Jun.14 (GMM) The finalisation of the highly contentious 2021 regulations has been officially delayed until the end of October. Earlier, the strict deadline for the publication of the technical, sporting and financial regulations for the post-Concorde Agreement period was June. But the teams are hopelessly split on a range of key issues, prompting the FIA […]
Marko invited MotoGP boss to run F1
Jun.14 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he urged MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta to announce his candidacy to replace Chase Carey as CEO of Formula 1. 73-year-old Ezpeleta is CEO of Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of the two-wheeled F1 equivalent. Marko, a top official at Red Bull, thinks Ezpeleta would already have solved […]
Albon reveals he is a ‘practicing Buddhist’
Jun.14 (GMM) Alexander Albon has admitted he is a “practicing Buddhist”. Although he was born and lives in London and has a British accent, the Toro Rosso driver has a Thai mother and he races under the flag of Thailand. “I think a lot of people in Thailand don’t know they have a Formula 1 […]
Giovinazzi eyes ‘solutions’ to 2019 struggle
Jun.14 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi says he is focused on improving his situation. Of the 20 drivers on the grid, it is Robert Kubica at Williams and Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo who are struggling the most in comparison to their respective teammates. “It was a difficult start to the season for me, also because both the […]
Kubica ‘patient’ amid F1 comeback crisis
Jun.14 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he is being “patient” amid his struggle for form on his return to F1. Of the teammate pairings on the grid, no driver has struggled more than the Pole in comparison to the occupant of the other Williams car, George Russell. Kubica suspects there is something fundamentally awry with his […]
Review could mean bigger Vettel penalty – Wolff
Jun.14 (GMM) Ferrari will not appeal Sebastian Vettel’s Canada GP time penalty, but the Italian team is looking into another way to re-claim the race win. “We have withdrawn our intention to appeal and are evaluating the right of review,” a spokesperson for the Maranello outfit declared. It is believed Ferrari came to the conclusion […]
Early budget cap figure a ‘compromise’ – Brawn
Jun.13 (GMM) The world of F1 is in Paris on Thursday for a crisis meeting about the 2021 rules. The draft regulations began to do the rounds last weekend in Montreal, but it quickly emerged that the teams are still hopelessly split. For instance, even the rule banning tyre blankets is being opposed, with many […]
Karting now physically harder than F1 – Grosjean
Jun.13 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says even go-karting is now more physically difficult than racing in Formula 1. In Canada last weekend, five time world champion Lewis Hamilton said F1 used to be “a man’s sport”. “Sometimes you do these races now and you could get up and probably do two or three races more. Formula […]
French GP aims for no traffic chaos in 2019 – Boullier
Jun.13 (GMM) Ticket sales for next weekend’s French GP are reportedly 50 per cent down on last year. It could be because of the traffic chaos of 2018, when Paul Ricard returned to the F1 calendar. But Eric Boullier, the former McLaren boss who is now involved in the organisation of the French GP, said […]
Not enough support for tyre change – Marko
Jun.13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he cannot get enough support to force Pirelli to change its controversial tyres. The Red Bull official has now played down his earlier comments, in which he hinted Pirelli designed its 2019 tyres especially for Mercedes. “It cannot be proved that Mercedes got the tyre specification earlier than […]
No penalty for post-race Vettel tantrum – steward
Jun.13 (GMM) One of the three Canadian GP stewards said they decided not to penalise Sebastian Vettel for his post-race antics of last Sunday in Montreal. Hans-Gerd Ennser, under fire for the time penalty that cost Ferrari’s Vettel victory, says the FIA panel actually gave the German as lenient a punishment as possible. “It could […]
Politician wants grid girls on Dutch GP grid
Jun.13 (GMM) A Dutch parliamentarian wants grid girls to be on the Zandvoort grid next year. Early last year, F1 owner Liberty Media controversially banned grid girls from every grand prix on the calendar. But Party for Freedom politician Roy van Aalst, a member of the house of representatives in the Netherlands, said Liberty’s decision […]
Kvyat ‘much more mature’ in 2019 – Tost
Jun.13 (GMM) In his third stint at Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat is a better driver than before. That is the view of the Russian driver’s team boss Franz Tost. Kvyat debuted at Toro Rosso in 2014, swiftly getting the call-up to the senior team Red Bull. But he was demoted back to Toro Rosso in […]
No ‘B spec’ car for Paul Ricard – Abiteboul
Jun.13 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul has denied that Renault’s upgrade for its home race in France next weekend amounts to a ‘B spec’ car. “Please keep the ball flat,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “It’s part two of our recovery plan.” The German report said Renault’s Paul Ricard upgrade includes a new front wing, nose, […]
Honda to race second engine upgrade in France
Jun.12 (GMM) Honda will take its second engine upgrade of the 2019 season to Paul Ricard next weekend. In April, just a few races into the long season, the Japanese manufacturer introduced its first upgrade of 2019 for partner teams Red Bull and Toro Rosso. Dr Helmut Marko had said at the time that the […]
Bottas calls Canada GP a ‘wake-up call’
Jun.12 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has described the Canadian GP race weekend as a personal “wake-up call”. With his new beard on show after a lacklustre 2018, the Finnish driver came out of the box with surprisingly strong form early in 2019. But more recently, his championship lead has become a 29-point deficit to Mercedes teammate […]
Binotto admits Ferrari made another strategy error
Jun.12 (GMM) Ferrari has admitted to making yet another strategy error in 2019. Already criticised by the Italian press for a range of strategy mistakes this year, boss Mattia Binotto has confirmed that another oversight took place last Sunday in Canada. When Sebastian Vettel was given his now highly controversial five second penalty, Charles Leclerc […]
Grosjean scared off home intruders – wife
Jun.12 (GMM) Romain Grosjean endured an ordeal at home after returning from the Canadian GP. On social media, his wife Marion – a former F1 presenter for French television – declared the Haas driver a “hero” for scaring off two intruders who had broken into their home at night in Geneva. “Sportsmen are often called […]
Signs of reliability trouble at Mercedes
Jun.12 (GMM) There are signs of reliability trouble coming out of the Mercedes camp. On Saturday in Montreal, the brand new Mercedes engine fitted to Lance Stroll’s Racing Point failed spectacularly. The following day, before the Sebastian Vettel penalty controversy erupted, Lewis Hamilton’s grand prix was almost spoiled by a pre-race problem. He said afterwards: […]
Marko hints Mercedes getting preferential treatment
Jun.12 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he wonders if Mercedes is being unfairly favoured by F1’s authorities. The Red Bull official hit out at the penalty that cost Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel victory in Montreal. He even defended Vettel, who won all of his four titles at Red Bull, for what is being described as […]