Feb.5 (GMM) Sauber – transitioning to full works status with Audi for 2026 – is setting up a base in the UK. Last year, the team caused a stir by successfully lobbying the FIA to be allowed to spend more under the budget cap – to compensate for the higher costs of being based in […]
‘Scared’ Hadjar keeps eye on Red Bull Racing promotion
Feb.4 (GMM) Despite admitting to feeling “scared” and lacking experience, Isack Hadjar still has high ambitions for his first season in Formula 1 in 2025. The F2 runner-up was the final driver confirmed for the 2025 season, replacing the Red Bull Racing-bound Liam Lawson at the junior team Racing Bulls. A few days ago, the […]
Red Bull promotes from within to replace top names
Feb.4 (GMM) Red Bull has followed through on its promise to plug the gaps in its team by promoting from within. Amid the leadership turmoil and a notable performance decline in 2024, the outfit featuring Max Verstappen at the wheel lost a bevy of high-profile names – including Jonathan Wheatley, Will Courtenay, Lee Stevenson, and […]
Doohan wants to ‘cement’ place on F1 grid
Feb.4 (GMM) Jack Doohan says he is determined to “cement” his place on the Formula 1 grid. While the Australian rookie will definitely be Pierre Gasly’s teammate at Alpine initially in 2025, Flavio Briatore clearly has big plans for his new recruit, the highly-rated reserve driver Franco Colapinto. Team boss Oliver Oakes denies Briatore’s move […]
Low salaries driving engineers from F1 – Newey
Feb.4 (GMM) Formula 1 may be the pinnacle of motorsport, but it risks no longer attracting all of the brightest engineering sparks. One former Red Bull engineer, Blake Hinsey, thinks it is the budget cap that “f*cked” the situation in F1. “Just had a loose conversation with a recruiter about a F1 race engineer gig,” […]
Ferrari cut off contact with Jean Todt
Feb.4 (GMM) Jean Todt has revealed that he no longer has any contact with his former Formula 1 employer – Ferrari. The Frenchman, now 78, entered F1 in the early 90s to head the then ailing Maranello based marque. He then completed his time in the sport as FIA president until 2021. Since Todt left […]
Hamilton or Leclerc could get upper hand – Rosberg
Feb.4 (GMM) A former Mercedes teammate thinks Lewis Hamilton’s “inner fire” may be lit by his move to Ferrari. When they were paired together at Mercedes, they won every single drivers’ championship – three for Hamilton, and one (2016) for Nico Rosberg. In total, the 40-year-old’s title tally now stands at seven. “Lewis doesn’t have […]
Ocon will not clash with rookie Bearman – Haas
Feb.3 (GMM) Haas is not worried Esteban Ocon’s notorious clashes with teammates will hit new levels of intensity in 2025. The small American team has a brand new driver lineup for this season – the experienced Alpine refugee Ocon, 28, pitted against impressive teenage rookie Oliver Bearman. It has intensified suspicions that Ocon’s notorious past […]
Honda ‘lost some time’ with 2026 engine development
Feb.3 (GMM) Christian Horner has revealed that Honda “lost some time” in developing its all-new power unit for 2026. Last week, Honda Racing Corporation boss Koji Watanabe alarmingly admitted the Japanese marque is “fighting” to prepare the 2026 engine, because developing it is “very difficult”. Red Bull will use Honda’s existing engine in 2025, with […]
Red Bull ‘furious’ amid FIA’s flexi-wing U-turn
Feb.3 (GMM) Red Bull is reportedly ‘furious’ about a brand new FIA clampdown against flexible wings for 2025. Amid flexi-wing controversies mainly involving McLaren, the governing body looked deeply into the matter last season but ultimately declared that the rules would remain stable for 2025. However, it now emerges that the FIA will in fact […]
Marko admits Verstappen helps keep him in F1
Feb.3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits supporting Max Verstappen is one of only two reasons why he is still working in Formula 1 at the ripe age of almost 82. Last year, the notorious former Le Mans winner was almost pushed out at Red Bull amid the Christian Horner leadership turmoil and power struggle – […]
Massa owns two top restaurants in Brazil
Feb.3 (GMM) Felipe Massa is the proud owner of two successful, upper-tier restaurants in his native Sao Paulo. Today, the retired Formula 1 driver, 43, is best known for his days with Ferrari, whilst continuing to pursue F1 authorities over the controversial ‘crashgate’ episode that arguably cost him the 2008 world championship. Massa still races […]
FIA ‘right’ to oust F1 steward Herbert – Horner
Feb.3 (GMM) Christian Horner says the FIA made the “right decision” to oust Johnny Herbert as a Formula 1 steward. Last week, the governing body ruled that Herbert’s FIA work was “incompatible” with his parallel role as an outspoken pundit on various gambling-related websites. In 2024, Herbert’s involvement in a couple of highly controversial penalties […]
Team bosses back FIA over swearing penalties
Feb.3 (GMM) Two Formula 1 team bosses have played down the outrage over intensified penalties for driver misconduct like swearing. Alex Wurz, head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, is upset the FIA released the radical new penalties – potentially escalating to six-digit fines or month-long bans – with “no consultation”. “We had to find […]
Mercedes blocks Bottas’ naked calendar for ’25
Feb.3 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has been banned by Mercedes from releasing a follow-up to his ‘Botass’ semi-naked calendar. Last year, while still a Sauber driver, the Finn produced a charity calendar for prostate cancer research – with his bare rear end as the feature. But according to The Sun and Bild newspapers, now that he […]
Making all-new 2026 engine ‘difficult’ – Honda
Jan.31 (GMM) Honda is “fighting” behind the scenes to produce its all-new power unit for the revolutionary 2026 regulations. That is the slightly alarming admission of Honda Racing Corporation boss Koji Watanabe, just days after Adrian Newey admitted a single manufacturer could be set to dominate once the engine and chassis rules change. Red Bull […]
FIA to have ‘negotiations’ with Russia in February
Jan.31 (GMM) Russian racing drivers and teams’ struggles with Formula 1 governing body the FIA could finally be nearing an end. It was Haas that ousted Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali at the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis three years ago, but the FIA simultaneously imposed restrictions on any drivers or teams in all […]
Ocon was at Maranello for Hamilton’s first day
Jan.31 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he was “lucky” to be at Maranello for Lewis Hamilton’s historic first official day as a Ferrari driver. The seven time world champion’s first day, historic first photo, first Fiorano test, and first Ferrari crash this week in Barcelona have all been dominating the Formula 1 headlines. His former boss […]
Haas to reach budget cap for first time in 2025
Jan.31 (GMM) Haas has a brand new, luxury problem for 2025 – staying under Formula 1’s budget cap. That’s the revelation of team boss Ayao Komatsu, who says this season is the first time in Haas’ decade-long history where the operational budget is high enough to trouble the cap. It’s a combination of more sponsorship, […]
Red Bull wasn’t ‘too worried’ about decline – Newey
Jan.31 (GMM) Adrian Newey says problems he spotted with Red Bull’s 2024 car were not swiftly addressed by team management. Amid the power struggle and internal turmoil at the team last year, Newey – one of the most respected technical minds in Formula 1 history – decided to leave. It coincided with a very obvious […]