Feb.20 (GMM) McLaren says Fernando Alonso will “maybe” be trackside at the Barcelona test next week. Earlier, there was speculation the now retired-from-F1 Spaniard could actually test for the Woking team this winter. Spanish reports, however, said those claims were wide of the mark, even if Alonso will be in the city for the Mobile […]
Rosberg, Button to be TV pundits in 2019
Feb.20 (GMM) Two former world champions will regularly be in the F1 paddock in 2019. Nico Rosberg has been signed up to attend 10 grands prix for the German broadcaster RTL — up two races compared to last year. “To keep the connection to formula one means a lot to me,” said the 2016 title […]
Ferrari advantage ‘at least’ 5 tenths – Tost
Feb.20 (GMM) Mere days into 2019 winter testing, it appears that Ferrari has a clear advantage. With Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc smilingly topping the times, the most obvious difference between their red car and the others is the front wing. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, admits that visibly, the wing produces less downforce. “Somehow […]
Wednesday testing for Williams ‘a miracle’
Feb.20 (GMM) All eyes are on the Williams garage ahead of the third day of testing in Barcelona. The struggling British team missed the first two days of 2019 running, amid rumours of design flaws and the potential departure of technical boss Paddy Lowe. One Williams mechanic said it would be “a miracle” if the […]
2019 Williams car not yet in Barcelona
Feb.19 (GMM) Williams’ 2019 car is not yet in Barcelona. Dead last in 2018, hopes were high that the once-great British team would begin its recovery this year. But a filming day scheduled for last Saturday was cancelled, and then Williams announced it would not be joining the other nine teams for the start of […]
Drivers still unsure 2019 rule changes will work
Feb.19 (GMM) F1 drivers remain unconvinced the aerodynamic regulations for 2019 will make overtaking any easier. The biggest change for this year is the front wing, with the package of changes designed by the FIA and Liberty Media to promote wheel-to-wheel racing. When asked about the wing, Sebastian Vettel said in Barcelona: “It’s pretty ugly. […]
Binotto ‘number 1’ comments surprised Wolff
Feb.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted he was surprised to hear Ferrari reassure Sebastian Vettel about his ‘number 1’ status. After a winter of speculation that Charles Leclerc could immediately be gunning for the title in 2019, new boss Mattia Binotto said it will in fact still be Vettel with “priority”. “Mattia has a daunting […]
Binotto as boss ‘no revolution’ – Vettel
Feb.19 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel insists there has been no “revolution” at Ferrari over the winter. On paper, it has been all change at Maranello, with Mattia Binotto installed as the new boss and Charles Leclerc in the sister car. But after Vettel impressed the Barcelona paddock with his laptime on Monday, the German said: “From […]
Honda packaging ‘like a Swiss watch’ – Horner
Feb.19 (GMM) Christian Horner continues to have nothing but praise for Red Bull’s new works engine partner. For others in the pitlane, a big question-mark hangs over the top-three team after switching from customer Renault to works Honda power for 2019. But Horner, team boss, says Honda is helping Red Bull to “reduce the gap […]
Bottas observes ‘really shiny’ Pirelli tyres
Feb.19 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says Pirelli’s 2019 tyres feel similar to their predecessors. For this year, the colour identification of the tyres has changed, with only ‘hard’, ‘medium’ and ‘hard’ tyres to be marked at each grand prix in the interest of simplicity. Also the compounds have been tweaked. But the difference that caught the […]
Sauber name still involved in F1 – Peter Sauber
Feb.19 (GMM) Peter Sauber has admitted that the departure of his surname from formula one “hurts”. The 75-year-old Swiss, no longer involved with the Hinwil based team he founded, was on hand in Barcelona as the new ‘Alfa Romeo’ made its test debut. “Of course it hurts that the Sauber name disappears after such a […]
Ferrari ‘extremely fast’ already – Hulkenberg
Feb.19 (GMM) Ferrari’s new matte-liveried car for 2019 looks “extremely fast”. That was not just the observation of Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg, but almost everyone else as winter testing kicked off in Barcelona. “It looks like Sebastian (Vettel) had a good winter,” smiled Christian Horner, boss of the Red Bull team. One journalist even asked […]
Brexit would give Ferrari an advantage – Wolff
Feb.19 (GMM) Ferrari could be the big beneficiary if Britain’s ‘no deal’ exit from the European Union occurs at the end of next month. That is the warning of Toto Wolff, boss of F1’s leading British-based team Mercedes. British politics is currently in disarray, with time running out for a so-called ‘Brexit’ deal to be […]
Smedley to F1, Williams car delayed
Feb.18 (GMM) Former top engineer at Williams, Rob Smedley, has been signed up by Liberty Media. Towards the end of Williams’ abysmal 2018 season, Smedley announced that he is leaving. Now, it has emerged that he is taking up an official F1 role as technical consultant. It is believed Smedley was headhunted by Ross Brawn, […]
McLaren happy about Renault optimism for 2019
Feb.18 (GMM) Zak Brown says the noises being made by Renault ahead of the 2019 season are also “encouraging” for McLaren. McLaren, now a Renault customer, struggled even after dumping Honda ahead of the 2018 season. But team boss Brown says what he is hearing and seeing from Renault for 2019 is “quite encouraging”. “We […]
Ferrari mechanic back in F1 after leg break
Feb.18 (GMM) A Ferrari mechanic who was badly injured in 2019 is finally back in the F1 garage. Last year in Bahrain, mechanic Francesco Cigarini was run over by Kimi Raikkonen during a pitstop. But on Instagram on Sunday, as Sebastian Vettel made his debut in Ferrari’s 2009 car in Barcelona, Cigarini celebrated his return […]
Leclerc can create ‘mess’ at Ferrari – Villeneuve
Feb.18 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has the ability to create a “mess” at Ferrari this year. That is the claim of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, referring to young Monaco-born driver Leclerc’s highly anticipated move to be Sebastian Vettel’s teammate. But in terms of the team hierarchy between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, Villeneuve thinks […]
Ferrari ‘priority’ is Vettel, not Leclerc – boss
Feb.18 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has suggested 2019 will be a close three-way battle for victory. The Italian, who remains the technical director, is also Ferrari’s new team boss, having taken over from the ousted Maurizio Arrivabene. “True, they are completely different roles,” Binotto said. “But I’m fortunate to count on a strong team. Everybody knows […]
Ricciardo has no problem with Magnussen
Feb.18 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo insists he has no issues with the aggressive driving of F1 rival Kevin Magnussen. Haas driver Magnussen has been regularly criticised by his rivals, with Nico Hulkenberg admitting to Denmark’s BT newspaper that he does not get along with the Dane. “Ah, my good friend Kevin. How is he? How are […]
Peter Sauber to watch Alfa Romeo testing
Feb.18 (GMM) Peter Sauber will be on-hand to witness the first day of testing since his name was dropped from the official title of the Swiss based F1 team. Although Sauber Motorsport still owns and operates the team, Fiat Chrysler brand Alfa Romeo has taken on the full naming rights for 2019. It is the […]