (GMM) The future of the Canadian grand prix is not in danger. That is the view of Montreal race promoter Francois Dumontier, even though F1 chief executive Chase Carey has warned that even some traditional races may need to go. “No chance,” Dumontier told Le Journal de Montreal. “I read Chase’s comments but for […]
Costa plays down 2019 Mercedes engine problem
Dec.17 (GMM) Aldo Costa has played down fears Mercedes’ 2019 campaign is starting off with an engine problem. Team boss Toto Wolff said recently that there had been initial problems with next year’s engine on the test bench. “I think it was a bit misunderstood,” Costa, a Mercedes technical boss, told La Gazzetta dello Sport. […]
Team incidents hurt Ferrari in 2018 – boss
Dec.17 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene thinks a series of incidents hurt Ferrari’s charge for the 2018 title. Some think the biggest problem with this year’s failed challenge was driver mistakes made by Sebastian Vettel. Team boss Arrivabene agrees that “driver mistakes” were an issue, but he said that is also too simplistic an analysis. “We had […]
Raikkonen ‘motivated’ for Sauber – Giovinazzi
Dec.14 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi thinks his 2019 teammate Kimi Raikkonen will help him at Sauber next year. 2019 will be the Ferrari-backed Italian’s first full season in F1, following two one-off starts for the Swiss team last year. Giovinazzi, 24, will be paired with Ferrari refugee and 2007 world champion Raikkonen. “Charles (Leclerc) said he […]
Ferrari to reveal 2019 car on February 15
Dec.14 (GMM) Ferrari will reveal its 2019 challenger on February 15, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said on Thursday. The Italian attended an awards night presented by the Italian magazine Autosprint amid rumours of a rift between Arrivabene and his technical deputy Mattia Binotto. The late “Sergio Marchionne was planning a more important role for Binotto,” […]
F1 teams worried about Brexit crisis
Dec.13 (GMM) F1 teams admit they are worried about the Brexit crisis that is occurring in Britain. After British people voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, the situation is now in crisis with prime minister Theresa May’s exit deal and party leadership in tatters. If there is no deal in place by March […]
‘Mixed feelings’ about Kubica return – Vettel
Dec.13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he has “mixed feelings” about Robert Kubica’s return to formula one. Former grand prix winner Kubica, now 34, is returning to the grid next year after an eight year absence, after nearly severing his hand in a 2011 rallying crash. “I have mixed feelings,” 31-year-old quadruple world champion Vettel told […]
Monza seeking EUR 100m for upgrade
Dec.13 (GMM) Monza is looking for EUR 100 million to upgrade the Italian grand prix venue and secure a new grand prix deal with Liberty Media. La Gazzetta dello Sport said the 100m plan involves changes to a chicane, the Lesmo corner, the widening of the track and new grandstands. “We will find the money […]
Sirotkin to test DTM, Hartley to Porsche
Dec.12 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin could keep his motor racing career alive in the German touring car series DTM. SMP Racing, his Russian sponsor, said the Williams refugee has been invited by Audi to test at the Jerez circuit on Wednesday. “The test is in the context of determining the options for his programme for his […]
McLaren not ‘copying’ Red Bull car – Sainz
Dec.12 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has played down claims McLaren is ‘copying’ Red Bull’s chassis concept for 2019. With Red Bull moving to Honda power, some have observed that McLaren will now clearly emulate key principles of the Red Bull car that was so effective this year with customer Renault engines. “I think it’s very straightforward […]
Barcelona hopes for new F1 contract
Dec.12 (GMM) Organisers of the Spanish grand prix are still not sure they will reach a new agreement with Liberty Media. Vicenc Aguilera, the Circuit de Catalunya boss, told Spanish reporters he hopes to sit down with the F1 owner “in three or four months”. “We are working on it but we have to do […]
Ferrari’s Binotto ‘has received other offers’
Dec.11 (GMM) Whispers of discord at Maranello are continuing, even after the end of the 2018 season. As pundits do their analysis of where Ferrari’s title campaign went wrong, many have pointed to a rift between team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and technical director Mattia Binotto. And Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily, says that argument […]
Berger sees F1 chance for nephew Auer
Dec.11 (GMM) Gerhard Berger is hoping his nephew may have a future in formula one. One the one hand, the F1 legend said he is sad to see Lucas Auer leave DTM, the German touring car series that he now runs. “But I see it with the eyes of an uncle,” Berger told Tiroler Tageszeitung […]