Dec.3 (GMM) Lawrence Stroll says he bought Force India because it was a “phenomenal business opportunity”. The Canadian billionaire and fashion mogul sponsored his teenage son Lance at Williams in 2017 and 2018, but the British team’s performance crashed this year. At the same time, Force India – an impressive upper-midfield team – almost collapsed […]
Bottas could lose seat during 2019 – Villeneuve
Dec.3 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve thinks Valtteri Bottas’ days at Mercedes could be numbered. Ross Brawn, the F1 sporting boss, thinks the Finnish driver’s performance was the champion team’s only significant weakness in 2018. Some have suggested Bottas could benefit from the advice of Nico Rosberg, the former Mercedes driver who overcame defeat to beat Lewis […]
Toro Rosso happy with ‘guinea pig’ role
Dec.3 (GMM) Toro Rosso is happy to keep playing a supporting role for Red Bull and Honda in 2019. This year, the Italian-based team enjoyed full works status after switching to Honda power. But in June, it was announced that the senior Red Bull-owned team would also switch to the Japanese engines for 2019. It […]
Hamilton crashes during motorbike test
Dec.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has fallen while testing a superbike. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the five time world champion was riding an all-black Mv Agusta bike at Jerez in Spain when he fell. “Luckily, only the bike came out badly,” the Italian report reads. The Mercedes driver reportedly continued his session aboard another […]
Kubica return ‘a miracle’ – father
Dec.3 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s father says it is a “miracle” the Pole is returning to F1 in 2019. Eight years after almost severing his right arm in a rallying crash, the former BMW and Renault driver will race for Williams next season. “If miracles happen, then yes, it is a miracle,” Artur Kubica, the 33-year-old’s […]
Ferrari did not support Vettel enough – Ecclestone
Dec.3 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has leapt to the defence of Sebastian Vettel. The former F1 supremo said Ferrari did not adequately support the German driver as he pushed for the world championship in 2018. “Lewis was outstanding, but he also got total support from his team,” Ecclestone told Germany’s Auto Bild. “You cannot say that […]
Verstappen ‘regrets’ not having raced Alonso
Nov.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he regrets not being able to take on Fernando Alonso in F1. Dutchman Verstappen, 21, is arguably a F1 great of the future, but he grew up watching Alonso take on legends like Michael Schumacher. “It’s a shame that I have never been able to face him,” the Red Bull […]
Renault sets podium target for 2019
Nov.30 (GMM) Outgoing Renault racing president Jerome Stoll has set the target of a podium for the French works team in 2019. Renault had targeted getting closer to the top three teams this year, and although fourth overall, team officials and drivers admitted the performance and development could have been better. Stoll, who is retiring […]
Polish minister defends Kubica sponsorship
Nov.30 (GMM) Poland has defended the financial investment into Robert Kubica’s return to formula one. Just days after signing Kubica for 2019, Williams also announced that Polish oil company PKN Orlen is sponsoring the British team. Poland’s State Treasury is PKN Orlen’s leading shareholder with almost 28 per cent of the shares and votes. The […]
Bottas slump was Mercedes’ only 2018 flaw – Brawn
Nov.30 (GMM) The only real flaw in Mercedes’ title-winning 2018 season was the performance of Valtteri Bottas. That is the view of F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn. An experienced team boss after his time with Ferrari and Mercedes, Brawn praised Toto Wolff for upping the German team’s game in the face of the stronger challenge […]
Schumacher ‘perceives encounters’ – archbishop
Nov.30 (GMM) A German archbishop has given key insights into the physical condition of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Before the archbishop Georg Ganswein’s comments to the German magazine Bunte, the world was basically in the dark about the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver’s health. But Ganswein, who met with Schumacher in the summer of 2016, […]
Ricciardo admits 2018 ‘hardest season’
Nov.30 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo thinks 2018 will make him “stronger” in the future. That is despite the fact that he said this year was actually the “hardest” in his entire career. “100 per cent yes,” the Australian said. Ricciardo had highs in 2018, but also lows amid technical trouble with his Red Bull, the strength […]
Ocon eyes Williams, Force India roles for 2019
Nov.30 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has admitted his role for 2019 could involve driving duties for as many as three F1 teams. The Frenchman has lost his race seat at Force India, but it is strongly rumoured that he will be back on the grid in 2020, perhaps in Valtteri Bottas’ place at Mercedes. 22-year-old Ocon’s […]
‘The real Vettel is back’ – Arrivabene
Nov.29 (GMM) “The real Vettel is back.” That is the claim of Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene, as the Italian team moves to put 2018 in the past and charge again for the world championship next year. Sebastian Vettel remains Ferrari’s ‘number 1’ driver, but the German came under attack from the partisan Italian press this […]
Schumacher face ‘fuller’ now – archbishop
Nov.29 (GMM) A German archbishop says Michael Schumacher has a “fuller” face in the wake of his brain injuries. The public has been left completely in the dark about the F1 legend’s health and physical condition, as he recovers at home in Switzerland following a 2013 skiing fall. Archbishop Georg Ganswein said he visited the […]
Pirelli to spice up F1 with 2019 tyre selection
Nov.29 (GMM) Pirelli says it will spice up its selection of tyres at grands prix in order to improve the F1 show. Sebastian Vettel said at the post-Abu Dhabi tyre test that the 2019 tyres are basically the same. “The more interesting question is the tyre selection for next year — what tyres Pirelli will […]
‘No doubts’ about Kubica return – Lowe
Nov.28 (GMM) George Russell says he can work together as a team with Robert Kubica next year. On paper, Williams’ new F1 lineup looks potentially explosive, with the new F2 champion Russell on one side of the garage, and returning grand prix winner Kubica on the other. But Russell said at the post-race test in […]
Hockenheim not worried about Dutch GP
Nov.28 (GMM) A German GP official says he is not worried about news that The Netherlands could host a F1 race once again. De Telegraaf newspaper reports that talks between Zandvoort and Liberty Media are advanced, and centre around a place on the 2020 calendar. But for Hockenheim, a race in Holland simply means European […]
Two Schumachers in F1 would be ‘incredible’
Nov.28 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher says the idea of two Schumachers on the F1 grid once again is a “wonderful dream”. Next year, F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s high-profile son Mick – the new European F3 champion – is stepping up to Formula 2. But also rising rapidly through the ranks is David Schumacher, the son of […]
Next year’s tyres similar to 2018 Pirellis – Bottas
Nov.28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says next year’s tyres are similar to the ones supplied by Pirelli in 2018. The Mercedes driver was among those who tested Pirelli’s 2019 offerings in the post-race Abu Dhabi test this week. “No, they didn’t feel strange,” Bottas is quoted by Turun Sanomat newspaper. “The differences are really small. The […]