Mar.31 (GMM) F1 drivers may be angling for a spot on the sport’s decision-making body. Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) chief Alex Wurz has been coy when asked what the next step – like race boycotts – might be after the revelation of the highly-critical open letter about F1’s governance. The active drivers in the […]
Four teams rejected qualifying compromise
Mar.31 (GMM) McLaren and Red Bull were not the only teams that objected to the tweaking of the highly-controversial ‘musical chairs’ qualifying system for Bahrain. We reported on Wednesday that because those two teams rejected the FIA’s proposal to tweak only the ‘Q3’ segment after the farcical debut in Melbourne, the sport is stuck with […]
Ferrari have tyre advantage for Bahrain – Surer
Mar.31 (GMM) Mercedes might have made a tactical blunder in its preparation for this weekend’s Bahrain grand prix. That is the view of former F1 driver turned German-language pundit Marc Surer, after Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel almost beat the silver cars two weeks ago in Australia. Now, Mercedes is expecting another tough battle in Bahrain. “Ferrari […]
Raikkonen engine survived Melbourne fire
Mar.31 (GMM) More reports claim Kimi Raikkonen’s power unit has survived his fiery exit from the Australian grand prix. The Finn retired in the pitlane as a marshal shot fire extinguisher fluid into his flaming airbox, but Italy’s Autosprint said Ferrari was always confident the actual engine would survive. “If we had seen on the […]
Merhi still not ruling out F1 return
Mar.31 (GMM) Roberto Merhi will complete the revival of the former Manor team in the world endurance championship this year. With founders John Booth and Graeme Lowdon having left the F1 team that still bears the Manor name at the end of last year, 2015 driver Will Stevens was signed up to join them with […]
F1 teams already looking towards 2017
Mar.31 (GMM) F1 teams will now begin to turn their focus towards designing a car for the all-new technical regulations of 2017. While April 30 is the actual deadline for the new rules, it is now essentially clear that F1 will speed up substantially next year with a blueprint for wider cars and tyres. “Before […]
Alonso fails medical exam in Bahrain
Mar.31 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will miss this weekend’s Bahrain grand prix. Although the Spaniard made the trip to the island Kingdom in the wake of his horror crash in Melbourne, his clearance to return to the cockpit depended on a meeting with FIA doctors on Thursday. After that examination, while Alonso told reporters he feels […]
Early 2016 win ‘very important’ – Rosberg
Mar.31 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has admitted that opening his 2016 championship campaign with a win was “very important”. The German has been beaten to the last two titles consecutively by his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, but kicked off a run of winning form late last year that continued into Melbourne. Australia was actually his fourth […]
McLaren plays down ‘broken’ seat reports
Mar.30 (GMM) McLaren has played down reports Fernando Alonso’s carbon seat was ‘broken’ in his high-speed Melbourne crash. We reported this week that amid claims the seat was broken amid the 46G forces, the FIA had launched an investigation so as to learn from the incident. “Yes, it (the seat) was cracked but not broken, […]
McLaren, Red Bull opposed ‘musical chairs’ tweak
Mar.30 (GMM) The lack of time and unanimity means F1 is stuck with the hated ‘musical chairs’ qualifying system for Bahrain. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, who like most other stakeholders declared the new 90 second countdown system “rubbish” after its farcical debut in Australia, sounded exasperated on Tuesday when faced with the prospect of a repeat […]
FIA doctors must green-light Alonso return
Mar.30 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will not be cleared to race in Bahrain this weekend until a meeting with FIA doctors on Thursday. Following the Spaniard’s terrifying high-speed crash in Melbourne, Alonso hinted on social media that he has been unable to train this week due to the effects. And a report in the Spanish sports […]
Allison takes break after death of wife
Mar.30 (GMM) James Allison is spending some time away from formula one as he mourns the recent death of his wife, it has emerged. On his wife Rebecca’s Facebook page, the 48-year-old Briton confirmed to friends and family last week that she died suddenly from meningitis. “We at Ferrari are united with him and his […]
Stewart says F1 ‘not in crisis’
Mar.30 (GMM) F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has played down suggestions the sport he has been involved with for over five decades is broken. “Look, everyone only sees the bad,” the triple world champion told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. “I have to say the field is too far apart — there is too little […]
Gold Coast eyes future Australian GP
Mar.29 (GMM) Queensland has flagged a potential bid to poach the Australian grand prix from rival state Victoria, the current host of the F1 season opener in Melbourne. In recent times, it has been New South Wales looking to steal Melbourne’s thunder by proposing a race in famous Australian city Sydney. But Queensland’s major events […]
Letter not just about qualifying – Wurz
Mar.29 (GMM) Alex Wurz insists the dissenting letter written on behalf of the current F1 drivers is not a mere reaction to the qualifying format debacle. Through the Wurz-led Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), the drivers hit out at the sport’s current governance last week hot on the heels of the farcical ‘musical chairs’ debut […]
Preferred successor Briatore ruled out – Ecclestone
Mar.29 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that “blocks” have been placed on his preferred successor. The apparent lack of a succession plan for the 85-year-old Briton has long been an issue, but supremo Ecclestone says his main suggestions were “thrown out”. “There are a million people who think they can do it, but it is […]
Newey not lifting F1 workload beyond 50pc
Mar.29 (GMM) Even rules for significantly faster F1 cars in 2017 will not change Adrian Newey’s 50 per cent focus on the sport. That is the news of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, even though he confirms that the famous F1 designer’s work on America’s Cup yacht design is now finished. “We’ve completed the […]
Wolff slams decision to keep ‘musical chairs’
Mar.29 (GMM) Toto Wolff has slammed the decision to keep the highly controversial ‘musical chairs’ qualifying format in place for Bahrain. After the system’s farcical debut in Melbourne, team bosses got together on Sunday before the season-opening race and agreed to scrap it. But amid calls for a governance overhaul of the sport, the change […]
F1 could hit reverse on faster cars
Mar.29 (GMM) F1 could be about to hit reverse on its move to speed up the cars for 2017. According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, April 30 is the date on which the sport is tipped to approve technical changes including the widening of the cars for next season. However, there is now some […]
FIA eyes Alonso’s broken seat after crash
Mar.29 (GMM) The FIA has launched an investigation into Fernando Alonso’s spectacular Melbourne crash, with insiders saying the Spaniard was lucky to survive. Reports including one in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reveal the governing body’s probe follows revelations Alonso’s seat was actually broken as his McLaren-Honda flipped through the Albert Park gravel. It […]