Sep.17 (GMM) Paying the big bucks for Daniel Ricciardo is an expense that Renault can fully justify. That is the view of Alain Prost, an F1 legend who is now an ever-present special advisor for the French carmaker’s works team. He told the Guardian newspaper he is “very happy” with his current role. “Every time […]
George Russell on pole for Williams seat
Sep.16 (GMM) George Russell has leapt into pole position to race for Williams in 2019. Like Esteban Ocon, the 20-year-old Formula 2 championship leader is a leading member of Mercedes’ driver development stable. Brazil’s Globo reports that the “only missing detail” in Russell’s promotion to formula one is a signature on the page of a […]
Recovering Lauda ‘a lot better’ now – brother
Sep.16 (GMM) Niki Lauda’s brother says the F1 legend is “a lot better” as he recovers from a lung transplant. The F1 paddock has worried about the condition of the Mercedes team chairman, amid reports he will miss the rest of the season in intensive care. “Thank God, he’s a lot better now,” Florian Lauda, […]
F1 should reduce calendar to 16 races – Wolff
Sep.16 (GMM) Toto Wolff says F1 should consider slashing the number of races on the annual calendar. Recently, FIA president Jean Todt said he backed Liberty Media’s apparent intention to blow the number of races out from 21 currently to as many as 23 in the near future. But Mercedes boss Wolff said F1 should […]
Kvyat return set for Sochi announcement
Sep.15 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat looks to have secured his return to formula one. The Russian’s career has been a rollercoaster in recent years, as he debuted for Toro Rosso, got a swift promotion to Red Bull, was demoted back to Toro Rosso and then ousted altogether. He is currently a Ferrari simulator driver. But it […]
Bottas happy to keep playing team role
Sep.15 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is happy to help Lewis Hamilton win the 2018 world championship. It has been a different story recently at Ferrari, where championship contender Sebastian Vettel’s teammate Kimi Raikkonen is leaving and apparently reluctant to play a supportive role. But Finn Bottas, who is championship leader Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, said […]
F1 ‘copying’ Indycar for 2021 – Alonso
Sep.15 (GMM) F1 is following the lead of Indycar with the direction of its cars for the future. That is the claim of Fernando Alonso, who is leaving formula one at the end of the year and is expected to switch to America’s top open wheel category. “I think he’s going to America next season,” […]
Newey says full focus back on F1
Sep.15 (GMM) Adrian Newey says his focus is now firmly back on formula one. In recent years, the famous F1 designer has taken a step back from the sport, focusing instead on other Red Bull-related projects. “Well, the Valkyrie supercar with Aston Martin is complete,” Newey told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper. “I spent a lot of […]
Wolff slams F1 bosses over Ocon exit
Sep.15 (GMM) Toto Wolff has lashed out at his fellow F1 team bosses for getting in the way of young drivers’ futures. The Mercedes chief is astonished that other bosses have not supported his quest to find seats in 2019 for the likes of Esteban Ocon, George Russell and Pascal Wehrlein. Wehrlein, for instance, has […]
Haas to announce full 2019 lineup soon
Sep.14 (GMM) Haas will announce its entire driver lineup for the 2019 season in one hit. In recent days, it has been rumoured that while Kevin Magnussen’s place at the American team looks safe, Romain Grosjean could be ousted. “Nothing is announced yet, but it’s close,” Dane Magnussen is quoted by BT newspaper in Singapore. […]
Alonso to announce 2019 plans next month
Sep.14 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is still giving nothing away about his future. The Spaniard is definitely leaving F1 at the end of the year, but on the menu for 2019 could be Le Mans, Indycar and now even Nascar. “What I will do depends on what makes me happy,” the McLaren driver told El Mundo […]
2019 budget to be ‘healthy’ – Williams
Sep.14 (GMM) Williams will have a “healthy budget” next year. That is the defiant claim of Claire Williams, the boss of the once-great British team. Williams is losing title sponsor Martini and Lawrence Stroll’s millions, and also a lot of official F1 prize money as it languishes as the slowest team in 2018. At an […]
Vandoorne had no chance at McLaren – Verstappen
Sep.14 (GMM) Max Verstappen thinks Stoffel Vandoorne struggled to get a fair go at McLaren. Belgian Vandoorne has been ousted by the British team for 2019, after apparently struggling to shine alongside Fernando Alonso. But Verstappen is quoted by the Dutch publication Formule 1: “I never thought he had a good chance with Fernando. “I […]
Leclerc won’t be Vettel’s ‘number 2’
Sep.14 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says he will not be Sebastian Vettel’s ‘number 2’ driver in 2019. Asked in Singapore if his new contract has a clause making clear his subservient status alongside Vettel, the Monaco-born rookie said: “Oh no. No, no, no, no. “We start the season as equals,” the Dutch publication Formule 1 quotes […]
Red Bull excluding Ricciardo from meetings
Sep.14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is set to be given the cold shoulder by Red Bull. The Australian is moving from the energy drink-owned team to Renault for 2019 and beyond. “From Singapore, Daniel is excluded from any meetings that concern the future,” Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko told Bild newspaper. “We are already working in […]
Stroll not commenting on Force India switch
Sep.14 (GMM) Lance Stroll is giving nothing away about his immediate future. It is strongly rumoured that, after Sunday’s Singapore grand prix, the Williams driver will oust Esteban Ocon at Force India. That Silverstone based team has just been bought by Stroll’s billionaire father, Lawrence. But Lance said in Singapore: “I’m still with Williams, and […]
Vandoorne, Ocon, admit F1 exits approaching
Sep.14 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Ocon have admitted that their F1 careers could be racing towards the chequered flag. Belgian Vandoorne is losing his McLaren seat, while talented Frenchman Ocon looks set to be ousted at Force India by Lance Stroll, whose billionaire father Lawrence has bought the team. “There are some indications that […]
Vettel not expecting team orders
Sep.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not expecting ‘team orders’ to be issued in Singapore. Last time out at Monza, the German was angry because Ferrari apparently did not instruct teammate Kimi Raikkonen to play a ‘team role’. “We have drivers, not butlers,” boss Maurizio Arrivabene had said. So now with Raikkonen definitely leaving […]
Ferrari obstructing camera view in Singapore
Sep.14 (GMM) Ferrari has found a loophole after being told by the FIA to remove a dry ice bag from its roll-bar camera. At recent races, the Italian team was obstructing the view from the onboard camera while the red cars were in the pits by using a bag of ice. The FIA did not […]
McLaren car ‘extremely poor’ – Vandoorne
Sep.13 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne has vowed to “give everything” in the remaining races of 2018, even after being dropped by McLaren. The Belgian was once a highly rated protege of the beleaguered British team, but he is being replaced by new McLaren rookie Lando Norris for 2019. “Although I’m very much looking to the future […]