Apr.29 (GMM) Renault is shaping up to push for Carlos Sainz to stay at the team in 2019. Currently, the fate of the Spanish driver is unclear. Red Bull ‘loaned’ him to Renault for 2018, but could pull him back next year if Daniel Ricciardo leaves the team. At the same time, Sainz is struggling […]
Alonso may leave McLaren – Briatore
Apr.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso could be set to stir up the 2019 ‘silly season’. Currently, Daniel Ricciardo appears to be the key to the driver market, as he weighs up between Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. The Australian said in Baku on Friday that he would enjoy racing alongside Lewis Hamilton. But he’s also eyeing […]
Stroll not commenting on Mercedes ‘B team’ rumour
Apr.29 (GMM) Williams bosses are reportedly resisting a push to turn the once-great British team into one with a structure similar to Haas. This year, while Williams slumped, Haas has impressed, sparking controversy about how the small American team buys many of its parts from Ferrari. In the meantime, questions have been raised about the […]
Sainz ‘not obsessed’ with beating Hulkenberg
Apr.28 (GMM) Carlos Sainz insists he is not obsessed with beating his teammate Nico Hulkenberg in Baku. Since joining Renault late last year, the Spaniard has not once out-qualified his German teammate. Sainz might be forgiven for being alarmed at that statistic, as he is pushing to either stay at Renault in 2019 or replace […]
Alonso plays down Goss departure
Apr.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has played down the reported ousting of McLaren technical boss Tim Goss. Three races into the team’s tough transition from Honda to Renault power, McLaren has been coy over Goss’ apparent departure. “Not much to add,” Spaniard Alonso told El Mundo Deportivo in Baku. “The team makes changes public at times […]
Bottas not worried about Mercedes rumours
Apr.28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he isn’t worried about the ‘silly season’ speculation regarding 2019. The Finn’s Mercedes contract is expiring, and Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon have been linked with his seat for next year. “Not really,” Bottas told C More broadcaster when asked if it is distracting. “I know what the situation is. […]
Engine key to Ricciardo’s 2019 move – Horner
Apr.28 (GMM) Engine performance is the key to Daniel Ricciardo’s next contract. That is the claim of the Australian driver’s boss Christian Horner, who reiterated in Baku that Red Bull wants to keep him. But Mercedes and Ferrari are reportedly also interested, and Horner admitted that the hierarchy of engine performance in F1 is a […]
Grosjean defends ‘complainer’ reputation
Apr.28 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has defended his growing reputation as the “complainer” of F1. Critical radio messages made to the Haas team by the Frenchman are often broadcast on television, but Grosjean thinks it’s unfair to make conclusions about his character based on them. “It hurts when fans say ‘Grosjean complains all the time’,” he […]
Alonso welcomes Button to Le Mans
Apr.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has welcomed his former McLaren teammate Jenson Button to Le Mans. After Baku, McLaren driver Alonso’s world endurance championship campaign kicks off next weekend with a six hour race at Spa Francorchamps. “Yes, I’m saving energy,” the Spaniard smiled in Azerbaijan. “It’s necessary to plan how much energy is required, so […]
Vettel plays down talk about mystery lever
Apr.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down reports he might be getting an advantage in 2018 thanks to an extra lever on his steering wheel. Earlier, it emerged that the FIA had been in touch with the Maranello team amid suspicions Ferrari us using special engine maps to blow exhaust to the rear wing. It […]
Overtaking changes for 2019 unlikely – report
Apr.28 (GMM) Car changes to make overtaking easier in 2019 are unlikely to be approved. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, reporting that proposed tweaks to the front and rear wings in particular will be put to a fax vote on Monday. Correspondent Michael Schmidt said: “The FIA needs 18 yes […]
F1 should be more unpredictable – Briatore
Apr.28 (GMM) F1 races need to be more unpredictable. That is the view of former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore, who is in Baku this weekend. “You know that I’ve never liked this F1 that is for engineers,” the Italian told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “But I admit that the last races were interesting.” However, […]
Hamilton ‘not concentrated’ in 2018 – Ecclestone
Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is “not fully concentrated” in 2018. That is the view of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is in Baku as a guest of the Azerbaijan government. World champion Hamilton, who has an extreme new braided hairstyle in Baku, has struggled so far this year. Ecclestone told the Swiss newspaper Blick: […]
Halo can feature mirrors in future
Apr.28 (GMM) F1 fans should notice changes to the controversial Halo designs within a few races. The FIA has told teams that they can mount their rearview mirrors on the cockpit protection system from now on. “If someone wants to go down that route, then yes we will see it in a few races time,” […]
Prost sells Formula E stake to focus on F1
Apr.27 (GMM) Alain Prost has sold his stake in Renault’s Formula E team e.dams in order to focus exclusively on F1. That is the news of the French sports daily L’Equipe, reporting that the quadruple world champion will continue in his role as special advisor at Renault’s works F1 team. “It was difficult to do […]
Struggling McLaren ousts technical chief
Apr.27 (GMM) McLaren has reportedly ousted its technical director Tim Goss. The news, reported by Speed Week, follows a difficult start to the 2018 season for the once-great British team. Hopes were high after the switch from Honda to Renault power, but McLaren remains conspicuously low in straight line speed. “Last year we all thought […]
Raikkonen denies being Ferrari ‘number 2’
Apr.27 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has denied he is obviously the ‘number 2’ driver at Ferrari. Although the Finn has performed strongly in 2018, many believe Ferrari has clearly favoured Sebastian Vettel in race strategy. “I don’t comment on that. As far as I know, I have 100pc the same opportunities,” Raikkonen told Finland’s Ilta Sanomat […]
Haas must work hard to keep Magnussen – Steiner
Apr.27 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says it’s a “luxury problem” that Haas may struggle to keep Kevin Magnussen beyond 2018. Dane Magnussen said recently he hoped the American team would take up its option on him for 2019. But boss Steiner said it’s also possible another F1 team will come knocking for Magnussen, as he has […]
Stroll rejects Massa comments
Apr.27 (GMM) Lance Stroll has played down comments made by Felipe Massa about the struggling Williams team. Last year, the pair were teamed together at the once-great British outfit, but Williams replaced veteran Massa in favour of another ‘pay driver’ rookie Sergey Sirotkin for 2018. Massa suggested in the media earlier this week that Williams […]
Hamilton not worried about 2018 ‘crisis’
Apr.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is not worried about his current performance slump. The reigning world champion hasn’t won yet in 2018, causing Jacques Villeneuve to surmise that Hamilton is “in crisis”. Hamilton’s former teammate Nico Rosberg told Bild: “Lewis is a bit on the ropes, as you’d say in boxing. I have no […]