May 14 (GMM) ‘Silly season’ rumours about the futures of Jenson Button and Stoffel Vandoorne are revving up in Barcelona. When asked ahead of the Spanish grand prix if he would like to have the veteran Button as his 2017 teammate, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas answered: “Yes.” But according to the Spanish daily Marca, a press […]
Ricciardo says contractual situation ‘open’
May 14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is not completely ruling himself out of the 2017 ‘silly season’. Last year, the Australian put forward his name as a contender to switch to Ferrari, but Red Bull officials are once again insisting that Ricciardo is firmly under contract. It is noteworthy, however, that those same officials have seldom […]
Next circuits better for Ferrari – Vettel
May 14 (GMM) Amid rising pressure, Ferrari is still upbeat about 2016. President Sergio Marchionne is piling on the expectations of victory, and rumours are swirling around the future of team boss Maurizio Arrivabene. But Sebastian Vettel actually thinks Ferrari, already looking fast in Barcelona, has a real chance this weekend. “On paper yes but […]
Hamilton could take year off in 2017 – rumour
May 14 (GMM) A wild rumour is being whispered in the Barcelona paddock about Lewis Hamilton’s future in F1. The rumour follows a poor run of reliability for the Briton’s Mercedes, as his teammate Nico Rosberg lines up an eighth consecutive win in the Spanish grand prix. “I am sure we will get through it […]
Hockenheim chief in Spain for Ecclestone talks
May 14 (GMM) Hockenheim chief Georg Seiler has admitted he is in talks with Bernie Ecclestone about the future of the German grand prix. After the country’s absence from the F1 calendar last year, Seiler and a German delegation are in the Barcelona paddock to whip up interest in July’s Hockenheim race. German F1 drivers […]
Arrivabene jokes about Ferrari axe rumours
May 13 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene on Friday dismissed speculation he might soon be ousted as Ferrari team boss. Italy’s Autosprint had suggested moves are afoot to replace the Italian with James Allison, with Aldo Costa then returning from Mercedes to fill Allison’s spot as technical chief. “They were talking of Allison, they were talking of […]
Verstappen admits father taking step back
May 13 (GMM) Max Verstappen has admitted his father Jos may need to take a step back now that he races for Red Bull’s senior team. Until now, as the teen sensation honed his craft at Toro Rosso, former F1 driver Jos was a permanent fixture in the garage. But there was no sign of […]
Red Bull poised for new Renault deal
May 13 (GMM) Red Bull looks poised to agree a new customer engine deal with Renault. Relations between the parties has improved this year, with Red Bull – rebadging the units as Tag-Heuer – much happier with performance. Daniel Ricciardo said recently a new deal is “likely”, but Auto Motor und Sport says the two […]
F1 serious about engine ‘convergence’
May 13 (GMM) F1’s governing body on Friday said it is serious about ‘performance convergence’ when it comes to the engines in F1. When asked for his dream regulation on Friday, Red Bull’s Christian Horner joked: “Mercedes engines for everyone, free of charge!” But part of the new rules package agreed in the past days […]
Dennis says no Honda customers before title
May 13 (GMM) Ron Dennis has indicated he will not give the green light for Honda to begin supplying engines to customer teams. A new rule means engine manufacturers in F1 must be prepared to supply up to three teams per season, but McLaren supremo Dennis has a reported contractual veto guaranteeing an exclusive works […]
Hulkenberg happy with Force India upgrade
May 13 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg on Thursday sounded upbeat about a major upgrade package introduced by Force India for the Spanish grand prix. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport said the Silverstone based team has taken “practically a new car” to Barcelona, featuring new wings, floor, sidepods, engine cover and brake ducts for an up to […]
Palmer dismisses Renault axe rumours
May 13 (GMM) Jolyon Palmer on Thursday said he is not worried about rumours Renault might oust him before the end of the 2016 season. The French marque’s new works team is actively promoting the young careers of Russian-backed Sergey Sirotkin as well as French youngster Esteban Ocon. Ocon will even drive Palmer’s yellow car […]
Massa opposed to visor tear-off ban
May 13 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he does not support the FIA’s forthcoming ban on discarding helmet visor tear-offs on the track. Actually, the ban was originally intended for the start of the 2016 season but F1 will now enforce it as of Monaco later this month. “I don’t think there’s a need for it […]
Ferrari engine only Sauber update in Spain – Nasr
May 13 (GMM) Sauber’s only update for the Spanish grand prix is a new Ferrari engine specification. That is the news of Brazilian driver Felipe Nasr, amid the Swiss team’s obvious financial troubles. Most teams launch significant chassis and aerodynamic upgrades at the first European race of the season. But Nasr was quoted by Brazil’s […]
‘Hearsay’ replaces real information about Schu
May 13 (GMM) A lack of information about Michael Schumacher’s condition means “hearsay” is instead being reported by the media about the F1 legend. That was the view of a Brazilian media panel this week, following speculation the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver is in grave health 30 months after his skiing crash. “There are […]
Wehrlein plays down Haas rumour
May 13 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has played down an early ‘silly season’ rumour about a potential switch to Haas for 2017. The German-language motorsport-magazin.com noticed in Barcelona that Gunther Steiner, Haas’ team boss, was heaping praise on the Mercedes-backed rookie following his debut for Manor this year. “Wehrlein has surprised me with how well he […]
Spa not hurt by Shell’s sponsor axe – promoter
May 13 (GMM) The promoter of the Belgian grand prix has played down reports the Spa-Francorchamps race has lost its naming sponsor. Oil giant Shell announced this week that it is pulling its trackside advertising deal with F1 as well as the naming rights to the Belgian race. But Andre Maes told La Derniere Heure, […]
Marchionne’s pressure not negative – Vettel
May 13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says the pressure put on Ferrari by its president Sergio Marchionne is positive. This week, with the Maranello marque having failed to win one of the four races so far, Marchionne declared that he “expects” victory in Barcelona, because Ferrari “deserves” it. When asked about the effect that sort of […]
Bottas waiting for 2017 ‘silly season’
May 13 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is not ruling out playing a role in the 2017 ‘silly season’. A year ago, the Finn found himself in the middle of the rumours about Kimi Raikkonen’s future at Ferrari. Bottas stayed at Williams, where he has had a less than perfect start to 2016 although he finished a […]
Ricciardo surprised by Kvyat decision
May 13 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo on Thursday said he was taken by surprise when he saw on his mobile last week that Dr Helmut Marko was calling from Graz. When you see that, “You know that something is up,” the Australian smiled in Barcelona. Marko told Ricciardo that he has a new teammate in the […]