Apr.17 (GMM) F1’s owner Liberty Media has admitted it could add a second race in China to the calendar. In Shanghai last weekend for the third race of 2019, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: “Why not go to Hong Kong or Beijing?” Wolff said China is a big market for the sport and for manufacturers […]
Mercedes beating Ferrari ‘nothing new’ – Briatore
Apr.17 (GMM) Flavio Briatore is not surprised that Ferrari is struggling to beat Mercedes in 2019. The Maranello team began the year with many believing it has the fastest car, but so far it is Mercedes with three consecutive one-twos. “What’s wrong with Ferrari? It’s nothing new,” former Renault boss Briatore told Italian broadcaster La […]
Ferrari working on rear wing fix – Binotto
Apr.17 (GMM) Ferrari is already working to fix the issues that have dropped the Italian team behind Mercedes in 2019. After early signs of promise, Ferrari has been beaten to 1-2 finishes by the reigning champions in all three races so far. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg says Ferrari’s problem is aerodynamic. “Ferrari have pitched […]
McLaren to decide on Indycar for 2020 in summer
Apr.16 (GMM) Zak Brown says McLaren is deciding whether to enter a full two-car team in the Indycar series in 2020 or 2021. “There is no doubt that the shareholders at McLaren would like to be in Indycar. I think it’s more of a when than an if,” he said. Brown, who is McLaren’s team […]
Carey inspects 2020 Hanoi GP site
Apr.16 (GMM) F1 chief executive Chase Carey travelled straight from China to Vietnam to check out the scene of the Hanoi street race for 2020. Vietnam is the first new race put together from scratch by new F1 owner Liberty Media. “We think this track will make for a very special race and a very […]
Raikkonen ‘leading the B league’ – Zehnder
Apr.16 (GMM) Alfa Romeo team manager Beat Zehnder says it is “a pleasure” to be working once again with Kimi Raikkonen. The pair worked together when Raikkonen made his F1 debut for Sauber in 2001, and the Finn has now returned to the same Hinwil based team for 2019. Currently, he is ‘best of the […]
Red Bull to get new Honda engine in Baku
Apr.16 (GMM) Just a few races into the long 2019 season, Honda is already preparing to introduce an upgrade for its engine. De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper, says the more powerful Honda engine will be used by Red Bull in Baku next weekend. Team official Dr Helmut Marko said the upgrade was originally planned for […]
Nothing fundamentally wrong with car – Vettel
Apr.16 (GMM) Just three races into yet another promising season for Ferrari, the Italian press has declared that the great Maranello team is once again in crisis. In China, most had expected Ferrari to bounce back after Charles Leclerc’s near-win of Bahrain. Instead, the team is now fending off a team orders controversy and claims […]
Formula E ‘equally important’ to F1 – Zetsche
Apr.15 (GMM) Mercedes sees its new commitment in Formula E as “equally important” to the F1 team. Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche was in China at the weekend where he watched a third consecutive 1-2 for the ultra-successful works team. “I was just talking to Toto Wolff about how the motivation is still high after five […]
No more race victory target in 2019 – Horner
Apr.15 (GMM) After three races in 2019, Red Bull no longer has a target for the number of race wins. Prior to the season, buoyed by the promise of the new works Red Bull-Honda pairing, Dr Helmut Marko said he wanted five victories before the season finale in December. “We all know that Helmut is […]
Budget caps ‘will not help F1’ – Villeneuve
Apr.15 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve says a budget cap is the wrong direction for F1. With support from the FIA and many teams, the sport’s new owner Liberty Media is determined to impose caps on annual spending from 2021. Villeneuve, F1’s outspoken 1997 world champion, is diametrically opposed. “F1 is supposed to represent absolute excess,” he […]
Williams ‘no longer a racing team’ – Villeneuve
Apr.15 (GMM) Williams’ problems can be traced back to the decision to float on the stock exchange. That is the view of Jacques Villeneuve, who in 1997 won the once-great team’s last world championship. “Its leaders are paying for the bad decisions made in recent years,” he told Le Journal de Montreal. After an eight […]
‘Multi-year job’ to catch top teams – Abiteboul
Apr.15 (GMM) Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul says the French team is in the middle of a “multi-year” task to catch the big three teams. The comments come after China, where despite making reliability fixes for its significantly more powerful 2019 engine after Bahrain, Nico Hulkenberg once again retired. “Nico had a problem around the MGU-K,” […]
No solution to Haas problem yet – Steiner
Apr.15 (GMM) Haas says it has serious work to do before the next race in Baku. Having earlier looked ‘best of the rest’ behind the big three teams in 2019, the American team’s race pace has collapsed both in Bahrain and now in China. Team boss Gunther Steiner told Ekstra Bladet newspaper that the problem […]
Ferrari should make Leclerc ‘captain’ – press
Apr.15 (GMM) Ferrari failed to put its once-promising 2019 hopes back on track in China. The Italian team looked on track to take on Mercedes this year, but in Australia, Bahrain and now in Shanghai it was the German outfit with 1-2 finishes. Not just that, Ferrari is now embroiled in a team orders scandal […]
I remember how to drive – Ricciardo
Apr.14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he is being “patient” about getting up to speed in 2019, even if some are wondering if the Australian has lost his mojo. Many raised their eyebrows when Ricciardo decided to quit Red Bull last year, and they are still raised as the 29-year-old struggles to shine alongside new Renault […]
‘Strange’ Haas problem not fixed yet – Magnussen
Apr.14 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says Haas has not solved the problem that affected the American team so badly in Bahrain. The outfit looked to have started 2019 with a car that was ‘best of the rest’, but Haas’ race pace plummeted during the race a fortnight ago in Bahrain. The team brought a new rear […]
Vettel plays down F1 quit claims
Apr.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied suggestions he could soon quit F1. Heavily criticised for his start to the 2019 season, some believe the German will struggle to have his Ferrari contract renewed beyond its expiry late next year. Not just that, Vettel recently admitted there are aspects of today’s F1 ‘show’ that he doesn’t […]
F1 needs another race in China – Wolff
Apr.14 (GMM) Toto Wolff says F1 should consider adding a second race in China to the F1 calendar. This weekend’s event in Shanghai marks the 1000th grand prix in the history of the modern world championship. Wolff says it is a good country for F1 races. “Formula E has two races in China, so why […]
Gasly needs ‘a bit of time’ – Horner
Apr.14 (GMM) Christian Horner has once again defended Pierre Gasly amid suggestions the Frenchman may lose his Red Bull seat. Struggling to adjust to his new car after being promoted from Toro Rosso, some are saying the Frenchman’s days will be numbered at the senior team. But Red Bull team boss Horner told De Telegraaf […]