Aug.27 (GMM) Eddie Jordan has hit out at Sebastian Vettel for his fierce criticism of Pirelli in the wake of his Spa-Francorchamps tyre blowout. The Ferrari driver launched an expletive-filled attack on Pirelli after Spa, and he followed it up this week with a written statement that made clear he continues to blame the Italian […]
FIA to back Pirelli after tyre blowout saga
Aug.27 (GMM) Four days on, the high-speed blowouts suffered by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel are still causing high consternation in the F1 world. None of his colleagues echoed Vettel’s Spa-Francorchamps rant with the same ferocity, but it is clear that – as the sport now heads to the ultra-fast Monza layout – concerns about […]
Lotus cars finally leave Belgium
Aug.27 (GMM) Four days after the Belgian grand prix, Lotus and its black and gold cars have finally left Spa-Francorchamps. All of the Enstone team’s transporters and race equipment had been barred from returning to its UK headquarters by court bailiffs, following action taken by disgruntled former reserve driver Charles Pic. Frenchman Pic was demanding […]
‘No desire’ for F1 switch – Danica Patrick
Aug.27 (GMM) Danica Patrick, the world’s most famous female racing driver, has finally ruled herself out of the running for a switch to formula one. The 33-year-old former Indycar driver had been linked with a Haas seat for 2016, not only because she is American but because she already drives for Haas’ Nascar outfit. Last […]
Susie Wolff admits F1 race dream nearing end
Aug.26 (GMM) Susie Wolff has admitted she might be nearing the end of her patience in the quest for a formula one seat. The 32-year-old Scot’s hopes of becoming the first woman in decades to contest grands prix were dealt a major blow earlier this year, when Williams overlooked her as the official race reserve […]
Promoter says Ecclestone milk stunt ended protest threat
Aug.26 (GMM) The promoter of the Belgian grand prix has admitted local dairy farmers posed a real threat to the smooth running of last weekend’s race. At Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone stunned and puzzled the the paddock when he appeared alongside a plastic cow and drank milk straight from the carton. But […]
Ferrari plays down Monza hopes
Aug.26 (GMM) Ferrari will debut an upgraded engine at its forthcoming home race, boss Maurizio Arrivabene has announced. However, he admitted that the Maranello team might struggle on the long straights of Monza. “We know very well that the characteristics of Monza are similar to Spa and Barcelona,” he said, “which is less suitable for […]
Ferrari blocked Porsche seat for Vergne
Aug.26 (GMM) Jean-Eric Vergne was offered a seat alongside Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg at Porsche for 2015, it has emerged. “I just had to sign the contract,” said the former Toro Rosso driver, who is looking to return to F1 next year with the new Ferrari-aligned entrant Haas. But it was Frenchman Vergne’s role […]
Briatore urges Mercedes to supply Red Bull
Aug.26 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has urged Mercedes to supply engines to Red Bull. While the F1 world waits for Renault to decide its next steps, struggling Red Bull is reportedly pushing to break its 2016 contract and team up with Mercedes. Arch rival Mercedes, however, is wondering whether supplying the field-leading ‘power unit’ to former […]
‘No panic’ as Lotus looks into uncertain future – Grosjean
Aug.26 (GMM) Even amid high speculation about the team’s future, Lotus is continuing to plan ahead. The last word about the Enstone team was that, as buyout talks with Renault potentially falter, all of Lotus’ equipment including the two black and gold cars was seized by court bailiffs after the Belgian grand prix. Asked if […]
Briatore backs Pirelli as Vettel anger continues
Aug.26 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has backed Pirelli in its spat with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. In the wake of Vettel’s expletive-filled rant following his tyre blowout at Spa-Francorchamps, the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport wondered if the German driver was also angry at his team for trying the risky strategy. “Just to make things clear,” […]
F1 to test cockpit-‘halo’ idea in September
Aug.26 (GMM) The death of Justin Wilson, mere weeks after F1’s first race fatality since 1994, has put the spotlight back on cockpit protection. Before the Jules Bianchi and Wilson tragedies, Felipe Massa was almost killed in 2009 when a flying spring struck his helmet, and Henry Surtees died in a similar incident in Formula […]
Vergne admits F1 return possible
Aug.25 (GMM) Jean-Eric Vergne has added fuel to speculation he is a major contender to return to F1 next year with Haas. As a Ferrari test driver, the Frenchman is undoubtedly in the running to re-launch his grand prix career with the new American team. Now a Formula E driver, Vergne admitted to the UK’s […]
Former F1 driver Wilson dies
Aug.25 (GMM) Former Minardi and Jaguar driver Justin Wilson has died, one day after a horror incident during an Indycar race. The 37-year-old Briton, who raced in formula one in 2003 before switching to America’s open wheel scene, was in a coma and critical condition on Sunday after the nose section of a rival’s crashed […]
Blanchimont bravery was ‘typical Max’ – father
Aug.25 (GMM) As his teenage son inspired gasps and cheers at fabled Spa-Francorchamps, Jos Verstappen was not surprised by what he saw. 24 hours after a GP2 driver, Dutch countryman Daniel de Jong, broke his back in a head-on crash at the same corner and had to undergo hours of surgery, it was Max Verstappen […]
Lotus stuck at Spa as Renault decision still looms
Aug.25 (GMM) For embattled Lotus, time may be running out just as Renault enters a further period of delay in its decision about the future. According to various media sources including the Swiss newspaper Blick, all the equipment belonging to the Enstone team – which is reportedly close to being bought out so that Renault […]
Honda has Ferrari-like plan to improve – Boullier
Aug.25 (GMM) Honda “has a plan” to dramatically improve a crucial element of its current power unit, according to McLaren team boss Eric Boullier. The struggling Japanese marque’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai left Spa-Francorchamps with a red face, having stridently predicted that an upgraded engine in Belgium would match the one now fielded by Ferrari. […]
Popular Raikkonen not ‘low cost driver’ – Arrivabene
Aug.25 (GMM) Ferrari did not decide to retain Kimi Raikkonen for 2016 because he is cheap and popular, boss Maurizio Arrivabene insists. There was a round of surprise recently when the Maranello team re-signed the 35-year-old Finn, amid strong rumours that had linked Valtteri Bottas and others with the seat. Team chief Arrivabene, formerly a […]
Pirelli, Ferrari move to end Vettel-fuelled ‘war’
Aug.25 (GMM) Pirelli and Ferrari, both Italian companies, will get together prior to the forthcoming Italian grand prix. The meeting follows the explosion of a controversy at the Belgian grand prix, where Sebastian Vettel launched an expletive-filled tirade after a tyre blowout at Spa-Francorchamps. “Nobody has ever seen him so angry,” said the Italian daily […]
Experts say Pirelli controversy is boost to Michelin
Aug.25 (GMM) Michelin’s bid to oust Pirelli as F1’s official tyre supplier may have got a boost from the fallout of the Belgian grand prix. Sebastian Vettel was not the only high-profile figure to boldly criticise Pirelli after his blowout at Spa-Francorchamps, as Nico Rosberg had a similar high-speed incident at the fearsome circuit. In […]