Feb.6 (GMM) Only his lack of experience meant Pascal Wehrlein was overlooked for the top Mercedes cockpit in 2017. That is the claim of team chairman Niki Lauda, amid criticism that the fact Mercedes signed Valtteri Bottas demonstrated a lack of faith in the marque’s top junior, 22-year-old Wehrlein. “With Wehrlein it was only about […]
Mercedes can assess Bottas after four races – Lauda
Feb.6 (GMM) Niki Lauda has urged Valtteri Bottas to get quickly up to speed at Mercedes. The Finn was drafted in at the eleventh hour to replace the suddenly-retired Nico Rosberg, but team chairman Lauda has tipped Bottas to be as competitive as his German predecessor. “I think he can bring the performances we expect […]
SMP not looking to deepen F1 involvement
Feb.3 (GMM) Boris Rothenberg, who heads Russia’s major SMP Bank and a racing division called SMP Racing, said he is not looking to expand the F1 programme. SMP has been represented across motor racing, including Le Mans and Indycar, but the centrepiece is its involvement in formula one. Last year, it was in the form […]
2017 rules good for F1 and for me – Magnussen
Feb.3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen thinks the 2017 rules will be good for formula one — and for him. The Danish driver, who has switched from Renault to the small Ferrari-linked American team Haas, argues that the bigger tyres and more downforce is exactly what the sport needed. “It’s great,” he told the Danish newspaper BT. […]
Heavier 2017 cars will still be faster
Feb.3 (GMM) Although the weight of the cars is rising yet again, the 2017 grid will still be considerably faster. Speed Week, a German language publication, said the minimum weight trend in F1 has been creeping steadily up since the 70s when the cars weighed just over 500kg. More recently it was just over 700kg, […]
F1 must free the ‘artist’ in drivers – Zanardi
Feb.3 (GMM) F1 must liberate the drivers if it wants to improve the on-track spectacle. That is the view of former driver Alex Zanardi, who said restrictive rules and over-zealous stewards are damaging the sport. “Formula one today? A bit too boring,” the 50-year-old Italian and paralympic champion is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. […]
Ferrari considering buying into F1 – Marchionne
Feb.3 (GMM) Ferrari could be the first F1 team to take up Liberty Media’s offer of shares in the sport. We have reported that despite Liberty’s eagerness for the teams to take up to 20 per cent of the commercial rights, none have accepted the offer so far mainly because it would not include the […]
McLaren-BMW deal sparks F1 rumours
Feb.3 (GMM) F1 journalists are wondering if McLaren’s works relationship with Honda could be on unsteady ground. The British team made progress in 2016, but the now more than two year relationship with Honda following the Japanese carmaker’s return to F1 has been otherwise troubled. So it is with interest that some commentators digested this […]
Kubica to race top prototype at Le Mans
Feb.3 (GMM) Robert Kubica is inching tantalisingly close to his old days in formula one. The Pole, now 32, has competed at the highest level of world rallying, but been unable to return to single seaters after almost severing his wrist in a 2011 crash. But the former BMW and Renault driver has now signed […]
Wolff not sure Ecclestone ‘really gone’
Feb.2 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone may be gone as chief executive, but he may not be gone for good according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Long-time ‘F1 supremo’ Ecclestone, 86, recently rejected claims his comeback might be in the form of a breakaway series. But Wolff insists the inimitable Briton can never be written off. […]
Todt no fan of two-day race weekend idea
Feb.2 (GMM) F1 does not look set to switch to a two-day race weekend format any time soon. The news comes after Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul said that as Liberty Media takes over the sport, scrapping Friday would be a cheap and easy way to make F1 “more dynamic”. It might also be a way […]
Renault-Sirotkin deal to proceed after Vasseur exit
Feb.2 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin will stay with the Renault team in 2017 despite the change in upper management. That is the news from the mouth of Boris Rothenberg, a leading Russian banker who also heads a prominent Russian motor sport programme. Spearheading the ‘SMP Racing’ programme from the cockpit is GP2 driver Sirotkin, who was […]
Vettel’s Ferrari switch a mistake – Berger
Feb.2 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s 2015 switch from Red Bull to Ferrari was a mistake. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger, referring to the fact that the quadruple world champion’s switch to the famous Italian marque was compared at the time to his mentor Michael Schumacher’s move of two decades ago. “But Michael […]
Drivers vote against ‘Halo’ for 2018 – report
Feb.2 (GMM) ‘Halo’ could be put on the back burner for yet another year. Earlier, the FIA looked to debut the controversial head protection system in 2017, but agreed to delay it for a year following a lack of consensus. Now, the German publication Auto Motor und Sport reports that Halo might not even arrive […]
Manor could still be saved for 2017 – report
Feb.1 (GMM) Embattled F1 backmarker Manor’s hopes may still be faintly alive. Actually, it appears that only 10 teams will line up on the 2017 grid, after Manor’s administrator FRP recently announced the out-of-money team must “close its doors”. But Luis Vasconcelos, a correspondent for the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, said hopes may still be […]
Mercedes started ‘power unit’ design in 2007 – Montezemolo
Feb.1 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo says it is no surprise that Mercedes is utterly dominating F1’s current ‘power unit’ era. The former Ferrari president said that while the 1.6 litre, turbo V6 regulations were not introduced until 2014, Mercedes was working on its pacesetting design long before then. “Niki Lauda recently confessed to me that […]
Ecclestone ousting ‘inevitable’ – Montezemolo
Feb.1 (GMM) Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has backed the ousting of long-time F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Also now outside of F1, having been ousted by Ferrari a few years ago, di Montezemolo told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper that he saw Ecclestone’s exit coming. “Recently, we had a long conversation and Bernie jokingly asked […]
Liberty should scrap Friday practice – Abiteboul
Feb.1 (GMM) F1 should shake up its weekend format by eliminating the Friday practice sessions. That is the view of Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, when asked by the French magazine Auto Hebdo what Liberty Media should do after taking over the sport and ousting Bernie Ecclestone. “Liberty Media should be given a few months […]
Renault targets ‘fifth or sixth’ in 2017 – Abiteboul
Feb.1 (GMM) Renault has set targets despite entering another “transitional season” in 2017. That is the news from the French team’s boss Cyril Abiteboul, after Renault finished just ninth out of 11 last year on its return to F1 as a works effort. “A transition season is ahead of us,” Abiteboul told the French magazine […]
Rosberg not eyeing Formula E seat
Feb.1 (GMM) World champion Nico Rosberg has denied he could keep his adrenaline flowing by moving into the all-electric series Formula E next year. Mercedes, with whom the 31-year-old German won his world championship before quitting F1 late last year, is contemplating entering Formula E. But when asked if he would be interested in spearheading […]