Mar.30 (GMM) The steering wheel will be among many standard components in 2021. That is the claim in Bahrain of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, as more details of the sport’s new regime leak out following recent meetings. However, a new Concorde Agreement isn’t done yet. Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri told Sky Italia in Bahrain: […]
Patrick Head ‘exactly what Williams needs’ – Russell
Mar.30 (GMM) Crisis-struck Williams is once again working with Sir Patrick Head. After a dire winter period and season opener in Australia, the once-great British team’s troubles have deepened in Bahrain amid a shortage of spare parts. And Robert Kubica is off the pace of his rookie teammate George Russell. “We can see that despite […]
Alonso still not ruling out 2020 return
Mar.30 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is still not ruling out a potential return to F1 for 2020. The Spaniard quit at the end of last year but in Bahrain has agreed to test for McLaren in the post-grand prix test. “It came up because my team could use a second car for Pirelli,” said the former […]
Honda only 10hp behind now – Hamilton
Mar.30 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton thinks Honda is now just 10hp behind the top engines in F1. The Japanese manufacturer struggled when it returned to the sport in 2015-2017 with McLaren. But now with Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Honda is thriving. “Without a doubt, Red Bull has a much better power unit than a year […]
Ferrari ‘understood everything’ after Australia – CEO
Mar.30 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has confirmed that Ferrari is being much more open in 2019. In the former Maurizio Arrivabene era, the Italian team operated a closed door policy when it came to communication and the press. But Vettel doesn’t think the new media policies operated by Mattia Binotto will make him any faster this […]
Ferrari ‘way faster’ in Bahrain – Bottas
Mar.30 (GMM) After a disappointing showing in Australia, Ferrari is back on song in Bahrain. The Italian team spent the two weeks between the opening grands prix of 2019 getting to the bottom of the sudden slump in form after a strong winter. “In Melbourne we had to explain why Ferrari was so slow. Two […]
F1 to fix start light visibility problem
Mar.29 (GMM) Changes are being made to help drivers at the back of the grid to see the starting lights in Bahrain. In Australia, as an unforeseen consequence of the taller rear wings for 2019, drivers including Robert Kubica, Pierre Gasly and George Russell said they could not see the five lights on the Melbourne […]
Haas best team behind top three – Hulkenberg
Mar.29 (GMM) Two midfield drivers think Haas is the best team behind the ‘top three’ Mercedes, Red Bull-Honda and Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg drives for Renault, the works French team that had targeted closing the gap to the top teams in 2019. But he says Haas has jumped ahead. “I think Haas are currently leading the […]
Williams lacking spare parts in Bahrain – Kubica
Mar.29 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he will stay off the curbs this weekend in Bahrain because Williams does not have enough spare parts. “We cannot afford to break anything,” said the Pole. Kubica has had a tough return to F1 after eight years, with the highly uncompetitive Williams car, a mistake-strewn season opener in Australia, […]
Sainz feels for Mick Schumacher in Bahrain
Mar.29 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he feels for Mick Schumacher as the F1 media hype goes into overdrive in Bahrain. A big gathering of press swarmed around the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher in Bahrain, where he will make his Formula 2 debut before testing the Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cars next week. Schumacher, […]
Verstappen backs moves to replace Whiting
Mar.29 (GMM) F1 can cope with the aftermath of Charlie Whiting’s sudden death. That is the view of Max Verstappen, as the governing FIA scrambles to put in place an emergency succession plan for the late race director and starter, who died suddenly in Melbourne. We already reported that, as in Australia, Michael Masi will […]
Todt responds to reports about jailed F1 protester
Mar.29 (GMM) Jean Todt has responded to a controversy about a jailed protester in Bahrain. Earlier, the FIA vowed to “investigate” the case about Najah Yousif, who was reportedly jailed by the Bahrain regime for protesting about the race. Some had even called for F1 to boycott this weekend’s Bahrain grand prix. But FIA president […]
Vettel plays down Marko’s analysis about Ferrari pace
Mar.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down suggestions made about Ferrari’s problems by his former Red Bull boss Dr Helmut Marko. Vettel admits that, after Ferrari surprisingly struggled in Australia, it has been an “intense” fortnight leading into Bahrain. “We found some answers, but whether we have them all, we don’t know,” he said in […]
Alonso to test Le Mans car one day after Bahrain
Mar.29 (GMM) He may have quit F1, but Fernando Alonso’s schedule for 2019 remains busier than ever. McLaren announced in Bahrain that the Spaniard will test for the team and Pirelli on both days of the forthcoming post-Bahrain GP test. Alonso has just returned from South Africa where he was testing a Dakar rally car, […]
Bratches warns Zandvoort to sign 2020 deal
Mar.29 (GMM) Sean Bratches has warned Zandvoort that the venue needs to secure its place on the 2020 calendar. Earlier this week, Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers said a widely reported March 31 deadline is actually more of a “guideline”. But Bratches, Liberty Media’s commercial boss, told the Dutch publication Formule 1: “Let me put […]
No ‘new Bottas’ in 2019 – Hamilton
Mar.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he has not seen a big change in Valtteri Bottas in 2019. “For me it’s the same Valtteri as before, except that now he has a beard,” the Mercedes driver smiled. However, after a full winter of being criticised for his poor performances in 2018, amid speculation he will be […]
F1 says ‘no hurry’ over 2020 Dutch GP deal
Mar.28 (GMM) There will be “no news” about the fate of the 2020 Dutch grand prix on March 31. That is the official word from Formula One Management, even though Dutch reports have said the last day of March is the deadline for Zandvoort to ink a race deal with Liberty Media. Days ago, the […]
Verstappen ‘extremely narcissistic’ – Rosberg
Mar.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen is “extremely narcissistic”. That is the view of 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, but he doesn’t think that egotistic personality trait is necessarily a problem for the Red Bull driver. “If you take Verstappen, he is like a ‘narcissist’ like you see it in the dictionary,” Rosberg told his Beyond Victory […]
Ferrari may have cooling problems – Marko
Mar.28 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2019 car could be struggling with cooling problems. That is the claim of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, who floated the theory as an explanation for why Ferrari was suddenly the third fastest team in Australia. “We have no problem with temperatures at all, and as far as we have seen, Mercedes […]
Villeneuve-Kubica tension dates back to 2006 – friend
Mar.28 (GMM) A friend and former colleague of Robert Kubica has hit out at claims the Pole should not be in F1. 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has enraged Kubica’s fans by suggesting the pinnacle of motor sport is no place for a driver with a “disability”. Lucas di Grassi, a former F1 driver, said […]