Feb.22 (GMM) Livio Oricchio, a leading F1 correspondent, has admitted to some disappointment at the sight of Williams’ new car for 2016. While Ferrari is taking an obviously bold step in its bid to beat Mercedes this year with an innovative car, Williams’ FW38 looks almost identical to its predecessor. That is despite the fact […]
Ecclestone son-in-law faces jail
Feb.22 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone’s son-in-law is facing up to seven years in jail, according to reports in Britain. The Sun newspaper said the F1 supremo’s daughter Tamara, who is married to former trader Jay Rutland, is “sick with worry” after her 34-year-old husband was arrested, charged and bailed. He faces a London court next month. […]
Father launches Jules Bianchi kart
Feb.22 (GMM) Jules Bianchi will race again, thanks to his father who has launched a new kart in the late F1 driver’s honour. According to the French source RMC, the ‘JB’ kart featuring Bianchi’s red and white colours and the now-familiar JB17 tribute, will make its debut this weekend at an international competition. “It was […]
F1 ‘the worst it has ever been’ – Ecclestone
Feb.22 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has sided with Sebastian Vettel rather than reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton over the current state of formula one. Ferrari’s Vettel declared last week that F1 is no longer “about the sport and which driver is the fastest” amid the new era of “far too complex” technical regulations. The quadruple world […]
Allison will not attend all races in 2016
Feb.21 (GMM) James Allison has revealed he will travel to less grands prix in 2016. Ferrari’s technical director says he is relieved to be splitting his duties for the new season with Jock Clear, who in 2015 served a full year of ‘gardening leave’ after leaving Mercedes. “Last year was very tough for me,” admitted […]
Four F1 refugees eye Indycar switch
Feb.20 (GMM) A swathe of out-of-work F1 drivers are looking to pick up the pieces in America’s top open wheeler series. It is already known that, having lost their Manor and Renault drives respectively, Alexander Rossi and Pastor Maldonado are linked with a switch to Indycar for 2016. Spanish media reports now suggest Roberto Merhi, […]
Mercedes happy after 2016 car debut
Feb.20 (GMM) Nico Rosberg gave Mercedes’ new 2016 car an early thumbs-up on Friday. On Silverstone’s short layout, the German driver was the first at the wheel of the W07 during a 100 kilometre ‘filming day’. “It was a good feeling to start with,” he told Britain’s Sky television. “I felt at home straight away. […]
Ferrari ‘much more optimistic’ for 2016 – Marchionne
Feb.20 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne said the Maranello team is “much more optimistic” about its title-winning chances for 2016. The Ferrari and Fiat Chrysler president was absent on Friday as the fabled Maranello team revealed its new red and white car for 2016. When asked about the goal, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said during the online […]
Schumacher moves to Ferrari-linked team
Feb.20 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s team switch within the lower-tier categories of Formula 4 has now been confirmed. In early January, we reported that the 16-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher was looking to switch from his Van Amersfoort team to the top Ferrari-linked outfit Prema for 2016. The move was announced officially on Friday, […]
Verstappen unfazed by Tost warning
Feb.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen is unfazed by a warning issued by his boss at Toro Rosso. According to De Telegraaf newspaper, boss Franz Tost warned recently that Verstappen, F1’s Dutch teen sensation, and teammate Carlos Sainz must be careful in 2016 to not try to over-deliver for their second seasons on the grid. “They cannot […]
Bottas could replace feuding Mercedes driver – Salo
Feb.20 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas should have his fingers crossed that bitter teammate warring at Mercedes continues in 2016. That is the view of former F1 driver Mika Salo, who thinks his fellow Finn Bottas would be the beneficiary of a driver shake-up at the title-winning team. Toto Wolff, who is not only Mercedes’ team boss […]
F1 may miss crash-king Maldonado – Salo
Feb.19 (GMM) Mika Salo is not among those who are celebrating the departure from F1 of the sport’s ‘crash king’ Pastor Maldonado. Many believe the oil sponsor-fuelled Venezuelan and his penchant for crashing was bad for formula one, but Salo thinks Maldonado was actually a character to follow. Asked if he will be missed, the […]
Verstappen cautious amid Toro Rosso talk
Feb.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen is not getting carried away with talk Toro Rosso could beat the premier Red Bull team in 2016. With the junior Faenza squad switching to Ferrari power but Red Bull Racing staying with Renault this year, it is suggested Toro Rosso could be higher on the grid. “At the start of […]
Raikkonen must beat Vettel in 2016 – Salo
Feb.19 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen should not be regarded as ‘number 2’ to teammate Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari. That is the view of fellow Finn and former Ferrari driver Mika Salo, who nonetheless admitted that Raikkonen has a tough challenge ahead of him to return to his title-winning days. “At any rate, I do not see […]
Ricciardo no fan of no-glitz F1 launches
Feb.19 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he is no fan of F1’s new no-glitz approach to ‘launching’ cars. In the past, teams threw lavish events amid live Spice Girls performances, while the norm these days is to launch new cars via the internet or simply roll out into the testing pitlane for a photo opportunity. And […]
Horner ‘relaxed’ about Ricciardo contract
Feb.19 (GMM) Christian Horner says he is not worried about losing Daniel Ricciardo to a rival team. When Red Bull launched its 2016 livery earlier this week, Australian Ricciardo warned that while his hopes are modest for the new year, he is also keen to keep the momentum in his career that looked set to […]
Three 2016 cars break cover on Friday
Feb.19 (GMM) F1, 2016-style, burst into life on Friday, as three new cars broke cover. The first was Williams’ new FW38, as the British team issued photos of a car bearing a striking resemblance to its 2015 predecessor. But deputy boss Claire Williams said: “The car we are launching today is by no means the […]
‘Impossible’ to beat Haryanto backing – Rossi
Feb.19 (GMM) Alexander Rossi said it proved “impossible” to compete with the government-fuelled Indonesian Rio Haryanto for the final seat on the 2016 grid. The Californian was a major contender for the place alongside Pascal Wehrlein at Manor, but GP2 driver Haryanto ultimately sealed the deal when his state-owned sponsor Pertamina lodged a EUR 5 […]
Tyre rules may not spice up F1 – Horner
Feb.19 (GMM) Christian Horner has played down hopes F1’s new tyre rules will really spice up the action. From 2016, a set of complex rules essentially allowing teams to choose from three tyre compounds per race is tipped to shake up the established order. “It’s a nice way to give us (teams) a few more […]
Horner not ruling out 2017 Renault deal
Feb.19 (GMM) Christian Horner has confirmed suspicions that the heat of Red Bull’s bitter relationship with Renault has now improved. Since the end of 2015, Red Bull has reverted to mere customer status and re-branded its Renault units as ‘Tag-Heuer’ for the new season. And Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul has even suggested that, notwithstanding […]