Aug.7 (GMM) Honda is hoping better performance from its F1 engine will calm the troubled waters between the Japanese manufacturer and McLaren. As the sport reaches its mid-season August break, rumours of a split in the works Anglo-Japanese collaboration are still circulating. Indeed, a deal between Sauber and Honda for 2018 has already been cancelled. […]
Bottas has no ‘plan B’ for 2018
Aug.7 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has admitted he does not have a ‘plan B’ in the event Mercedes does not re-sign him for 2018. While the Finn only has a single-year contract at present, it is expected that the German team will agree a new deal with the 27-year-old by September. Indeed, Bottas thinks he has […]
Vettel wants one-year Ferrari extension
Aug.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s future might not be as clear as recent media reports suggest. Italian sources report that Ferrari is preparing to confirm Vettel alongside Kimi Raikkonen for 2018 at Monza next month, with president Sergio Marchionne admitting a deal “may be close”. But Finland’s Ilta Sanomat newspaper now cites sources in saying Ferrari […]
2018 contract ‘not news to me’ – Magnussen
Aug.7 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he was not surprised when Haas announced recently that it is keeping the same driver lineup for 2018. The American team said before Hungary that the Danish driver will remain alongside Frenchman Romain Grosjean next year. “I knew when I signed the contract that it was two years, so it’s […]
Wehrlein not keen on Formula E move
Aug.4 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has played down claims he could keep his racing career alive in Formula E next year. This week, we reported that with Ferrari looking to make Sauber its junior team in 2018, the Mercedes-backed Wehrlein is likely to be shown the door. “I have scored all five points,” the 22-year-old told […]
Hulkenberg relaxed over Halo censorship
Aug.4 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he is not bothered about being edited out of an official F1 video about the controversial ‘Halo’ concept. In Hungary last weekend, drivers including Hulkenberg commented during the official press conference about news the FIA is introducing the controversial cockpit protection system for 2018. “I was never a big supporter […]
Lando Norris on ’empty tanks’ in test – Berger
Aug.4 (GMM) Gerhard Berger says it is difficult to judge the potential of young drivers based on this week’s testing in Hungary. After the post-race running at the Hungaroring, veteran F1 commentator Martin Brundle declared: “There’s some very exciting young talent knocking on F1’s door.” He was undoubtedly referring to the likes of Charles Leclerc, […]
Williams considers di Resta for 2018 seat
Aug.4 (GMM) Paul di Resta has suddenly entered the running to race for Williams in 2018. Until Hungary, where he took over from the ill Felipe Massa, the 31-year-old Scot had not raced in F1 since losing his Force India seat in 2013. However, Scot di Resta has kept his racing instincts sharp with a […]
Sauber not targeting top teams – Vasseur
Aug.4 (GMM) Sauber’s new boss says the Swiss team is targeting the front of the midfield for the future. The 25-year-old F1 team almost collapsed in the last couple of years, but now with a new owner and former Renault chief Frederic Vasseur in charge, the future appears brighter. “We have no ambition to beat […]
Marko not denying Toro Rosso-Honda rumours
Aug.4 (GMM) Toro Rosso is at the centre of the F1 rumour mill, as the sport enters its summer break. As tired team personnel packed up after the post-race Hungarian GP test, word went around the paddock that ousted McLaren supremo Ron Dennis might be interested in buying the junior Red Bull team. “Well, Ron […]
FIA to ‘push limits’ of Halo design
Aug.3 (GMM) F1’s mandatory-for-2018 ‘Halo’ concept took a step forward in Hungary on Wednesday. Many in the paddock and beyond are railing against the dubious aesthetics and anti-F1 DNA of the cockpit protection system. “Of course you can’t reject the safety argument,” Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg wrote in his new column for the German broadcaster […]
Marchionne not confirming Monza driver call
Aug.3 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne is not saying if Ferrari plans to announce its next driver lineup at Monza in one month. The fabled Italian team often targets its home race as the scene of key announcements, amid strong speculation Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are staying on board for 2018. But there have been rumours […]
Bottas wants new contract and 2017 title
Aug.3 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says his target for 2017 is a new contract for next year and a shot at the world championship. In Hungary, the headline news was that title contender Lewis Hamilton gave up three points in his battle with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by voluntarily handing a place to his teammate. But that […]
Kubica unsure of next step in F1 comeback
Aug.3 (GMM) F1’s past and future merged in Hungary on Wednesday as Robert Kubica made his bow in the 2017 Renault car at the post-grand prix test. But the 32-year-old Pole’s day got off to a literally bumpy start, when he clipped the garage wall and brought the ‘Nico Hulkenberg’ hoarding that was fixed above […]
Kubica ‘convinced’ of F1 comeback – Horner
Aug.2 (GMM) F1 will on Wednesday get a clearer picture about the prospect of a return to the sport for Robert Kubica. The Pole was watching the action during Tuesday’s opening of the post-race test in Hungary, ahead of his turn in the 2017 Renault on Wednesday. Now, the eyes of the F1 world will […]
Binotto pushing for Ferrari top job – report
Aug.2 (GMM) A power struggle is threatening to disturb the focus of Ferrari’s push to end a ten-year championship drought. Sebastian Vettel pushed his lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to 14 points in Hungary, with Ferrari’s first one-two finish of the season. But Italian media sources as well as the major German newspaper Bild report […]
Hulkenberg calls Magnussen ‘wannabe Verstappen’
Aug.2 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has lashed back at Kevin Magnussen in the wake of their on and off-track stoushes in Hungary. After the race, Hulkenberg interrupted a TV interview to call the Dane “the most unsporting driver in F1”, only for Magnussen to now famously retort: “Suck my b-lls, mate”. In a column for German […]
Decisive period for three F1 drivers
Aug.2 (GMM) From the front to the back of the 2017 grid, the respective futures of three F1 drivers could take a step forward over the August break. At the front, Valtteri Bottas’ boss Toto Wolff has promised to think about a new deal for the Finn whilst sitting “on the beach”. Rumours suggest a […]
Honda still pushing to improve 2017 engine
Aug.2 (GMM) Amid swirling speculation about the future, Honda is still pushing to improve its 2017 engine. There are claims McLaren and Honda will divorce, but the struggling Japanese marque’s recently-launched ‘spec 3’ unit has been reliable so far and powered Fernando Alonso to the fastest race laptime in Hungary. “I don’t know if this […]
Toro Rosso linked with KFC livery change
Aug.2 (GMM) Toro Rosso could get another colour change for 2018. The speculation comes after Sean Gelael got his next F1 test with the Red Bull junior team in Hungary. Not too long ago, the Indonesian driver’s father Ricardo was linked with a buyout of the now-defunct Manor team. Gelael runs the Jangonya Ayam company, […]