Jun.27 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone on Monday said he is working on a plan to reform F1’s controversial income distribution system. Force India and Sauber have complained to the European Commission about the current agreements, which see the most money and big bonuses going to the top teams only. In the ‘power unit’ era, it means […]
Dutch GP ‘possible’ at Assen track – boss
Jun.27 (GMM) Momentum is building for The Netherlands’ return to the F1 calendar. A month ago, we reported that Zandvoort, last seen on the calendar in 1985, was keen to return to formula one and may already be in talks. And now, De Telegraaf newspaper claims that another potential venue for a Dutch grand prix […]
Lauda says Rosberg to sign 2-year deal
Jun.27 (GMM) Nico Rosberg appears poised to ink a new contract and stay with Mercedes for the next two years. With his negotiations being headed by family friend Gerhard Berger, Rosberg was said to be butting heads with Mercedes not only over money, but also the length of his contract extension beyond 2016. But as […]
Raikkonen to marry on August 5 – reports
Jun.27 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen appears to have set a wedding date. Last December, we reported that the Finn looked ready to get married for the second time, having already had a child with his new partner Minttu. “Next summer I am allowed to call him my husband,” Minttu wrote in a blog at the time. […]
Ricciardo says ‘no contact’ with Ferrari
Jun.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is not ruling out a move to Ferrari at some point in the near future. Rumours in 2015 and again this year have linked the Australian with Maranello, but Red Bull is believed to have secured him for at least the next two years. But Ricciardo, 26, has told Germany’s Auto […]
Honda still open to supplying second team
Jun.27 (GMM) Honda is still open to supplying engines to a customer F1 team. That is the claim of the Japanese marque’s F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa, even though Ron Dennis has been determined to enforce McLaren’s apparent veto for exclusivity. The FIA, however, thinks engine manufacturers should be willing to supply more than just a […]
Podium, wins in ‘next two years’ – Honda
Jun.27 (GMM) Honda’s F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa has warned that even podiums are for now a distant target for the McLaren-Honda project. McLaren supremo Ron Dennis had eyebrows raising in the paddock recently when he declared that the Anglo-Japanese collaboration will succeed Mercedes as F1’s next champions. Fernando Alonso agrees, telling Marca sports newspaper: “After […]
Home track doesn’t suit Red Bull – Webber
Jun.27 (GMM) Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber is not expecting his old team to shine too brightly this weekend in Austria. Once called the A1-Ring, the ‘Red Bull Ring’ is now the energy drink company’s home race. But teen sensation Max Verstappen warned: “It might not be the most ideal circuit for our car […]
Ecclestone happy with ‘Brexit’ vote
Jun.27 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says Britain exiting the European Union is the right thing, even for formula one. In an historic referendum held last Thursday, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave Europe, which triggered a decline in financial markets and the pound hitting a 30-year low. Spain’s AS sports newspaper speculated that the […]
Hamilton says Rosberg relationship ‘good’
Jun.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says the venom has gone out of his relationship with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. The reigning world champion said that even though they are battling once again for the drivers’ title, and have had on-track run-ins in 2016, the old karting friends are actually getting along well. “Really, really good,” he […]
Williams compliment ‘very nice’ – Button
Jun.27 (GMM) Jenson Button is not commenting on speculation he might return to Williams next year. Last week, the Grove team’s deputy Claire Williams said the possibility that Button might bookend his F1 career at Williams, having made his debut for the team in 2000, “is a great headline”. “Of course he is going to […]
F1 must change or ‘disappear’ – Abiteboul
Jun.24 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul on Friday has given a hard-hitting interview with the German press, boldly criticising key aspects of the sport. The 38-year-old is the works Renault team’s managing director, but he was not treading carefully on Friday as he said the decision-making strategy group, for example, is “a joke”. “Formula one needs strong […]
Verstappen listened after Monaco crashes – Marko
Jun.24 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen has learned a valuable lesson after his ‘hero to zero’ outing in Monaco last month. Fresh from his sensational victory on debut for Red Bull in Barcelona, the 18-year-old hit rock bottom two weeks later in Monaco by crashing not only in qualifying but also during the […]
Raikkonen alternatives ‘potentially faster’ – Prost
Jun.24 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost has weighed into Ferrari’s deliberations about the future of Kimi Raikkonen. Amid rumours linking Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz with the Maranello team, Prost said Ferrari is right to be weighing up the pros and cons. “The advantages and disadvantages are obvious,” the Frenchman, who drove for Ferrari in […]
Force India not unhappy with Hulkenberg
Jun.24 (GMM) The impressive form of Sergio Perez does not mean Force India is unhappy with his teammate. Many observers rate 2015 Le Mans winner Hulkenberg more highly than his Mexican teammate, but it is Perez who has scored two podiums within three races and is now strongly linked with a move to Ferrari. But […]
Todt plays down future F1 race clashes
Jun.24 (GMM) Jean Todt has paved the road for more high-profile date clashes between key races like F1 grands prix and the iconic Le Mans. This year, the clash of the inaugural Baku round with Le Mans was highly controversial but FIA president Todt has this week played it down. From the FIA sport conference […]
Alonso wants third title in 2017
Jun.24 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he hopes to be fighting for the world championship in 2017. McLaren-Honda has made strides this year after its disastrous 2015, but next year is the last in Spaniard Alonso’s current three-season contract. He is leaving his future beyond 2017 very much open but insists that the graphite grey package […]
Williams recapturing ‘winning mentality’ – Smedley
Jun.24 (GMM) Williams is working to rediscover its “winning mentality”, according to Rob Smedley. Smedley, now a senior engineer at Grove, arrived at Williams just as the famous British team re-established itself as a top-three force in the new ‘power unit’ era. Nonetheless, Williams has won only a single grand prix since 2003, and not […]
Prost says Baku coverage ‘a disaster’
Jun.24 (GMM) Alain Prost has described the coverage of last weekend’s inaugural race in Baku as a “disaster”. While the street circuit itself was lauded for its spectacular layout and scenery, the F1 legend says he was bored whilst watching the television coverage. “It was the first time in years that I could not follow […]
F1 to ‘definitely’ drop European races – Ecclestone
Jun.24 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed reports he intends to drop “one or two” European rounds from the F1 calendar. The F1 supremo was quoted this week as saying that while this year’s schedule stands at an unprecedented 21 grands prix, the 2017 calendar could have as few as 18. “Absolutely,” Ecclestone has now told […]