Oct.13 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has played down the likelihood that he will have to spend the remainder of the season playing a supporting role for his teammate. After his Sochi breakdown, Mercedes’ German driver was actually passed for second in the championship by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. It means a German wearing red is now Hamilton’s […]
F1 will ‘never’ stop open cockpits – Ecclestone
Oct.13 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he does not back moves to put a cover or canopy over the drivers’ heads in formula one. A spate of incidents in F1 and other categories, including the deaths of Jules Bianchi and Justin Wilson but also Carlos Sainz’s worrying brush with the barriers at Sochi, has ramped up […]
Signs of progress as McLaren-Honda ‘tests’ in 2015
Oct.12 (GMM) McLaren-Honda’s focus is now firmly on 2016, as the Anglo-Japanese collaboration openly eyes the remaining races of this season as tests. Indeed, at Sochi, an upgraded ‘power unit’ – with a notably different engine note – was debuted in Fernando Alonso’s car in practice. And after Sunday’s race, teammate Jenson Button said: “We […]
Prost doubts Red Bull, Renault can repair ‘damage’
Oct.12 (GMM) Alain Prost is not sure the damaged relationship between Renault and Red Bull can be repaired. Red Bull, and its sister team Toro Rosso, risk being left without a power unit to use in 2016, after Mercedes and Ferrari ruled out jumping to the rescue. And it is clear that officials of the […]
Cregan wants quick decision over Sochi night race
Oct.12 (GMM) Richard Cregan wants a decision to be made quickly if next year’s Russian grand prix is going to be held under floodlights. Earlier, we reported that Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak and Sochi race organiser Sergei Vorobyov had indicated the 2016 edition could be held at night. That is despite the fact […]
Russia could stage first F1 night race in 2016
Oct.12 (GMM) The chances the Russian grand prix could switch immediately to a night-race format stepped up a notch on Sunday. As recently as mere days ago, Sochi race officials insisted that while there is a chance the ‘Autodrom’ could install floodlighting ahead of the 2017 race, next year’s edition will definitely take place in […]
Ferrari admits real focus now on 2016 and beyond
Oct.12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is still in the hunt, but Ferrari’s realistic hopes are now firmly set on a proper title challenge for 2016. Indeed, while Vettel actually overtook Nico Rosberg on Sunday to now be Lewis Hamilton’s main challenger for the title with four races to go, boss Maurizio Arrivabene acknowledges that Ferrari’s real […]
Engineer switch pays off immediately for Nasr
Oct.12 (GMM) Felipe Nasr is delighted his sharp turn in 2015 appeared to pay off immediately at Sochi. After a strong start to his F1 career early this season, the Brazilian has struggled more recently to feel comfortable in the Sauber and fend off the challenge of his resurgent teammate Marcus Ericsson. But in Russia, […]
Grosjean hopes Lotus has parts to fix car
Oct.12 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has admitted to concerns after his big crash in the Russian grand prix. The Frenchman, who has elected to switch from financially-troubled Lotus to the Ferrari-linked startup Haas for 2016, had one of the biggest crashes of his entire career at Sochi. “I’m still in one piece,” Grosjean told France’s RMC. […]
Mercedes’ title celebrations not ideal at Sochi
Oct.12 (GMM) With the late announcement of Kimi Raikkonen’s penalty at Sochi, Mercedes began to celebrate long after the chequered flag. The stewards’ call, after deliberating over Raikkonen’s last lap crash into Valtteri Bottas, gave Mercedes enough extra points to mathematically clinch the constructors’ world championship for the second consecutive time. But the celebrations were […]
Doubts mean no ‘development engine’ for customers – Wolff
Oct.11 (GMM) Uncertainty about the ‘development engine’ now running successfully at the works team is the reason Mercedes’ customers are not being offered the new specification. That is the explanation of Toto Wolff, after drivers of customer teams Force India and Williams expressed some consternation that they are now a step behind their works Mercedes-powered […]
Van der Garde right to attack Sauber – Ecclestone
Oct.11 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says Giedo van der Garde was right to pursue Sauber in the courts earlier this year. As the 2015 season began in Melbourne, Dutch driver van der Garde almost brought the curtains down on the Swiss team as he pressed his claim for a race seat. And Ecclestone now backs van […]
Rivals ‘afraid’ to help Red Bull – Horner
Oct.11 (GMM) Red Bull’s rivals are “afraid” to help the quadruple world champions amid an engine crisis that could drive the brand out of formula one, boss Christian Horner says. With the team’s relationship with Renault in tatters, Mercedes and Ferrari are currently refusing to offer Red Bull an alternative supply of power units. But […]
Sainz hopes to race after big Sochi crash
Oct.11 (GMM) Carlos Sainz checked himself out of hospital late on Saturday and is hoping to contest today’s Russian grand prix. Earlier, reports suggested the Spaniard would stay under observation overnight following his high-speed crash underneath the tec-pro barriers in qualifying, but Toro Rosso is now clearing the path for him to race on Sunday. […]
Honda making ‘progress’ with new engine – Boullier
Oct.11 (GMM) Eric Boullier would not be drawn on what sort of progress Honda has made with its struggling ‘power unit’ at Sochi. The new specification, benefitting from the Japanese marque’s final four performance ‘tokens’ of 2015, was run earlier at Sochi by Fernando Alonso, with observers noting a distinctly different engine sound. The Spanish […]
Pirelli beats Michelin to 2017 F1 deal
Oct.11 (GMM) Incumbent Pirelli has won the race to be F1’s tyre supplier beyond 2016. While an official announcement is yet to be made, Bernie Ecclestone appeared at the Sochi circuit on Sunday ahead of the Russian grand prix with Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera. On the grid, the F1 supremo shook hands with the […]
Hamilton on brink of third drivers’ title
Oct.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is now on the brink of wrapping up the 2015 world championships with four races still to run. And a late stewards’ call after the Russian grand prix that demoted Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen means that Mercedes has secured the constructors’ crown for the second consecutive time. Sochi winner Hamilton’s teammate Nico […]
F1 to meet to consider ‘token’ rule change for 2016
Oct.11 (GMM) A meeting that could result in a change to the engine development ‘tokens’ regulations for 2016 will take place in the coming days. The get-together comes amid concerns that Ferrari, but particularly Renault and Honda, have struggled to close the gap on dominant Mercedes this season under the existing regime. In 2015, the […]
Putin to attend Sochi race on Sunday
Oct.11 (GMM) Controversial president Vladimir Putin will attend the Russian grand prix at Sochi on Sunday, the state-owned Tass news agency reports. Adding that Putin plans to meet with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, a Kremlin spokesman confirmed: “The president will attend these (F1) competitions.” Tass said Putin has met with Abu Dhabi’s crown […]
Red Bull crisis hurtling towards F1 exit
Oct.10 (GMM) As the Red Bull engine crisis continues to unfurl, F1 seems increasingly destined to lose the energy drink company. As almost unprecedentedly-frenzied negotiations took place in the Sochi paddock on Friday, every iteration had its moment — talks involving Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, and all with the involvement now of Bernie Ecclestone. “There […]