Mar.17 (GMM) Mercedes’ dominance in Melbourne so far does not mean the whole season will be like that. That is the view of Frederic Vasseur, the Alfa Romeo team boss. “I’m not surprised because Mercedes also did it last year,” the Frenchman told the RTBF broadcaster. “It’s not indicative of what the season will be […]
Williams may not qualify in Melbourne
Mar.16 (GMM) Williams may struggle simply to qualify for the 2019 season opener in Australia. France’s Auto Hebdo said George Russell and Robert Kubica are precariously close to the 107 per cent qualifying cut-off rule. When asked about that, rookie Russell said: “I drive the car, I don’t have a calculator with me. “Obviously, it […]
Fittipaldi expects 2020 return for Alonso
Mar.16 (GMM) F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi is expecting Fernando Alonso to return to F1 next year. Currently, Spaniard Alonso is not in Melbourne this weekend but instead in Florida, where he is racing for Toyota in the 12 hour sports car race. Next month, he will test his Indy 500 chassis in Texas, but is […]
Hulkenberg ‘better’ so far at Renault – Ricciardo
Mar.16 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo admits it will be no easy task to fend off Nico Hulkenberg’s challenge in 2019. There has been much fanfare about Ricciardo’s move from Red Bull, but the Australian’s Renault teammate Nico Hulkenberg looks better so far in Melbourne. “His long run was much better than mine,” Ricciardo admitted after Friday. […]
Vettel rejects Mercedes winter ‘bulls**t’
Mar.16 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denounced Mercedes’ pre-season declarations as “bulls**t”. Heading into the 2019 season opener, Mercedes gave the strong impression that Ferrari was the favourite. But in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton is suddenly dominant. “No one really understood what Mercedes was doing in testing, maybe even they didn’t,” smiled Vettel. Asked if he still […]
Leclerc hopes to never leave Ferrari
Mar.16 (GMM) Charles Leclerc admits he is hoping to stay at Ferrari for the rest of his F1 career. In just his second year on the grid, the 21-year-old’s first race wearing red is this weekend in Melbourne. But although extremely highly rated, the Monaco-born driver accepts that he is currently ‘number 2’ to Sebastian […]
Liberty to get tough in F1 negotiations
Mar.16 (GMM) Negotiations over the next Concorde Agreement look to be heating up. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said the biggest “negative” of the Liberty Media era at present is “the missing regulations” for 2021. “In my opinion, there is too much compromise,” he told Der Spiegel. “If you consult all the teams, it will […]
Top teams happy with 10 teams on grid
Mar.15 (GMM) F1 authorities are looking to add a new team or two to the grid for 2021. Recently, FIA president Jean Todt said he would “love” to see a full grid of 12 teams, and Liberty Media is actively devising a new Concorde Agreement that would allow it. It follows the recent trend for […]
Hamilton prefers Bottas over Ocon for 2020
Mar.15 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has urged Mercedes to keep its same driver lineup beyond 2019. Actually, Valtteri Bottas’ place alongside the five time world champion is in serious doubt, with Esteban Ocon waiting in the wings as a reserve. Indeed, Finn Bottas struggled in 2018 and in the build-up to the 2019 season, his name […]
Gasly not trying to beat Verstappen
Mar.15 (GMM) Pierre Gasly has slotted himself into a supporting role behind top Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. Gasly, who made his full F1 debut last year for Toro Rosso, was scolded for lacking “discipline” by Dr Helmut Marko after two winter testing crashes. So in Melbourne for his first race for the senior team […]
Teams to ‘support’ FIA after Whiting death – Steiner
Mar.15 (GMM) It will be almost “impossible” for F1 to replace Charlie Whiting. Whiting, the sport’s long-serving FIA race director and starter, died suddenly in his Melbourne hotel room on Wednesday night. His deputy, Michael Masi, has been named as his replacement for now. But 1996 world champion Damon Hill said Whiting, who was 66, […]
No pressure on dead-last Williams – Russell
Mar.15 (GMM) George Russell has denied that Williams is under pressure this weekend in Melbourne. Once a multiple race and title-winning team, Oxfordshire based Williams has hit rock bottom more recently and will almost certainly be dead last in Australia. “Myself and the team don’t feel any great pressure,” Russell, the reigning Formula 2 champion, […]
WHO slams McLaren over tobacco sponsorship
Mar.15 (GMM) The United Nations’ World Health Organisation (WHO) has slammed McLaren’s new sponsorship by British American Tobacco. Like Ferrari, whose cigarette sponsor Philip Morris has had to remove its ‘Mission Winnow’ branding for Melbourne, McLaren has also removed the ‘A Better Tomorrow’ on-car message from its own livery this weekend. WHO claims the ‘A […]
Leclerc understands why he is ‘number 2’ driver
Mar.15 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says he can “completely understand” why he has been designated Ferrari’s number 2 driver for 2019. While many are predicting a meteoric first season at Ferrari for the Monaco-born newcomer, it is Sebastian Vettel who has secured new boss Mattia Binotto’s early backing. “It is a decision that I completely understand,” […]
2019 ‘make or break’ for Vettel – Villeneuve
Mar.14 (GMM) 2019 is “make or break” for Sebastian Vettel. That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who thinks the German cannot squander another chance to win the world championship for Ferrari. “It’s make or break for Sebastian Vettel this season,” the outspoken Canadian told Le Journal de Montreal. “He has made […]
McLaren also removes tobacco sponsor in Australia
Mar.14 (GMM) McLaren has also had to change its livery for the 2019 season opener. Already, Ferrari has unveiled a special 90th anniversary livery to replace the Mission Winnow branding, which came under the spotlight of local health authorities over its links to Philip Morris. But McLaren also has a new tobacco sponsor for 2019 […]
Wolff hits back at Marko’s pecking order
Mar.14 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hit back at Dr Helmut Marko’s estimation of the 2019 pecking order. Marko, the Red Bull-Honda official, has stated on multiple occasions that he thinks Ferrari is leading Red Bull by two tenths, followed by Mercedes. “I don’t think anyone can tell if someone is two tenths ahead or two […]
Sirotkin hopes to test Renault car in 2019
Mar.14 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says he is hoping to get time at the wheel of Renault’s 2019 car this year. Dumped by Williams, the Russian will race Le Mans sports cars this year but has also been signed up as a Renault reserve. “It is not the role I dream of because I would have […]
Alonso ‘not at all’ missing Melbourne
Mar.14 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he does not miss being in Melbourne for the 2019 season opener. For the first time since making his F1 debut in 2001, the Spaniard is not present for the Australian grand prix. While still a McLaren ambassador and tester, the 37-year-old is instead in Florida where he will race […]
Most Germans vote against Vettel title win
Mar.14 (GMM) Most Germans do not think Sebastian Vettel will win the 2019 world championship. DPA news agency commissioned YouGov, a global market research company, to see how many of the Ferrari driver’s countrymen think he can beat Mercedes in 2019. Only 27 per cent answered yes, with 37 per cent believing Vettel’s title tally […]