May 3 (GMM) Russia’s sports minister has played down suggestions the country might add another annual grand prix to the F1 calendar. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said at Sochi last weekend that he is so happy with the race and Vladimir Putin’s support that he would like to see more Russian grands prix take place […]
Marko to have ‘serious word’ with Kvyat
May 2 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene on Sunday said Daniil Kvyat could mount no justified defense of his driving after colliding with Sebastian Vettel twice at Sochi. A foul-mouthed German Vettel was incensed after being punted out of the Russian grand prix by the young local, and even Kvyat’s boss Dr Helmut Marko admitted the youngster […]
Ecclestone still waiting for Monza GP progress
May 2 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has suggested the uncertainty over the future of Monza’s F1 race could continue to drag. Reports suggested political and bureaucratic progress was made in the last couple of weeks over the expiring Italian grand prix deal, but F1 supremo Ecclestone is not as optimistic. “This year the race is (happening) […]
Mercedes’ gap to rivals ‘catastrophic’
May 2 (GMM) A Russian official on Sunday expressed concern that Mercedes’ continuing dominance is hurting formula one. “The difference between Mercedes and the other teams is catastrophic,” Igor Ermilin, the presidential advisor to the Russian automobile federation, told Tass news agency after the country’s grand prix. While there have been signs Ferrari and Red […]
Ferrari must close gap quickly – Marchionne
May 2 (GMM) Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne on Monday said he is sure the Maranello team will bounce back from its current dip. Although Mercedes’ closest challenger in 2016, Ferrari has been struck by reliability and race incidents, including Sebastian Vettel’s push into the Sochi barrier by Daniil Kvyat on Sunday. Not only that, the […]
Mercedes eyes ‘step back’ to recover reliability
May 2 (GMM) Mercedes chiefs Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff say priority number 1 is for the reigning champions to solve car reliability problems. While Nico Rosberg utterly dominated at Sochi, his teammate Lewis Hamilton has suffered repeated technical problems that have caused some conspiracy theories to surface. Boss Wolff, however, said the German marque […]
Raikkonen unsure about future beyond 2016
May 2 (GMM) The pressure on Kimi Raikkonen is mounting. The Finn, whose Ferrari contract runs out this year, opened his 2016 podium account on Sunday but boss Maurizio Arrivabene hinted he expected more. “Raikkonen? He had a good race but after the safety car it could have been better,” the Italian is quoted by […]
Father has accepted Ratzenberger death
May 2 (GMM) 22 years on, the father of Roland Ratzenberger says he and his wife have accepted the tragic death of their son. Most thoughts over the weekend at Sochi were about the F1 legend Ayrton Senna, as Sunday was the first grand prix since that fateful day at Imola in 1994 on which […]
Ferrari won’t give up on 2016 title – Arrivabene
May 2 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene insists Ferrari must keep its eye on the goal of winning the 2016 world championship. Amid reliability troubles and recent race incidents for Sebastian Vettel, some suggest the pace and points gap to Mercedes is already looking insurmountable. Team boss Arrivabene, however, is staying upbeat. “Everyone was aware before the […]
Mick missing Michael on road to F1 – Max
May 2 (GMM) Max Verstappen has predicted a tough road to formula one for another son of a famous former driver. The young Dutchman was 17 when he made his sensational grand prix debut last year — the same age that Mick Schumacher is today. Verstappen’s father Jos, who was once the great Michael Schumacher’s […]
FIA determined amid head protection opposition
May 1 (GMM) F1 is pressing ahead with radical cockpit protection even though the sport’s chief executive is opposed. “I don’t like it,” Bernie Ecclestone declared at Sochi on Sunday, after the Red Bull-championed ‘Aeroscreen’ had been debuted in practice. When asked what F1 should do about further cockpit protection, he said without hesitation: “Nothing.” […]
Kvyat phoned Vettel after Sochi crashes
May 1 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat on Sunday said he had spoken with Sebastian Vettel on the phone after the Russian grand prix. Two weeks after their pre-podium verbal argument in China, Russian Kvyat had an horror home race at Sochi after hitting Ferrari’s Vettel from behind not once but twice on the first lap. German […]
Mercedes blasts anti-Hamilton conspiracy
May 1 (GMM) Mercedes on Sunday rubbished suggestions Lewis Hamilton’s horror run of bad luck so far in 2016 may be a conspiracy. As Nico Rosberg turned his six-race winning streak into an almost unprecedented seven at Sochi, some were daring to wonder if reigning champion Hamilton’s continuing reliability problems have been more than just […]
Lauda takes step back as television pundit
May 1 (GMM) Niki Lauda is taking a step back from his full-time duties as the lead pundit for German television. The F1 legend has held the RTL microphone for years but the broadcaster admitted at Sochi that it has agreed that Lauda will no longer appear on-screen at every grand prix. “As chairman of […]
Vettel sure Ferrari can win 2016 title
May 1 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel insists the 2016 title race is not already over. Many think Nico Rosberg, who could extend his extraordinary winning streak from six to seven straight races in Russia, is now pulling into an unassailable position at the top of the drivers’ world championship. It comes amid an almost equally extraordinary […]
Button hopes to stay for Honda’s new 2017 engine
May 1 (GMM) Jenson Button has confirmed reports Honda is working on a major redesign of its F1 ‘power unit’ for McLaren to use in 2017. The Japanese marque has made steps forward this year after a disastrous 2015, but Button was still a tenth shy of making it into ‘Q3’ in Russia. So while […]
Tost ‘more than happy’ with Toro Rosso lineup
May 1 (GMM) Max Verstappen will continue to steal the limelight even though Carlos Sainz is also doing a good job. That is the view of the duo’s Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost, amid speculation it could be Dutchman Verstappen who is promoted to the senior Red Bull team for 2017. “Max is doing great, […]
Two Sauber figures absent in Russia
May 1 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn is once again missing in action this weekend in Russia. Earlier in 2016, the Sauber boss and co-owner’s paddock absence stirred speculation the Swiss team’s obvious financial problems may in fact be terminal. But the well-connected Swiss newspaper Blick insists that Kaltenborn is only absent this weekend at Sochi in […]
F1 says Azerbaijan fighting no threat to race
May 1 (GMM) F1’s governing body as well as supremo Bernie Ecclestone have backed Azerbaijan after declaring local fighting is no risk to the inaugural grand prix in Baku next month. A month ago, the Azerbaijan government dismissed suggestions fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed local region, might jeopardise the safe running of forthcoming sports events. […]
Sirotkin to get another Friday outing – manager
Apr.30 (GMM) Sochi was not a one-off Friday morning appearance for Sergey Sirotkin. That is the claim of the young Russian’s manager, after Sirotkin impressed in front of his home crowd to go faster than Renault regular Jolyon Palmer. New tester Sirotkin, 20, and his backers SMP Racing, have inked a deal with Renault that […]