May 15 (GMM) Carlos Sainz rejected suggestions he redeemed himself in Barcelona by performing so strongly for Toro Rosso. The Spaniard qualified a strong eighth at his home circuit on Saturday, five places ahead of his new teammate Daniil Kvyat, who returns from the top squad to Red Bull’s junior team. All the attention, however, […]
Mission accomplished for Max’s father Jos
May 15 (GMM) Jos Verstappen is taking a step back from the limelight in the career of his son and F1 teen sensation Max. 44-year-old Jos, known throughout his own F1 racing career as ‘The Boss’, was an ever-present figure in the garage until this weekend in Barcelona. What has changed is that Max has […]
Vettel yet to talk to Ferrari about 2017 teammate
May 15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has hinted he will recommend to Ferrari that Kimi Raikkonen is kept on board for another season. Last year, when the Finn and 2007 world champion’s contract was also up for renewal, German Vettel argued strongly that Raikkonen should be retained. When asked if he has now talked with Ferrari […]
No Friday outings for Vandoorne – Boullier
May 15 (GMM) McLaren-Honda team boss Eric Boullier says there are no plans for Stoffel Vandoorne to be given Friday morning outings in 2016. Another works team, Renault, is giving Sergey Sirotkin, Esteban Ocon and Nicholas Latifi the chance to drive the F1 car during grand prix weekends this year. McLaren, meanwhile, has hopeful charger […]
No ‘negative pressure’ at Renault – Magnussen
May 15 (GMM) Even though three young chargers are knocking on the door, Kevin Magnussen sounds secure in his race seat at Renault. So far in 2016, the Dane and his teammate Jolyon Palmer have each had to sit out a Friday practice session, as Renault promotes its young test drivers Sergey Sirotkin and Esteban […]
Q3 a ‘small milestone’ for McLaren – Alonso
May 15 (GMM) McLaren-Honda is continuing its slow climb out of the doldrums of 2015. Saturday in Barcelona was the first time the Anglo-Japanese’s collaboration resulted in a mere Q3 result, with Fernando Alonso calling his P10 a “small milestone”. “The next one must be to regularly finish in the points, then the podium,” said […]
Marchionne pressure causing Ferrari mistakes – Lauda
May 15 (GMM) Niki Lauda has hit out at the pressure Ferrari’s president Sergio Marchionne is putting on the faltering Maranello team. Heading into the Barcelona round, Ferrari and Fiat chief Marchionne had said he expected the team to immediately end its winning drought in 2016. But the red cars were actually outpaced in qualifying […]
Verstappen must be on Ricciardo’s pace – Marko
May 14 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he expects Max Verstappen to be immediately close to new teammate Daniel Ricciardo’s pace. “He must not necessarily beat Ricciardo,” said the Red Bull official, “but he has to be on the same level as him. “As a team this is for us important,” Marko told the Austrian […]
Pirelli unsure about Palmer blowout cause
May 14 (GMM) Renault and Pirelli are puzzled as to the cause of Jolyon Palmer’s high-speed tyre blowout in Friday practice. In the morning session, it was youngster Esteban Ocon at the wheel of the yellow car, but his rear puncture is said to have been clearly caused by debris. Later, however, the cause of […]
Haas drivers unhappy in Spain
May 14 (GMM) Haas, F1’s new American team, fielded two very unhappy race drivers in practice ahead of the Spanish grand prix. Romain Grosjean, for one, swore on the radio about an “undriveable” car. “Romain wants us to make progress,” boss Gunther Steiner is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. “If he tells us only […]
Raikkonen not too old for 2017 seat – Arrivabene
May 14 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene has indicated Kimi Raikkonen stands a strong chance of keeping his seat at Ferrari for 2017. The Finn has often struggled since returning to Maranello alongside first Fernando Alonso and then Sebastian Vettel, but has appeared in better form so far in 2016. Indeed, as he referred to Vettel and […]
Verstappen says Toro Rosso engineer exits ‘strange’
May 14 (GMM) Following Max Verstappen’s switch to Red Bull, it is increasingly clear there is little love lost between the Dutchman and Toro Rosso. The energy drink company undoubtedly promoted the 18-year-old to keep him out of the clutches of Ferrari and Mercedes, but it is also believed it ended a period of tension […]
Rosberg aims to avoid first lap drama
May 14 (GMM) Championship leader Nico Rosberg said he will wary at the start of Sunday’s Spanish grand prix, following a spate of first-corner crashes in 2016. While the German has serenely won all four races so far this season and escaped the chaos, it is believed the issue of his rivals – notably Daniil […]
Customers happy with Ferrari engine upgrade
May 14 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2016-spec engine customers have given the thumbs up to the new ‘power unit’ specification released by the Maranello marque for Spain. The works team debuted the update in Russia, but it is now up and running at the customer teams Sauber and Haas as well. “It’s a track on which we […]
McLaren on track for clash with FIA over engines
May 14 (GMM) McLaren-Honda could be shaping up to clash with F1’s governing body over the new engine regulations. Fabrice Lom, the FIA’s engine chief, said in Barcelona that the rules now say teams potentially left without an engine next year will be supplied by the manufacturer with the fewest number of customers. As the […]
Magnussen quiet over Renault’s young drivers
May 14 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he is not sure what Renault has in mind with its growing list of young test drivers. So far in 2016, Russian Sergey Sirotkin and Frenchman Esteban Ocon have driven the yellow car on a Friday morning. And now it emerges that the French marque plans to give a […]
Button, Vandoorne enter 2017 ‘silly season’
May 14 (GMM) ‘Silly season’ rumours about the futures of Jenson Button and Stoffel Vandoorne are revving up in Barcelona. When asked ahead of the Spanish grand prix if he would like to have the veteran Button as his 2017 teammate, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas answered: “Yes.” But according to the Spanish daily Marca, a press […]
Ricciardo says contractual situation ‘open’
May 14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is not completely ruling himself out of the 2017 ‘silly season’. Last year, the Australian put forward his name as a contender to switch to Ferrari, but Red Bull officials are once again insisting that Ricciardo is firmly under contract. It is noteworthy, however, that those same officials have seldom […]
Next circuits better for Ferrari – Vettel
May 14 (GMM) Amid rising pressure, Ferrari is still upbeat about 2016. President Sergio Marchionne is piling on the expectations of victory, and rumours are swirling around the future of team boss Maurizio Arrivabene. But Sebastian Vettel actually thinks Ferrari, already looking fast in Barcelona, has a real chance this weekend. “On paper yes but […]
Hamilton could take year off in 2017 – rumour
May 14 (GMM) A wild rumour is being whispered in the Barcelona paddock about Lewis Hamilton’s future in F1. The rumour follows a poor run of reliability for the Briton’s Mercedes, as his teammate Nico Rosberg lines up an eighth consecutive win in the Spanish grand prix. “I am sure we will get through it […]