Jun.7 (GMM) With a new engine in his car and a lesson in his pocket, Max Verstappen says he is ready for Montreal. After winning in Barcelona, the 18-year-old came crashing back to earth with crashes in both qualifying and the race in Monaco. 100,000 Dutch countrymen, however, were cheering him on at Zandvoort last […]
Ferrari to race new turbo in Canada – report
Jun.6 (GMM) Ferrari will bring an updated turbo design to Canada this week, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. Following early reliability problems with the all-new turbo design for 2016, we reported in April that Ferrari was working on a fix and until then Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen would be racing at reduced […]
Massa, Button, McLaren unfazed by rumours
Jun.6 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he is unfazed by speculation Jenson Button could replace him at Williams next year. Button, now 36, made his F1 debut as a teenager in 2000 and now rumours suggest he could end his career at the Grove team, replacing Massa from 2017. But the Briton, who currently drives for […]
Perez’s father triggers latest F1 rumours
Jun.6 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s father has triggered wild speculation about the next high-profile news in formula one. Ilta Sanomat, a Finnish daily, said it has heard from Mexican sources that Perez’s father Antonio has declared that big news is looming ahead of the Canadian grand prix this week. “It is rumoured that (Sergio) Perez could […]
Nasr not denying Sauber exit reports
Jun.6 (GMM) Felipe Nasr is not denying reports he is on the search for an alternate team for the 2017 season. Frustrated with stalled car development and worrying financial problems, the Brazilian driver and teammate Marcus Ericsson incurred boss Monisha Kaltenborn’s wrath in Monaco when they collided. It preceded reports Nasr could leave the Swiss […]
Sauber not willing to be next ‘B’ team
Jun.6 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn has played down “dramatic” media claims that Monaco recently was the low point in Sauber’s long motor racing history. “I see it not as dramatic,” the struggling Swiss team’s co-owner and boss said, amid obvious financial problems and the crash between teammates Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson. Kaltenborn had said the […]
Haryanto looking for money to complete season – mother
Jun.4 (GMM) Rio Haryanto’s mother has admitted the Indonesian rookie is currently lacking the money he needs to complete the second half of the 2016 season. Reports have suggested that while the 23-year-old is backed by the Indonesian government and Pertamina, the state-owned oil company, he could still be replaced by Manor after July’s Hungarian […]
Webber says angry Ricciardo will bounce back
Jun.3 (GMM) Plain-talking former F1 driver Mark Webber has named Ferrari as the most disappointing team of 2016. The Maranello team entered the season upbeat about its chances of bridging the gap to dominant Mercedes, but Australian Webber insisted: “Ferrari have been the most disappointing team so far. “They haven’t really hit their straps at […]
Report hints at Renault talks for Massa
Jun.3 (GMM) A Brazilian outlet says there are rumours Felipe Massa is in talks with Renault about a potential switch to the French works team for 2017. With not only Jenson Button but also Daniil Kvyat linked with his seat at Williams for next year, F1 veteran Massa admitted in Monaco that with his contract […]
Benoit says Sauber must change driver lineup
Jun.3 (GMM) A leading Swiss journalist has suggested Sauber needs to make a change to its driver lineup at the end of the season. In Monaco, their bitter old rivalry from their GP2 days came back with a vengeance when Felipe Nasr point-blank refused to accept the team’s order to let teammate Marcus Ericsson past. […]
More crashes could mean team orders – Wolff
Jun.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff has warned that more crashes between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg would cause Mercedes to rethink its policy of allowing the pair to race freely. World champion Hamilton said after Barcelona, where on the first lap he collided with teammate Rosberg in a race-ending crash involving both drivers, that Mercedes’ decision […]
Ferrari rivals not using tyre pressure tricks – Clear
Jun.3 (GMM) Jock Clear does not think Ferrari’s troubles are related to supposed tricks some rivals may be deploying to lower tyre pressures in 2016. In the last two races in particular, the Maranello team has fallen behind Red Bull and even further behind Mercedes, mainly due to a mysterious struggle in the latter stages […]
Maldonado looking to restart F1 career
Jun.2 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado has confirmed rumours he is “looking for a way” back into formula one. The Venezuelan, whose F1 foray with Williams and Lotus was heavily backed by the state oil company PDVSA, lost his seat at the end of last year. A polarising figure and widely known as ‘Crashtor’ due to his […]
F1 teams’ EU complaint making progress – Kaltenborn
Jun.2 (GMM) A complaint filed by two disgruntled F1 teams continues to make progress within the organisation of the European Commission. In September last year, struggling independents Sauber and Force India formally complained to the Commission’s competition authority over allegedly unfair governance and income-distribution systems in formula one. Little has been heard since. But Force […]
Honda upgrade no ‘revolution’ – Boullier
Jun.2 (GMM) Eric Boullier has warned that Honda will not be unveiling a “revolution” when it is ready with a new specification of its F1 power unit. McLaren and Honda figures have played down Fernando Alonso’s claim that an upgrade will definitely make its debut next weekend in Canada. “The new engine is coming, but […]
Alonso at ‘end of his F1 career’ – Piquet
Jun.2 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is edging towards the end of his formula one career, according to former Renault teammate Nelson Piquet jr. Now 30, the Brazilian’s own F1 career ended in 2009, after the explosion of the ‘crashgate’ scandal that was triggered by his deliberate crash in Singapore. His the teammate, Alonso, went on to […]
Ecclestone ‘world’s best negotiator’ – Monza
Jun.2 (GMM) Monza’s failure so far to ink a new F1 race contract for 2017 and beyond is in part due to Bernie Ecclestone’s negotiating tactics. That is the claim of Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the president of Italy’s automobile club (Aci) that has been at the heart of the troubled talks with the F1 supremo. […]
Sainz plays down Ferrari switch rumours
Jun.2 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has dismissed talk he could be F1’s next Ferrari driver as “nothing but rumours”. With Kimi Raikkonen under fire for a poor outing at Monaco and the Finn’s contract expiring, Spaniard Sainz is among those who have been mentioned as a potential replacement. But the 21-year-old, under long-term contract to Red […]
Mick Schumacher needs more time than Max – Jos
Jun.2 (GMM) Mick Schumacher needs more time than Max Verstappen did to develop into an F1-ready driver. That is the view of Jos Verstappen, the father of F1 teen sensation Max who made his grand prix debut at 17 and won his first grand prix just over a year later. Mick Schumacher, the son of […]
Verstappen’s Monaco mistakes ‘unacceptable’ – Villeneuve
Jun.2 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s performance in Monaco would have been a sacking offense had another driver committed the same errors. That is the view of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, referring to the 18-year-old Dutchman’s horror outing last weekend just two weeks after winning in Spain. “It was a terrible weekend for him,” he […]