Nov.14 (GMM) Chase Carey has admitted F1’s engines will not change significantly for 2021. Earlier, Liberty Media wanted drastically different engines compared to the complex, controversial and quiet ‘power units’ of today. But those currently on the grid hit back at those plans, insisting that if no other car manufacturers join them in F1, switching […]
Formula E ‘slower than Formula Ford’ – Hamilton
Nov.14 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is not interested in Formula E because of the lack of petrol power, sound and speed. Formula E is gaining in popularity and current McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne will drive for the new works Mercedes team in the forthcoming season. “It’s great to see all the top brands – […]
Jos Verstappen defends son after Ocon clash
Nov.14 (GMM) Jos Verstappen has defended his son in the wake of the Brazilian grand prix. Many have criticised the way Red Bull driver Max Verstappen physically accosted Esteban Ocon after being taken out of the lead by the lapped Frenchman. “Maybe what Max did was not good,” Jos, who took out Juan Pablo Montoya […]
Carey defends ending F1 betting sponsorship ban
Nov.14 (GMM) Chase Carey has defended F1’s move into the world of gambling. For four decades, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone did not allow any betting sponsorships. But now under the ownership of Liberty Media, new CEO Carey recently agreed a $100 million deal with sports betting group ISG. “It’s clear that fans enjoy it. […]
Brazil ramps up efforts to keep grand prix
Nov.13 (GMM) Organisers of the Brazilian grand prix have ramped up efforts to keep Interlagos on the F1 calendar. The contract expires in 2020, but local government says it intends to privatise the circuit in the meantime. “The race is important for the city. It is in everyone’s interest to keep it,” Sao Paulo mayor […]
Marchionne death hurt Ferrari morale – Tronchetti Provera
Nov.13 (GMM) Ferrari is “very close” to its goal of bringing the title back to Maranello after more than a decade. That is the view of Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera, even though Ferrari has been defeated by Mercedes in both world championships this year. But Pirelli’s Tronchetti Provera told Rai radio: “Ferrari did an […]
2019 Kubica F1 return ’90pc’ secure – report
Nov.13 (GMM) Robert Kubica looks set to return to the F1 grid with Williams in 2019. Auto Motor und Sport says the Pole wants to make his decision this week, after receiving an offer from Williams but also from Ferrari to be a test driver. “His comeback chances at Williams are over 90 per cent,” […]
Verstappen would ‘kick psychologist out’
Nov.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he regrets nothing about shoving Esteban Ocon after Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix. The Dutchman will do two days of FIA community service as a punishment for the altercation, but insists he has no regrets. “No. I’m just annoyed about not winning,” the Red Bull driver said on the Peptalk programme […]
Miami GP plans still not dead – Carey
Nov.12 (GMM) Chase Carey insists that plans for a grand prix in Miami have not been scrapped. In late September, the Miami city commission voted to indefinitely defer the plans. Instead, F1 owner Liberty Media has announced a new grand prix in Vietnam for 2020. That is despite Bernie Ecclestone telling Germany’s RTL that, prior […]
‘Only goal’ is sports car title – Alonso
Nov.12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says his “only goal” for now is winning the world endurance championship. The Spaniard is retiring from F1 but already signed up to do the Indy 500 and Le Mans next year. His last grand prix will be in Abu Dhabi next weekend, but he says he is not targeting a […]
Vettel not worried about incoming Leclerc
Nov.12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not worried about the ambitions of his new Ferrari teammate for 2019. German Vettel has had a tough few months, having gone from being world championship favourite to heftily criticised in the Italian press and beyond for throwing it away with mistakes. Now, he has lost his preferred […]
Lauda to bring doctor to Abu Dhabi comeback – Marko
Nov.12 (GMM) Niki Lauda really is determined to return to the F1 paddock next weekend, according to his friend Dr Helmut Marko. Lauda, the F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman, recently left hospital after a lung transplant and entered a period of rehabilitation. He told his friend Bernie Ecclestone that he wants to return to […]
Wolff vows to support Vandoorne’s career
Nov.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff thinks dumped McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne can still have a bright future. The Mercedes boss says he is baffled as to why the once highly rated Belgian never impressed in his two years in formula one. “I don’t know when it started to go in the wrong direction for him,” Wolff […]
Red Bull says Ocon ‘lucky to escape with a shove’
Nov.12 (GMM) Max Verstappen has found support from within his team for his behaviour after the Brazilian grand prix. The Dutchman was sentenced to two days of FIA community service after physically shoving Esteban Ocon in the post-race driver weighing area. The pair clashed while Verstappen was leading the race and Force India’s Ocon was […]
Wolff denies Mercedes struggling amid wheel controversy
Nov.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied that Mercedes is struggling amid the controversy about its wheel rim design. The F1 world was preoccupied late on Sunday with the Max Verstappen vs Esteban Ocon altercation, and Mercedes’ constructors’ championship win. But also true is that, for the third race in a row, Mercedes was struggling with […]
Verstappen won’t stop championship goal – Gasly
Nov.11 (GMM) Pierre Gasly says even Max Verstappen can’t stop his target of winning the world championship. Red Bull is open about its ambition of making 22-year-old Verstappen the youngest champion in F1 history. But next year, Verstappen’s teammate will be 22-year-old Frenchman Gasly, who is getting a promotion from the junior team Toro Rosso. […]
Bottas partnership ‘best ever in F1’ – Hamilton
Nov.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton thinks his partnership with Valtteri Bottas is one of the best in F1 history. While Hamilton raced to the title, his Mercedes teammate has failed to win a single race. But Hamilton told Brazil’s Globo that the partnership with Bottas works unprecedentedly well. “It is the best partnership in terms of […]
Fittipaldi to attend all races for Haas in 2019
Nov.11 (GMM) Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of former world champion Emerson, will be the reserve driver for Haas in 2019. The American team already had its eye on the 22-year-old this year, when he broke both his legs in a sports car race at Spa. Haas has announced that Fittipaldi will be a test driver […]
Alonso to tackle Indy 500 again in 2019
Nov.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will try to win the Indy 500 once again in 2019. Last year, the Spaniard came close until his McLaren entry, in collaboration with Michael Andretti’s Indycar outfit, broke down. Alonso is retiring from F1 after the forthcoming Abu Dhabi grand prix, but he will race Le Mans again next year […]
Kubica hits back at 2019 Williams seat media report
Nov.11 (GMM) Robert Kubica has hit back at a British media report that claimed he will definitely race for Williams in 2019. The publication has since wound back its claim, but the British team and the Polish driver have admitted they were angry about the reporting. “It is not the number of articles that shows […]