Apr.18 (GMM) Sources close to Fernando Alonso have “strongly denied” suggestions the Spaniard voluntarily quit Sunday’s Bahrain grand prix. After making derogatory comments about the Honda power unit on the radio, Alonso claimed he had an “engine problem” and retired. But post-race rumours suggested that because he was out of the points, Alonso had simply […]
McLaren ‘can’t continue like this’ – Ojjeh
Apr.18 (GMM) Mansour Ojjeh says McLaren and Honda are working feverishly to get out of a “crisis”, because either side “cannot continue like this”. Ojjeh is a major, long-time and normally low-profile shareholder of the once-great British team, but he was in Bahrain last weekend and not shy to let his opinion be known about […]
Ferrari denies 2017 car not suited to Raikkonen
Apr.18 (GMM) Ferrari has denied claims its 2017 car is more suited to the driving style of Sebastian Vettel. With his contract expiring, Finnish veteran Kimi Raikkonen has struggled at the wheel of the new red car, which in the hands of teammate Vettel has won two of the three races so far. “I’ve spoken […]
Verstappen apologises for Brazil comments
Apr.18 (GMM) Max Verstappen has apologised to Brazilians following comments he made in Bahrain last weekend. After alleging he was held up in qualifying, the Dutch teenager said he would not be speaking to Felipe Massa because “He is Brazilian, so there is not much to talk about”. But when he heard about Verstappen’s comments, […]
Alonso, McLaren deny 2018 Le Mans reports
Apr.17 (GMM) Fernando Alonso and McLaren have played down reports suggesting the Spaniard will definitely contest next year’s fabled 24 hour Le Mans race. The news follows the shock revelation in Bahrain this weekend that Alonso will sit out Monaco next month to make a bid for victory in the equally famous Indy 500. Eric […]
Massa warns Verstappen over Brazil comments
Apr.17 (GMM) Felipe Massa has warned Max Verstappen to “be careful” with comments he makes to the media. After complaining that the Williams veteran spoiled his qualifying lap in Bahrain, youngster Verstappen said he would not be seeking Massa out for talks. “He is Brazilian, so there is not much to talk about,” Dutchman Verstappen […]
Ferrari, Mercedes ‘about equal’ – Wolff
Apr.17 (GMM) Three races into the season, it is now clear that the world of F1 has a real championship battle on its hands. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel beat the two Mercedes in Bahrain, reassuring president Sergio Marchionne that the Italian team’s resurgence really is true. “We are now completely confident that our victory in Melbourne […]
Alonso in talks about 2018 Renault return – report
Apr.16 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has reportedly commenced talks with Renault about a potential return to the French works team for 2018. Now towards the end of his three-year McLaren-Honda deal, the British team and the Spaniard say they have agreed that contract talks about next year will be on hold until the summer. “After the […]
Vandoorne still ‘future champion’ – Vasseur
Apr.16 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne remains a “future champion” despite his difficult start to the 2017 season. That is the claim of former Renault boss Frederic Vasseur, who is back in the paddock this weekend with his GP2 team ART. Vasseur has worked with several former GP2 champions, including Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and more recently […]
Wehrlein can still feel old back injury
Apr.16 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein says he can still feel the effects of his recent back injury. After missing Australia and China, the German returned to his Sauber in Bahrain and confirmed that he had recovered from three broken vertebrae. And on track, he duly impressed, clearly outpacing his teammate Marcus Ericsson. “He has hit back […]
Flexible Ferrari story ‘nonsense’ – Lauda
Apr.16 (GMM) A controversy about the legality of Ferrari’s competitive 2017 car is continuing in Bahrain. Earlier, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko said “incriminating” video footage of flexible aerodynamic features of the red car is doing the rounds. But Niki Lauda, the team chairman at Mercedes, played down the rumours as “nonsense”. “If someone […]
‘Correlation’ to blame for Red Bull problems
Apr.16 (GMM) Mismatching data has been identified as the cause of Red Bull’s problems early in 2017. Despite Adrian Newey’s reputation with changing regulations, the energy drink owned team is at least a second per lap off Mercedes and Ferrari’s pace. However, the gap looks smaller in Bahrain. “We have understood our chassis problems,” team […]
No new rule after Vettel grid position controversy
Apr.16 (GMM) The spotlight was on Sebastian Vettel for a full 22 minutes in the pre-Bahrain grand prix drivers’ briefing. That is the news from Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, after a barrage of fellow drivers complained about how the German positioned his Ferrari on the Shanghai grid a week ago. Stewards did not penalise […]
‘Stress gone’ between Mercedes drivers – Wolff
‘Stress gone’ between Mercedes drivers – Wolff Apr.16 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is very happy with how Mercedes is shaping up in the wake of the Nico Rosberg era. After retired Rosberg’s successor Valtteri Bottas took pole from his teammate Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain, boss Wolff said he received a notable text message. “It […]
Sainz eyes ‘top three teams’ for future
Apr.16 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has hinted he would like to drive for one of the three top teams in 2018. The Spaniard was linked strongly with a move to Renault for this year, but Red Bull elected to hold him to his contract with Toro Rosso. Now, El Pais newspaper said the 22-year-old has made […]
McLaren chassis ‘among best’ in 2017 – Alonso
Apr.16 (GMM) McLaren’s 2017 chassis is “one of the best” on the grid. That is the claim of Fernando Alonso, who is apparently pinning the team’s ongoing competitive crisis solely on engine partner Honda. “With the power deficit that we have, we have proved in these races that we have one of the best chassis […]
F1 poised to ban ‘T-wings’
Apr.16 (GMM) F1’s governing body could be poised to ban the controversial ‘T-wings’ seen up and down the grid in 2017. The aerodynamic appendages are unpopular from an aesthetic point of view, and there could also be a safety issue after two high-profile failures on the Mercedes car recently. “It did about 50,000 pounds of […]
‘Young’ Verstappen is ‘developing’ – Marchionne
Apr.15 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne has played down suggestions Ferrari might see Max Verstappen as the great Italian team’s next driver. The Ferrari president was notably critical of 37-year-old Kimi Raikkonen after a lacklustre performance in China, triggering rumours the team might be eyeing Daniel Ricciardo for 2018. But Ricciardo’s Red Bull teammate Verstappen, 19, might […]
Alonso says Indy 500 criticism ‘normal’
Apr.15 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has played down criticism of his decision to skip Monaco next month to contest the Indy 500. The shock news has created a buzz in the motor racing world, but many fellow drivers said they would never skip a grand prix, while team bosses revealed they would not allow their own […]
Ferrari wrong to criticise Raikkonen – Surer
Apr.15 (GMM) A former F1 driver has defended Kimi Raikkonen, following criticism from Ferrari’s bosses in China. After a lacklustre race for the Finn in Shanghai, team president and boss Sergio Marchionne and Maurizio Arrivabene respectively hit out at Raikkonen, saying they would speak with him. Asked if that conversation took place, Raikkonen gave a […]