Oct.16 (GMM) Former F1 driver David Coulthard has urged Valtteri Bottas to “work hard” to get back on terms with his teammate. Not long after joining Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year, Finn Bottas appeared strong and he won in Russia and Austria. But more recently, the 28-year-old has slumped. “I experienced the same sort […]
Vettel can still win 2017 title – Susie Wolff
Oct.13 (GMM) Susie Wolff thinks the race for the world championship is still “open”. That is despite the fact that Lewis Hamilton, who drives for the team run by Wolff’s husband Toto, has a huge 59-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Former Williams driver Wolff, 34, admits Mercedes’ Hamilton is in good form. “Lewis is […]
Alonso says still ‘no decision’ over F1 future
Oct.13 (GMM) The F1 world is still waiting to hear if Fernando Alonso will still be on the grid in 2018. Following the McLaren-Honda split, it is expected the Spaniard will stay at the newly Renault-powered British team next year. But Alonso’s self-imposed September contract deadline has long expired. Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo quotes him […]
‘Mentor’ tips Hartley to accept Toro Rosso seat
Oct.13 (GMM) New Zealander Brendon Hartley is expected to be drafted into Toro Rosso’s lineup for a one-off appearance next weekend in Austin. We reported on Tuesday this week that, at 2018 Honda partner Honda’s request, Pierre Gasly will skip the US grand prix in order to fight for the Super Formula title. “We cannot […]
Hulkenberg expects new teammate Sainz to be ‘fast’
Oct.13 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he expects his new Renault teammate to be “fast”. Departing Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz, who will be paired with German Hulkenberg full-time from next year, will get an early start at Renault in the last four races of 2017. Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport: “I only know him […]
Williams to keep Kubica test news ‘private’ – Lowe
Oct.12 (GMM) Williams is not releasing information about Robert Kubica’s test that took place at Silverstone this week. All a spokesman for the British team would say about the Pole’s run in a 2014 car was that it had been “successful”. “We will not be releasing any further information at this time,” the spokesman said. […]
Spanish woman to fix Ferrari ‘quality’ – report
Oct.12 (GMM) Ferrari has appointed a Spanish woman to help “fix” car reliability problems that have marred the team’s push for the 2017 title. In the Sepang-Suzuka double header, Sebastian Vettel suffered car problems that now strand him a whopping 59 points behind Lewis Hamilton with four races go go. “We need to renew our […]
Wolff, Lauda not celebrating Hamilton title yet
Oct.12 (GMM) Mercedes’ two team bosses are refusing to celebrate the 2017 title yet. With just four races to go, Lewis Hamilton now has a commanding 59 point lead in the world championship over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. But team boss Toto Wolff told Sport Bild: “Something is certain only when it cannot be another way. […]
Raikkonen tips Ferrari to be stronger in 2018
Oct.12 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen thinks Ferrari will be even stronger in 2018. Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel are not publicly writing off the 2017 title after a disastrous tour of Asia, but the gap to Lewis Hamilton is 59 points with four races to go. When asked about Ferrari’s struggles, Raikkonen told La Gazzetta dello Sport: […]
Ferrari ‘will never give up’ – Arrivabene
Oct.12 (GMM) Embattled team boss Maurizio Arrivabene says Ferrari will “never give up”. After a horror three-race tour of Asia, Sebastian Vettel has slumped to a 59 point deficit to Lewis Hamilton with just four races to go. Ferrari’s title campaign collapsed with a crash in Singapore and reliability problems in Malaysia and Japan, prompting […]
Rosberg considering regular pundit job
Oct.12 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is considering a more regular job in the F1 paddock. The newly retired reigning world champion attended a pre-season test in Spain early this year as well as the grand prix in Monaco, where he lives with his young family. But at Suzuka, German Rosberg was on hand as a paid […]
Abu Dhabi wants to keep hosting F1 finale
Oct.11 (GMM) Abu Dhabi wants to hold onto its place at the very tail-end of F1’s calendar. For the past several years, the Arab emirate has hosted the final round of the world championship. And even though Lewis Hamilton looks set to wrap up the 2017 title before F1 heads to Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina […]
Vandoorne struggled in F1 spotlight – Boullier
Oct.11 (GMM) McLaren is now happy with the performance of Stoffel Vandoorne. Earlier, the British team expressed concern about how the Belgian rookie was struggling to adapt to life in formula one. “Unfortunately for Stoffel, he was at the centre of the attention of the press and spectators as he became the teammate at McLaren […]
F1 looking into Dutch street race
Oct.11 (GMM) F1 could be looking to stage a race on the streets of the Dutch capital. Reports including in the Berliner Kurier indicate that on the back of Max Verstappen’s huge popularity, Liberty Media is open to a potential race on the streets of either Amsterdam or Rotterdam. “Liberty’s seriousness is demonstrated by the […]
Vettel not thinking about F1 retirement
Oct.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not thinking about his retirement from F1. At the end of last year, Nico Rosberg suddenly quit his Mercedes contract as he achieved his dream of winning the world championship. When asked if he could do the same if he wins a fifth title, which would be his […]
McLaren could let Alonso race at Daytona
Oct.11 (GMM) McLaren could let Fernando Alonso contest the famous Daytona 24 hour endurance sports car race early next year. It is believed the British team and the Spanish driver are discussing the fine details of their F1 contract for 2018. Alonso skipped Monaco to contest the Indy 500 this year, but he has expressed […]
Wolff hits back at Marko over ‘style’ comment
Oct.11 (GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has hit back at his Red Bull counterpart Dr Helmut Marko. At Suzuka, Marko slammed Wolff for lacking “style” by meeting with Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull driver Max. Wolff hit back: “I have had a good relationship with Jos since Max was not even close to […]
Liberty poised to tell teams F1 future plans
Oct.11 (GMM) F1 owner Liberty Media is poised to present to teams the sport’s post-2020 engine concept. Auto Motor und Sport reports that in conjunction with the governing FIA, the proposed rules will be shown to the teams on October 31. “For me personally, with a white sheet of paper I would have a twelve […]
Beating Hulkenberg ‘will not be easy’ – Sainz
Oct.10 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he is happy to make the switch to Renault earlier than originally planned. Actually, the Spaniard said recently that he preferred to spend the rest of the season with Toro Rosso before starting afresh with his new Renault adventure in 2018. But then a sudden deal was reached between Renault […]
Kubica will not race Toro Rosso in Austin – Rosberg
Oct.10 (GMM) Co-manager Nico Rosberg has counted Robert Kubica out of the running for a one-off debut in Austin next weekend. Toro Rosso is looking for a one-off replacement for Pierre Gasly, who during the US grand prix weekend will be in Japan fighting for the Super Formula title. Pole Kubica is looking to return […]