Apr.30 (GMM) 2019 could be shaping up as a two-driver race for the title. But it may not involve a Ferrari driver. Mercedes has won every single race so far in record-breaking 1-2s, and Valtteri Bottas leads Lewis Hamilton by a single point. Sebastian Vettel, the highest scoring non-Mercedes driver, is a full 35 points […]
No extra speed from flexible wing – Raikkonen
Apr.29 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has played down claims Alfa Romeo deliberately tried to race a ‘flexible’ front wing in Baku. The Finn was kicked out of qualifying when it was found that the wing on his car flexed half a millimetre more than is allowed. Team boss Frederic Vasseur, however, said the wings on Raikkonen […]
Haas ‘just not fast enough’ – Magnussen
Apr.29 (GMM) Haas’ early-season promise continued to fade in Baku. Despite targeting fourth in the constructors’ championship this year with the initially fast 2019 car, the American team struggled once again in Sunday’s race. Kevin Magnussen started and finished 13th. “There’s not much to say. We were just not fast enough and we have to […]
Rosberg denies two-race ‘ban’ report
Apr.29 (GMM) Nico Rosberg’s assistant, and Formula 1, have denied that the 2016 world champion was ‘banned’ from attending the Baku and Spanish grands prix. We reported at the weekend that the German was absent from Azerbaijan after having his permanent world champion paddock and grid ‘pass’ confiscated by Liberty Media. Georg Nolte, Rosberg’s assistant, […]
Horner ‘sure’ Verstappen staying at Red Bull
Apr.29 (GMM) Christian Horner says he is “100 per cent sure” Max Verstappen will stay with Red Bull-Honda in 2020. The Dutchman already has a contract for next year, but there have been rumours of contact between Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Verstappen’s management. And those rumours have only intensified amid speculation about Sebastian Vettel’s […]
Leclerc thinks road to F1 title ‘long’
Apr.29 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says the road ahead of him to the F1 title is “long”. In Bahrain, only a car problem prevented the young Monegasque from winning his first grand prix. And in Baku, Toto Wolff said that despite Mercedes’ fourth consecutive 1-2, “Charles Leclerc was the fastest here”. Indeed, the Ferrari driver was […]
Wolff denies Vettel’s claim about ‘boring’ 2019
Apr.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is not sure Ferrari can hit back at the increasingly dominant Mercedes team next weekend in Barcelona. In the winter, Ferrari dominated the pre-season tests which took place at the Spanish grand prix venue. But on Sunday, Mercedes broke Williams’ 1992 record for the most consecutive 1-2 finishes. “Boring,” German Vettel […]
F1 could scratch Friday from weekend format – Kvyat
Apr.28 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat thinks F1 should consider scrapping Friday from the F1 weekend format. In Baku, the first 90 minute session was effectively lost when the circuit had to check all 300 manhole covers after the George Russell incident. Toro Rosso driver Kvyat says the effect on the rest of the weekend was negligible. […]
Mercedes ‘dummy’ cost Vettel pole in Baku
Apr.28 (GMM) A “dummy” by Mercedes could have cost Sebastian Vettel pole in Azerbaijan. Ferrari was faster all weekend on the Baku street circuit, but in qualifying Vettel had no car to slipstream on the ultra-long, 2km straight. “The slipstream effect here is huge,” said Mercedes’ Toto Wolff. “Let’s just say that usually it’s 1 […]
Williams ends spare parts shortage
Apr.28 (GMM) Williams appears to have solved its shortage of spare parts. Earlier, amid the team’s awful start to the 2019 season, the performance problem was compounded by a shortage of spare parts at the tests and races. But Baku has shown that the problem is now solved. Team mechanics built a whole new car […]
Promoter says Williams will be compensated
Apr.28 (GMM) Azerbaijan GP promoter Arif Rahimov says Williams will be compensated for damage to George Russell’s chassis. Russell’s car was destroyed in Friday practice, when he ran over a loose manhole cover on the high speed street circuit. Claire Williams said the British team would talk to the FIA about compensation. “As a street […]
Surname a ‘problem’ for Schumacher – Ecclestone
Apr.28 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has described Mick Schumacher’s famous surname as a “problem” as he progresses towards the F1 grid. In Baku for his second Formula 2 race, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher spun. “Of course I’m following him,” former F1 supremo Ecclestone told Blick newspaper in Baku. “The biggest problem for him […]
Liberty bans Rosberg from Baku, Barcelona
Apr.28 (GMM) Nico Rosberg was banned from the paddock of the grand prix in Azerbaijan this weekend. The 2016 world champion is a television pundit for German and British television. But according to the Dutch publication Formule 1, he is not in Baku, after Liberty Media banned him. In China, the former Mercedes driver reportedly […]
Ricciardo eyes future world title for Renault
Apr.28 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo calls life in the midfield “very intense”. The Australian left Red Bull at the end of last year to join the works Renault team, but insists he can be “patient” for success. “It is intense and in some ways more difficult because I want to be at the front, but in […]
Verstappen can still win 2019 title – Marko
Apr.28 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen remains on track to win the 2019 title. One would be forgiven for thinking 2019 is now a two-team fight between Mercedes and Ferrari. But Marko said of Red Bull: “Our goal is still the world title. “We are still in it. Max has been sensational and […]
Hamilton feels for Leclerc after ‘painful’ mistake
Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he understands why Charles Leclerc was so hard on himself after crashing out of qualifying in Baku. The young Ferrari driver looked on course for pole on the tough Azerbaijan street track until he crashed into the barriers. “I’m stupid. I’m stupid. I’m stupid,” Leclerc said on the radio afterwards. […]
Todt quiet on Ecclestone ‘provocation’
Apr.27 (GMM) Jean Todt says he will not respond to Bernie Ecclestone’s recent comments about Formula E. 88-year-old Ecclestone was ousted by F1’s new owners Liberty Media in 2017. He said recently that the category should be “concerned” about the growing popularity of the all-electric category Formula E. “I do not react to such provocations,” […]
Bratches confirms support for Brazil GP in Rio
Apr.27 (GMM) F1 commercial boss Sean Bratches has written to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in support of moving the Brazilian grand prix to Rio. O Globo newspaper reports that Bratches also sent the letter to Rio de Janeiro governor Wilson Witzel and mayor Marcelo Crivella asking for meetings “in person or by telephone”. Apparently, moves […]
Bratches admits Dutch GP ‘deal’ is done
Apr.27 (GMM) Zandvoort appears to have “a deal” in place with Liberty Media for a Dutch GP in 2020. After a March 31 deadline, and subsequent media reports that a deal has been struck, the story about Zandvoort returning to the F1 calendar suddenly went quiet. So Olav Mol, the well-known commentator for Dutch television […]
Manhole incident ‘nothing to do with FIA’ – Salo
Apr.27 (GMM) Williams will seek to be compensated for damage caused to George Russell’s chassis on Friday. The British driver ran over a manhole cover that had been loosened by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. “It just seems like it’s one thing after another for our team at the moment,” team boss Claire Williams said. […]