Sep.11 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn says she is not confident the small teams’ concerns about their future is being heard by F1’s governing body. Caterham and HRT have collapsed, Manor only narrowly survived the winter and now Lotus’ serious financial crisis is playing out publicly in the 2015 paddock. Sauber and Force India have also had […]
Honda could test F1 engine in Super Formula car
Sep.11 (GMM) Honda could fit its much-criticised F1 engine to a ‘Super Formula’ open wheel car, the Italian magazine Autosprint reports. In its latest edition, published earlier this week, Autosprint said the move could be a way for the embattled Japanese manufacturer to prove its 2015 ‘power unit’ is not as bad as many believe. […]
Ecclestone involved in Red Bull’s Ferrari solution
Sep.11 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone had to get involved as Red Bull broke its Renault contract and searched for a new engine supplier. That is the claim of Livio Oricchio, the respected correspondent for Brazil’s Globo, as the future of the former quadruple world championship-winning team shapes up. It is now widely believed that Renault has […]
Kerb could have caused Spa blowouts – report
Sep.11 (GMM) A new theory about what caused the tyre blowouts at Spa-Francorchamps recently has emerged. Pirelli was on the back foot after the Belgian grand prix weekend, as it analysed what caused the tyre explosions suffered at high speed by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. F1’s official supplier came under attack for the quality […]
‘No damage’ after Ferrari rumours – Bottas
Sep.11 (GMM) His performance may have been hurt, but Valtteri Bottas insists his relationship with Williams is undamaged in the wake of intense rumours. While the 26-year-old Finn was linked for weeks and months with a move to Ferrari, Williams chief Pat Symonds said he thinks Bottas’ pace alongside the notably on-form Felipe Massa was […]
Alonso hopes Button keeps McLaren seat
Sep.11 (GMM) Jenson Button staying at McLaren next year would be “a good thing”. That is the view of fellow McLaren-Honda driver Fernando Alonso, amid speculation the struggling Woking team might be close to agreeing to keep the 2009 world champion on board for 2016. Earlier, it was suggested the team’s woeful form this year […]
Hamilton doubts McLaren will be successful in 2016
Sep.10 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he does not expect McLaren-Honda to enjoy a return to form in 2016. Before moving to Mercedes, the British driver made his debut for the once-great Woking team, winning the title in 2008 and finishing his McLaren career in late 2012 with pole position at the final race of the […]
Mental coaching helped Ericsson beat Nasr
Sep.10 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson says he has worked hard to become Sauber’s most competitive driver. Early in 2015, it was the Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr with the firm upper hand at the Hinwil based team. It caused Swede Ericsson, who moved to Sauber after debuting for the ill-fated Caterham team, to re-focus. “The car was […]
Rules to blame for F1 problems – Berger
Sep.10 (GMM) Gerhard Berger says one of F1’s biggest problems today are the rules. The F1 legend and former ten-time grand prix winner says he now watches on television but finds the races hard to follow due to complicated regulations. “We are all so fond of a four-way battle for victory,” Berger told Austrian Servus […]
Hamilton has ‘hands on 2015 title’ – Alesi
Sep.10 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is racing to the 2015 title, former F1 driver Jean Alesi says. That is despite the fact that the Frenchman’s former team, Ferrari, is now steadily closing the technical gap to Mercedes. “I see a much better Ferrari than in previous years,” 51-year-old Alesi, who attended the Italian grand prix, told […]
Ferrari to change engine shape for 2016
Sep.10 (GMM) Ferrari is planning to line up in 2016 with a “completely different car and engine”. That was the claim made by president Sergio Marchionne as he visited the Monza paddock last weekend. Many were surprised when they heard those words, as the regulations are not changing considerably for 2016, ahead of the expected […]
Briatore says Monza future ‘99.9pc’ safe
Sep.10 (GMM) Flavio Briatore is now almost certain that Monza’s future on the F1 calendar is secure. Meetings between race officials, Bernie Ecclestone and even the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi broke last weekend without a contract beyond 2016 being signed. Still, former Renault chief and long-time Ecclestone confidante and business partner Briatore is confident. […]
Rivals unhappy with Ferrari-Haas alliance – report
Sep.10 (GMM) Rival teams are reportedly unhappy with Ferrari’s new alliance with the 2016 entrant Haas. Ralf Bach, writing on his website f1-insider.com, says the two parties are working hard to skate as closely as possible to the current rules forbidding ‘customer cars’. For its part, the American outfit Haas, already a Ferrari sponsor through […]
Red Bull set for Renault divorce talks in Singapore
Sep.10 (GMM) Red Bull and Renault are obviously now spiralling towards official divorce. It is said that even Carlos Ghosn, the Renault CEO, has accepted Red Bull’s move to end the contract, even though it will cost the energy drink stable EUR 88 million per year in Infiniti and Total sponsorship. “We can say more […]
Ecclestone meets to discuss F1 future for Turkey
Sep.10 (GMM) Turkey could be set to return to the formula one calendar. Last week, Istanbul Park – having hosted seven grands prix until 2011 – returned to the headlines when reports emerged that new operator Intercity planned to turn the Hermann Tilke-penned circuit into a used car dealership. It turned out the reports were […]
Red Bull not taking V6 era ‘seriously’ – Berger
Sep.10 (GMM) Red Bull split with its long-time engine partner because Renault did not spend enough. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger, who said he is not surprised his friend Dietrich Mateschitz has decided on a new path for his two teams. It is expected that, after Mercedes closed the door, Red […]
Raikkonen emerging from ‘number 2’ status – Hakkinen
Sep.10 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is beginning to emerge from his earlier role as de-facto ‘number 2’ at Ferrari, according to countryman Mika Hakkinen. Last year the Finn was outclassed by Fernando Alonso, and initially this year new teammate and friend Sebastian Vettel also had the edge on Raikkonen. But, more recently, the 35-year-old has upped […]
New engine deal ‘first step’ to Red Bull future
Sep.10 (GMM) Red Bull is now all but admitting that its next engine partner will be Ferrari. The energy drink stable, also comprising the Faenza based team Toro Rosso, has reportedly told Renault it is terminating the contracts, and strong rumours suggest even Carlos Ghosn has now accepted the split. “I can say more after […]
Teams often took ‘risks’ with pressures – Hakkinen
Sep.9 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen has weighed into the Monza tyre pressure saga by saying that in his experience teams often took “risks”. The Italian grand prix was the first time a tyre manufacturer’s usage guidelines were strictly enforced, after Pirelli increased the recommended minimum pressure in the wake of high-speed blowouts at Spa. After the […]
Monza showed Mercedes ‘fragile’ – Marchionne
Sep.9 (GMM) Monza was proof that Mercedes’ stroll to the 2015 title might not be as easy as some are now expecting. Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been quoted as saying the engine performance upgrade brought to the Italian grand prix by Mercedes was “scary”. But the new unit used initially by Nico Rosberg […]