Mar.1 (GMM) Paddy Lowe says he has blocked out media speculation about his future at Williams. As the man most directly responsible for the struggling British team’s delayed and uncompetitive 2019 car, the voices calling for him to step down were loud. But Lowe, the technical director and also reportedly a team shareholder, says the […]
Bottas thinks overtaking easier in 2019
Mar.1 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has joined a growing number of drivers who think overtaking will be easier in 2019. Initially, there was great scepticism about the changes to the front wing rules for this year. Red Bull denounced it as a waste of EUR 15 million per team. But some drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo and […]
Lauda needs more time before F1 return – Marko
Mar.1 (GMM) Niki Lauda needs more time before he is ready to return to formula one. That is the view of his friend and Austrian countryman Dr Helmut Marko, who says he misses his breakfast buddy in the Barcelona test paddock. Although rivals, Marko says he has a “respectful friendship” with the F1 legend. “It’s […]
McLaren drivers back driving role for Alonso
Mar.1 (GMM) McLaren’s race drivers do not have a problem with Fernando Alonso testing their car in 2019. Alonso, who quit the team and sport at the end of last year but is now a test driver and ambassador, said he did not want to test in Barcelona because early mileage for Carlos Sainz and […]
Seeing a psychologist ‘a strength’ – Grosjean
Mar.1 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says it is “a strength” to admit that he still consults with a psychologist. The Frenchman first went to a psychologist in 2012, when he was banned for a race following a spate of accidents. “I think it shows a strength to say that we are able to get help in […]
Vettel’s younger brother joins Mercedes
Mar.1 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s younger brother Fabian has joined Mercedes. Bild newspaper reports that the younger Vettel has signed up to drive a Mercedes in the ADAC GT Masters series for 2019. Given his brother’s fight in F1 against the German marque, Fabian admits he initially had mixed feelings. “Mercedes was always our opponent,” he […]
Ricciardo denies ‘running’ from Verstappen
Mar.1 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has denied he is “running from a fight” with Max Verstappen in 2019. Christian Horner, the Red Bull boss, made the claim in the new Netflix series Drive to Survive, when contemplating the reason Ricciardo fled to Renault. “My assumption is that he is running from a fight,” Horner said. But […]
Bottas ‘not worried’ about Ferrari’s lead
Mar.1 (GMM) As the 2019 winter tests approach their conclusion, Valtteri Bottas has admitted again that Ferrari continues to lead the pecking order. Charles Leclerc set a blistering fastest time on Thursday, the penultimate test day in Barcelona, and also impressed on a so-called ‘long run’. “When we calculate everything, then Ferrari would have beaten […]
Sirotkin to be ready for F1 return – Rothenberg
Feb.28 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says his plan to return to the F1 grid in 2020 is on track. The Russian, ousted by Williams at the end of 2018, has re-joined Renault as the reserve driver for 2019. “I already worked on this team in 2017, so I know the management, the engineers and the mechanics […]
Bottas says ‘B’-spec Mercedes is better
Feb.28 (GMM) Mercedes is still scrambling to get ready for the first race of 2019. That is the admission of Valtteri Bottas, who appeared to confirm the paddock perception that Mercedes is behind not only Ferrari but also Red Bull-Honda. Indeed, Mercedes arrived for the second test in Barcelona with a visibly different car, admitting […]
Ferrari unsure of 2019 pecking order – Gene
Feb.28 (GMM) A Ferrari test driver will not confirm that the Maranello team is leading the 2019 field. The paddock consensus is that Ferrari is clearly leading Red Bull-Honda and Mercedes. Long-serving Ferrari tester and ambassador Marc Gene admits to Diario Sport: “The car debut we had has been very good. “But we do not […]
Now Magnussen admits to 4kg weight gain
Feb.28 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has admitted he put on weight over the winter. The Dane is just the latest driver to admit to bulking up ahead of the 2019 rule change, whereby the driver plus the seat must weigh at least 80kg. Lewis Hamilton is visibly bigger, and Magnussen’s Haas teammate Romain Grosjean admits his […]
Raikkonen admits Alfa Romeo ‘fast’
Feb.28 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has played down mounting speculation about Alfa Romeo’s ability to be a dark horse of 2019. His former Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel, on Wednesday singled out the ex Sauber team as a notable standout of winter testing. Now working closely with Ferrari, the 2019 Alfa Romeo was designed by former Ferrari […]
Verstappen keeping quiet ahead of 2019 season
Feb.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen has suddenly gone very quiet about progress at Red Bull-Honda. Prior to driving the newly Honda-powered 2019 Red Bull, the energy drink owned team including Verstappen were notably bullish about their chances. But now, Verstappen says it is “unclear where we stand”. That is despite the fact team official Dr Helmut […]
Vandoorne says McLaren was focused on Alonso
Feb.28 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren was almost completely focused on Fernando Alonso during his time with the once-great British team. Belgian Vandoorne raced at McLaren with Honda and then Renault power in 2017 and 2018, but for 2019 has been dropped and is now a Mercedes simulator and Formula E driver. He said of […]
Racing Point planning big upgrade for Melbourne
Feb.28 (GMM) Racing Point is putting a brave face on a notable shortage of test kilometres so far in Barcelona. Not including Williams, the former Force India outfit has collected the least test mileage of any team. But technical boss Andy Green insists the Racing Point plan is in fact “on schedule”. Mexican driver Sergio […]
Kubica says good result in Australia unlikely
Feb.28 (GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted to having “mixed” feelings as the winter test season prepares to wind down. Only two days of pre-season running before Melbourne remain, and Williams lost the first two days amid a 2019 car delay. “My feelings are mixed, because on the one hand we are happy to finally have […]
Alonso admits 2020 return possible
Feb.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has admitted he could return to formula one in 2020. During his visit to the Circuit de Catalunya for pre-season testing, McLaren announced that the former team driver will be an ‘ambassador’ this year. Alonso will also drive “at selected tests”, the team revealed. “I will be a link between the […]
Vettel thinks Mercedes could be struggling
Feb.28 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he thinks Mercedes could be struggling. While the 2019 pecking-order may be muddied, the general consensus is that Ferrari is leading the pack. “I have not analysed the times so much,” Vettel, after crashing the 2019 Ferrari in Barcelona, said. “But I think we should be good. Red Bull […]
Overtaking ‘definitely easier’ with 2019 cars – Magnussen
Feb.27 (GMM) Another F1 driver is hopeful the new aerodynamic rules for 2019 will make overtaking easier. There has been great scepticism that the changes, most particularly the wider new front wing, will help a chasing driver to more easily follow his rival. But Daniel Ricciardo sounded a positive note last week, and now Haas […]