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 […]
Fans disappointed with ‘new’ McLaren livery
Jan.30 (GMM) Many McLaren fans were reportedly disappointed on Thursday when the British team pulled the wraps off its works Honda-powered MP4-30. A report at Brazil’s Globo said the Woking squad had “raised expectations” about the appearance of the 2015 car by publishing videos “noting the past history of the Honda partnership and hinting that […]
Pirelli introduces new super-soft for 2015
Jan.29 (GMM) Pirelli will introduce an all-new ‘super soft’ tyre in 2015. The official F1 supplier’s Paul Hembery said recently that despite expecting the field to be significantly faster this year, the tyres will not fundamentally change. “This year’s tyres will be evolutions of the 2014 tyres,” he confirmed on Thursday, “with just one completely […]
New Red Bull yet to pass FIA crash tests
Jan.29 (GMM) 2014 runner-up Red Bull is reportedly pushing the boundaries with its readiness for the new season. Team boss Christian Horner has already admitted that, in the last few days before the first test at Jerez kicks off, the 2015-spec RB11 car is “not yet” ready. “There is still plenty to do before Sunday,” […]
Force India denies rumours of financial collapse
Jan.29 (GMM) Force India has denied reports it is now just the latest F1 team fighting for mere survival. The Silverstone based team took on and almost beat the British grandee McLaren in 2014, but it will begin the new season by sitting out the first winter test at Jerez. It has triggered speculation Force […]
Mercedes not expecting 2014-like domination – Wolff
Jan.29 (GMM) Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is not expecting another season of utter domination in 2015. The German team destroyed its rivals in 2014 with 16 victories at the dawn of the new turbo V6 rules, but Wolff said resting on those laurels in a world like formula one will “quickly catch you out […]
McLaren launches silver MP4-30
Jan.29 (GMM) McLaren on Thursday launched its works Honda-powered MP4-30 on the internet. The British team contradicted reports of a dramatically new white or black livery by showing the 2015 car in McLaren’s customary silver, with more pronounced red from the tip of the sleek nose to the cockpit. “It is a thoroughly refined evolution […]
Screaming engines ‘important for F1’ – Heidfeld
Jan.29 (GMM) Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld has lamented the loss of F1’s familiar scream. Despite now racing an almost silent Formula E car, the 37-year-old former BMW and Williams driver said loud engine noise should be part of the F1 package. “When I think of my time in formula one,” said Heidfeld, “I still […]
Horner received McLaren offer in 2014 – insider
Jan.29 (GMM) Christian Horner received a “serious offer” last year to become the new boss of McLaren. That is the claim on Thursday of Ralf Bach, a correspondent for Sport Bild and TZ Munchen who now has his own blog at f1-insider.com. Bach said former racing driver and Briton Horner, who has headed the successful […]
Force India to sit out Jerez test
Jan.28 (GMM) Force India has announced it will sit out the first winter test of 2015. It was already known that, having recently ‘launched’ the 2015 livery with a show-car featuring a new-style nose, the Silverstone based team would not test the VJM08 at Jerez beginning on Sunday. Initially, Force India planned to run the […]
F1 insider claims Force India ‘insolvent’
Jan.28 (GMM) The latest team in serious peril is Force India, according to an insider. The Silverstone based team announced on Wednesday that it is sitting out the first test of the 2015 pre-season at Jerez. The reasons for the decision have not been well explained, but technical boss Andrew Green has said it was […]
New Ferrari ‘better looking’ than 2014 car – Allison
Jan.28 (GMM) If aesthetics mean anything, Ferrari will have a better year in 2015. Last year, the F14-T – resembling a ‘vacuum cleaner’ according to some critics – was among the many cars of 2014 that sported an awkward look in deference to the sport’s new rules. Many of the responsible faces at Ferrari, having […]
Pirelli expecting ‘significant’ speed boost in 2015
Jan.28 (GMM) Pirelli boss Paul Hembery is expecting a much faster field of 2015. Last year, among the criticisms of F1’s all-new turbo V6 format was that laptimes took a slide in comparison to the popular and screaming V8s of the past. And Pirelli, F1’s official tyre supplier, took some of the blame. “Some teams […]
McLaren to test 2015 car with black livery – report
Jan.28 (GMM) McLaren looks set to debut its Honda-powered 2015 car on Sunday with an all-black livery, according to the Spanish sports daily Marca. Late on Tuesday, photographs started doing the rounds on Twitter depicting team returnee Fernando Alonso equipped with his new Honda-branded white overalls. McLaren’s 2015 driver uniform, also sported by Jenson Button […]
Renault says 2015 engine ‘very different’
Jan.28 (GMM) Red Bull’s engine supplier Renault says it has made big changes to its turbo V6 engine for the 2015 season. The French marque struggled as the new rules dawned last year, winning only three races compared to dominant Mercedes’ sixteen. It prompted big organisational changes at Viry-Chattilon and also major upgrades for the […]
Todt backs Ferrari to bounce back
Jan.28 (GMM) FIA president Jean Todt has backed his former team, Ferrari, to bounce back in formula one. Now in charge of the sport’s governing body, 68-year-old Frenchman Todt oversaw Ferrari’s revival from the slump of the mid-90s to the dizzying heights of the Michael Schumacher era. Today, Ferrari is in another period of turmoil […]
Raikkonen becomes father
Jan.28 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has this week become a father. The Ferrari driver’s fiancee, Minttu, is quoted by Finnish newspapers including Lansi Savo and Iltalehti as saying on Wednesday: “The little one saw light of day in Switzerland yesterday. “He is healthy, measuring 51cm and weighing 3.7kg. “The parents are also well, happy and proud!” […]
Vettel pondered F1 exit amid career crisis – Horner
Jan.28 (GMM) Before making the radical switch to Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel contemplated simply quitting formula one. That is the claim of Christian Horner, who as Red Bull team boss witnessed first-hand the German driver’s slide from four consecutive world titles to the struggles of 2014. Last year, Vettel notably struggled to adapt to the sport’s […]
Newey was still ‘designer’ of 2015 Red Bull – Horner
Jan.28 (GMM) This year’s Red Bull is probably the last 100 per cent Adrian Newey car, team boss Christian Horner has admitted. After Horner and his 2015 drivers met with the media on Tuesday, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said Horner put an actual percentage on the time Newey will spend on formula one from […]
Lotus to test 2015 Mercedes engine at Jerez
Jan.28 (GMM) Lotus has hit back at reports it will not benefit from the 2015 specification of Mercedes’ turbo V6 engine starting from the Jerez test this weekend. Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Tobias Gruner had claimed that only the works team and Williams would have the latest Mercedes at their disposal, with customers Lotus […]