May 22 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he has no problem being featured as the new ‘Marlboro man’. In many countries, and in formula one in general, tobacco advertising is strictly banned. But not in Monaco, the micro-state and famous tax haven. And just days after it emerged that Ferrari has renewed its low-profile yet multi-million […]
Ecclestone faces $1.6 billion tax bill
May 22 (GMM) British tax authorities have resumed a $1.6 billion pursuit of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Bloomberg reports that the 84-year-old initially settled the dispute over his family trust Bambino. “The tax and interest demanded as a result of the decision is over 1 billion pounds,” London judge Kenneth Parker declared on Thursday. The […]
Rosberg surprised by Hamilton qualifying choice
May 21 (GMM) Nico Rosberg furrowed his brow on Wednesday when told about teammate Lewis Hamilton’s Monaco strategy. A year ago in the Principality, Hamilton accused his silver stablemate of deliberately ruining a qualifying lap and therefore the Briton’s shot at pole. This time, Hamilton has reportedly declared that the decision has been made and […]
Pirelli not sure F1 needs ‘tyre war’
May 21 (GMM) Pirelli is not sure a ‘tyre war’ is the solution to F1’s problems. In the past days and weeks, the fact the driving ‘heroes’ are often doing little more than keep their tyres alive at GP2-like pace has been a big topic of conversation. Indeed, the Strategy Group declared last week that […]
Red Bull admitting own car problems now – Ricciardo
May 21 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull can no longer complain only about its struggling ‘power unit’. Earlier in 2015, officials of the energy drink-owned team were pointing the finger angrily at Renault, bemoaning a lack of power, driveability and reliability. But Australian Ricciardo, Red Bull’s lead driver, said on Wednesday it is now […]
F1 recalls Bianchi ‘miracle’ on Monaco return
May 21 (GMM) The entire world of F1 is thinking of Jules Bianchi this weekend. Just 30 minutes from the glitz and glamour of the world’s most famous street race, the Frenchman lies in a coma in Nice. But one year ago, the then 24-year-old defied the odds by scoring points for the backmarker Marussia, […]
Hamilton ‘deserves’ his millions – Lauda
May 21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton deserves what he will earn under the terms of his new Mercedes contract. That is the opinion of Niki Lauda, who was closely involved in the long negotiations that finally ended on Wednesday with news of a new three-year deal. Respected media sources say the deal will earn 30-year-old Hamilton […]
Too soon for Ferrari ‘silly season’ – Bottas
May 21 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas on Wednesday said the ‘silly season’ has come too soon. There was an awkward moment between countrymen Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen on Wednesday, when the latter Finn was asked what he thought of rumours Ferrari is considering replacing him. “Who knows?” said Raikkonen. “We are both Finns but we don’t […]
Ferrari to try again with Barcelona upgrade
May 21 (GMM) Ferrari is persevering with a major car upgrade that did not work last time out in Barcelona. The Maranello team’s 2015 resurgence came to a halt at the Spanish grand prix, when a big package of ‘improvements’ for the 2015 car actually resulted in a widening of the gap between it and […]
Alonso says ‘slow’ F1 took a wrong turn
May 21 (GMM) Last decade, F1 took a wrong turn. That is the view of Fernando Alonso, as at Monaco on Wednesday the topic of whether ‘the show’ is delivering for the fans was front and centre. In 2015, a series like GP2 is now nipping the heels of its big brother in terms of […]
Hinchliffe injuries unlikely in F1 – report
May 21 (GMM) A horror crash like the one suffered by Indycar star James Hinchcliffe is unlikely in formula one. That is the claim of FIA technical delegate Joe Bauer. On Monday, Hinchcliffe sustained horrific injuries during practice for the Indy 500, when a suspension arm pierced the car, went straight through his right thigh […]
Grosjean to keep sitting out Fridays
May 21 (GMM) Romain Grosjean will continue to give up his cockpit in Friday practice sessions in 2015. Recently, tension was clearly brewing between the Frenchman and his Lotus teammate Pastor Maldonado, as the heavily-sponsored Venezuelan is contracted to drive in every session at every race. So it is Grosjean who has been sitting out […]
Honda denies engineer made ‘no wins’ comments
May 20 (GMM) Honda has denied that one of its engineers admitted the Japanese manufacturer is unlikely to power McLaren to race wins either this year or in 2016. An engineer by the name of Ryo Mukumoto was quoted by the Spanish newspaper Marca this week as answering “No” when asked if McLaren-Honda will win […]
Lotus cannot compete with top teams – Lopez
May 20 (GMM) Gerard Lopez says it is unreasonable to expect Lotus to return to the top step of the podium. A couple of years ago, when Kimi Raikkonen began to win races for Enstone, the team began to push hard to become a truly top outfit. Instead, Lotus utterly slumped in 2014. “If you […]
Hill says Hamilton ‘underestimated’ Rosberg
May 20 (GMM) Damon Hill has warned fellow F1 champion Lewis Hamilton to keep his eye on the ball. A year after the Mercedes driver’s controversial run-in with teammate Nico Rosberg in Monaco, Hamilton has reportedly vowed to “go out first at the end of qualifying” to avoid a repeat incident, Telegraph correspondent Daniel Johnson […]
Sainz lost lucky grey cap in Barcelona
May 20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz lost his lucky grey cap at the recent Spanish grand prix. For the past two years, as the 20-year-old conquered the Formula Renault 3.5 series, impressed Red Bull with his F1 tests, and earned his move to Toro Rosso in 2015, Sainz always wore the same Red Bull-branded grey cap […]
Alonso ‘right’ to leave Ferrari – Briatore
May 20 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has backed Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari exit as the “right” thing to do. Earlier this week, veteran F1 journalist Nigel Roebuck told El Confidencial newspaper: “To see Fernando Alonso at the back of the grid is a joke. “I can understand why it came to the point that he said ‘I […]
Former boss slams ‘unprofessional’ Perez
May 20 (GMM) One of Sergio Perez’s former team chiefs has slammed the Mexican driver. Peter Mucke is a well-known name in the formative classes of motor racing, having paved the road to F1 for stars including Sebastian Vettel, Robert Kubica and many others. In 2006, Mucke ran Perez – now with Force India – […]
Rivola returns to work for Ferrari
May 20 (GMM) Massimo Rivola has returned to work for Ferrari. The Maranello team’s sporting director missed the recent Spanish grand prix, amid speculation he had been suspended or dismissed over an internal team scandal. “He needed a week off and we gave it to him,” was all team boss Maurizio Arrivabene would say in […]
Dennis’ Boullier criticism ‘humorous’ – McLaren
May 20 (GMM) McLaren on Wednesday said a journalist misreported what happened in a recent team meeting. Writing for the Daily Mail, correspondent Jonathan McEvoy claimed that, at the post-Spanish grand prix debrief, McLaren supremo Ron Dennis was heavily critical of team boss Eric Boullier. “He said that Boullier had had ‘a good kick in […]