Nov.20 (GMM) Sauber chief and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn has made clear her staunch opposition to F1’s proposed ‘client engine’ for 2017. As Sauber is a small team and serial campaigner for lower costs, it might be said the Swiss outfit’s opposition to the plan for cheaper engines is surprising. Indeed, Kaltenborn agrees that the prices […]
Smedley to Haas, Baldisserri to Williams – rumours
Nov.20 (GMM) Rob Smedley has been linked with a move to the Haas team for 2016. That is the claim of the Italian magazine Autosprint, referring to the 41-year-old British engineer who last year followed his friend and long-time colleague Felipe Massa from Ferrari to a prominent role at Williams. Another notable move is also […]
Williams drops Massa disqualification appeal
Nov.20 (GMM) Williams has dropped its appeal against Felipe Massa’s disqualification from the Brazilian grand prix. After a tyre on the Brazilian driver’s car was found to have exceeded Pirelli’s heat limit by a massive 27 degrees, the FIA expelled him from the results. “The team has served notice of an appeal,” the British team […]
Ilmor applies for 2017 ‘client engine’ role
Nov.20 (GMM) Ilmor has put its hand up to become F1’s exclusive supplier of the 2.5 litre ‘client engine’ for 2017. Headed by renowned F1 engine guru and Swiss Mario Illien, the British company was already considered a front-runner due to supplying a similar-spec engine badged as Chevrolet to the Indycar series. The FIA had […]
Mercedes denies moving to sign Mick Schumacher
Nov.20 (GMM) Mercedes has played down reports it is shaping up to sign Michael Schumacher’s son. We reported last week that 16-year-old Mick, whose father Michael won five titles for Ferrari but concluded his F1 career with Mercedes earlier this decade, was caught in the middle of a scrap between the two camps over his […]
Montezemolo says Schumacher situation ‘terrible’
Nov.20 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo, the former long-time Ferrari president, has described as “terrible” the current plight of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Almost two full years ago, the seven time world champion struck his head in a skiing crash, and while now recovering at his home in Switzerland the precise condition of the now 46-year-old […]
2016 title battle is on already – Rosberg
Nov.20 (GMM) At a sponsor event this week, a Spanish reporter put it to Nico Rosberg that after two consecutive title defeats to Lewis Hamilton, 2016 may be a case of ‘third time lucky’. “I like that way of putting it!” the German, who also speaks fluent Spanish, told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper. Rosberg was […]
Verstappen should keep racing ‘damn hard’ – van der Garde
Nov.19 (GMM) As his meteoric and history-making first season nears its end, the compliments are continuing to rain down on F1 teen sensation Max Verstappen. While Lewis Hamilton complained that passing was impossible at Interlagos last Sunday, 18-year-old Dutchman Verstappen stunned with his moves on Sergio Perez and Felipe Nasr in an otherwise processional Brazilian […]
Massa hopes for Mercedes engine parity in 2016
Nov.19 (GMM) Felipe Massa is hoping Williams will get back on par with its engine supplier Mercedes in 2016. While dominant Mercedes and its customer teams are believed to have enjoyed identical equipment in 2014, Williams, Lotus and Force India fell one specification behind the German carmaker in the middle of this season. Mercedes argued […]
Red Bull to be ready for first 2016 test
Nov.19 (GMM) Red Bull is on target to make the first test of the 2016 pre-season period, engineering chief Paul Monaghan insists. Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya has announced that it will exclusively host the only winter testing early next year, on 22-25 February and 1-4 March — just 8 days in total. Amid Red Bull’s […]
Honda to use ‘more consultants’ for F1 project
Nov.19 (GMM) Honda has had a change of heart towards the end of its abysmally-bad return to F1 this year. Earlier, the proudly nationalistic Japanese carmaker was refusing to speed up the process of improving by poaching experienced F1 engine personnel from outside of Honda. But Michael Schmidt, the respected correspondent for Germany’s Auto Motor […]
Wurz and Whitmarsh say no to Manor boss role
Nov.19 (GMM) Alex Wurz and Martin Whitmarsh have each denied suggestions they might be set to succeed John Booth as Manor’s new team boss. The British backmarker has already replaced the departing Graeme Lowdon with former ‘lie-gate’ protagonist Dave Ryan, amid reports ex-Williams driver and current GPDA president Wurz had been identified as the favourite […]
Hamilton maligns Vettel, Webber, Raikkonen
Nov.19 (GMM) In one fell swoop, Lewis Hamilton has maligned three more F1 stars. Recently, the new triple world champion had to hit reverse gear after suggesting F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles were won with questionable tactics, while his own were the result of “my natural abilities only”. Now, the increasingly controversial 30-year-old […]
Rosberg, Vettel ‘wake up’ for 2016 attack
Nov.17 (GMM) F1 is looking ahead to a more competitive 2016 season starring Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, according to the Italian press. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton dominated this year, but his teammate Rosberg is now on a run of five poles and two consecutive wins that bode well for a better 2016. “F1 like a […]
Pirelli ‘too conservative’ in 2015 – Hembery
Nov.17 (GMM) Paul Hembery thinks F1 will be more exciting in 2016. Fans and insiders agree that Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix was too processional. World champion Lewis Hamilton called it “boring” as he followed home Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg on an identical strategy. Pirelli is taking some of the blame if races in 2015 were […]
2017 engine to be 2.5 litre twin-turbo V6
Nov.17 (GMM) Details about the specification of F1’s alternative engine for 2017 have emerged. Previously, it was believed independent outfits like Ilmor or Cosworth were being invited to bid to exclusively supply a 2.2 litre twin-turbo V6, with the regulations to run parallel to the existing 1.6 litre ‘power units’. The specifications now say the […]
Red Bull has ‘no intention’ to quit
Nov.17 (GMM) Red Bull is now confident it will be in formula one beyond next weekend’s 2015 finale. Earlier, the energy drink outfit was threatening to pull out amid its search for a new engine supplier. But according to F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, writing in the Telgraph, team boss Christian Horner revealed in Red […]
Ecclestone happy with similar grid for 2016
Nov.17 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he doesn’t mind that next year’s grid will look very similar to the one in 2015. All of the grandee teams including Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Williams and McLaren will field unchanged driver lineups next year. “I think it’s because all of the teams are happy with what they have,” […]
Minute of silence was for France – Lauda
Nov.17 (GMM) Two F1 personalities made clear the minute of silence on Sunday’s Interlagos grid was for the victims of the Paris terrorist attack. FIA president Jean Todt, the French chief of F1’s Paris-based governing body, was intensely criticised for insisting the silence was officially for road crash victims, arguing that more die on the […]
Verstappen also no ‘grid boy’ fan
Nov.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen is another F1 driver who is no fan of the new ‘grid boy’ concept. In Brazil, Sebastian Vettel jokingly warned he would “strike” if assigned a grid boy, as Interlagos introduced the new idea of mixing male with female ‘grid girls’. Vettel was duly assigned a ‘grid boy’. 18-year-old rookie sensation […]