Jan.7 (GMM) Zandvoort mayor Niek Meijer says he wants the Dutch town to host formula one. Earlier, it was reported that Liberty Media was open to the Zandvoort circuit once again organising a grand prix from 2020. “Formula one can count on great support in our country. That has already been demonstrated,” said mayor Meijer. […]
Sainz wants ‘several years’ stay at McLaren
Jan.7 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he wants to stay at McLaren longer than his current two-year contract. The Spaniard arrives at McLaren – the once-great and now struggling British outfit that has lost Fernando Alonso – from the Renault works team. “I want to see better results than in 2018,” Sainz told Marca sports newspaper. […]
Lauda back in intensive care
Jan.7 (GMM) Niki Lauda is back in intensive care. The F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman had been holidaying in Ibiza following his long recovery from a life-saving lung transplant operation. But according to Kronen Zeitung newspaper, 69-year-old Lauda had to fly back to Vienna after contracting a serious flu illness. The newspaper cited “sources” […]
Verstappen slams F1 ‘keyboard warriors’
Jan.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen thinks “keyboard warriors” get too much attention in formula one. The Dutchman ended 2018 as one of the strongest drivers overall, but early on he faced a barrage of criticism for a series of mistakes. “I have absolutely become more mature,” Verstappen told De Telegraaf newspaper, “but over the years that’s […]
Formula E-F1 merger ‘would be great’ – Vergne
Jan.4 (GMM) Formula E continues to shape up as a major single seater series of the future. The latest driver to take the all-electric category seriously is Sergey Sirotkin, who will test in Morocco later this month. “Formula E is now one of the most rapidly developing championships. The competition here is at very high […]
McLaren ‘hard at work’ on 2019 car – Brown
Jan.4 (GMM) Yet another team has announced a mid February launch date for its 2019 car. Ferrari, Force India and Renault came first, and now McLaren has scheduled a reveal for its new car in the days immediately prior to winter testing. “Some cars are red, others are blue, on Valentine’s Day, we’ll reveal ours […]
Ricciardo information will help Renault – Hulkenberg
Jan.4 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo could give Renault a technical boost in 2019. That is the view of Nico Hulkenberg, the existing driver for the French works outfit who will be former Red Bull driver Ricciardo’s teammate this year. “Us drivers are not engineers and certainly not aerodynamicists,” German Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport. “He […]
Comeback success depends on Williams car – Kubica
Jan.3 (GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted the success of his return to formula one depends on the competitiveness of Williams’ 2019 car. After an eight-year absence due to injuries that have left his right arm permanently disabled, the 34-year-old Pole is returning to the grid this year. However, his comeback will be at the wheel […]
Schumacher friends stay silent about health condition
Jan.3 (GMM) Those closest to Michael Schumacher have defended the family’s decision to refuse to divulge information about the F1 legend’s health status. Schumacher, the seven time world champion, turns 50 on Thursday amid almost complete secrecy about the extent of brain injuries he sustained in a 2013 skiing fall. On the occasion of his […]
Manager warned Schumacher against F1 return
Jan.2 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager says he advised the seven time world champion against returning to F1 in 2010. Schumacher, who turns 50 this week, retired in 2006 but made a comeback with the then bourgeoning Mercedes works team three years later. But the great German was without his long-time manager Willi Weber for […]
Verstappen ‘won’t miss Ricciardo’ as teammate
Jan.2 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he will not miss having Daniel Ricciardo as a teammate in 2019. Australian Ricciardo shocked both Red Bull and the wider motor racing world by switching for this year to Renault. “Personally I won’t miss him,” Verstappen told Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, “but he was fun and pleasant to have as […]
No contract offer for Schumacher yet – Wolff
Jan.2 (GMM) Mercedes has not offered Mick Schumacher a place in its driver development programme. According to speculation, F1’s top two teams – Mercedes and Ferrari – are vying to get the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher under contract. Bild am Sonntag newspaper asked Mercedes boss Toto Wolff if Schumacher, the reigning European F3 […]
Hulkenberg wants to win with Renault
Jan.2 (GMM) Renault has become the next team to announce a launch date for its 2019 car. The French works team has set the goal of getting closer to the top three Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull this year. And Italy’s Autosprint quotes Nico Hulkenberg as saying he wants to stay in yellow “until I […]
Staying in F1 harder than comeback – Kubica
Jan.2 (GMM) Staying in F1 beyond 2019 will be a bigger challenge than merely returning this year. That is the claim of Robert Kubica, who this year will execute one of the most impressive ever sporting comebacks by returning to F1 after an eight-year absence. “Returning to formula one will not be easy,” the 34-year-old […]
Grosjean faster than Jenson Button – Magnussen
Jan.2 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he is proud of his personal performance in 2018. The Dane had difficult early-career stints at McLaren and Renault, but he has found an ideal home in the small American team Haas. Haas, however, had an often difficult 2018 season. “We are still a young team on a steep learning […]
Lauda aims to walk again by February
Jan.2 (GMM) Niki Lauda has confirmed reports that he is recovering well from his mid-year lung transplant. The Mercedes team chairman missed the end of the 2018 season as he recovered in hospital and a rehabilitation clinic, but Lauda told Kurier and Osterreich newspapers that he is now at home. “At the end of January, […]
Norris to be given time to shine – Brown
Jan.2 (GMM) Lando Norris will be given time to shine at McLaren, according to the British team’s boss. The struggling British team has just ousted Stoffel Vandoorne, who made his debut in 2016 as the reigning Formula 2 champion. Now, the 2018 F2 runner-up is Norris, and McLaren boss Zak Brown says the 19-year-old will […]
Honda ‘will completely close the gap’ in 2019 – Tost
Dec.21 (GMM) Honda “will completely close the gap” to top engine manufacturers Mercedes and Ferrari in 2019. That is the prediction of Franz Tost, the boss at Toro Rosso. The junior Red Bull team has been powered by works Honda engines for a full year now, in preparation for the senior team to join the […]
‘Nobody in F1 watches Formula E’ – Villeneuve
Dec.21 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve is not excited about the future of Formula E. The 1997 world champion did a couple of races with the then-burgeoning all-electric single seater category, but thinks the latest hype has been overrated. “Nobody wants to see electric racing,” Villeneuve, now a F1 pundit for Italian television, told Automobile Magazine. “The […]
Denmark not giving up on F1 race
Dec.21 (GMM) A Danish official has not given up on bringing formula one to the country. Earlier, plans for a 2020 race on the streets of Copenhagen were well advanced and supported by Liberty Media, until mayor Frank Jensen said the project “carries too much risk”. But Helge Sander, who was behind the Copenhagen plans, […]