May 26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has defended his silence until now about the death of Niki Lauda. Lauda, the F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman, died late on Monday and Hamilton immediately posted a tribute on social media. But he then sat out his duties at the FIA press conference on Wednesday, causing Lauda’s contemporary […]
Raikkonen not ruling out 2021 contract
May 26 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says it is possible he will keep racing beyond the end of his current contract. Having debuted in 2001, the Finn says reaching the 300 grand prix mark this weekend in Monaco is “just a number”. But only Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello had marginally longer […]
Ferrari, Mercedes sign up for F1 Netflix series
May 26 (GMM) F1’s two top teams will appear in the next ‘Drive to Survive’ Netflix series. Ferrari and Mercedes were the only two teams that refused to take part in the popular series that was filmed last year and debuted in 2019. The second Netflix series is currently being filmed at the grands prix. […]
Magnussen will quit F1 if title hopes fade
May 26 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he doesn’t want to be “best of the rest” for his entire Formula 1 career. “I will only race in Formula 1 as long as I believe I can become world champion,” the Dane told BT newspaper. Magnussen, who drives for the small American team Haas, is indeed ‘best […]
Ferrari a ‘young team’ like in 1995 – Binotto
May 26 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has likened Ferrari’s current situation to the days immediately before Michael Schumacher joined the great Maranello team and started dominating. After a dominant winter, the entire paddock expected Ferrari to finally be in a position to win its first world championship in over a decade. But Mercedes has scored five […]
Ferrari taking ‘risks’ to catch up – Binotto
May 26 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has denied that Sebastian Vettel got preferential treatment that resulted in Charles Leclerc being stranded near the back of the Monaco grid. “No, not at all,” said the Ferrari boss when asked if it was a move to favour Vettel. “We have got two full teams, one per driver, so […]
Williams says Villeneuve comments ‘irritating’
May 25 (GMM) Claire Williams has admitted comments made recently by the team’s last world champion Jacques Villeneuve were “irritating”. Under her leadership, the once-great British team is having a season even more woeful than in 2018. And things are even worse in Monaco. “Monaco emphasises the weaknesses of our car,” Robert Kubica said. “Here, […]
Binotto admits designer could return to Ferrari
May 25 (GMM) Ferrari could recall its former chief designer from Alfa Romeo. Mid last year, it emerged that Simone Resta would move from Maranello to Sauber, the Swiss team that this year became Alfa Romeo. Now, after Ferrari failed to win a single grand prix so far in 2019, Resta could return from the […]
F1 scraps plans for standard gearbox design
May 25 (GMM) Plans to standardise gearbox design in 2021 have been scrapped. Earlier, tenders were issued by the FIA not only for gearbox design, but also various other components including brakes, wheels and fuel systems. But the governing body has now announced that the World Motor Sport Council voted against the imposition of a […]
Mercedes dominance to last until Abu Dhabi – Marko
May 25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko does not think either Ferrari or Red Bull will be able to beat Mercedes in 2019. Earlier, it looked as though Ferrari had aced the 2019 rules change with its unique front wing concept. In fact, Red Bull designer Adrian Newey thinks the new rules and tyres played right […]
Binotto denies need to scrap front wing concept
May 25 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has played down suggestions Ferrari needs to scrap its front wing design. Early in 2019, the Italian team looked to have aced the 2019 rules changes with an innovative concept. But Mercedes has subsequently scored five consecutive 1-2s, with even Ferrari admitting its concept is now under review. However, boss […]
Abiteboul presents Renault ‘plan’ for Paul Ricard leap
May 25 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says he has put together a “plan” to put Renault back on the right track by the French works team’s home race in June. “The start of the season was extremely unfortunate not just for us but for our fans and our sponsors,” he told Auto Hebdo. “At the height […]
Lauda to be buried in racing overalls
May 25 (GMM) Niki Lauda will be buried in his racing overalls, the German news source Nachrichten claims. The Monaco GP weekend has become all about the F1 legend, who died late on Monday after a 2018 lung transplant. Many teams have modified their liveries in tribute to the former Mercedes team chairman, and a […]
Mercedes snaps up Formula 2 star de Vries
May 25 (GMM) Mercedes has apparently signed up former McLaren simulator driver Nyck de Vries. We reported in April that the 24-year-old Dutchman, who won the Formula 2 race in Monaco on Friday and is a 2019 title challenger, has left McLaren. “I no longer do simulator work for McLaren,” he confirmed. In Monaco, McLaren […]
Bratches worried about F1 pay-TV deals
May 25 (GMM) Liberty Media has expressed concerns about crashing viewing figures that commercial boss Sean Bratches says is due to the trend for pay TV deals. The Daily Mail says the limited coverage in Britain provided by free to air broadcaster Channel 4 is down a whopping 4.3 million over the first five races […]
Indycar to use Red Bull’s ‘Aeroscreen’
May 25 (GMM) Indycar will introduce the Red Bull-designed and developed ‘Aeroscreen’ innovation from 2020. Red Bull developed the windscreen-like concept in 2016, when the F1 team argued it was a better idea than the Halo that was made mandatory for 2018. “This new partnership with Indycar gives us at Red Bull Advanced Technologies the […]
Binotto excuses Leclerc’s ‘mistakes’
May 24 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has excused Charles Leclerc for making mistakes at the start of his career at Ferrari. While heralded by the F1 paddock, it is true that the young Monaco born driver is a long way off Sebastian Vettel’s pace in the Principality. “Leclerc was completely overdriving the Ferrari,” Dr Helmut Marko, […]
World title not ‘taboo’ for Ferrari – Binotto
May 24 (GMM) Mattia Binotto insists winning the world championship is not a “taboo” topic for Ferrari. His comments come as pundits like Mark Webber suggest Mercedes’ five consecutive 1-2 finishes mean Ferrari should think about switching focus to 2020. “Mercedes is doing better than us, but there is time to catch up,” boss Binotto […]
Ferrari should soon switch focus to 2020 – Webber
May 24 (GMM) Mark Webber thinks Ferrari should consider writing off the 2019 world championship after the next race in Canada. So far this year, Mercedes has scored five consecutive 1-2 finishes, and the dominant German team looks set to keep dominating in Monaco. “If it keeps going on for months then at some point […]
Lauda funeral set for Wednesday
May 24 (GMM) The public can attend Niki Lauda’s funeral next Wednesday. German-language reports say it will take place at the gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral in the F1 legend’s native Vienna. After the closed casket is displayed until midday, a public requiem will take place. The 70-year-old’s family will attend a separate private funeral and […]