Feb.2 (GMM) Red Bull and Lotus caused a stir on Monday as the first test of the 2015 pre-season continued at Jerez. Daniil Kvyat had a bad start to life as a race driver for the energy drink company’s senior team by running off the Spanish circuit and damaging the front wing. “That was the […]
Day of contrasts marks start of test season
Feb.2 (GMM) F1’s 2015 test season kicked off on Sunday amid stark contrasts, as Mercedes looked set to extend its utter dominance into a second championship campaign. The German giant, in fact, stunned rival engineers up and down the pitlane as Nico Rosberg pounded around the Jerez circuit almost 160 times — a first-day feat […]
Force India may miss Melbourne opener – report
Feb.2 (GMM) Rumours about the health of the Force India team are continuing to worsen. The Silverstone based squad has not fully explained its absence from the Jerez test this week. On social media, German driver Nico Hulkenberg posted a photo of himself training in the snow, remarking: “If I can’t be at Jerez I’m […]
McLaren not ruling out livery change
Feb.2 (GMM) McLaren supremo Ron Dennis is not ruling out a change of livery for the newly-launched MP4-30. We reported last week that, amid raised expectations of an orange or iconic red and white livery to herald the new works Honda partnership, some fans were disappointed when the familiar silver and black car was launched […]
Newey not expecting Red Bull to match Mercedes
Feb.2 (GMM) Adrian Newey has admitted that while Renault has improved its engine over the winter, it may not be enough to challenge Mercedes for the title. The Red Bull technical boss, while heavily involved with the newly-revealed RB11, is now taking a step back to work on other projects, including the America’s Cup and […]
Kobayashi to keep career alive in Japan
Feb.2 (GMM) F1 favourite Kamui Kobayashi has kept his motor racing career alive for 2015. The popular Japanese raced last year with Caterham, and although the ailing backmarker’s administrators have not given up, the team is not at Jerez for the first test of the new season. Kobayashi, 28, tested late last year for his […]
Alonso puts brave face on McLaren struggles
Feb.2 (GMM) Fernando Alonso on Sunday put on a brave face as he admitted his first day in the MP4-30 was a “slow start” to his new chapter at McLaren. The Spaniard, having switched from Ferrari to spearhead the new works Honda era, did just 6 uncompetitive laps all day in his new 2015 office, […]
Lotus missing as noses stir interest at Jerez test
Feb.1 (GMM) Only seven teams are up and running for the first day of official pre-season testing at Jerez. Missing altogether are the ailing backmarkers Caterham and Marussia, as well as Force India amid speculation of similar financial trouble. But also not running on Sunday is Lotus. Last week, reports suggested not only Lotus but […]
Winter season set to begin at Jerez
Feb.1 (GMM) F1 2015 is about to kick off in earnest. After a two-month ‘off season’, teams are now all set up at Jerez, where on Sunday the first of three official winter tests before Melbourne will begin. Toro Rosso opened proceedings on Saturday by revealing its new STR10, featuring a long, tongue-like front nose. […]
No ‘old’ engine strategy for Mercedes in 2015
Feb.1 (GMM) Mercedes has hit back at rumours it might begin the 2015 season with ‘old’ engines for strategic reasons. It has been suggested the title-defending team, expected to still be wielding a significant advantage this year, might race in Melbourne with the 2014-spec unit and therefore keep all 32 development ‘tokens’ up its sleeve […]
Ferrari, Sauber next to reveal 2015 cars
Jan.30 (GMM) Ferrari and the similarly-powered Sauber teams on Friday separately revealed their new 2015 cars. Ferrari’s long and low-nosed new car, to be raced by former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel, is the SF15-T. Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said the Maranello team, having completed a revolutionary shake-up after its disappointing 2014, is targeting “at […]
Lynn confirms Red Bull programme split
Jan.30 (GMM) Williams’ new development driver Alex Lynn has confirmed his split from Red Bull’s high profile junior programme. Last year, as he powered to the GP3 title and the highly coveted Macau GP win, the 21-year-old Briton was named as a contender to replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso for 2015. Ultimately, the F1 […]
Mercedes completes first laps with W06
Jan.30 (GMM) F1’s launch season is in full swing, and the latest new car to hit the headlines is the title-defending Mercedes. As the new silver McLaren was unveiled online on Thursday, the German giant Mercedes was giving its similarly-coloured W06 a shakedown during a ‘promotional event’ at Silverstone, before a blizzard stopped running. Mercedes […]
Ecclestone doubts Germany to host 2015 race
Jan.30 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone estimates Germany’s chances of staying on the 2015 calendar at “less than 50 per cent”. The Nurburgring was due to return to the schedule in 2015, but German reports say the boss of new circuit owner Capricorn’s offices were raided last week by local prosecutors amid allegations of fraud. And F1’s […]
Red Bull and Lotus running late for Jerez debut
Jan.30 (GMM) Red Bull and Lotus could join Force India, Caterham and Marussia in sitting out the opening winter test at Jerez beginning on Sunday. Italy’s Omnicorse claims Red Bull, whose designer Adrian Newey customarily pushes the boundaries with his new-car deadlines, has this week failed a front impact test at the FIA-approved Cranfield facility […]
Raikkonen could stay beyond 2015 – manager
Jan.30 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen’s manager says it is possible the Finn will stay at Ferrari beyond the 2015 season. A report in Finland’s Turun Sanomat said the 2007 world champion’s current deal expires at the end of the year, with a double-sided option to extend into 2016. Manager Steve Robertson said: “Above all, he has […]
Team survival more important than 1000hp – engineer
Jan.30 (GMM) A former F1 engineer thinks the sport has bigger problems than a potential move to 1000-plus horse power engines. According to Italian specialist publication Autosprint, the sport’s powerbrokers will meet next week to discuss again the possibility of adapting the current turbo V6s to produce more sound and power by 2017. The idea […]
Ricciardo doubts Vettel quit rumours
Jan.30 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has contradicted boss Christian Horner’s claims that Sebastian Vettel came close to quitting F1 last year. Horner, the team chief at Red Bull, caused a stir this week when he told the media that amid the quadruple world champion’s struggles to match Ricciardo in 2014, the German thought about retiring before […]
Ex Ferrari boss points finger at Alonso
Jan.30 (GMM) A former Ferrari chief has pointed the finger at departed Fernando Alonso following the Maranello team’s recent troubles. Legendary designer Mauro Forghieri, a key Ferrari figure from the 60s to the 80s, said the Spaniard cannot simply blame the team for his failure to add another title to his tally since joining in […]
Sirotkin money key to Force India absence – report
Jan.30 (GMM) The saga about Force India’s apparent financial troubles is continuing. Luis Vasconcelos, an experienced correspondent writing for Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, now claims a young driver from Russia is at the centre of the Silverstone based team’s absence from the Jerez test. “According to our sources,” he claimed, “the Jerez plans collapsed when […]