May 13 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says Ferrari will not “give up” on the 2019 title. The Maranello team fast-tracked its Canada-spec engine upgrade for Barcelona, but Mercedes moved further ahead and Ferrari was even beaten by Red Bull on Sunday. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff played down his team’s dominance. “If Ferrari performs well in Monaco, everyone […]
21-race Mercedes clean sweep ‘not realistic’ – Wolff
May 13 (GMM) After Mercedes’ record-breaking five consecutive 1-2 finishes in 2019, many are wondering if the team can complete an unprecedented clean sweep this year. “That’s not realistic,” said boss Toto Wolff in Barcelona. “We have to stay humble and not see success as guaranteed.” However, the gap to Ferrari only widened in Spain, […]
Hamilton denies eyeing Ferrari move
May 13 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has dismissed reports he might be considering a move to Ferrari. At the weekend, we reported Toto Wolff’s comments that suggested Hamilton might be heading to Maranello, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel could be Mercedes-bound. But after winning in Barcelona, Hamilton said he thinks Wolff was referring to his earlier contract […]
Wolff plays down rumours Mercedes to quit F1
May 12 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down rumours that Mercedes could quit Formula 1 at the end of 2020. All the teams are only committed contractually until the end of next year, with the next Concorde Agreement set to drastically slash spending. But boss Wolff denied that the end of the current contract is […]
Renault cannot beat top teams until 2021 – Abiteboul
May 12 (GMM) Renault is not even planning to win races in 2020, according to the works team’s boss Cyril Abiteboul. With Daniel Ricciardo now in the cockpit, the French team had hoped to take a clear step closer to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull this year. But it hasn’t worked out that way. In […]
2020 German GP fate ‘in the stars’ – Hockenheim
May 12 (GMM) Just like Spain, Germany’s place on the 2020 F1 calendar is also in doubt. With Vietnam and the Netherlands set to feature on next year’s schedule, that looks to be at the expense not just of Barcelona, but also Hockenheim. “We are very happy that we can host the German GP this […]
Barcelona still not giving up on F1
May 12 (GMM) Barcelona is still not giving up on hosting the Spanish grand prix in 2020. Widespread sources say Liberty Media is about to confirm that a Dutch GP at Zandvoort will take Barcelona’s race date. But Vincenc Aguilera, the Circuit de Catalunya president, says he is still playing to win. “It’s a poker […]
Bratches admits Interlagos has 2020 contract
May 12 (GMM) Sean Bratches has admitted that Interlagos will still be on the F1 calendar in 2020. Following announcements by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, F1 commercial boss Bratches does not deny that a future race in Rio de Janeiro is on the cards. “We are (in talks),” Bratches confirmed to Brazil’s Globo. But he […]
‘No quick solution’ for Red Bull pace – Verstappen
May 12 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is “not satisfied” with his current situation in the 2019 pecking order. Although clearly Red Bull’s number 1, a big car upgrade for Barcelona has not moved the team any closer to the top step of the podium. “I am not satisfied,” Verstappen admitted to Ziggo Sport in […]
Wolff hints at Vettel-Hamilton cockpit swap
May 12 (GMM) Comments by Toto Wolff hint that a sensational driver swap between Mercedes and Ferrari could be on the cards. The Mercedes boss is not ruling out a future Mercedes seat for a German driver. Germany’s most prominent F1 driver is Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, and Wolff admitted to Bild am Sonntag newspaper: “We […]
Ferrari return for Alonso ‘impossible’ – Gene
May 12 (GMM) Ferrari test driver Marc Gene thinks Fernando Alonso could return to Formula 1 in 2020. But he doubts his fellow Spaniard will be wearing red. “I think he will return, but not at Ferrari. It’s impossible,” Gene told AS newspaper in Barcelona. “He did not renew his contract with Toyota, and that […]
2019 ‘becoming boring’ already – Tost
May 12 (GMM) The 2019 championship fight is already becoming boring, according to Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost. In Barcelona, Mercedes’ advantage over Ferrari is greater than ever, after four consecutive 1-2 finishes so far. “We have problems in the slow corners,” said Charles Leclerc in Barcelona. “Hopefully a solution will be found soon.” Ferrari’s […]
Mercedes not copying Ferrari’s early engine upgrade
May 12 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes is staying on schedule with its engine plan for 2019. That is despite the fact that main rival Ferrari introduced its first engine upgrade in Barcelona. “I have no idea why they did that,” Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s possible that it makes them faster, but […]
McLaren boss Seidl looks ahead to 2021
May 12 (GMM) McLaren’s new boss thinks the future looks bright for the once-great team. After a difficult recent era for the former champions, McLaren finally looks credible in 2019 as Zak Brown targets fourth place in the championship. “It’s still early but I am happy that we have a much better race car than […]
Alonso winning Indy 500 ‘very difficult’ – Brown
May 11 (GMM) Zak Brown thinks it will be “very difficult” for Fernando Alonso to win the Indy 500 later this month. Alonso almost won in 2017, but that was in a McLaren entrant that was run by Michael Andretti’s experienced team. “I think the challenge we have taken on is great,” Brown, the McLaren […]
Latifi could replace Kubica at Williams – report
May 11 (GMM) The first rumours that Robert Kubica could be ousted by Williams have emerged. The Pole has struggled alongside George Russell on his return to F1 after an eight year absence with a permanent arm injury. Kubica, 34, has been questioning whether his car is identical to Russell’s, so for Barcelona the pair’s […]
Wolff denies eyeing Chase Carey’s job
May 11 (GMM) Toto Wolff has rubbished speculation that he is eyeing Chase Carey’s job at the top of Formula 1. Reports this week said the Mercedes boss was lining up to replace Carey as F1 CEO, even though Ferrari could apparently veto that move. “Certainly the veto right is something important for Ferrari but […]
Bottas does not need psychological coach
May 11 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says his surge of form in 2019 is due to his improved psychological approach to Formula 1. The Finn was devastated to be roundly beaten by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2018. Hamilton claims a new engineer has helped Bottas so far this year, but Bottas says it is about […]
Ricciardo not surprised about McLaren pace
May 11 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he is not disheartened that at present he is not even driving for the best Renault-powered team. The Australian left Red Bull last year to join the works Renault team, but so far even Renault customer McLaren appears to have the upper hand. “I won’t say I’m surprised by […]
Wolff admits Mercedes ‘super strong’
May 11 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes looks “super strong” in Barcelona. It had been expected that, given their performance at the Spanish venue in the winter, Ferrari would finally bounce back this weekend. “Today we looked super strong,” Mercedes’ Wolff said on Friday. “But Baku has shown how fast the pendulum can […]