Jul.14 (GMM) Christian Horner insists Red Bull will not simply poach the increasingly-lauded designer James Key from the junior team Toro Rosso. It has become increasingly clear in 2015 that, with Adrian Newey having taken a step back in 2015, Red Bull has been outpaced in the chassis department this year by Toro Rosso — […]
Grosjean doubts Spa clampdown will ‘improve show’
Jul.14 (GMM) Romain Grosjean is not sure the forthcoming ‘driver aids’ clampdown from August’s Belgian grand prix will be a game changer. Although the big changes to an image-struggling F1 will come in 2016 and especially 2017, one tweak will arrive ahead of the race at fabled Spa-Francorchamps next month. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport […]
Bianchi’s father says recovery hopes fading
Jul.14 (GMM) Jules Bianchi’s father has admitted hopes are fading that the former Marussia driver will recover from his head injuries. The 25-year-old has never regained consciousness after sliding into a recovery vehicle during last year’s Japanese grand prix almost ten months ago. “In general, progress needs to be made in the first six months,” […]
Van der Garde eyes DTM move – report
Jul.14 (GMM) Giedo van der Garde’s next move in motor racing could be to German touring cars. That is the claim of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, referring to the 30-year-old who early this year became embroiled in a high-profile legal spat with Sauber over a 2015 race seat. But fellow Dutchman Ernest Knoors, who […]
McLaren should be ruing title sponsor stance – source
Jul.13 (GMM) McLaren’s financial situation could be compounded by a lack of title sponsor, a report in the Sunday Times suggested. The struggling Honda-powered team is a distant ninth in the constructors’ championship, with most insiders not expecting the Japanese carmaker to make a big leap in the second half of the season. However, the […]
Button, Vandoorne eye same F1 seats for 2016 – report
Jul.13 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne and Jenson Button have found themselves in competition for the same F1 race seats for 2016, according to the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat. It is therefore interesting that Vandoorne, this year’s dominant GP2 series leader, recently split with The Sports Partnership, a management firm headed by Richard Goddard and Button. The […]
F1 takes another step towards European investigation
Jul.13 (GMM) F1 has taken another step towards being investigated by the European Commission. Last month, it emerged that despite small teams’ concerns about the fairness of the income distribution model and the Strategy Group, Europe’s competition commissioner will not investigate unless a formal complaint is lodged. The Financial Times reported at the time that […]
Lauda denies lacking ‘respect’ for Ferrari
Jul.13 (GMM) Niki Lauda has hit back at suggestions he lacks “respect” for Ferrari. Last week, the F1 legend’s colleague Toto Wolff had to apologise after Lauda provocatively suggested that Ferrari is better at making spaghetti than cars capable of taking on the might of Mercedes. But Lauda, Mercedes’ team chairman, said the apology was […]
Put ‘everything’ under rule-change microscope – Lauda
Jul.13 (GMM) Things are starting to look up in formula one, according to legend Niki Lauda. It has been a period of immense criticism and introspection for the pinnacle of motor sport, but the Mercedes team chairman says television ratings are in fact up. “The ratings this year, and especially since Melbourne, have risen in […]
Lopez set for Renault talks in Hungary – report
Jul.13 (GMM) Gerard Lopez is planning a rare-in-2016 visit to a grand prix next weekend. The Luxembourger, who owns and officially heads the Enstone based team known today as Lotus, has hardly been seen trackside this year, amid swirling speculation about the future. “He’s certainly been to two if not three of the races this […]
2016 German GP return ‘never in doubt’ – source
Jul.13 (GMM) F1’s governing body has released the first official race calendar for 2016, and it confirms the return of the German grand prix. This year’s schedule is currently in an unplanned three-week gap between the British and Hungarian grands prix, just before the sport takes a full month off for the now-customary summer ‘shutdown’. […]
Perez expecting decade in F1
Jul.13 (GMM) Sergio Perez is expecting to spend at least another decade in formula one. But the Mexican was also quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE as admitting he is not sure if he will stay at Force India beyond 2015. That is despite the fact that, after a difficult first half of the […]
Verstappen, Ricciardo play down Ferrari talk
Jul.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo now appear out of the running for the Ferrari seat in 2016. The pair had been linked with struggling Kimi Raikkonen’s place, but Toro Rosso teenager Verstappen’s father Jos insisted: “We have not been approached by Ferrari. “And if they are interested,” he told De Telegraaf newspaper, “that’s […]
Briatore guilty, court sides with Schu over privacy
Jul.11 (GMM) An Italian criminal court in Genoa, Italy, has found Flavio Briatore guilty of tax evasion. La Gazzetta dello Sport said the matter involved his luxury yacht Force Blue, which has been seized, with the former Renault chief sentenced to 1 year and 11 months of probation. Briatore, 65, and fellow directors were found […]
Massa should have moved over for Bottas – Hakkinen
Jul.10 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas should have been waved through to boost Williams’ victory hopes in the British grand prix. That is the view of retired two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen. “Valtteri had clearly better pace than Felipe (Massa),” said the Finn, referring to the controversial opening stages of the recent Silverstone race. Brazilian Massa has […]
Current rules stopping Toyota return – Ecclestone
Jul.10 (GMM) The current rulebook is dissuading more carmakers, like Toyota, from entering F1. That is the claim of Bernie Ecclestone, whose solution is simple: “Let’s tear the bloody rulebook up and start again,” the F1 supremo told the Guardian newspaper. The problem, he admits, is that he does not see eye-to-eye with the current […]
FIA clamps down after Mercedes’ pitstop ‘dummy’
Jul.10 (GMM) The FIA has warned teams against following Mercedes’ lead in ‘faking’ pitstops. After Williams and Mercedes duelled for the win at Silverstone, Toto Wolff admitted his strategists had tried to trick Williams into altering their race strategy. “You guys think you can fool us?” the Mercedes chief’s wife Susie, who works for Williams, […]
Ron Dennis still believes in me – Magnussen
Jul.10 (GMM) As he pushes to return to the grid, Kevin Magnussen hopes McLaren supremo Ron Dennis’ effort pays off. In May, Dennis travelled to Magussen’s native Denmark, where he made an appeal to local companies to sponsor the 22-year-old’s F1 comeback. “We told them that it was not only for me that they needed […]
Button understands call for more F1 ‘danger’
Jul.10 (GMM) When it comes to making F1 more “dangerous”, Jenson Button is also on board. Recently, F1 legends Niki Lauda and Kimi Raikkonen used the word to describe what the sport needs to do to rekindle the imagination of a dwindling audience. “I wouldn’t use the word ‘dangerous’ myself,” Button, the most experienced driver […]
Honda upgrade depends on FIA green light – report
Jul.10 (GMM) Honda is waiting only on the FIA to deploy more of its in-season engine development ‘tokens’. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, as the pressure on McLaren’s struggling engine partner increases. Asked if he thinks Honda is taking the right approach on its return to formula one, frustrated team […]