Sep.5 (GMM) Jenson Button looks set to keep his place at McLaren-Honda into 2016. However, it is rumoured that the team’s woeful performance this year could mean the loss of some of the last remaining sponsors, such as Johnnie Walker and Santander. The whisky brand confirmed to the Telegraph newspaper that “ongoing conversations” with the […]
2016 season to end in December – Ecclestone
Sep.5 (GMM) F1’s race calendar for 2016 looks set for another radical change. According to the provisional schedule, the unprecedentedly-long 21-race calendar will start later than usual next year, cutting into the summer break. But the team bosses were not impressed with that plan. “The travelling staff need to have that summer break and if […]
Mercedes testing 2016 engine at Monza – report
Sep.5 (GMM) Mercedes’ engine customers are yet to benefit from the very latest specification of the dominant German marque’s power unit. Ahead of the Italian grand prix, Mercedes handed in its remaining 7 in-season development tokens and unveiled what the Italian press is calling the ‘super motor’. Indeed, the gap to Ferrari and the rest […]
Lotus denies reports of pre-Singapore team collapse
Sep.5 (GMM) Lotus has hit back at reports Monza could be the last race in the Enstone team’s long history. Neither side can hide now that discussions about a buyout by Renault are taking place, as many of the details are being leaked to the media. France’s RMC Sport, for instance, is reporting that alongside […]
Drivers silenced as Pirelli survives Spa blowout saga
Sep.5 (GMM) The Pirelli blowout saga reached its zenith at Monza, when an unprecedented summit took place ahead of the Italian grand prix. Bernie Ecclestone was there for the one-hour meeting, as well as fellow hard-hitters Marco Tronchetti Provera, the Pirelli CEO, and the most vocal Pirelli critics like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. According […]
Marchionne not denying Red Bull engine talks
Sep.5 (GMM) If Ferrari impressed with its new engine and second and third qualifying places on Saturday, president Sergio Marchionne said the Tifosi will be delighted in 2016. On his first visit to the Italian grand prix in the wake of the long Luca di Montezemolo era, Marchionne said at Monza: “This year, the new […]
Promoter says ‘no panic’ in Monza future talks
Sep.5 (GMM) According to Bernie Ecclestone, the future of the Italian grand prix at Monza is hanging by a thread. Italian reports quote the F1 supremo as warning that, even after new meetings with circuit chiefs, the fate of the fabled and popular race is not looking good. “The renewal of the contract is unlikely,” […]
Drivers still nervous after Spa blowout saga
Sep.4 (GMM) Formula one drivers are still nervous about the tyre blowout saga, but Bernie Ecclestone has made clear he is perfectly happy with Pirelli. Just as he also negotiates with Michelin about the official supply contract beyond 2016, the F1 supremo indicated it is Pirelli on pole position, even after Sebastian Vettel said his […]
Gastaldi admits Lotus dramas not over yet
Sep.4 (GMM) Federico Gastaldi has admitted Lotus’ legal dramas are not over yet. Ultimately, the embattled Enstone team managed to escape the court bailiffs at Spa-Francorchamps and get to Monza just in time. But when it comes to the action brought by disgruntled former reserve driver Charles Pic, it is not over yet. “No, the […]
McLaren ‘best chassis behind Red Bull’ – Alonso
Sep.4 (GMM) McLaren is reverting to its older ‘long nose’ solution for the high-speed Italian grand prix. With struggling engine partner Honda, the British team has acknowledged that Monza’s long straights will leave Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button with blunt weapons this weekend. So McLaren has elected to take more engine-change grid penalties in preparation […]
Hamilton warns against Red Bull engine deal
Sep.4 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes should think again if it is considering supplying an engine to arch-rivals Red Bull. “It would be like giving Ferrari an engine,” the reigning champion, and current championship leader, told Spain’s Antena 3 broadcaster. “I think if we’re serious about winning world championships, we shouldn’t do it. Red Bull […]
F1 drivers argue for closed cockpits
Sep.4 (GMM) Among the F1 drivers, support is growing for the potential introduction of closed or covered cockpits. Jules Bianchi and Indycar’s Justin Wilson were the latest head injury-related casualties, but memories of the Henry Surtees fatality of 2009 and what happened to Felipe Massa in the same year are still fresh. “A helmet clearly […]
Mercedes spends all 7 tokens for Monza upgrade
Sep.4 (GMM) Mercedes could move yet another step ahead of its closest challenger Ferrari this weekend at Monza. Maurizio Arrivabene is playing down Ferrari’s chances of mounting a winning challenge at the high-speed Autodromo, and it appears he has good reason. Mercedes has confirmed that it is introducing a scheduled new specification of its ‘power […]
Sauber not worried about Haas debut
Sep.4 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn insists she is not “worried” about the looming debut next year of the new American team Haas. On paper, the Sauber chief might have reason to be concerned, given that Haas is set to apparently overtake the Swiss team as the preferred Ferrari-powered customer. But Kaltenborn said at Monza: “Why should […]
Teams win tyre pressure argument with Pirelli
Sep.4 (GMM) F1 teams have won an argument with Pirelli over tyre pressures at Monza. After the blowout saga of Spa-Francorchamps, F1’s official supplier informed teams on Thursday that they wanted an increase of 5 PSI in pressure for the similarly high-speed Monza. Lewis Hamilton predicted that would be a “disaster”. “I hope they don’t […]
2016 grid shaping up as silly season nears end
Sep.4 (GMM) As the ‘silly season’ nears its end, the 2016 grid is now shaping up. With Kimi Raikkonen all signed up again, Ferrari will field an unchanged lineup next year, as will Mercedes, Sauber and probably the two Red Bull teams. Fernando Alonso is contractually locked in at McLaren-Honda, and sources report that the […]
Grosjean not treating Monza as last Lotus race
Sep.4 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has not denied paddock speculation that, if the Renault deal now falls through, Monza could be Lotus’ final appearance at a grand prix. On the one hand, the Enstone team appears tantalisingly close to being bought and therefore rescued by the French carmaker, whose divorce from the Red Bull teams also […]
Williams keeps Bottas, Massa for 2016
Sep.3 (GMM) Williams will race into another season with Valtteri Bottas alongside Felipe Massa. The British team had options on both drivers for 2016, but it had been rumoured Finn Bottas was a candidate to switch to Ferrari, who ultimately re-signed Kimi Raikkonen. Brazilian Massa’s seat, meanwhile, had been linked with a paying driver like […]
Alonso ‘unhappy’ but ‘motivated’ – Sainz
Sep.3 (GMM) Carlos Sainz, the Spanish rookie who claims Fernando Alonso as a mentor, says the McLaren driver and double world champion is “unhappy” in 2016. Officially, Alonso has been putting a brave and optimistic face on 2015, despite McLaren-Honda’s dire performance. Sainz, who drives for Toro Rosso, paints a slightly different picture. “It’s a […]
Marchionne set for Red Bull engine talks – report
Sep.3 (GMM) Ferrari wants to re-enter the running to be Red Bull’s new engine supplier from 2016. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport claims president Sergio Marchionne intends to visit the Monza paddock this weekend not only to support Ferrari, but to try to convince Red Bull to sign up for a supply of the Maranello-made […]