Feb.1 (GMM) Ferrari will boost its 2019 budget in a bid to finally beat Mercedes to a world championship this decade. The fabled Italian team challenged hard in 2018, but team and driver mistakes ultimately meant Mercedes won its fifth consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ titles. During the course of 2018, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne died, […]
Haas drivers must work on approach – Steiner
Feb.1 (GMM) Haas’ two race drivers need to get better at being calmly consistent throughout the season. That is the view of Gunther Steiner, the young and small American team’s boss. Last year, the closely Ferrari-aligned team surprised by fielding a truly competitive midfield car, only to eventually finish behind Renault for fifth in the […]
De Vries next in line for F1 promotion
Feb.1 (GMM) Nyck de Vries hopes he is the next Formula 2 driver who makes the big break into formula one. Last year, George Russell, Lando Norris and Alexander Albon finished first, second and third in the F2 championship — and all three are moving into F1 this year. Just behind them in the standings […]
Mercedes, Ferrari have different ‘attitudes’ – Wolff
Feb.1 (GMM) Toto Wolff says the biggest difference between Mercedes and Ferrari is the “attitude”. The Austrian, who has presided over the German marque’s utter domination of F1 since 2014, says he runs Mercedes with a “modest” attitude. “Part of our DNA is that we remain modest as we win,” Wolff told the Dutch magazine […]
Pirelli design new rain tyres for 2019
Pirelli will supply a new design of rain tyres to F1 teams in 2019. It was already known that the Italian supplier has tweaked its dry compounds for the new season, and simplified the colouring process for the fans. But Auto Bild reports that Pirelli has also made new rain and intermediate tyres for 2019, […]
‘Everything ok’ with new Haas sponsor – boss
Haas is not worried about any scepticism surrounding the American team’s new title sponsor. Last October, it was announced that Haas will change its livery for 2019 after signing a deal with British energy drink Rich Energy. However, little is known about Rich Energy, and its long-bearded boss William Storey. “I’ve heard the stories about […]
Alonso set for McLaren test in Barcelona
Fernando Alonso could try McLaren’s 2019 car as early as the forthcoming winter tests in Barcelona. The Spaniard has retired from F1, but team boss Zak Brown has said the two-time champion is welcome to attend grands prix in McLaren colours and even test the car on occasion. Marca sports newspaper claims that, unlike some […]
Sainz ‘excited’ to test 2019 McLaren car
Carlos Sainz is “very excited” to get up and running in McLaren’s 2019 car. The Spanish driver has moved from the Renault works team to the once-great McLaren team, which struggled throughout Fernando Alonso’s final years in F1 since 2015. “Carlos is very excited, very eager to start the tests here in Barcelona,” Sainz’s father […]
2019 champion team ‘up in the air’ – Wolff
Toto Wolff says the identity of this year’s world champion team is very much “up in the air”. Wolff leads the Mercedes team, which has won every world championship since the start of the ‘power unit’ era in 2014. The 2019 silver car will undergo its first “shakedown” test behind closed doors at Silverstone on […]
Lauda to be back in shape ‘soon’ – son
Niki Lauda will be back in action “soon”. That is the claim of the F1 legend’s son, 37-year-old Mathias Lauda. “Dad underwent a complex operation and has had bad moments, but he has a strong character and is fighting,” Lauda told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 69-year-old Niki Lauda, the Mercedes team chairman, has finally returned […]
New Monza F1 deal still ‘far away’
Italian GP boss Angelo Sticchi Damiani says a new F1 race deal for the historic Monza circuit is still “far away”. Monza is among the 16 circuits that is threatening to quit the sport over a dispute with Liberty Media. It is particularly relevant for the Italian GP host, as its existing Liberty deal is […]
Hartley says F1 exit rumours started at Monaco
Brendon Hartley says it was clear as far back as last year’s Monaco grand prix that Red Bull would oust him. The New Zealander was a surprise draft into the junior team Toro Rosso’s lineup following the ousting in late 2017 of Daniil Kvyat. But Kvyat is back for 2019, and the Russian’s teammate will […]
F1 tracks eye end to Liberty dispute
The boss of a big group of current F1 race promoters says he is confident their dispute with Liberty Media will be resolved. Led by Silverstone’s Stuart Pringle, the group of 16 circuits this week warned that they could pull out of the sport if concerns about the Liberty reign are not addressed. The group, […]
Alonso eyes ‘unprecedented’ next moves
Fernando Alonso says his next moves in motor racing could be “unprecedented”. Now retired from F1, the two-time champion got a step closer to the elusive ‘triple crown’ last year with victory at Le Mans. Later in 2019, he will try to complete the triple crown by returning to the Indy 500, and last weekend […]
Pirelli worried about weather for testing
Pirelli has admitted it is worried bad weather will once again affect pre-season testing. A year ago, several days of the already limited winter testing programme were seriously affected by freezing temperatures and even snow in Barcelona. The much warmer-in-winter Bahrain was proposed as an alternative for 2019, but teams voted against the move on […]
Kubica hopes to stay in F1 beyond 2019
Robert Kubica says his big goal for 2019 is to pave the way to a longer second career in formula one. The Pole sat out eight full seasons following his horrific rallying crash of 2011, which left his right arm permanently injured. On Tuesday, his 2019 employer Williams shipped a car to Poland for an […]
Verstappen won’t hide 2019 chances – Doornbos
Max Verstappen’s fans will know almost immediately if Red Bull has produced a title-winning 2019 car. That is the view of Robert Doornbos, a Dutch former F1 driver. This week, we quoted fellow Dutchman Verstappen as saying that if he is to have a chance of winning the title, Red Bull must be closer to […]
All drivers to attend official 2019 F1 launch
Every F1 driver will attend the official launch event for the 2019 season just prior to the first race in Melbourne. Just days ago, we reported that the teams had rejected Liberty Media’s earlier plans for a launch event that would have involved the reveal of every team’s respective 2019 car. “The teams rejected the […]
Haas to let Magnussen race at Daytona
Kevin Magnussen has received the green light to contest the famous Daytona 24 hour race in future. For the past few years, it has been regularly speculated that the Danish driver could join his father Jan Magnussen at Daytona. “I think it’s a good idea. Kevin thinks it’s a good idea, and Corvette thinks it’s […]
Giovinazzi may beat Raikkonen in 2019 – Minardi
F1 veteran Kimi Raikkonen will need to race hard to beat his young rookie teammate in 2019. That is the view of Gian Carlo Minardi, a former F1 team owner and boss. Minardi, 71, hailed fellow Italian Antonio Giovinazzi, ahead of the 25-year-old’s first full season in F1. “It is a very important signal for […]