Apr.10 (GMM) F1 heads to the third race of the season with a genuine championship battle between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel now shaping up. The pair have each won a grand prix and finished second so far in 2017, with one analysis saying the Ferrari is better in warmer conditions while the […]
No engine improvement date set – Honda
Apr.9 (GMM) Honda is still not promising when it will be able to substantially fix its badly struggling 2017 engine. As it emerges McLaren boss Eric Boullier met with Mercedes’ Andy Cowell in Shanghai, Honda was left to admit that the British team’s biggest problem is the power unit it is supplying. But earlier in […]
FIA moves to stop ‘T-wing’ flexing
Apr.9 (GMM) The FIA has targeted the unpopular engine cover ‘T-wings’ and fins, with a view to ridding F1 of them in the future. That plan is also backed by new F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn. And their resolve was given more ammunition in Shanghai, when the ‘T-wing’ on Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes broke off in […]
Red Bull gap not easy to close – Verstappen
Apr.9 (GMM) Red Bull’s drivers admit it will take time for the team to get close to the top two teams in 2017. If the pecking order was unclear after Melbourne, the 1.5 second gap from the new Red Bull to the much-faster Mercedes and Ferrari is now fairly obvious in China. But the biggest […]
Title contenders admit Mercedes, Ferrari close
Apr.9 (GMM) 2017 title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have admitted the performance of their respective cars is genuinely close. For the first time in the ‘power unit’ era, Mercedes has a genuine rival for world championship spoils in the form of Ferrari. Ferrari’s Vettel won in Australia but Hamilton put his Mercedes back […]
Prost doubts Rosberg will return
Apr.9 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost doubts Nico Rosberg will ever return to formula one. Prost, a quadruple world champion, actually made two comebacks after ‘retiring’: once in 1993 after a season out, and again in 1997 when he bought the Ligier team and returned as a team owner. “That is something completely different,” the […]
Kaltenborn disputes Wehrlein injury reports
Apr.9 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn has taken issue with fellow F1 boss Toto Wolff’s description of Pascal Wehrlein’s injury. German Wehrlein drives for Sauber, but he remains managed by Wolff’s Mercedes development programme. So while the 22-year-old regains his fitness following a winter back injury, a frenzy of speculation surrounds exactly what is behind Wehrlein’s layoff. […]
Prost relishing Renault advisor role
Apr.9 (GMM) Alain Prost says he is working hard to help the works Renault team make progress in F1. The French carmaker had a difficult return to full works status last year, but Nico Hulkenberg has been recruited as the top driver while F1 legend Prost is now an official advisor. German Hulkenberg qualified a […]
Hamilton doesn’t want Alonso as teammate
Apr.9 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has given a strong sign that he doesn’t want to share a garage with Fernando Alonso. Actually, the pair were teammates when Hamilton was a rookie and Alonso was the reigning champion in 2007, but it soon turned to acrimony. But now, Spaniard Alonso is almost certainly on the market for […]
Wehrlein hopes for Bahrain return
Apr.8 (GMM) Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein says he is hopeful he will be fit enough to race in Bahrain next weekend. The German is not in China at all, after he sat out the season opening Australian grand prix with a lack of fitness. Wehrlein’s absence triggered wild speculation that the 22-year-old is either more […]
China GP almost rescheduled – steward
Apr.8 (GMM) F1 steward Mika Salo has revealed the decision was almost taken to reschedule the Chinese grand prix. After weather issues badly affected Friday practice, and with more low cloud forecast for Sunday, one proposal was to stage both qualifying and the race on Saturday. “That the race would be moved to Saturday was […]
Ecclestone could attend next two races
Apr.8 (GMM) Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone could attend the next two grands prix. The 86-year-old has been absent ever since Liberty Media decided to replace him for 2017 and beyond by Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches. But we have already reported that Ecclestone will be back in the paddock in Bahrain next […]
No Alonso contract talks until summer – Brown
Apr.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has agreed to hold off potential talks with other teams until the summer. That is the claim of McLaren chief Zak Brown, following a dinner meeting in Shanghai attended by himself, Eric Boullier, Alonso and the Spaniard’s manager Luis Garcia Abad. Alonso’s contract runs out this year. “We have agreed to […]
Marko confirms meeting with Verstappen grandfather
Apr.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed reports he met with Max Verstappen’s grandfather. Amid the latest media report about a club brawl, Frans Verstappen – who is the father of Max’s dad Jos – told De Telegraaf newspaper that he sought out a meeting with the Red Bull chief. “I took this step in […]
Wehrlein fractured bone in winter crash – Wolff
Apr.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff has revealed that Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein actually fractured a bone in his back in his race of champions crash during the winter. Rumours are swirling around the absent German driver in Shanghai, after he missed Australia, China and possibly Bahrain next weekend with an apparent lack of fitness. “We decided […]
F1 boss says 21 races in 2018
Apr.8 (GMM) There will be 21 races on the F1 calendar next year. That is the news from the sport’s new commercial chief Sean Bratches, following earlier news that Malaysia will actually drop off the new schedule. But the current count of 20 races will inch up to 21 in 2018, with the return of […]
McLaren not setting Honda deadline
Apr.8 (GMM) Zak Brown says McLaren is not setting a deadline for Honda to take a big leap out of its current engine crisis. The once-great British team’s new boss in Shanghai rejected suggestions he has been in talks with Mercedes, amid rumours McLaren could soon dump Honda. “No, we are working together,” Brown is […]
FIA working on Halo alternative ‘Shield’
Apr.8 (GMM) Secret plans for an alternative to the controversial ‘Halo’ cockpit protection system have been leaked in the Shanghai paddock. Little is known about the device except that it is called ‘Shield’, and has been designed to address the issue of head protection for the drivers without spoiling the look of the cars. Germany’s […]
No 2017 engine for Sauber this year – boss
Apr.8 (GMM) Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn has played down rumours the Swiss team could switch to Ferrari’s 2017-spec engine mid-season. Amid a struggle to merely survive financially last year, the team inked a deal to use Ferrari’s ‘old’ 2016-spec power unit in 2017. Sauber has subsequently been bailed out, but Kaltenborn played down the chance […]
Shanghai clouds threaten China GP
Apr.8 (GMM) A cloud is literally hanging over this weekend’s Chinese grand prix. On Friday, precious little track action took place because rain, mist and smog made it impossible for the medical helicopter to fly. “The hospital is 38 kilometres away,” said steward Paul Gutjahr. “Even with a police escort, it would take more than […]