Feb.2 (GMM) Toro Rosso’s new car is up to a second per lap faster than its 2015 predecessor. That is the astonishing claim of meteoric F1 teenager Max Verstappen, ramping up expectations of a very good 2016 campaign for the junior Red Bull team. Albeit with one of the best chassis on the grid, the […]
Force India eyeing third F1 force Williams – Hulkenberg
Feb.2 (GMM) Force India should set its 2016 sights on F1’s third force Williams. That is the view of Nico Hulkenberg, the Silverstone based team’s German driver who was arguably outperformed in 2015 by his podium-getting teammate Sergio Perez. Hulkenberg told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport: “I’m hungry. I want to attack. I want 2016 […]
F1 moves to Milan for more future talks
Feb.2 (GMM) A meeting last Friday broke with formula one no closer to determining the shape of its future. At London’s Heathrow airport, the teams, FOM and the FIA got together to discuss the rules for 2017, amid widespread disagreement about how to proceed. It was billed as the penultimate meeting before a March 1 […]
Britain clearing path for London GP
Feb.2 (GMM) F1 has turned another corner on the long road to a street race in London. The idea has been doing the rounds for years, but it might now regain momentum after British grand prix chief Patrick Allen admitted late last year that Silverstone might not be able to afford the race fee in […]
Teammate Chilton ‘cannot watch’ Bianchi footage
Feb.2 (GMM) Despite two recent tragedies, former F1 driver Max Chilton is pressing ahead with his career in motor racing. Chilton was the late Jules Bianchi’s teammate at Marussia when the Frenchman suffered his ultimately fatal crash at Suzuka in late 2014. The Briton says he still “cannot watch” the footage of the incident. “Jules’ […]
Force India signs billionaire’s son
Feb.2 (GMM) The father of a young Russian driver signed up by Force India for 2016 is a billionaire. At just 16, Nikita Mazepin will not be old enough to qualify for a F1 super licence for two more years, and so he has become a development driver on a “long term” deal. A kart […]
Maldonado out, Ocon reserve, Wehrlein for Manor – reports
Feb.2 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado has confirmed rampant speculation that he has lost his race seat in formula one. Before the Renault buyout, Lotus re-signed the controversial 30-year-old for 2016 but there have been reported problems between the Enstone team’s new owner and his backer PDVSA, the struggling Venezuelan state-owned oil company. “Today I most humbly […]
Kvyat hopes for ‘small progress’ in 2016
Feb.1 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat is hoping Red Bull can improve in 2016. Although now taking a back seat at the former quadruple world champion team, designer Adrian Newey last week warned that Red Bull could be set for another painful year in 2016. That is because, even after the bitter falling out with Renault, Red […]
2016 Toro Rosso-Ferrari set for FIA crash tests
Feb.1 (GMM) Toro Rosso plans to homologate its 2016 chassis later this week, according to a source close to the Faenza based team. That is despite the fact the team’s schedule for the new season was thrown into chaos late last year amid the so-called ‘Red Bull engine crisis’. While the senior team has been […]
Sources say Magnussen deal now done
Feb.1 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has now agreed a deal to race with the new Renault works team in 2016, according to sources. “It’s not yet official,” declared the Danish newspaper BT, “but we reveal that Kevin Magnussen has already signed an agreement with the French car giant.” The report said it was told by “several […]
McLaren livery change possible for 2016 – report
Feb.1 (GMM) Speculation is mounting that McLaren will kick off its hopes for a much better 2016 season with a livery tweak. The British team has had famously few livery changes in its history, having raced in either the Marlboro or West-inspired guises in recent decades. But last year, McLaren unveiled conventional silver colours for […]
Fans will spot Ferrari car changes – Vettel
Feb.1 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel admits a seasoned eye will quickly recognise the changes made to Ferrari’s F1 car for 2016. After Mercedes easily won the first two championships of the new ‘power unit’ era, Ferrari has targeted beating the German giant to this year’s crowns. “The title has to be our aim,” Vettel told Germany’s […]
Honda not ‘match fit’ for 2015 return – Arai
Feb.1 (GMM) Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai has admitted the Japanese marque struggled with a ‘lack of match sharpness’ as it returned to the grid in 2015. Teaming up with McLaren, Honda struggled badly last year and Arai admitted to the Nikkei Asian Review: “We felt the effects of our seven year absence from racing. […]
Haas to share reserve driver with Ferrari
Feb.1 (GMM) Haas, the new American F1 team, has no plans to appoint a full-time reserve driver. With a Frenchman (Romain Grosjean) and Mexican (Esteban Gutierrez) set to race for the Ferrari-linked team, it has been rumoured Haas might want a US-born driver to at least be appointed the third, reserve or test driver. But […]
Haryanto’s wait for Manor seat enters last days
Jan.30 (GMM) The long race for a seat at Manor is entering its final days, according to the Jakarta Post. The Indonesian newspaper is closely following the fortunes of Rio Haryanto, a local driver who finished the 2015 GP2 season in fourth place. He is reportedly on pole for a seat at Manor thanks to […]
Vettel can benefit from Mercedes feud – Wolff
Jan.29 (GMM) Mercedes chiefs are heading into the 2016 season with their eyes fixed firmly on Ferrari. “Ferrari has found its old strength,” declared Niki Lauda, a former Ferrari champion who is now the team chairman at Mercedes. Mercedes dominantly won the opening two world championships of the new ‘power unit’ era, but Ferrari is […]
Pirelli ‘delighted’ to talk tyres with F1 drivers
Jan.29 (GMM) F1 seems on track for faster tyres in 2017, as Pirelli welcomes the opportunity to meet with disgruntled drivers next week. Although earlier a supporter of the controversial era of ‘show’-inspired high degradation, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone this week backed Alex Wurz, after the GPDA president said drivers are unanimously pushing for “maximum […]
Honda already struggling with 2016 reliability – report
Jan.29 (GMM) For McLaren-Honda, the rumours are running as thick and fast as the expectations of a much better campaign for the famous Anglo-Japanese collaboration. 2015 was a horror reunion for the old partners, but recent speculation suggested Honda has found a staggering 200 horse power over the winter. Another rumour, however, is that the […]
Alonso no longer best F1 driver – Berger
Jan.29 (GMM) A single season has transformed the images of two of F1’s best drivers, according to legend Gerhard Berger. As he switched from Ferrari to McLaren-Honda, Spaniard Fernando Alonso was still widely regarded as the best driver on the grid. Sebastian Vettel, in contrast, ended the 2014 season having been beaten by his Red […]
Rosberg could be double world champion – Berger
Jan.29 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger has backed Nico Rosberg to bounce back in 2016. German Rosberg beat his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton late in 2015, but only after the now triple world champion had wrapped up the title. Berger told Auto Motor und Sport: “I still believe that Rosberg is insanely good. “His misfortune […]