Feb.13 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is pushing hard to be ready for the 2017 season. That is the news from Niki Lauda, the F1 legend and team chairman at Mercedes. He is referring to Finn Bottas, who was Mercedes’ eleventh hour pick to replace the suddenly-retired world champion Nico Rosberg for 2017. “I’m always on the […]
Alonso not backing Brown’s ‘no wins’ claim
Feb.13 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is not willing to join new McLaren boss Zak Brown in playing down the chance of race wins in 2017. As McLaren races into the post-Ron Dennis era, new team executive Brown rounded out last week by admitted: “We are not going to be winning any races” this year. “I read […]
Bottas hits back at Hamilton ‘career killer’ jibe
Feb.10 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has replied to what might be seen as the opening salvo in a new psychological battle between Mercedes’ F1 drivers. Claims by Lewis Hamilton’s father Anthony that the triple world champion is a “career killer” for his teammates was widely interpreted as the first mind game fired at Finn Bottas. On […]
No more carmakers on F1 horizon – reports
Feb.10 (GMM) Rumours are swirling that F1 could be set to welcome another carmaker or four to the grid in the near future. Germany’s Auto Bild reports speculation that VW, Ford, Toyota and BMW have all been linked with potential returns to the championship. A recent report said Volkswagen had not ruled it out, but […]
Sauber to decide on 2018 engine supply – report
Feb.10 (GMM) Sauber could find itself in an early season tussle for its engine business early in 2017. That is the view of Roger Benoit, one of the most experienced journalists in formula one. Writing in the Swiss newspaper Blick, Benoit said that after eight consecutive years with customer Ferrari power, Sauber could be set […]
Perez backs Mexico GP anti-Trump campaign
Feb.10 (GMM) F1 driver Sergio Perez has stepped up his rejection of controversial US president Donald Trump’s Mexican border wall policy. In November, the Force India driver dumped a sunglasses sponsor after it made a joke about the wall following Trump’s shock election win. “I will never let anyone mock my country,” Perez said. Now, […]
F1 engines not ready to crack 1000hp – Abiteboul
Feb.10 (GMM) F1’s ‘power unit’ era is not quite ready to crack the incredible 1000 horse power barrier. That is the claim of Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul, even though the Frenchman admitted the sport’s engine makers will come close to four-digit numbers in 2017. “I think the top performance of the power units will […]
Renault not replacing boss Vasseur – Abiteboul
Feb.10 (GMM) Renault will not be directly replacing departed team boss Frederic Vasseur. That is the claim of Cyril Abiteboul, despite some media reports naming the Frenchman as Vasseur’s successor as team principal. After just a year in charge of the French works team, Vasseur left amid speculation of a management dispute involving Abiteboul. But […]
Private companies to pay Russia GP race fee
Feb.10 (GMM) The race fee for the Russian grand prix will be paid entirely by private investors in 2017. Until now, the state has been deeply involved with the running of the race in Sochi, which since 2014 has been attended by president Vladimir Putin. But the Russian news agency Rambler reports that responsibility for […]
India moves for Mallya’s extradition
Feb.10 (GMM) Force India chief Vijay Mallya has a new battle on his hands ahead of the 2017 season. Reportedly now a former billionaire, the Indian businessman was unable to attend grands prix in 2016 after having his passport revoked amid financial scandals in his native country. Now, the Indian government is moving to extradite […]
Raikkonen to open karaoke bar
Feb.10 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is set to open a karaoke bar in Helsinki, the capital of his native Finland. That is the claim of the Finnish entertainment magazine Seitseman Paivaa. The report said the Ferrari driver and 2007 world champion wanted to keep the precise location of the venue secret, but it is apparently close […]
Alonso to debut 2017 McLaren
Feb.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will give McLaren’s 2017 car its track debut later this month. It has been a period of change for the Honda-powered team, since the forced departure of McLaren supremo Ron Dennis. The traditional “MP4” will be removed from the official name of the 2017 chassis, and there are rumours McLaren will […]
Vettel bruised after Fiorano crash
Feb.10 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel got his 2017 season off to a bad start this week by crashing. Although official testing doesn’t begin for another two weeks, the German was at the wheel of Ferrari’s 2015 tyre test ‘mule’ car on Thursday. Vettel was testing Pirelli’s wet tyres when amateur video footage depicts him evidently aquaplaning […]
Renault promising Spain GP engine boost – Marko
Feb.9 (GMM) Red Bull is confident engine supplier Renault will deliver in 2017 — particularly after the opening few races of the season. After the first four ‘flyaway’ races in March and April, the sport moves on to Barcelona and Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko is promising a big boost in Spain. “We are seeing […]
Vasseur exit won’t hurt Renault – Palmer
Feb.9 (GMM) The departure of team boss Frederic Vasseur will not hurt Renault. That is the claim of the French works team’s British driver Jolyon Palmer, referring to last month’s surprise news that Frenchman Vasseur has left after a single year. In 2016, Renault had a bad first season after taking over Lotus, but Palmer […]
Briatore won’t join Brawn as F1 ‘consultant’
Feb.9 (GMM) Flavio Briatore says he is not about to rejoin his old F1 colleague Ross Brawn by returning to the sport. Briatore, a famous former team boss, worked with new F1 managing director Ross Brawn at Benetton back in the 90s. It has been rumoured the Italian might now be interested in returning as […]
Alonso back in title-winning shape – trainer
Feb.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is back in the kind of physical shape that won him back-to-back world championships more than a decade ago. That is the claim of the Spanish sports daily AS, quoting the popular McLaren-Honda driver’s trainer Edoardo Bendinelli. After a period of winter silence, 35-year-old Alonso burst back into life on social […]
Schumacher manager questions F1’s Liberty buyout
Feb.9 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager is not so sure the takeover by Liberty Media will really be good for F1. So far, since the US media group took over from controversial former owner CVC, most commentators have said Liberty’s modern savvy should help F1 step up a gear. But Willi Weber, who famously guided […]
Promoter sure Baku race better in 2017
Feb.9 (GMM) Promoter Arif Rahimov is sure Azerbaijan’s second F1 race this year will be more exciting than its 2016 calendar debut. The streets of Baku had been billed as one of the sport’s most exciting new destinations, but the Italian magazine Autosprint claims the race last year was ultimately a letdown. Race promoter Rahimov, […]
Melbourne protest possible over F1 row – report
Feb.9 (GMM) An argument over clever and controversial suspension systems looks set to keep raging early in 2017. Earlier, Ferrari called into question the legality of setups being run by Mercedes and Red Bull, which reportedly mimic the effects of active suspension or the similarly-banned ‘Fric’ innovation. Auto Motor und Sport reports that on Tuesday, […]