Jul.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down reports Ferrari will have a new engine specification this weekend at Silverstone. Germany’s Bild newspaper claims the championship leader’s campaign will get a 15 horse power boost, but Vettel insisted: “I don’t know if it will make a big difference. “It was a planned change but it shouldn’t […]
Perez not committing to Force India for 2018
Jul.14 (GMM) Sergio Perez is not ready to commit to Force India for 2018. Last year, the Mexican turned down an offer from Renault but now he admits the driver market looks more interesting ahead of next season. “It’s too early to talk about it,” he told the Spanish daily Marca at Silverstone. “But for […]
Alonso has ‘nothing to say’ about future
Jul.14 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has “nothing to say” about his future. In the few days between Austria and Silverstone, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has played down reports Alonso might return, while McLaren’s Eric Boullier said the British team needs a fully committed driver for 2018. And Flavio Briatore, involved in Alonso’s management, was quoted as […]
Sauber-Honda engine deal in doubt – Ericsson
Jul.14 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson has admitted the identity of Sauber’s engine supplier for 2018 is in doubt. Earlier, the Swiss team inked a contract to become Honda’s first F1 customer, but rumours suggest the deal could now be scrapped. “To be honest, a lot has happened over the past few days,” Swedish driver Ericsson said. […]
Honda denies considering F1 exit
Jul.14 (GMM) Honda has denied claims the Japanese manufacturer is considering pulling out of formula one. Rumours of a McLaren-Honda divorce were already rife, but now there are claims Honda is considering pulling out of its 2018 customer deal with Sauber. “This is the first matter I will work on,” new Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur […]
Hamilton’s rivals question London absence
Jul.14 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s rivals say they do not understand his decision to skip the London demonstration this week. As he arrived at Silverstone for the British grand prix, the local hero defended his decision to be the only F1 driver to skip the promotional event. Recalling a similar event in his native Holland, however, […]
25 races ‘not bad’ for F1 staff – Brawn
Jul.13 (GMM) Ross Brawn is not ruling out an expansion of the F1 calendar to include 25 races. Recently, after Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso threatened to quit if there are 25 races in the future, F1 CEO Chase Carey said his first priority is to make the 21-race schedule for 2018 as successful as […]
No Verstappen release for ‘100 million’ – Marko
Jul.13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has categorically ruled out releasing Max Verstappen before the Dutchman’s Red Bull contract runs out. Persistent speculation suggests Ferrari may even be willing to pay millions to extract the 19-year-old from his current Red Bull deal, which runs until the end of 2019. But Marko, the Red Bull driver manager, […]
Buemi, Kubica rumours heating up
Jul.13 (GMM) Sebastien Buemi is not ruling out a return to the F1 grid. Since losing his Toro Rosso seat, the 28-year-old Swiss has become a top sports car and Formula E driver. But Auto Motor und Sport said he was back at the wheel of a Red Bull F1 car last week to help […]
Porsche to make F1 decision in July – report
Jul.13 (GMM) Porsche is tipped to decide within the next two weeks whether or not to enter formula one. The Volkswagen brand is currently a frontrunner at Le Mans, but Auto Motor und Sport says the Porsche board is set to “decide the motor sport strategy for coming years” later in July. “There are several […]
Honda denies Sauber split reports
Jul.13 (GMM) Honda has denied reports it will renege on its contract to power the Swiss team Sauber from 2018. The rumours say that with the works McLaren-Honda collaboration already in doubt, Honda may now be balking at the internal turmoil within the struggling Sauber team. “This is speculation, and we do not comment on […]
Alfa Romeo may power Haas in F1 – report
Jul.13 (GMM) Alfa Romeo could be ready to enter formula one. Some time ago, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne said the iconic Italian name “should be reiterated as a sports brand and consider the possibility to race in F1”. “How? Probably in collaboration with Ferrari,” he added. Now, Germany’s Auto Bild reported rumours that Alfa Romeo […]
Mayor not yet backing Copenhagen F1 plans
Jul.13 (GMM) Copenhagen is not yet backing plans for a F1 street race in the Danish capital. We reported recently that Danish businessman Lars Seier Christensen met with F1 owner Liberty Media about a potential deal, with a circuit to be devised by Hermann Tilke. However, Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor Frank Jensen said: “We first must […]
F1 on cusp of corruption scandal – report
Jul.13 (GMM) F1 could be on a cusp of a new corruption scandal. Handelsblatt, a German business newspaper, claims the FIA “received millions from the race series’ rights owner, the F1 Group”. “But for what?” the report added. “British investigators are now looking into it.” The newspaper said the mysterious payment was to the tune […]
F1 not ruling out London GP
Jul.13 (GMM) The chances of a F1 street race in London have taken a clear step forward this week. The boost comes as Silverstone exercised a post-2019 break clause in its existing long-term British grand prix contract. Promoter the BRDC hopes to renegotiate the deal with Liberty Media, but representatives of the F1 owner are […]
Absent Hamilton booed in London
Jul.13 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will head into his home race at Silverstone amid a cloud of local booing. At F1’s London demonstration event on Wednesday, the Mercedes driver’s countrymen booed at the mention of his name. That was because Hamilton was the only active F1 driver missing at the event. “We invited teams and drivers […]
Ferrari can improve in qualifying – Vettel
Jul.13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted Ferrari needs to up its game in qualifying. The Ferrari driver heads into the British grand prix weekend with a 20-point lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. “It should be a good track for us,” Vettel told the German broadcaster RTL. “Silverstone is full of fast corners.” But that doesn’t […]
Mercedes ‘do not need Alonso’ – Lauda
Jul.12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s hopes of joining a winning F1 team for 2018 appear to be waning. Earlier, his manager Flavio Briatore suggested the Spaniard was targeting Mercedes or Ferrari, after three years of struggling with McLaren-Honda. But Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne said in Austria last weekend that the Maranello team is “not interested” in […]
Honda quits Sauber engine deal – report
Jul.12 (GMM) Honda has reneged on its promise to supply Sauber with customer engines next year. That is the sensational claim of Germany’s Auto Bild, fuelling speculation the hapless Japanese manufacturer could be about to quit formula one altogether. That’s because the news coincides with speculation McLaren has looked into dropping its works Honda deal […]
McLaren asks Ferrari about engine supply
Jul.12 (GMM) Ferrari has emerged as an unlikely option for McLaren, as rumours of a looming divorce with struggling works partner Honda persist. In recent days, speculation the McLaren-Honda split will proceed has waned. But Italy’s authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport now claims Ferrari – once McLaren’s arch title nemesis – has received an “exploratory […]