Mar.28 (GMM) McLaren-Honda’s all-champion driver lineup is putting a brave face on its situation. As in Australia, the two MP4-30s were due to line up dead last on the grid in Malaysia. The only cars slower around Sepang are the Manors, who were outside the minimum 107 per cent qualifying time. Those cars would only […]
Next hurdle for Manor is 107pc qualifying rule
Mar.28 (GMM) After the silence of Melbourne, Manor finally got its engines running in Malaysia. The resurrected Marussia team cited software problems two weeks ago, but were warned by Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA that another weekend spent idling in the pits would not be tolerated. Whether or not the sponsorless team actually goes racing […]
Schumacher’s stepbrother on Germanwings passenger list
Mar.28 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s step-brother was on the passenger list of the ill-fated Germanwings flight, it has emerged. The Berliner Kurier newspaper reported that 36-year-old Sebastian Stahl, a racing driver in a touring car series, was in Barcelona for a photographic shoot before returning to Germany. But Stahl told the newspaper: “Yes, I am alive. […]
Ferrari adds EUR 100m to F1 budget – report
Mar.28 (GMM) Ferrari is closing the gap to dominant Mercedes in more ways than one, according to reports. The fabled Maranello marque has made a big step forward over the winter, leapfrogging Red Bull and Williams to become clearly the second force in 2015. “The Ferraris look great,” said reigning world champion and Melbourne winner […]
Sutil’s legal issues with Sauber ‘not resolved’ – manager
Mar.28 (GMM) Adrian Sutil’s legal dispute with Sauber is still ongoing. Late last year, although both the German driver as well as Giedo van der Garde had already signed contracts for 2015, the Swiss F1 team decided to pair Felipe Nasr with Marcus Ericsson this year. Dutchman van der Garde pressed his case hard, winning […]
Hamilton asked FIA to explain Alonso crash – report
Mar.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton played an unusually forceful role earlier this weekend in the drivers’ FIA briefing, according to a Spanish newspaper. According to Diario AS, the meeting with Charlie Whiting was anything but routine in Malaysia as the reigning world champion demanded to know more about Fernando Alonso’s mysterious Barcelona testing crash. Earlier, Spaniard […]
CVC would sell F1 to Red Bull – Ecclestone
Mar.28 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has welcomed reports Red Bull might be looking at buying formula one. Some journalists have speculated there is more than meets the eye to the former world champions’ mischief-making in past weeks, including bemoaning Mercedes’ dominance, criticising rules that are “killing” the sport, and threatening to quit. Publications including Auto Motor […]
Hockenheim warns Ecclestone of contract ‘consequences’
Mar.28 (GMM) Hockenheim has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone’s suggestion that Germany might not return to the F1 calendar in 2016. The country has been controversially axed from this year’s schedule, but that was essentially because of the ownership crisis at the sport’s other German circuit, the Nurburgring. F1 supremo Ecclestone tried to save the […]
Alonso role meant no Indycar for Magnussen
Mar.28 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has admitted he let an opportunity to race in Indycar this year slide when Fernando Alonso had his Barcelona testing crash. With McLaren-Honda preferring an all-champion lineup of Alonso and Jenson Button for 2015, the Dane was relegated to the reserve role but still leaving the door open to race opportunities […]
Malaysia not ruling out night race
Mar.28 (GMM) Malaysia is looking into switching to a night race format in the future. Organisers of the now 17-year-old Sepang race have been in talks with Bernie Ecclestone about extending the contract beyond this year. A deal is now close. “We have made an understanding to our stakeholders that we extend by three years […]
Manipulating excitement would kill F1 – Lauda
Mar.28 (GMM) Niki Lauda says Mercedes is staying out of the political debate surrounding the team’s ongoing dominance of formula one. After Melbourne, Red Bull – threatening even to quit the sport in protest – called for drastic measures as the current rules and Mercedes’ unchallenged position of superiority are “killing” the sport. When asked […]
‘No change’ after Pirelli’s China buyout – Hembery
Mar.28 (GMM) Pirelli’s F1 project is “business as usual” despite the EUR 7 billion takeover of the historic Italian company by China. It emerged earlier this week that state-owned China National Chemical has secured control of Pirelli, which until now has been in Italian hands for more than 140 years. Pirelli chief executive Marco Tronchetti […]
Hamilton has signed new Mercedes contract – report
Mar.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has now scribbled his name on a new contract beyond 2015, according to a Spanish newspaper. After the reigning world champion said he hopes the deal is “done” this weekend in Malaysia, El Mundo Deportivo said Hamilton has indeed now signed up for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. “The official […]
Mercedes made fuel mistake with Rosberg in Australia
Mar.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton may not have been as dominant in Melbourne as first thought. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that a detailed investigation by Mercedes showed that it got its numbers wrong regarding Nico Rosberg’s fuel strategy. Team boss Toto Wolff had said after Australia that the German “did not have the weapons” […]
Engine customers no fix for Honda troubles
Mar.27 (GMM) Adding a customer or two to its roster would not speed up Honda’s F1 programme. That is the claim of Yasuhisa Arai, who was asked if the fact Honda is working exclusively for McLaren this year is one reason the Japanese marque is struggling. Indeed, Ferrari has two customers (Sauber and Manor) on […]
Ecclestone lets frustration show in Malaysia
Mar.27 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone cut a frustrated figure on Friday. Speaking to reporters in Malaysia, the F1 supremo refused to accept the blame for the axe of the German grand prix. The 84-year-old said organisers simply would not pay the right price. “It’s funny how these people dig up all this money for things like […]
Tension high as Red Bull and Renault head for divorce
Mar.27 (GMM) The tension between Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul was palpable on Friday, as the warring F1 partners appeared headed for divorce. Horner said Frenchman Abiteboul, who earlier this week accused Adrian Newey of telling “lies”, was “brave” to be seated right alongside him in the official FIA press conference. Franz […]
Drivers could get extra engine for 2015 – report
Mar.27 (GMM) Drivers may be allocated an extra engine to use throughout 2015, it emerged on Friday. Bernie Ecclestone sat down with team bosses in Malaysia and reportedly agreed that the new-in-2015 limit of just 4 ‘power units’ per driver for the whole championship can now be lifted to 5. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport […]
Ricciardo admits Red Bull chassis not best in 2015
Mar.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted Red Bull’s engine is not its only problem in 2015. In and after Australia, the former champion team took its long-time partner Renault to task, with Red Bull officials suggesting the only problem with the RB11 is its ‘power unit’. Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul hit back at those “lies”, […]
Rule stops Hamilton from wearing green helmet
Mar.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton cannot wear a special helmet this weekend in Malaysia. To celebrate title sponsor Petronas’ home race, the reigning world champion and Mercedes both revealed Hamilton brought a special green helmet to Malaysia. “How mega is this?!” the team captioned a photo on Twitter, while Hamilton also said on the social networking […]