May 7 (GMM) Barcelona circuit boss Vincenc Aguilera says there is “no panic” amid reports that talks to extend the Spanish GP beyond this weekend’s race have broken down. Some outlets claim Barcelona will be replaced on the 2020 schedule by a Dutch GP at Zandvoort. But Aguilera says that is premature. “There has been […]
Vandoorne to be ‘very good’ Le Mans driver – Alonso
May 7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has tipped Stoffel Vandoorne to be a “very good” sports car driver. Until last year, the pair were teammates at McLaren. Alonso quit to tackle Le Mans and the Indy 500 this year, while Vandoorne was ousted and signed as Mercedes’ Formula E driver. But Belgian Vandoorne drove for SMP […]
Monza hopes 2020 race deal signed by July
May 7 (GMM) Organisers of the Italian GP have admitted the new deal with Liberty Media saves them “a lot of money”. Liberty Media and Monza announced recently that after a period of uncertainty, they have now agreed a 2020-2024 race deal “in principle”. But Italian automobile club president Angelo Sticchi Damiani admits the actual […]
2021 overtaking concept ‘better than expected’
May 7 (GMM) Liberty Media is “really satisfied” with the research that is being done on the car concept of 2021. It is believed most of the teams are now willing to wait until October for the concept to be finalised, with Pat Symonds leading the efforts for F1 owner Liberty. “We are really satisfied […]
Leclerc accepts team orders ‘to a point’
May 7 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says he will only listen to team orders from Ferrari “to a point” in the coming races. The Monaco born team newcomer is clearly ‘number 2’ to Sebastian Vettel, but he has expressed frustration when told to move aside so far in 2019. “I need to show what I am […]
Calderon hopes for Alfa Romeo test
May 7 (GMM) Tatiana Calderon hopes her route to F1 is the right one. At the weekend, the new all-female single seater category ‘W Series’ had its first race. Calderon, a 26-year-old Colombian driver, was not on the grid. “For me, it would be a step backward,” she said last year. “They use Formula 3 […]
Williams sponsor responds to Villeneuve comments
May 7 (GMM) One of Williams’ biggest sponsors is giving the struggling team time to improve. According to Business Insider Polska, Polish oil company PKN Orlen is paying the British team EUR 10 million in support of Robert Kubica in 2019. But Williams is currently dead last. PKN Orlen, though, is showing patience. “We are […]
Leclerc’s brother eyes F1 test debut
May 7 (GMM) Charles Leclerc’s brother is hoping to make his F1 test debut in 2019. Last year, Charles Leclerc made his F1 race debut for Sauber and in 2019 was promoted to Ferrari. Now, Charles’ 18-year-old brother has been signed up by Sauber’s junior programme, and will race in the German Formula 4 category. […]
Haas must solve ‘chassis’ problem – Pirelli
May 6 (GMM) Pirelli’s Mario Isola has fended off Haas’ complaint about the difficult 2019 tyres. Haas has an objectively fast car this year, but the American team is struggling more than any other rival to get temperature into the tyres in the race. Team boss Gunther Steiner has said the situation is “not Formula […]
Ocon tips long Bottas vs Hamilton fight
May 6 (GMM) Esteban Ocon is expecting Mercedes’ two race drivers to fight for the title throughout 2019. The Frenchman, having lost his Force India seat at the end of last year, is watching closely from the sidelines as Mercedes’ reserve driver. Ocon is reportedly hoping Valtteri Bottas’ contract is not extended, but at present […]
Leclerc denies self-criticism ‘tactical’
May 6 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has denied that his harsh self-criticism after crashing in Baku was strategic. The young Ferrari driver looked on course for a first win in red when he crashed in qualifying. He was incredibly critical of his own mistake, leaving some people wondering if it was a tactic to shield him […]
Ferrari could ‘burn’ Mick Schumacher – Villeneuve
May 6 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is under great pressure to perform in 2019. That is the view of Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion who won his title when Mick’s father, Michael, tried to take him out at Jerez. Now, 20-year-old Schumacher is in Formula 2 and with the Ferrari academy, and Villeneuve said the […]
Schumacher had ‘no respect’ – Villeneuve
May 6 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve says F1 drivers have “no respect” for their on track rivals. And the 1997 world champion says that trend was started by his great nemesis, Michael Schumacher. “He had a total lack of respect for other drivers and what racing is all about,” Villeneuve told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. “It […]
McLaren not comparing itself to midfield – Sainz
May 6 (GMM) McLaren is measuring itself against the top teams, not the best teams in the midfield. That is the claim of Carlos Sainz, when asked if he is happy that McLaren is clearly a strong midfield frontrunner in 2019. “We still have to improve because looking at Mercedes and Ferrari, we can see […]
Bottas hopes for 2020 Mercedes deal
May 6 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is hoping to be retained by Mercedes beyond 2019. The Finn had a bad 2018 season, but after four races and a new attitude in 2019 he is leading the world championship by a single point. Nonetheless, his current contract is for one year only, and Esteban Ocon is hoping […]
Vettel admits full respect for Hamilton
May 6 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he has developed a special respect for five time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The pair have been title rivals for years, but the German said that in the recent past, he realised that Hamilton deserves his full respect. “At some point it clicked,” Vettel told Der Spiegel. “It’s not […]
Teams unsure about more than 21-race calendar
May 6 (GMM) F1 teams are at “tipping point” in terms of being able to cope with more races on the calendar. Vietnam, and probably also Zandvoort, are joining the schedule next year, raising the spectre of future calendars greater than the 21 grands prix at present. “Our guys are already going around the world […]
Valencia boss charged with F1 race crimes
May 6 (GMM) The man at the centre of the former F1 race in Valencia, Spain, has been indicted in court. A judge found that there is “consistent” evidence that former Valencia president Francisco Camps was involved in embezzlement, bribery and falsification of documents related to the construction of the F1 track. Valencia hosted Formula […]
Female series could support F1 – Coulthard
May 6 (GMM) The new all-female ‘W Series’ is looking to become a support event at grands prix. The single seater series kicked off at the weekend as a support for the German touring car series DTM. But David Coulthard, a leading figure behind the W Series, said organisers of the Australian grand prix wanted […]
Mazepin coy about father’s Williams talks
May 3 (GMM) Formula 2 driver Nikita Mazepin says he is “ready” for Formula 1. After the first two rounds, the 20-year-old is only 15th overall in the category just beneath F1. But his father is Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, who has been linked with buying both the former Force India team and, more recently, […]