Apr.27 (GMM) Mick Schumacher won a race during his debut weekend in the FIA-sanctioned German Formula 4 series. “It’s just amazing to win a race in my first ‘formula’ event,” the shy 16-year-old son of the legendary Michael Schumacher said at Oschersleben. The victory will only ramp up the already huge media interest in the […]
Montezemolo denies calling for Ecclestone axe
Apr.27 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo has denied calling for Bernie Ecclestone to step down as F1 supremo. The former Ferrari president had been quoted by German monthly Manager Magazin last week as urging F1 owner CVC to “engage a management team” that prioritises “finance, marketing and the digital world”. Some publications interpreted the Italian’s comments […]
Perez expects to ‘suffer’ in Barcelona
Apr.27 (GMM) Sergio Perez is expecting Force India to struggle in Spain next weekend. Having earlier admitted the Silverstone based team’s lack of competitiveness was affecting his motivation, Mexican Perez then had a good weekend in Bahrain, finishing eighth. But Perez is not expecting a similar weekend in Barcelona. “Definitely we will suffer a lot […]
F4 figure questions Vettel ‘patron’ role
Apr.27 (GMM) DTM driver Timo Scheider has questioned Sebastian Vettel’s new role as a ‘patron’ of the Formula 4 series. “I’m pleased to make a contribution to increasing the attraction of Formula 4,” said Vettel, who knows not only F4 newcomer Mick Schumacher but also his teammate Harrison Newey, the son of Red Bull designer […]
European investigation into F1 unlikely – source
Apr.27 (GMM) F1 teams must lodge a formal complaint or the European Commission will not launch an investigation into the sport. That is the claim of F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, following reported concerns about the fairness of the income distribution to the smaller teams, and their lack of representation in the powerful Strategy Group. […]
Merhi admits Spain could be last F1 race
Apr.27 (GMM) Roberto Merhi has confirmed his F1 future is clouded beyond next weekend’s Spanish grand prix. The rookie has only been racing for the resurrected Marussia team on the basis that he may be replaced at any time once a suitable ‘pay driver’ is found. So Merhi, 24, kicked off his Formula Renault 3.5 […]
VW rumours return as chief steps down
Apr.27 (GMM) Once again, the Volkswagen-to-F1 rumours are gathering speed. At the Bahrain grand prix, Bernie Ecclestone was told of rumours that as long as he is chief executive, Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piech was refusing to consider bringing a brand like Audi into formula one. “Nobody has told me that,” the F1 supremo responded, […]
Mercedes denies Hamilton has signed 2016 deal
Apr.27 (GMM) Mercedes has denied reports suggesting Lewis Hamilton has finally signed his long-awaited contract extension. Germany’s Sport Bild said the reigning world champion and 2015 championship leader has now signed up until 2018, with an option to stay for a further two years until 2020. If he does stay the full five years, the […]
Honda move may have blown Alonso’s career – Villeneuve
Apr.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso might have blown his chance of ever winning a third title by switching to McLaren-Honda this year. That is the claim of 1997 world champion, who said Spaniard Alonso’s “early years at Ferrari” was the best driving he has ever seen in formula one. But he lost patience with the Italian […]
Manor ‘not worthy of F1’ – Villeneuve
Apr.25 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has joined Bernie Ecclestone in admitting his opposition to the Manor team. In Bahrain last week, when asked if he is happy the former Marussia team resurrected itself over the winter, F1 supremo Ecclestone admitted: “Not particularly.” Now Villeneuve, the world champion of 1997, has admitted he also doubts Manor belongs […]
Verstappen feels ‘respect’ of F1 drivers
Apr.24 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is steadily earning the respect of his fellow F1 drivers. When the season began, the sport was collectively sceptical of the 17-year-old Dutchman as he smashed the record to become the youngest ever grand prix driver. But in his first four grands prix, Verstappen has also become the youngest […]
Hamilton at Mercedes for next three years – Lauda
Apr.24 (GMM) Niki Lauda has issued a “guarantee” that Lewis Hamilton is staying at Mercedes. The reigning world champion’s talks over a contract beyond 2015 have been publicly long and repeatedly delayed, but team chairman Lauda said earlier this week that the saga will have come to an end by the forthcoming Spanish grand prix. […]
Sparks can ‘dazzle’ drivers – Sainz
Apr.24 (GMM) Not everyone loves F1’s new sparks. Last year, also to beef up the safety of the cars, F1 decided to return to its spark-laden past by adding titanium to the skid blocks in 2015. So far, the result has been spectacular — particularly under the night skies and floodlights in Bahrain. “Loving the […]
German GP demise good for Austria – Lauda
Apr.24 (GMM) Niki Lauda insists he has no sympathy for organisers of the now-defunct 2015 German grand prix. After a six-decade run for the key German market on the F1 calendar, neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring could agree a deal with Bernie Ecclestone for this year. “We would have accepted 50 per cent of the […]
Ricciardo on ‘same level’ as Vettel – Marko
Apr.24 (GMM) Red Bull is happy with its current driver lineup, Dr Helmut Marko insists. The struggling team lost its quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari over the winter. “It was a relationship that was built up over years but that does not mean we are left with nothing,” team official Dr Helmut Marko […]
Marko accuses Mercedes of ‘helping’ Ferrari catch up
Apr.24 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has accused Mercedes of actively helping Ferrari to catch the reigning world champions in 2015. According to Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, it is no surprise that Ferrari is much more competitive this year. “If you look at how much we won last year,” said the F1 legend, “it was […]
Revamped Valencia could return to F1 calendar
Apr.24 (GMM) Valencia could be set to return to the F1 calendar. The streets of the Spanish port city hosted five grands prix until 2012, but those race organisers subsequently faced accusations of corruption. So it is now a Singapore multinational called ARC Resorts that has proposed a new six-star hotel, casino, concert area, shopping […]
Force India proposes ‘free choice’ for Pirelli tyres
Apr.24 (GMM) Force India has come up with a proposal to spice up formula one. Sporting director Otmar Szafnauer thinks the races would be more exciting if more of Pirelli’s four compounds are being used throughout the field. Currently, the F1 tyre supplier selects two compounds to take to each race. “Pirelli has four different […]
Sainz believes he can beat ‘new Senna’ Verstappen
Apr.24 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is confident he can hold his own against his highly-rated teammate Max Verstappen. The pair both made their debuts for Toro Rosso this year, but it is only the 17-year-old Verstappen who is being compared with the sport’s greats. “They say that he is the new Senna,” Spaniard Sainz, 20, said […]
Bottas not sure Williams can catch top teams
Apr.24 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has joined team engineer Rob Smedley in playing down Williams’ chances of chasing down Ferrari in 2015. Team deputy Claire Williams admitted in Bahrain that the Grove team had hoped to build on its promise of last year and take on champions Mercedes in 2015. “That’s what we wanted to do […]