Oct.31 (GMM) Haas has finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in the F1 paddock. It was already widely known, but Mexican Esteban Gutierrez is now definitely joining Romain Grosjean at the new Ferrari-linked American team for 2016. “He’s young and hungry, but not inexperienced,” founder Gene Haas said of the 24-year-old former Sauber driver, who this […]
Force India deal could be another blow to McLaren
Oct.31 (GMM) After eight years in formula one as Force India, the Silverstone based team could change its name ahead of the 2016 season. Multiple reports from Mexico City suggest team supremo Vijay Mallya is in talks with Aston Martin, the British luxury car manufacturer, about a naming sponsorship deal and a new blue and […]
High speed Mexico favours Mercedes – Verstappen
Oct.31 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father is not sure the 18-year-old can keep up with the front of the pack throughout the Mexican grand prix weekend. Max, currently linked with future deals at Mercedes or Ferrari, stunned the paddock by leading first practice on Friday in his Toro Rosso, before crashing out of the second. It […]
Schumacher’s closest friends do not visit him – Leme
Oct.31 (GMM) Reginaldo Leme, the famous Brazilian F1 commentator, says he can understand why Michael Schumacher’s family is so carefully guarding its privacy. Leme, a highly respected member of the sport’s travelling circus for decades, told the Brazilian broadcaster SporTV that even Schumacher’s closest friends no longer visit the great seven time world champion at […]
Manor situation ‘a waste’ says departing Lowdon
Oct.31 (GMM) Amid high speculation in Mexico about the team’s future, Graeme Lowdon said Manor will clarify the situation as soon as possible. Reports suggest Lowdon, the team chief executive, and Manor founder and team principal John Booth, are quitting the British backmarker at the end of the year over a dispute about the direction […]
Verstappen eyeing change of team for 2017 – Jos
Oct.30 (GMM) Rumours are continuing to swirl around Max Verstappen, the 18-year-old F1 rookie sensation. Red Bull – although occupied with the greater concern about finding power units for 2016 – is yet to officially declare the driver lineups for the senior and junior teams in 2016. It leaves open the possibility that Dutchman Verstappen […]
Mercedes will not be beaten ‘in short term’ – Alonso
Oct.30 (GMM) Honda will need to “copy” its rivals if it wants to speed up the process of getting on the pace in F1. That is the claim of Fernando Alonso, the frustrated Spaniard who admits his motivation is not high at present. He told the Spanish-language Fox outlet that, on a scale of one […]
Volcano erupts near Mexico GP site
Oct.30 (GMM) Hot on the heels of Hurricane Patricia, the F1 world now has its eye on another natural phenomenon. 75 kilometres from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, the Popocatepetl or ‘El Popo’ volcano has erupted. De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper, said the eruption has hurled a huge cloud of ash some 2,500 […]
Red Bull drops quit threat as engine deadline looms
Oct.30 (GMM) Red Bull appears to have dropped its earlier threat to voluntarily quit formula one. As team owner Dietrich Mateschitz’s end-of-October deadline now looms large, the message is that all the energy drink outfit needs now is a power unit. “We need to know where things are headed,” team official Dr Helmut Marko told […]
Gutierrez confirms Haas race seat for 2016
Oct.30 (GMM) Esteban Gutierrez has confirmed the worst-kept secret in the F1 paddock — that he will complete Haas’ 2016 driver lineup. The new American team has scheduled an official announcement to be made in Mexico City on Friday, to be streamed live on the websites of Gutierrez’s sponsors Claro and Telmex. Within the paddock, […]
Lotus-Renault buyout still looking uncertain
Oct.30 (GMM) With the Renault buyout still not done, the prevailing mood of uncertainty remains at Lotus for now. It could be that Red Bull’s eleventh-hour efforts to patch up its broken relationship with Renault threw a spanner in the works of the Lotus buyout deal. “A letter of intent is something,” the Haas-bound Lotus […]
Hamilton reluctant to help Rosberg beat Vettel
Oct.30 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is reluctant to help teammate Nico Rosberg cap off Mercedes’ 2015 season with a clean sweep. The German team and the British driver have already wrapped up the constructors’ and drivers’ world championships, with the only unfinished business now being a one-two in the latter title race. Currently, Ferrari’s […]
Ferrari shelves latest engine spec until 2016
Oct.30 (GMM) Ferrari has sidelined the latest specification of its F1 ‘power unit’ for the remainder of the 2015 season. That is the claim of the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, referring to the unit that reportedly utilises the Maranello outfit’s final four performance upgrade ‘tokens’ for the season. Ferrari considered debuting the engine in Austin, […]
Manor to lose bosses Booth and Lowdon – report
Oct.30 (GMM) Manor is losing its most prominent bosses, the Telegraph newspaper reports on Friday. Correspondent Daniel Johnson said founder John Booth, and deputy Graeme Lowdon, “have resigned” and will step down at the end of the year. That is despite the former Marussia team surviving the near collapse of last winter, and inking technical […]
Teams not keen on Ecclestone’s ‘client engine’ plan
Oct.29 (GMM) Up and down pitlane, there is little enthusiasm for Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA’s plan for a ‘client engine’ in formula one. F1 supremo Ecclestone, who has convinced FIA president Jean Todt to back him, said the current ‘power unit’ era is an existential threat to the sport. “We must introduce this new […]
McLaren confirms veto for Red Bull-Honda deal
Oct.29 (GMM) McLaren has effectively confirmed reports it has vetoed the supply of customer Honda power units to Red Bull next year. With Mercedes and Ferrari already saying no to the embattled former quadruple world champions, Honda appeared to be the last resort after Red Bull terminated its contract with current supplier Renault. “It would […]
Rosberg angry as Hamilton wins third title
Oct.26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s celebratory moments as he became a triple world champion on Sunday had a bitter tinge. As he equalled his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna’s title tally at the end of a dreary weekend in Austin, Briton Hamilton said it was the best moment of his life. But in the moments before he […]
Alonso says new Honda only ‘one tenth’ better
Oct.26 (GMM) Fernando Alonso put the brakes on McLaren-Honda’s apparent recent progress after the US grand prix. Using Honda’s token-upgraded ‘power unit’ for the first time in a race, the Spaniard had fought his way from dead last to fifth when reliability trouble struck. “If we had finished fifth I think it would have been […]
Mercedes denies reneging on Red Bull deal
Oct.26 (GMM) Mercedes has denied agreeing but then reneging on a handshake deal to supply Red Bull in 2016. Many believe the energy drink owned outfit only has itself to blame for terminating its fractured relationship with Renault before finalising an alternative supply of ‘power units’. But with a solution nowhere in sight for now, […]
Ecclestone unsure Finland GP ‘realistic’
Oct.26 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has admitted the idea of a Finnish grand prix might not be “realistic”. In August, Ilta Sanomat newspaper reported that the F1 supremo had talks with potential race promoters over the weekend of the Hungarian grand prix. Finland has a rich tradition of successful F1 drivers, including current racers Kimi Raikkonen […]