Jul.20 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted that managing the transition between focusing on the 2016 and 2017 seasons is currently a major topic at Brackley. The back-to-back world champions are once again leading the standings in 2016 but under increasing pressure from Red Bull and Ferrari. But next year, the chassis and tyre rules are […]
Renault admits 2017 driver lineup still open
Jul.20 (GMM) Renault has admitted that its driver lineup for 2017 remains totally open. Reports have suggested Jolyon Palmer is in danger of losing his seat at the newly reformed French works team, while teammate Kevin Magnussen is more confident of staying next year. But neither are under contract for 2017 and team spokesman Andy […]
Alonso says 2017 title ‘is the goal’
Jul.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is still not ruling out a tilt for the 2017 title. Soon, McLaren-Honda will welcome its new chief executive to Woking – current VW racing director Jost Capito – and Spaniard Alonso agrees that the German has a big task ahead. “There are many things that need to be improved to […]
Ferrari needs ‘quiet approach’ amid crisis – Brawn
Jul.20 (GMM) Ross Brawn has urged Ferrari to take a “quiet approach” to its quest for the world championship. The Maranello marque has not won a drivers’ title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, despite new president Sergio Marchionne having predicted spoils this year. But the Italian media thinks Ferrari is back in ‘crisis’, reporting strong […]
Capelli ‘cannot see’ Monza losing F1 to Imola
Jul.20 (GMM) Former F1 driver Ivan Capelli says he is confident Monza will soon end its troubles and cement its place on the 2017 calendar. This week, reports have suggested Bernie Ecclestone is on the cusp of switching the Italian grand prix from Monza to Imola, citing “political problems”. Capelli is now president of the […]
Prost backs Raikkonen’s new Ferrari deal
Jul.20 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost has backed Ferrari’s decision to stick with Kimi Raikkonen. Finn Raikkonen’s new contract for 2017 has been controversial, given the fact younger chargers like Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo or Romain Grosjean were reportedly keen to join the fabled Maranello marque. But Prost, who was actually fired by Ferrari in […]
Allison set for Ferrari split – report
Jul.19 (GMM) James Allison looks set to split with Ferrari, according to the authoritative Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. Although team boss Maurizio Arrivabene angrily denied the rumours when they first appeared some weeks ago, correspondent Luigi Perna now reports that there is truth to the rumblings from behind the scenes at Maranello. […]
Champions don’t mind long 2016 calendar
Jul.19 (GMM) Two prominent F1 drivers say they have no problem with this year’s longest-ever race calendar and the shift away from Europe. Many people who work in the sport are bemoaning the unprecedentedly long 21-date schedule, and the fact that there are no less than four races in the month of July. “For me […]
Officials say Monza still in game for Italy GP
Jul.19 (GMM) Italian officials are refusing to acknowledge that Monza’s chances of keeping the grand prix are now over. Reports this week have suggested Bernie Ecclestone has inked a deal with alternative race host Imola, but the truth is that the contract is not yet signed. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone told the Italian media from […]
Verstappen plays down title chances
Jul.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen has played down his chances of taking on Mercedes’ might for the 2016 world championship. Despite driving for Toro Rosso for the first four races of 2016, the 18-year-old has just 10 fewer points than Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. At the weekend, he collected the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini trophy in […]
Rossi back on F1 radar after Indy 500 win
Jul.19 (GMM) Alexander Rossi might have re-booted his F1 aspirations by winning the fabled Indianapolis 500 this year. The Californian lost his Manor seat at the end of last year and for 2016 found himself in Indycar, where in May he shocked the racing world by winning the 100th running of the Indy 500. “Manor […]
Ocon ‘ready’ to take on Verstappen again
Jul.18 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he is “100 per cent ready” to go head-to-head with Max Verstappen yet again. In 2014, the teenage Frenchman actually beat Verstappen to the European F3 crown, but it was the younger Dutchman who went onto to make his meteoric F1 debut. Ocon, however, is not far behind. He won […]
Alonso speaks up for ‘fast, experienced’ Button
Jul.18 (GMM) Jenson Button is a key member of the McLaren-Honda project, according to his current teammate Fernando Alonso. It is no secret that the Anglo-Japanese collaboration is considering replacing Button with McLaren youngster Stoffel Vandoorne for 2017, with the young Belgian warning that other teams are expressing interest in him. But 2009 world champion […]
F1 prepared to wave ‘goodbye’ to Italy – Ecclestone
Jul.18 (GMM) The future of the historic Italian grand prix at Monza continues to hang in the balance. Ansa, an Italian news agency, quoted F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as having said sustained efforts to ensure the race is on the 2017 calendar are yet to bear fruit. “We are trying to solve the problem of […]
Verstappen toasts success with $400,000 car
Jul.18 (GMM) Max Verstappen has toasted the early success of his meteoric formula one career with an extravagant purchase — but only with his father’s ‘ok’. At the weekend, the 18-year-old Dutchman continued his impressive rise to F1 stardom by collecting the prestigious Trofero Lorenzo Bandini award in Italy. Earlier winners were champions Michael Schumacher, […]
Prost likens Mercedes battle to Senna clash
Jul.15 (GMM) Alain Prost has likened the intensifying fight between Mercedes’ two drivers to his legendary battle with teammate Ayrton Senna. The German team openly contemplated imposing team orders after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s latest collision in Austria, deciding instead to only toughen the rules of engagement and impose mysterious ‘deterrent’ measures. But Prost […]
Petrobras eyes Toro Rosso supply deal – report
Jul.15 (GMM) The Brazilian oil company Petrobras is considering adding Toro Rosso to its formula one roster. The semi-public Brazilian multinational already sponsors Williams, but the team’s engine deal with Mercedes means it actually uses Petronas lubricants and fuel. Brazil’s UOL reports that Petrobras executives therefore met recently with representatives of Renault and Toro Rosso. […]
Source plays down Arrivabene exit claims
Jul.15 (GMM) An insider who is famously close to Ferrari has played down rumours Maurizio Arrivabene could lose his job. Sections of the infamously tough Italian press have declared that the Maranello marque is once again in “crisis”, after starting the year hot on Mercedes’ heels but now having fallen behind Red Bull. Not only […]
Apple linked with F1 rights buyout
Jul.15 (GMM) Apple, the famous American multinational technology company, has been linked with buying F1’s commercial rights. Potential buyers of the majority stake in the sport currently owned by CVC have been the subject of speculation for some time, but it is the first time Apple, the famous Steve Jobs-founded creator of the iPhone, has […]
Perez to assess future in summer break
Jul.14 (GMM) Sergio Perez is still not willing to pledge his future to Force India. The team’s supremo Vijay Mallya made a rare paddock appearance at Silverstone last weekend where he insisted that the Mexican driver and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg are staying put for 2017. Mallya was responding to rumours that Perez might be […]