Dec.7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be on the grid in 2016. McLaren supremo Ron Dennis caused a stir at the Abu Dhabi season finale recently when he hinted Spaniard Alonso, arguably the best and highest paid driver in F1, might not return next year if the Honda-powered car is not up to speed. […]
Rosberg welcomes new tyre rules
Dec.7 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has welcomed the tyre-usage rule changes in formula one for 2016. The governing FIA and Pirelli announced last week that teams and drivers will get more freedom next year, as the range of different tyre compounds available at each grand prix is increased from two to three. The details of the […]
Boss says Hamilton ‘not irreplaceable’
Dec.7 (GMM) An unnamed team boss thinks Mercedes could seriously consider dropping Lewis Hamilton. The German team’s chief, Toto Wolff, warned dramatically after Hamilton won the 2015 title that, for the sake of harmony, the bitterness of the feud between the British driver and his teammate Nico Rosberg must stop. It also followed Hamilton’s sudden […]
Polarising Hamilton a ‘godsend’ for F1 – pundits
Dec.7 (GMM) Two F1 pundits believe Lewis Hamilton – warts and all – is good for formula one. “For formula one, I think he’s a godsend,” said former F1 driver and now German motor racing official Hans-Joachim Stuck. Briton Hamilton, F1’s newest triple world champion, polarises opinion in F1 with his speed and results on […]
F1 ‘will have different engine’ rules – Ecclestone
Dec.7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says the idea of an alternative engine in formula one is not dead yet. Before the recent F1 Commission meeting, the sport’s supremo and FIA president Jean Todt were pushing for an independent supplier of a new, louder and more affordable engine to come in for 2017, with rules to run […]
Renault to have Mercedes-like budget – report
Dec.7 (GMM) Renault will power back to the front in formula one with a Mercedes-like annual budget. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, following the announcement late last week that the French carmaker has decided to definitely buy Lotus. It should mean the struggling Enstone team’s court date over unpaid tax […]
Verstappen staying at Toro Rosso, eyes 2016 podium
Dec.7 (GMM) Toro Rosso has confirmed officially that Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz are staying at the Faenza based team in 2015. Along with Manor, the two Red Bull-owned teams were the last to formally confirm drivers for 2016, keeping speculation alive that the meteoric rookie Verstappen might be promoted to the senior team after […]
Bidders emerge as ‘parallel engine’ plan causes stir
Nov.23 (GMM) Up and down pitlane, and inside and outside of formula one, the sport’s plans for parallel engine rules in 2017 continue to make a stir. It has emerged that joining engine guru Mario Illien’s company Ilmor in bidding for the exclusive deal will be a British outfit called Advanced Engine Research (AER). Cosworth […]
Hakkinen slams crash-prone Maldonado
Nov.23 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen has hit out at Pastor Maldonado, as the Venezuelan continues to divide opinion in the F1 paddock. The sheer number of incidents involving the Lotus driver has inspired the website Has Maldonado Crashed Today.com, his latest contact occurring last time out at Interlagos with Marcus Ericsson. Maldonado hit back at his […]
Gascoyne linked with F1 return for Renault
Nov.23 (GMM) Mike Gascoyne has been linked with a return to formula one with Renault. Finland’s Ilta Sanomat newspaper reports that with the French carmaker preparing to announce its buyout of the Lotus team in Abu Dhabi this week, former technical director Gascoyne – most recently in F1 with Caterham – could be drafted in. […]
Verstappen comparison ‘not fair’ in 2015 – Sainz
Nov.23 (GMM) Carlos Sainz thinks he will look more impressive alongside teammate sensation Max Verstappen next year. As soon as Red Bull concludes engine deals for its two teams for 2016, Toro Rosso will announce that the rookie pair are staying put next season. “If the team is on the starting grid then I consider […]
‘Difficult’ to be ‘missing’ Schumacher – Vettel
Nov.23 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel dedicated his victory in the Race of Champions event at London’s Olympic Stadium at the weekend to Michael Schumacher. Together, the two Germans dominated the multi-discipline stadium-racing contest for years, but ever since late 2013 Vettel’s mentor Schumacher has been recovering from his near-fatal skiing fall. “It is a shame that […]
Rules will stop quick Honda comeback – Ramirez
Nov.23 (GMM) The current rules will prevent Honda from quickly closing the big gap to its engine rivals in F1. That is the view of Jo Ramirez, the retired long-time McLaren team coordinator who admitted the scale of the Anglo-Japanese collaboration’s problems as they reunited in 2015 caught even him by surprise. “Honda didn’t think […]
Hamilton ‘doesn’t have to win’ after 2015 title – Hakkinen
Nov.23 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen suspects Lewis Hamilton might not be firing on every cylinder in the odd tail-end races of 2015. After the new triple world champion dominated for much of the season, it is Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg who is suddenly on form, with two consecutive wins from pole. Both of Rosberg’s recent wins, […]
Ocon wants to represent France in F1 ‘very soon’
Nov.23 (GMM) Esteban Ocon is hoping he will help to keep France prominent in formula one “very soon”. The 19-year-old is one of the brightest new talents in single seaters, beating Max Verstappen in European F3 last year and now fighting to win the GP3 title in the Abu Dhabi finale this weekend. The Normandy-born […]
Verstappen happy with ‘father and friend’ in tow
Nov.23 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s ever-present father Jos is going nowhere, as the 18-year-old rookie nears the end of his meteoric first season in formula one. So impressive has the young Dutchman been in 2015 that many are either comparing him with Ayrton Senna or predicting that he could already handle Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel […]
Raikkonen keeps cool over Ferrari’s 2016 hopes
Nov.23 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is refusing to get carried away with predictions about Ferrari’s hopes of beating Mercedes in 2016. The pace of the Finn’s teammate Sebastian Vettel was tantalisingly close to the silver cars in Brazil, moving boss Maurizio Arrivabene to muse that Maranello can target not only catching Mercedes next year, but beating […]
Ricciardo hints Abu Dhabi announcement looming
Nov.20 (GMM) Red Bull appears set to stay in formula one with Renault power in 2016. Earlier, the energy drink company risked dropping off the grid amid its crumbling relationship with the French carmaker and failed negotiations to secure an alternate deal. “Quite a few engine suppliers said no, which is a shame,” Australian driver […]
Red Bull engine supplier problems not simple – Massa
Nov.20 (GMM) Felipe Massa does not believe Red Bull’s argument that competitiveness alone is the reason the team struggled to find an engine supplier for 2016. One by one, Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda refused to come to the energy drink stable’s aid as its relationship with existing partner Renault raced towards failure. Red Bull chiefs […]
Kaltenborn tips Ferrari to veto ‘client engine’
Nov.20 (GMM) Sauber chief and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn has made clear her staunch opposition to F1’s proposed ‘client engine’ for 2017. As Sauber is a small team and serial campaigner for lower costs, it might be said the Swiss outfit’s opposition to the plan for cheaper engines is surprising. Indeed, Kaltenborn agrees that the prices […]