Dec.24 (GMM) Race officials are now confident formula one is staying in Italy. “The Monza grand prix is saved,” proclaimed Italian automobile club (Aci) chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani. His confidence follows progress in the Italian parliament recently, where the controversial ‘stability law’ was tweaked in order to help authorities raise the necessary money to ink […]
Rosberg contract talks only in summer – Wolff
Dec.24 (GMM) Toto Wolff says there is no guarantee Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will be paired together beyond 2016. Rosberg, for a start, has a contract only until the end of next year. “We will talk about an extension in the summer at the earliest,” Mercedes team boss Wolff told Speed Week. “Until then, […]
Wolff admits Manor seat for Wehrlein unlikely
Dec.24 (GMM) Talks to secure Mercedes reserve and DTM champion Pascal Wehrlein a seat at Manor next year appear to have failed. Toto Wolff has said openly he was in talks with the British backmarker, who are switching from Ferrari to Mercedes power for 2016. But the Mercedes chief told Speed Week he is not […]
Aston Martin CEO says no to F1
Dec.24 (GMM) The CEO of Aston Martin has confirmed speculation that the British luxury car manufacturer is in fact not entering F1 next year. Negotiations about a naming sponsorship deal had obviously taken place with Force India, but a source close to Aston Martin told Sky News last week that there is “a definite inclination […]
No ‘fantastic results’ straight away – Renault
Dec.24 (GMM) Renault’s F1 chief has joined 2016 driver Jolyon Palmer in playing down the newly re-established works team’s hopes for next season. After acting only as an engine supplier in recent years, the French carmaker has bought back its old Enstone based team from Lotus. But Briton Palmer, signed up to race next year, […]
Schumacher plight still ‘hurts’ – Willi Weber
Dec.24 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager says he no longer watches motor sport. “It hurts,” said Willi Weber, referring to the plight of his former charge Schumacher, who two years ago sustained brain damage in a skiing fall. “That’s why I no longer go to the race track or watch the races,” Weber told the […]
Pirelli must test to design 2017 tyre – Ecclestone
Dec.23 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says a dispute between Pirelli and the F1 teams means the sport might not get wider and faster tyres for 2017. It has been reported that while radical changes to the chassis rules are scheduled to arrive for 2017, a new engine formula might need to wait until 2018. But the […]
Raikkonen to marry, Button splits with wife
Dec.23 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen looks set to get married for the second time. The Ferrari driver’s partner Minttu, with whom Raikkonen already has a child, wrote on her blog that rumours the pair recently got married in New York are wide of the mark. “We did not get married but I did find a wedding […]
Inaugural Baku GP facing yet another clash
Dec.23 (GMM) Race organisers have dismissed suggestions another clash could hurt next year’s inaugural race in Azerbaijan. The country, situated between Russia and Iran, is positioning itself as a European country, having recently hosted the European Games and Eurovision. Now, although the race will take place in the middle of the capital Baku, Azerbaijan’s first […]
Those responsible for Bianchi death ‘must pay’ – father
Dec.23 (GMM) Jules Bianchi’s father says he is determined that those responsible for the death of his son will be held accountable. Regarding the controversial circumstances that led to the Marussia driver crashing into a recovery vehicle at Suzuka last year, Frenchman Bianchi’s family engaged a lawyer. The move came after the FIA presented the […]
Merhi assessing F1 ‘options’ for 2016
Dec.23 (GMM) Roberto Merhi is not ready to give up on his formula one career. The Spaniard made his F1 debut this year with Manor, but ultimately lost the seat to the better-funded Alexander Rossi. But speaking to Spanish radio Cadena Cope, the 24-year-old rates his chances of securing another role in formula one next […]
McLaren-Honda can find ‘seconds’ this winter – Boullier
Dec.23 (GMM) Eric Boullier says it is possible McLaren-Honda’s leap over the winter will amount to multiple seconds per lap. It was Fernando Alonso who made the original claim that, after a disastrous 2015, finding a whopping 2.5 seconds between now and next season is “realistic”. Many, however, think the Spaniard was simply issuing a […]
Minister says Russian close to F1 deal
Dec.23 (GMM) Rumours are gaining in strength that another Russian driver will be in the F1 paddock next year. Days ago, Oksana Kosachenko – the former manager of Russia’s first-ever F1 racer Vitaly Petrov – told the state-linked news agency Tass that “another Russian driver has signed a contract with a team”. “It will be […]
Renault says Maldonado, Palmer to race in 2016
Dec.23 (GMM) A Renault source has dismissed speculation the team’s new owner may not honour the contracts signed between Lotus and its 2016 drivers. With the French carmaker having taken control of Enstone after Lotus announced Pastor Maldonado and Jolyon Palmer for next season, recent comments by Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn suggested the pair might […]
Renault to announce team details in February
Dec.22 (GMM) Renault is not yet ready to announce all the details of its return to full works team status in formula one. But the deal has at least now been officially done, with the French carmaker and the Enstone team Lotus announcing in a joint statement that the buyout deal was completed last Friday. […]
Ecclestone to stop ‘Siamese twins’ Mercedes, Ferrari
Dec.22 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has hit back at reports suggesting formula one risked collapse due to some of the political events of 2015. “Formula one will never collapse. Even if we had lost Red Bull and Lotus,” the F1 supremo insisted during an interview with Auto Motor und Sport. Also contemplating quitting was the French […]
Jordan slams BBC for Christmas axe
Dec.22 (GMM) Former F1 team owner and boss Eddie Jordan has slammed the BBC for the manner of its departure from the sport. The British public broadcaster, for whom Jordan was a controversial and forthright on-screen pundit, announced on Monday that it is terminating its deal for budget reasons. “The week of Christmas is not […]
Short winter break ‘ridiculous’ – Raikkonen
Dec.22 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has criticised F1’s ever-shortening winter break. With the 2015 championship concluding with a post-race test, a record 21 races on the 2016 schedule and Pirelli testing to resume in January, the Ferrari driver said: “In my opinion, this is a bit ridiculous. “The break should have been longer, but it seems […]
Even Hockenheim future in doubt – Ecclestone
Dec.22 (GMM) The fate of the German grand prix is also in doubt beyond 2018, Bernie Ecclestone has warned. After a controversial absence this year, the country is returning to the calendar for 2016 due to an existing contract with Hockenheim. But it was the Nurburgring that missed the 2015 race, and F1 supremo Ecclestone […]
Manager denies latest report about Schumacher health
Dec.22 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s manager has rejected the latest media report about the rumoured health condition of the F1 legend. Bunte, a German gossip weekly, declared in its latest edition that while the seven time world champion is very thin, he can now take a few steps with the help of a therapist. And the […]