Apr.30 (GMM) Felipe Massa says his new de-facto role as Lance Stroll’s mentor reminds him of the past. Over a decade ago, the then young Brazilian looked up to the great Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. Now, it is the 36-year-old Massa who is mentoring teenage rookie Lance Stroll at Williams. “My relationship with Lance reminds […]
2017 overtaking criticism ‘crazy’ – Lauda
Apr.29 (GMM) Niki Lauda has rubbished claims the 2017 rules have robbed formula one of overtaking. While the faster and more aggressive looking cars have been generally hailed, some have lamented the fact that passing – already rare in F1 – has now almost completely disappeared. “These people are crazy,” Lauda, the F1 legend and […]
Alonso admits 2018 team switch possible
Apr.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is not willing to wait much longer for Honda to improve. McLaren headed into the Sochi weekend hopeful of better reliability, but a failure for Stoffel Vandoorne means Alonso’s teammate has now already run through his engine allocation for 2017. Coupled with poor performance, Alonso – whose contract runs […]
Vettel backs struggling Raikkonen
Apr.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has jumped to the defence of his teammate and friend Kimi Raikkonen. Recently, amid speculation the Italian team might replace the Finn for 2018, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne made disparaging comments about Raikkonen’s performance. “You can find so many nonsense stories in newspapers and on the web,” Raikkonen said in Russia. […]
Indy 500 about Alonso’s ‘ego’ – Wolff
Apr.29 (GMM) The big story about McLaren tackling the fabled Indy 500 next month is all about Fernando Alonso’s “ego”. That is the view of Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes team. McLaren-Honda shocked the racing world recently by announcing that Spaniard Alonso will skip Monaco to try to win the famous American high speed […]
Ongoing Honda problems ‘incredible’ – Alonso
Apr.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has described Honda’s ongoing problems in 2017 as “incredible”. Actually, McLaren headed into Sochi with confidence, after an update appeared to have transformed the reliability of Honda’s struggling power unit at the post-Bahrain GP test. But Stoffel Vandoorne then struck more trouble in practice for the Russian grand prix. “He has […]
Officials hint Kvyat staying at Toro Rosso
Apr.29 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat stands a chance of keeping his Toro Rosso seat beyond 2017. That is the claim of Red Bull officials Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, as the young Russian recovers from his tumultuous career dip of last year. “He is driving well now,” Marko, the head of the energy drink company’s […]
Red Bull doubts F1 engine parity claims
Apr.29 (GMM) Red Bull has questioned the FIA’s conclusion that engine performance has now been basically achieved in formula one. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that, after the opening three races of 2017, the governing body analysed data that shows the gap between Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault is within an acceptable three-tenths per lap. […]
Mercedes not leaving F1 for Formula E – Lauda
Apr.29 (GMM) Niki Lauda has denied Mercedes is tossing up between a future in F1 or the all-electric open wheeler series Formula E. As F1 starts the process of planning for the new engine rules beyond 2020, it is notable that Mercedes has reserved a place for the future in the ever more popular and […]
Hamilton denies Mercedes sandbagging
Apr.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at claims Mercedes is sandbagging in Russia. Before going fastest in Sochi practice, championship leader Sebastian Vettel had said the circuit obviously suits Mercedes better than Ferrari. He then accused Mercedes of having “misled” the pecking order. “We’ve never done that intentionally,” Mercedes’ Hamilton responded. “There’s no benefit […]
Hamilton backs New York night race plans
Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has backed apparent plans for a F1 night race in New York. Recently, Bernie Ecclestone’s successor Chase Carey said a race in New York is a “priority”. “In New York it would be really cool,” triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said in Russia. “We definitely need two grands prix in the […]
Force India not affected by Mallya issues – Perez
Apr.28 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he is not worried Force India will be affected by team co-owner and boss Vijay Mallya’s ongoing legal troubles. Amid the case relating to the former Indian billionaire’s huge Kingfisher airlines debt, Mallya was arrested and bailed in London recently. The Indian government is seeking the 61-year-old’s extradition, but Force […]
Alonso still not regretting Ferrari exit
Apr.28 (GMM) Fernando Alonso said he is tired of being asked if he regrets leaving Ferrari. While the Spaniard struggles with McLaren-Honda and tries to keep his racing spirit alive by doing the Indy 500 next month, his successor Sebastian Vettel is leading the world championship for Ferrari. “I think if Ferrari wins 20 years […]
Sepang boss slams Ecclestone, Liberty
Apr.28 (GMM) Malaysia grand prix chief Razlan Razali has hit out at former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone ahead of Sepang’s last race in October. For cost reasons, the government has decided to stop funding the Malaysian grand prix, which made its F1 bow in 1999. But Razali expressed disappointment in Ecclestone, who negotiated the lucrative […]
‘Shield’ to make practice debut at Monza
Apr.28 (GMM) F1’s governing body is pushing ahead with track tests for the new driver head protection known as ‘Shield’. With the controversial ‘Halo’ concept now shelved, it was revealed last week that the FIA now intends to instead debut a transparent alternative next year. And following computer and laboratory testing, the next step is […]
Force India unhappy with driver names on cars
Apr.28 (GMM) Force India has bemoaned the cost of a new rule designed to help fans identify their favourite drivers. At the recent Strategy Group meeting, it was decided that from Barcelona next month, the drivers’ names and race numbers must be much bigger on the cars. The FIA has now explained that the driver’s […]
Briatore backs Alonso’s Indy 500 challenge
Apr.28 (GMM) It is a no-brainer for Fernando Alonso to do the Indy 500 next month instead of Monaco. That is the view of Flavio Briatore, who is still involved in the management of the Spaniard’s career. Alonso stunned the racing world recently when he announced that he will try to win the fabled American […]
Hamilton open to Mercedes team orders
Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says team orders are simply a fact of life at Mercedes in 2017. As he fought for the title with Nico Rosberg in the Abu Dhabi finale last November, the triple world champion controversially ignored team instructions. But in Bahrain recently, his new teammate Valtteri Bottas accepted an order to move […]
Nasr working on F1 return for 2018
Apr.27 (GMM) Felipe Nasr says he is working on a potential return to formula one for 2018. With strong backing from Banco do Brasil, the Brazilian raced for Sauber in 2015 and 2016 but lost that sponsorship and seat for this season. But Nasr, 24, says he never lost hope. “I achieved my training goals, […]
Honda help ‘better for F1’ – Boullier
Apr.27 (GMM) Eric Boullier is making the case that Honda should be given a boost to finally get up to speed in formula one. 2017 is actually the Japanese carmaker’s third season since returning to the sport with McLaren, but the new power unit is reportedly still over 100hp down on its rivals. It has […]