May 5 (GMM) The engines used by Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton last Sunday at Sochi can be used again. That is the news of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, following Mercedes’ admission that both drivers suffered reliability problems during the Russian grand prix. The team claimed on Wednesday that Briton Hamilton somehow finished the […]
Raikkonen under fire over motocross track
May 5 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is under fire for building a motocross circuit on his land in Finland without obtaining the necessary permits. Yle, the Finnish broadcaster, reports that local residents have complained to authorities about the noise made by those using the circuit in Kirkkonummi, in the south of Finland. One resident said: “As […]
Ecclestone tells Hamilton to stop ‘moaning’
May 5 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has told reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton to stop “moaning”. Although the Mercedes driver has been generally more cheerful in 2016, the F1 supremo was apparently referring to Hamilton saying recent stewards decisions remind him of an “a——” karting official in his past. “I told him to get on with […]
Sauber staff waiting for wages again – report
May 5 (GMM) Sauber’s financial struggle rolls on, with the Swiss newspaper Blick reporting that team staff are now waiting for their April wages. Team boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn says she is waiting for a key sponsorship payment. “I hope the money comes in the next days,” she said, “but we will solve the […]
Renault seeks champion driver of 2020 – Vasseur
May 5 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur says Renault is looking to re-create its glory of the past by building towards success with a promising new driver. The French carmaker returned to full works team status for 2016 with Kevin Magnussen, a formerly McLaren-backed Dane, and the 2014 GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer. And nipping at the race […]
Dennis disputes new engine supply rule – report
May 5 (GMM) Ron Dennis has reportedly warned that he will not accept a new FIA regulation regarding the supply of engines to customer teams. In reaction to the Red Bull saga of late 2015, a new rule has been published in the 2017 rules whereby the FIA has the power to enforce deals between […]
MotoGP hot on F1’s heels – Marko
May 5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has acknowledged that F1 is coming under threat by its two-wheeled equivalent when it comes to being the best form of top motor racing. As he this week ruled out returning to formula one, Flavio Briatore insisted: “The ‘show’ of racing has gone to MotoGP.” Marko, the head of […]
Honda questions need for louder F1
May 5 (GMM) Honda has questioned moves to further turn up the volume of F1’s current ‘power units’. With many believing the turbo V6 engines are not loud enough for the ‘show’, for 2016 additional ‘wastegate’ exhaust pipes were added. But the sound only went up by a few decibels, causing the FIA to announce […]
Not all surprised with Kvyat demotion
May 5 (GMM) The motor racing world reacted with surprise to the news of Daniil Kvyat’s demotion. “Really?” said Jenson Button on Twitter, after Red Bull announced the Russian’s return to Toro Rosso. “One bad race and Kyvat’s dropped, what about the podium in the previous race?” the McLaren-Honda driver added. But not everyone is […]
Kvyat, Verstappen to swap seats for Barcelona
May 5 (GMM) Red Bull Racing has ousted Daniil Kvyat and replaced him with Max Verstappen ahead of the Spanish grand prix next weekend. F1today.net, a Dutch website, had cited ‘various sources’ in reporting that Russian Kvyat, under fire for his clashes with Sebastian Vettel at Sochi, would swap seats with Toro Rosso’s Verstappen. Red […]
Renault right to revive Magnussen’s career – Coulthard
May 4 (GMM) David Coulthard has hailed the performance of Kevin Magnussen after the Dane opened Renault’s points account in Russia last weekend. The occupant of the sister yellow car, Jolyon Palmer, is under pressure to up his game but former F1 driver Coulthard said Magnussen is doing a good job. “It was a great […]
McLaren happy with 2017 rule changes – Boullier
May 4 (GMM) One team happy with the new rules for 2017 is McLaren-Honda, according to its boss Eric Boullier. Many drivers and some teams, like Mercedes, voiced opposition to the changes but Boullier said “Mercedes was against it because they are dominating” under the current regime. For 2017, the cars and tyres are getting […]
Briatore rules out return to ‘boring’ F1
May 4 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has ruled out returning to formula one. The flamboyant Italian left F1 in disgrace amid the ‘crashgate’ scandal, but he is still close to Bernie Ecclestone and recently attended a meeting over the future of Monza’s embattled race. But he told Chi, an Italian gossip weekly: “The circuit is not […]
Cockpit shield may be delayed until 2018 – report
May 4 (GMM) The introduction of cockpit-mounted head protection may need to wait until 2018, according to a report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. That is despite the fact F1 race director Charlie Whiting said in Sochi last weekend that a July 1 deadline had been set for the introduction of either the ‘halo’ […]
Mercedes in dark over Ferrari’s true pace
May 4 (GMM) Niki Lauda said Sebastian Vettel’s first-lap retirement at Sochi means Mercedes is still in the dark about Ferrari’s true pace. On the face of it, notwithstanding worries about reliability, reigning world champions Mercedes utterly dominated in terms of pace in Russia. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen finished third on Sunday, while Vettel did not […]
No testing for Sauber, Pirelli starts 2017 running
May 4 (GMM) Sauber will sit out the first in-season test of the 2016 season after next weekend’s Spanish grand prix. The Swiss team, openly struggling financially this year, said one reason for the decision is because it “will not introduce a car update” in Barcelona. And secondly, according to a Sauber update on Twitter, […]
McLaren-Honda can target podium in 2016 – Alonso
May 4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says a podium goal might not be too far away for McLaren-Honda in 2016. The Spaniard opened his points account at Sochi with a strong sixth place, although he admitted the result flattered the true pace of the Anglo-British team’s package. “We are happy with how things are going and […]
Billionaire eyes Russian F1 team
May 4 (GMM) A billionaire has admitted he would like to establish a Russian formula one team. In February, as former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov signed for the Le Mans LMP2 team SMP Racing, he admitted: “Although nothing is defined yet, we will perhaps one day be in F1.” SMP Racing is the motor sport […]
Sainz hits out at Palmer incident penalty
May 3 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has hit out at the 10-second penalty imposed for his confrontation with rival Jolyon Palmer at Sochi. Even the Spaniard’s famous father, rally legend Carlos Sainz snr, called the punishment by the stewards “ridiculous”. “I did not see Palmer on my right,” Sainz, 21, told the Spanish broadcaster Movistar. “I […]
Now Ocon adds to pressure on Palmer
May 3 (GMM) The pressure on Jolyon Palmer will stay high in Barcelona next weekend. After new Friday tester Sergey Sirotkin outpaced Renault’s rookie British regular at Sochi, it will be now reserve Esteban Ocon’s turn at the wheel of the yellow car in practice for the forthcoming Spanish grand prix. Palmer had an awful […]