Oct.11 (GMM) Rumours are continuing to swirl about the potential look of Renault’s 2017 driver lineup. Multiple authoritative sources are reporting that Nico Hulkenberg looks set to escape his Force India contract and sign a three-year deal to lead the French works team from the cockpit. It is believed that Renault team boss Frederic Vasseur’s […]
Two F1 figures defend Bianchi silence
Oct.11 (GMM) Two F1 figures have defended the fact that the topic of Jules Bianchi’s death is no longer prominent in the paddock. Last weekend’s Japanese grand prix marked two years since the young Frenchman crashed at Suzuka and, nine months later, passed away in his native Nice. There were a few spectator banners around […]
Sainz ‘as good as Verstappen’ – Rosberg
Oct.11 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is as good as Max Verstappen and deserves a “good car”. That is the view of 2016 championship favourite Nico Rosberg, who was asked about the burgeoning career of Toro Rosso’s 22-year-old driver by the Spanish sports daily AS. It is reported that Sainz was blocked from switching to Renault on […]
Alonso says Pirelli testing not fair
Oct.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has criticised the fact that only some teams and drivers are getting early experience of Pirelli’s 2017 tyres. This week, championship contenders Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are heading to Barcelona, where they will try next year’s slicks fitted to a Mercedes test mule based on the 2015 car. According to […]
Monza GP contract still not signed – report
Oct.11 (GMM) The signatures are still missing on Monza’s new Italian grand prix contract. That is the claim of the Italian news service Mediaset, even though the deal was announced over a month ago and Monza given an unconditional place on the recently-published 2017 calendar. However, Mediaset says there has been “total silence” about the […]
Marko defends Verstappen over Hamilton move
Oct.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at those critical of Max Verstappen’s driving in the Japanese grand prix. F1 teen sensation Verstappen’s aggressive style has often been condemned in 2016, but Mercedes initially lodged an official protest against his defence of Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of Sunday’s Suzuka race. Hamilton claimed […]
Rosberg can really win title now – Prost
Oct.11 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost thinks Nico Rosberg is now in a prime position to charge for his first drivers’ title. “A 33 point lead starts to be important,” the quadruple world champion told French broadcaster Canal Plus. “It’s much better to have that lead with four races to go than the four wins […]
DTM’s Wittmann not dreaming of F1
Oct.11 (GMM) Top DTM driver Marco Wittmann has admitted his F1 dream may never come true. The 26-year-old won the German touring car series in 2014, and is the favourite to back that up with this year’s title as well. But although he has tested for Toro Rosso, Wittmann told Kicker when asked about formula […]
Massa not ready to farewell F1 paddock
Oct.10 (GMM) Felipe Massa is honing in on his future in motor sport beyond the end of his formula one racing career. The 35-year-old Brazilian is retiring after November’s Abu Dhabi finale, but he insists to Italy’s La Gazzetta Sportiva that he is determined to stay active in motor racing in other roles. “On the […]
Red Bull, Williams, propose Bahrain test compromise
Oct.10 (GMM) Two F1 team bosses have made a proposal to end the dispute over the location of next year’s crucial pre-season testing. Pirelli is keen to test its bigger and grippier 2017 slicks in the warm and dry climate of Bahrain, and has secured the support of Mercedes and some other teams. Others, however, […]
Red Bull blocked Renault move for Sainz – father
Oct.10 (GMM) Red Bull blocked Carlos Sainz’s move to Renault for 2017, according to the Spanish driver’s well-known father. Sainz senior, a world rally champion, appeared on Spanish radio Onda Cero and confirmed reports that his 22-year-old son wanted to accept an offer from the Renault works team. “He was very close to leaving (Toro […]
Renault admits Hulkenberg among 2017 options
Oct.10 (GMM) Renault has decided to sign a three-year deal with Nico Hulkenberg, another media source is claiming. It is becoming clearer and clearer that the French works team will oust both Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer for 2017. Finland’s Turun Sanomat is just the latest outlet to say the name of one successor is […]
Ermilin hopes for three-team fight in 2017
Oct.10 (GMM) F1 could be set for a much tighter title battle in 2017, according to a leading motor racing official. Igor Ermilin, the presidential advisor at the Russian motor racing federation, said Mercedes’ dominance of the sport for the past three years is not surprising. “It happens from time to time and has been […]
Wolff denies Hamilton in title meltdown
Oct.10 (GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has defended Lewis Hamilton at the end of a tumultuous weekend for the reigning world champion. Briton Hamilton ended his troubled Suzuka weekend – which culminated in Mercedes winning the constructors’ world championship – by deleting a Tweet referring to an “idiot”. Earlier, he was in a standoff with […]
Japanese Grand Prix – Rosberg wins!
Rosberg wins the race from Verstappen (+4.978), Hamilton (+5.776), Vettel (+20.269), Raikkonen (+28.370), Ricciardo (+33.941), Perez (+57.495), Hulkenberg (+59.177), Massa (+97.763), Bottas (+98.323). Grosjean, Palmer, Kvyat, Magnussen, Ericsson, Alonso, Sainz, Button, Nasr, Gutierrez, Ocon and Wehrlein make the rest of the field. Mercedes have clinched the 2016 Constructors’ Championship – Congratulations Race commentary
Dallara plays down Ferrari partnership
Oct.9 (GMM) Dallara has played down rumours it is in partnership with Ferrari. The rumours about the great Maranello marque and the niche Italian race car manufacturer have been circulating for some time, but boss Gian Paolo Dallara dismissed it as “fable”. “The partnership covers the supply of carbon parts and aerodynamic research on road […]
Vettel plays down Italian media criticism
Oct.9 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down hefty criticism by the Italian press, who say the German’s Ferrari career is in “crisis”. The Italian reports followed Vettel’s first-corner crash in Malaysia, but came before team boss Maurizio Arrivabene admitted the German driver might not be retained by Ferrari beyond 2017. Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper […]
McLaren opens 2018 contract talks with Alonso
Oct.9 (GMM) McLaren has commenced talks with Fernando Alonso about extending the Spaniard’s contract beyond 2017. The double world champion, 35, has said many times recently that he might quit formula one if the cars next year are significantly more exciting to drive. “I’m sure he might (retire),” Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg told AS newspaper. […]
Wolff still worried about engine reliability
Oct.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted he remains worried about engine reliability at Suzuka. After Lewis Hamilton’s race-ending failure in Malaysia, the otherwise dominant team implemented some quick fixes for the Japanese grand prix. But boss Wolff admits: “It’s not an easy situation. In one week you are unable to identify the problem in full. […]
Massa slams ‘strange’ F1 rule
Oct.9 (GMM) Felipe Massa has slammed the “strange rules” that meant he was penalised for driving too slowly at Suzuka. Now within sight of the end of his long F1 career, the Brazilian copped an official reprimand on Saturday for his driving on the in-lap after Q2. “I thought I would end my career without […]