Aug.30 (GMM) Sergio Perez isn’t sure what to make of Lance Stroll. It is strongly rumoured that, after Sunday’s Italian grand prix, Stroll will make the switch to Force India. The Silverstone based team has just been bought by Stroll’s billionaire father Lawrence. Perez, to be his teammate, isn’t sure what to expect. “It’s difficult […]
Hamilton to skip Thursday at Monza
Aug.30 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will skip Thursday’s media activities at Monza, Sky Italia reports. The local broadcaster said the world championship leader will only be at the circuit ahead of Friday practice for the Italian grand prix. “In Hungary Ferrari was exempted from Thursday activities, but that was due to the death of president Sergio […]
Mercedes ‘not used to losing’ – Arrivabene
Aug.30 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene says Mercedes is adjusting to the idea of being beaten in formula one. Mercedes has utterly dominated in the ‘power unit’ era, but most insiders now agree that Ferrari has hit the front in 2018. It left Lewis Hamilton wondering after Spa if the Maranello team has a “trick” engine. When […]
Force India fights for $33 million
Aug.30 (GMM) Force India is fighting for its right to keep $33 million in official prize money. Taken over by Lawrence Stroll, the team actually had to become a new entrant as of the Belgian grand prix, which meant the forfeiting of its championship points. But although Haas is not happy, the teams and Liberty […]
Stroll admits ousting Ocon ‘not fair’
Aug.29 (GMM) Lance Stroll admits it will not be “entirely fair” if he takes over Esteban Ocon’s place at Force India. French broadcaster Canal Plus caught a conversation in French between Ocon and Sebastian Vettel at Spa. Ocon, 21, told the Ferrari driver he is losing his seat at Force India because one driver “bought […]
Verstappen’s father questions Ricciardo move
Aug.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father says he is surprised Daniel Ricciardo decided to leave Red Bull. Some believe Ricciardo’s decision to accept an offer to switch to the works Renault outfit was because Red Bull saw the younger Verstappen as the future. But Jos Verstappen rejects that. “I’m 100 per cent sure of it,” he […]
Mick Schumacher showing father’s genes – Berger
Aug.29 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has the ability to tread in his father’s footprints all the way to formula one. That is the view of F1 legend and now DTM boss Gerhard Berger, who says the 19-year-old son of Michael Schumacher is finally finding his stride in Formula 3. His tally of wins in the highly […]
Verstappen admits no Honda title until 2020
Aug.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen is looking forward to Red Bull’s Honda-powered future. A fierce critic of the departing customer Renault engines, the Dutchman acknowledges however that he might need to wait a full year before Red Bull-Honda can charge for a title. “Looking at where they were, Honda has made remarkable strides,” the 20-year-old said. […]
Monza set for F1 contract talks
Aug.29 (GMM) Italian grand prix boss Angelo Sticchi Damiani says Monza wants to “rethink” its contract with Liberty Media. It is believed the F1 rights holder and Hockenheim have agreed new terms for a race in 2019, but a darker cloud still lingers over the future of the Italian grand prix. Talks with Chase Carey […]
F1 agrees new German GP deal – report
Aug.28 (GMM) The German grand prix has been saved, according to the local Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper. Earlier, with Liberty Media’s plans for a Miami GP next year in tatters, talks about reviving a contract at Hockenheim began. FAZ says a deal has now been done, with Chase Carey agreeing to a lower race […]
FIA to study Halo after Leclerc incident
Aug.28 (GMM) Supporters of the controversial ‘Halo’ safety innovation say a crash at Spa vindicated the decision to introduce it. Tyre marks and damage to the Halo was visible on Charles Leclerc’s Sauber after a scary air-borne crash involving Fernando Alonso last Sunday. Some say the Halo obviously saved the Monaco-born rookie’s life. “I’ve never […]
Mercedes to consider ‘team orders’ after Monza
Aug.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes may soon need to consider imposing ‘team orders’. Lewis Hamilton is still leading the world championship, but the Mercedes driver ended the weekend at Spa wondering if Ferrari has a “trick” engine. Wolff played that down, saying he has “complete trust” in the FIA to enforce the technical rules. […]
McLaren ‘going backwards’ – Vandoorne
Aug.28 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren is “going backwards”. It looks more and more likely that the Belgian, dead last for most of his home race weekend at Spa, has fallen out with McLaren team bosses Zak Brown and Gil de Ferran. Vandoorne says he is disappointed with the car put at his disposal in […]
Russian driver could replace Stroll
Aug.28 (GMM) Williams could soon have an all-Russian driver lineup. Team boss Claire Williams has confirmed that the struggling Grove based team expects to lose Lance Stroll, after his father Lawrence bought Force India. “Undoubtedly, at some point Lance will move from our team to Racing Point Force India, but so far there’s no certainty […]
Only Red Bull to use new Renault engine
Aug.28 (GMM) It is possible that Red Bull will be the only team with Renault’s latest-specification power unit at Monza. Auto Motor und Sport claims that Renault itself might not even use the more powerful engine, because it requires a different installation. The report said the third generation 2018 engine is more powerful, particularly in […]
Vandoorne to stay in F1 next year ‘100pc’ – manager
Aug.27 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne’s manager has rated the Belgian driver’s chances of staying in F1 next year at “100 per cent”. It is rumoured not only that the McLaren driver could lose his seat at the end of the year, but as early as the next races in Monza or Singapore. Vandoorne had an abysmal […]
Hamilton wonders about ‘trick’ Ferrari
Aug.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton ended Sunday’s Belgian grand prix wondering if Ferrari had used technical “tricks” for victory. The Mercedes driver started from pole, but was easily passed by Sebastian Vettel who then raced to the win at Spa-Francorchamps. “They’ve got a few trick things going on in the car,” Hamilton alleged. “They’re able to […]
F1 ‘not a business’ under Ecclestone – Bratches
Aug.26 (GMM) Sean Bratches says formula one is working hard to improve. Last week, Liberty Media’s F1 commercial boss agreed with Fernando Alonso that a lack of track excitement was a big problem for the sport. But he says moves are afoot to get things right, after a long period of stagnation during Bernie Ecclestone’s […]
F1 heading for 2021 engine rules delay
Aug.26 (GMM) Plans for all-new engine regulations in 2021 appear to have been scrapped. Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn hinted at that earlier this weekend, and now team bosses are making similar noises. “I would agree that I think what formula one is trying to do for 2021 is extremely ambitious,” said Renault […]
Vandoorne 2018 seat safe for now – de Ferran
Aug.26 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne’s seat at McLaren could be safe at least for the rest of the year. It is rumoured that, last week at Woking, endangered Force India driver Esteban Ocon did a seat fitting. Standing at 186cm, it is believed the Frenchman did not fit in the 2018 McLaren. When asked about Ocon, […]