Jul.16 (GMM) Haas, the new American F1 team, has defended itself amid speculation it is already bending the rules. Currently, as it is not yet racing, the outfit is outside of the current wind tunnel testing restrictions. But its work at Ferrari’s Maranello tunnel recently caught the attention of the governing FIA, triggering an inspection. […]
Honda lacks ‘racing spirit’ of 90s – McNish
Jul.16 (GMM) Former F1 driver Allan McNish has questioned whether Honda can ever make a success of its new collaboration with McLaren. In the early 90s, amid the first, utterly-successful McLaren-Honda era spearheaded by Ayrton Senna, the young McNish was the test driver. But the Scot, now 45, says things have changed. “This Honda is […]
Verstappen’s dad plays down Ferrari rumours
Jul.16 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father has put a lid on speculation linking the Toro Rosso rookie with a sensational switch to Ferrari. The ‘silly season’ has caught up even with F1’s impressive 17-year-old rookie, but Red Bull driver manager Dr Helmut Marko insists Verstappen’s contract is watertight. And now the young Dutchman’s father and manager, […]
Bottas forever ‘grateful’ to Williams
Jul.16 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he will always be “grateful” to Williams for bringing him into formula one. The Finn was speaking amid ever-growing speculation that he is first in line for a switch to Ferrari next year, in the event the fabled Maranello team ousts countryman Kimi Raikkonen. 25-year-old Bottas, however, played down the […]
Mercedes has ‘trick’ beyond power, downforce – report
Jul.15 (GMM) There is more to Mercedes’ dominance than simply power and downforce. That is the finding of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, arguing that main rival Ferrari is now almost level-pegging with the world champions in terms of horse power. And as far as the chassis is concerned, rivals are now beginning to look […]
Nasr plays down talk of team switch
Jul.15 (GMM) Felipe Nasr has played down rumours linking him with a switch of teams for 2016. Not only has the Brazilian been impressive on debut in 2015, he carries the significant backing of sponsor Banco do Brasil, whose colours feature prominently on this year’s Sauber. But Nasr, 22, is reportedly frustrated that the Swiss […]
Mexico F1 renovations ’90pc complete’
Jul.15 (GMM) Mexico is right on track for its return to formula one this November. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, not seen on the F1 calendar since 1992, is currently being extensively renovated for its 2015 return. The fabled and fearsome Peraltada corner has gone, but in a new visit to the site, the FIA’s Charlie […]
Renault did not deliver power unit ‘promises’ – Horner
Jul.15 (GMM) Christian Horner has admitted the rocky relationship between Red Bull and Renault is due to a loss of “patience”. “A lot has been said and written about the relationship between Red Bull Racing and Renault,” he acknowledged in an interview with France’s Auto Hebdo. Indeed, team boss Horner’s comments come at a well-publicised […]
Horner wants return of F1 ‘Procar’ series
Jul.15 (GMM) The return of a ‘Procar’ series would be one way to make heroes of today’s F1 drivers. That is the view of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who acknowledged that the modern era makes it difficult for the grand prix stars to show their true characters. “With all these social networks, they’ve […]
Title impossible for ‘customer’ team like Williams – Dennis
Jul.15 (GMM) Ron Dennis has admitted he “definitely” expected McLaren-Honda to be performing better than it is at the mid-season point of 2015. “We had every reason to think that we would be in a better situation than the one we find ourselves in,” the Woking team’s supremo explained in the latest edition of Autosprint, […]
Pirelli wants more testing to spice up F1
Jul.15 (GMM) Pirelli has vowed to try to spice up next year’s grands prix. In 2015, criticism of the F1 ‘show’ has come from all quarters, but a big factor contributing to the excitement of the racing is undoubtedly the rubber on the road. The sport’s sole supplier aims for two to three pitstops per […]
Monaco crash gave Verstappen more confidence
Jul.15 (GMM) Max Verstappen says his big crash at Monaco helped him to find a new level in formula one. Many people – particularly 17-year-old rookies – might have been forgiven for giving in to fear as Monaco’s fearsome Ste Devote barrier loomed large at well over 200kph. “I didn’t have time to think very […]
German broadcasters keen to keep F1
Jul.15 (GMM) F1’s German TV broadcasters insist they remain keen to keep the sport on television. With the German grand prix missing in 2015, it has been rumoured that dwindling TV ratings could mean RTL and Sky also lose interest. The current contracts expire at the end of this year. But a spokesman for Sky […]
Dennis defends McLaren management
Jul.15 (GMM) Ron Dennis has defended the management structure at McLaren. The Woking outfit’s supremo recently denounced Eddie Jordan as the “village idiot” of F1, after he suggested the bosses are one reason the Honda-powered team is struggling in 2015. Dennis told the latest edition of Italy’s Autosprint magazine that he is fully supportive of […]
Bottas not right choice for Ferrari – Surer
Jul.15 (GMM) Ferrari should leave Kimi Raikkonen behind, according to former F1 driver Marc Surer. However, Surer – now a pundit for German television – believes the Finn is in theory an ideal teammate for Sebastian Vettel. “Kimi is the ideal number 2,” he told Speed Week. “No politics, always fair. But I think this […]
FIA tweaks Mosley’s budget cap plan – report
Jul.14 (GMM) F1’s governing body is proposing a cost cap plan for formula one, along the lines of the idea floated recently by former FIA president Max Mosley. While there is consensus up and down pitlane about needing to speed up the cars and spice up the ‘show’, there is still wide disagreement about how […]
Lotus denies sale to Renault now imminent
Jul.14 (GMM) Lotus has denied it is on the cusp of being sold back to Renault. Reports suggest current team owner Gerard Lopez will meet with Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn in Hungary next weekend to hammer out a deal. Given that, just half a decade ago, the transaction was in reverse, Red Bull team boss […]
Button admits F1 future uncertain
Jul.14 (GMM) Jenson Button has contradicted Ron Dennis by admitting his future at McLaren is uncertain. Team supremo Dennis had declared at Silverstone: “Jenson has a two year contract with McLaren. We are not even thinking about other drivers at the moment.” British journalists, however, immediately clarified Dennis’ reportedly misleading comment, insisting the 35-year-old’s deal […]
Russia, Malaysia happy with 2016 calendar shakeup
Jul.14 (GMM) Russia says it is happy with its new early slot on the F1 calendar. Last year and again in 2015, as Sochi joined the ever-expanding world championship schedule, the new Russian grand prix has been held in mid October. But as the newly-published 2016 calendar expands to an unprecedented 21 grands prix, Sochi […]
Horner denies eyeing Toro Rosso’s Key
Jul.14 (GMM) Christian Horner insists Red Bull will not simply poach the increasingly-lauded designer James Key from the junior team Toro Rosso. It has become increasingly clear in 2015 that, with Adrian Newey having taken a step back in 2015, Red Bull has been outpaced in the chassis department this year by Toro Rosso — […]