Feb.28 (GMM) F1’s first winter test in freezing conditions is going ahead as originally planned. On Monday, teams began to discuss whether Wednesday’s running in forecast snow should be cancelled, with the test extended into Friday instead. The talks came as cold temperatures as low as 2-3 degrees made getting temperature into the tyres almost […]
F1 to simplify aero rules for 2019
Feb.28 (GMM) F1 is looking to simplify the aerodynamic profile of the cars for 2019. Auto Motor und Sport reports that increasing complexity in the detail around the sidepods and rear wing endplates in particular is making it hard for teams to place legible sponsor logos. So it seems the teams, the FIA and Liberty […]
Force India still to reveal new name, 2018 car
Feb.28 (GMM) Force India is still planning a name change before the 2018 season begins in Australia. On Monday, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon pulled a sheet off what is believed to be only a modified 2017 car. Marca sports newspaper said the full 2018 car will be in Barcelona on Wednesday or Thursday. That […]
McLaren dumping Honda was ‘mistake’ – Hartley
Feb.27 (GMM) Brendon Hartley thinks McLaren dumping Honda at the end of last year was “a mistake”. “I think they’ve made a mistake,” the New Zealander told Marca sports newspaper on Monday. “The engine is very driveable and I have more power than last year,” he added. Hartley had just tested Toro Rosso’s newly Honda-powered […]
Teams propose to extend first winter test
Feb.27 (GMM) F1 teams are proposing to extend this week’s Barcelona test. The first winter test was scheduled to take place between Monday and Thursday, but snow is forecast in Barcelona on Wednesday. Not just that, low temperatures are already affecting the teams’ ability to get sufficient heat into the tyres. “The weather is the […]
1000hp engine should make Mercedes confident – Horner
Feb.27 (GMM) Christian Horner has confirmed team colleague Dr Helmut Marko’s admission that Red Bull will struggle to win the 2018 title. Daniel Ricciardo topped the times as winter testing kicked off at cold Barcelona on Monday, but boss Horner said of Red Bull’s hopes: “We expect to reduce the gap to the top. “Mercedes […]
No Super Formula campaign for Wehrlein
Feb.26 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein will not contest the top Japanese open wheeler series Super Formula in 2018. Earlier, when it was announced that the ousted Sauber driver would be returning to DTM with Mercedes, he left the door open to a parallel Super Formula campaign. But a Mercedes source told Speed Week: “We have decided […]
Ball in McLaren court after Honda exit – Vandoorne
Feb.26 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says the ball is now in McLaren’s court after the British team dropped Honda at the end of last year. In 2018, the team will use identical engines to race winner Red Bull and the Renault works team. “Red Bull proved last year that you can win with a Renault engine,” […]
Bad weather could affect F1 testing
Feb.26 (GMM) Bad weather could affect the start of winter testing in Barcelona this week. The action kicks off on Monday, and the forecast for the next few days around the Spanish city is for cold conditions, some rain — and perhaps even snow. “It should be cold,” agreed Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. “I don’t know […]
Sainz ‘excited’ for better Renault – father
Feb.23 (GMM) Famous former rally champion Carlos Sainz expects his son to take a “step forward” in formula one this year. Last year, Carlos Sainz jr stepped up from the Red Bull programme to join the works Renault team. His father and namesake now expects Sainz, 23, to take another “little step forward” in 2018. […]
Vettel ‘not worried’ after seeing rival cars
Feb.23 (GMM) Ferrari this week joined arch-rival Mercedes in revealing its 2018 car. Like Mercedes’ offering, the new and even redder single seater is clearly an evolution of the 2017 car. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel said: “Mercedes remains the reference, but I do not think we are in the outsider role.” But the German said it […]
Wolff worried about Liberty Media changes
Feb.23 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted he is worried about some of the most recent changes in formula one. Recently, Mercedes and Ferrari have clashed with Liberty Media over reported plans for a budget cap and future engine rule changes. But it’s the new Halo that has Mercedes boss Wolff the most appalled. “Give me […]
Wolff hopes for new Hamilton deal in ‘weeks’
Feb.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff think they will soon put together a contract beyond 2018 for the four-time world champion. At the launch of Mercedes’ 2018 car, which boss Wolff said is an evolution of last year’s car, he predicted a new Hamilton deal would be decided in “weeks”. “Toto knows there is […]
Renault wants to halve gap to top teams
Feb.22 (GMM) Renault has confirmed reports it has made progress with its F1 engine ahead of the 2018 season. Late last year, the French marque encountered reliability problems and a shortage of parts. But customers Red Bull and McLaren have suggested progress has been made over the winter. “Last year, we could not exhaust the […]
Red Bull airbrushed 2018 car photos – report
Feb.22 (GMM) Red Bull has airbrushed a key detail out of photographs of its new 2018 car. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, who said the team’s interim black and blue launch livery is also an attempt to “camouflage” secrets. Dr Helmut Marko said days ago that while Adrian Newey may […]
Energy drink eyes Force India takeover
Feb.22 (GMM) Force India is in talks to be taken over. British newspapers The Sun and the Daily Mail report that talks are taking place with a consortium led by British energy drink company Rich Energy. The news comes as the Silverstone based team considers changing its name, and amid owner and boss Vijay Mallya’s […]
Kubica still pushing for F1 race comeback
Feb.21 (GMM) Robert Kubica admits he came tantalisingly close to pulling off a fairytale return to formula one for 2018. Instead, Williams opted for the well-sponsored Russian Sergey Sirotkin, although Pole Kubica said his comeback dream is still alive thanks to the reserve and Friday practice role. “For me this is already a return to […]
Liberty risks making F1 ‘Mickey Mouse series’ – Weber
Feb.21 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager is worried Liberty Media risks turning formula one into “a Mickey Mouse series”. Earlier this week, a rumour spread on the internet that Willi Weber, who was Schumacher’s manager as he hit F1’s dizzying heights, had died at the age of 75. Kolner Express newspaper discovered that the rumour […]
Red Bull admits Ricciardo crashed new car
Feb.21 (GMM) Red Bull has admitted Daniel Ricciardo got his and the team’s 2018 season off to a carbon-crunching start. As the team revealed images of the temporary-liveried RB14 on the internet this week, Ricciardo was at Silverstone to shake down the new single seater. “It’s hard to tell from a couple of laps but […]
McLaren set to announce Petrobras deal
Feb.20 (GMM) McLaren is set to announce a sponsorship deal with Petrobras, the state-linked Brazilian oil multinational. According to Grande Premio publication, the deal will be announced on Tuesday but will only actually begin next season — in 2019. And “The agreement will not involve the hiring of a national (Brazilian) driver”, said the report. […]