May 5 (GMM) Ron Dennis has reportedly warned that he will not accept a new FIA regulation regarding the supply of engines to customer teams. In reaction to the Red Bull saga of late 2015, a new rule has been published in the 2017 rules whereby the FIA has the power to enforce deals between […]
MotoGP hot on F1’s heels – Marko
May 5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has acknowledged that F1 is coming under threat by its two-wheeled equivalent when it comes to being the best form of top motor racing. As he this week ruled out returning to formula one, Flavio Briatore insisted: “The ‘show’ of racing has gone to MotoGP.” Marko, the head of […]
Honda questions need for louder F1
May 5 (GMM) Honda has questioned moves to further turn up the volume of F1’s current ‘power units’. With many believing the turbo V6 engines are not loud enough for the ‘show’, for 2016 additional ‘wastegate’ exhaust pipes were added. But the sound only went up by a few decibels, causing the FIA to announce […]
Not all surprised with Kvyat demotion
May 5 (GMM) The motor racing world reacted with surprise to the news of Daniil Kvyat’s demotion. “Really?” said Jenson Button on Twitter, after Red Bull announced the Russian’s return to Toro Rosso. “One bad race and Kyvat’s dropped, what about the podium in the previous race?” the McLaren-Honda driver added. But not everyone is […]
Kvyat, Verstappen to swap seats for Barcelona
May 5 (GMM) Red Bull Racing has ousted Daniil Kvyat and replaced him with Max Verstappen ahead of the Spanish grand prix next weekend. F1today.net, a Dutch website, had cited ‘various sources’ in reporting that Russian Kvyat, under fire for his clashes with Sebastian Vettel at Sochi, would swap seats with Toro Rosso’s Verstappen. Red […]
Renault right to revive Magnussen’s career – Coulthard
May 4 (GMM) David Coulthard has hailed the performance of Kevin Magnussen after the Dane opened Renault’s points account in Russia last weekend. The occupant of the sister yellow car, Jolyon Palmer, is under pressure to up his game but former F1 driver Coulthard said Magnussen is doing a good job. “It was a great […]
McLaren happy with 2017 rule changes – Boullier
May 4 (GMM) One team happy with the new rules for 2017 is McLaren-Honda, according to its boss Eric Boullier. Many drivers and some teams, like Mercedes, voiced opposition to the changes but Boullier said “Mercedes was against it because they are dominating” under the current regime. For 2017, the cars and tyres are getting […]
Briatore rules out return to ‘boring’ F1
May 4 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has ruled out returning to formula one. The flamboyant Italian left F1 in disgrace amid the ‘crashgate’ scandal, but he is still close to Bernie Ecclestone and recently attended a meeting over the future of Monza’s embattled race. But he told Chi, an Italian gossip weekly: “The circuit is not […]
Cockpit shield may be delayed until 2018 – report
May 4 (GMM) The introduction of cockpit-mounted head protection may need to wait until 2018, according to a report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. That is despite the fact F1 race director Charlie Whiting said in Sochi last weekend that a July 1 deadline had been set for the introduction of either the ‘halo’ […]
Mercedes in dark over Ferrari’s true pace
May 4 (GMM) Niki Lauda said Sebastian Vettel’s first-lap retirement at Sochi means Mercedes is still in the dark about Ferrari’s true pace. On the face of it, notwithstanding worries about reliability, reigning world champions Mercedes utterly dominated in terms of pace in Russia. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished third on Sunday, while Vettel did not […]
No testing for Sauber, Pirelli starts 2017 running
May 4 (GMM) Sauber will sit out the first in-season test of the 2016 season after next weekend’s Spanish grand prix. The Swiss team, openly struggling financially this year, said one reason for the decision is because it “will not introduce a car update” in Barcelona. And secondly, according to a Sauber update on Twitter, […]
McLaren-Honda can target podium in 2016 – Alonso
May 4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says a podium goal might not be too far away for McLaren-Honda in 2016. The Spaniard opened his points account at Sochi with a strong sixth place, although he admitted the result flattered the true pace of the Anglo-British team’s package. “We are happy with how things are going and […]
Billionaire eyes Russian F1 team
May 4 (GMM) A billionaire has admitted he would like to establish a Russian formula one team. In February, as former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov signed for the Le Mans LMP2 team SMP Racing, he admitted: “Although nothing is defined yet, we will perhaps one day be in F1.” SMP Racing is the motor sport […]
Sainz hits out at Palmer incident penalty
May 3 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has hit out at the 10-second penalty imposed for his confrontation with rival Jolyon Palmer at Sochi. Even the Spaniard’s famous father, rally legend Carlos Sainz snr, called the punishment by the stewards “ridiculous”. “I did not see Palmer on my right,” Sainz, 21, told the Spanish broadcaster Movistar. “I […]
Now Ocon adds to pressure on Palmer
May 3 (GMM) The pressure on Jolyon Palmer will stay high in Barcelona next weekend. After new Friday tester Sergey Sirotkin outpaced Renault’s rookie British regular at Sochi, it will be now reserve Esteban Ocon’s turn at the wheel of the yellow car in practice for the forthcoming Spanish grand prix. Palmer had an awful […]
Putin meeting surprised Rosberg
May 3 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has admitted to being surprised when he met Russia’s controversial president Vladimir Putin after the race in Sochi. As the drivers prepared for the podium ceremony, Putin and his translator spoke separately with Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and race winner Rosberg. “He congratulated me,” Rosberg said, “but I was a […]
Stroll eyes F3 title before F1
May 3 (GMM) Lance Stroll is the latest teenager looking to break into formula one. The son of billionaire fashion mogul Lawrence, the 17-year-old Canadian is a development driver with Williams this year, whilst racing full-time for the top European F3 team Prema. “Right now I’m really focused on F3,” Lance told La Presse Canadienne […]
F1 drivers to discuss race start crashes – Alonso
May 3 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says F1 drivers will discuss the recent series of messy race starts in 2016. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton collided in Bahrain, the two Ferraris clashed in China, and last Sunday at Sochi Sebastian Vettel was left furious after being punted into the barrier by the Red Bull of Daniil […]
Rosberg has ‘luck of a champion’ – Montagny
May 3 (GMM) Former F1 driver Franck Montagny thinks runaway championship leader Nico Rosberg will eventually strike problems in 2016. So far in 2016, the German’s run at the top of the field has been peerless, amid reigning champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton’s consistent bad luck. Briton Hamilton’s good mood also appeared to falter at […]
Vettel won’t seek revenge on Kvyat – Marko
May 3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko doubts Dannil Kvyat’s now two-race spat with Sebastian Vettel will spill into even more race weekends. The pair argued before going onto the podium in China, before German Vettel launched a foul-mouthed radio tirade against the Russian in the wake of their Sochi clash. Maurizio Arrivabene said Vettel had […]