May 13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at reports he issued a new ultimatum about Red Bull’s involvement in formula one. The BBC on Monday quoted the Austrian as declaring: “If we don’t have a competitive engine in the near future, then either Audi is coming or we are out.” But Marko now […]
Marko’s ‘exceptional juniors’ pile pressure on Kvyat
May 13 (GMM) Toro Rosso’s “exceptional” drivers are free to race their counterparts in the senior Red Bull team. That is the news of Dr Helmut Marko, the infamous boss of the energy drink company’s F1 driver programme. The senior team, headed in the cockpit by Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat, is in a deep […]
Gutierrez ‘had meeting’ with Haas – report
May 13 (GMM) Esteban Gutierrez appears to be in pole position to head the new Haas team’s driver lineup next year. According to Italy’s Autosprint, the Mexican had a “long meeting” with the incoming American team’s owner Gene Haas over the course of the Spanish grand prix weekend. Haas, also a Nascar team co-owner, was […]
CVC’s Mackenzie to attend crucial F1 summit
May 13 (GMM) Even the normally low-profile Donald Mackenzie and Jean Todt are looking ahead to Thursday’s critical meeting of the powerful Strategy Group. Faced with the sport’s stakeholders baying collectively for urgent change, all of the most influential F1 figures will get together on Thursday at F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s airport facility at Biggin […]
‘No problem’ between Lotus duo – Maldonado
May 13 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado has not ramped up the tension with his teammate Romain Grosjean. In Barcelona, it emerged that tension between the pair was growing over the ‘Friday practice’ issue, as it is always Grosjean who is giving up his cockpit for reserve Jolyon Palmer. The strongly PDVSA-backed Maldonado has reportedly refused to […]
Michelin pushing for F1 return
May 13 (GMM) Michelin has confirmed its interest in returning to formula one. Italy’s Autosprint reported that the former F1 tyre supplier could go head-to-head with Pirelli in the forthcoming tender process to become the sport’s official partner from 2017. As the ‘tyre war’ era ended at the end of 2006, and also due to […]
Rosberg happy if Hamilton signs new deal
May 13 (GMM) Nico Rosberg says he is happy if Lewis Hamilton stays at Mercedes beyond 2015. After a long period of negotiation and speculation, the latest reports suggest reigning world champion Hamilton’s new contract will finally be unveiled in Monaco. But “I don’t know what will happen,” Italy’s Autosprint quoted Rosberg as saying at […]
Briatore facing jail over tax fraud
May 13 (GMM) Flavio Briatore could face four years in jail over alleged tax fraud. Five years ago, Italian police seized the former Renault chief’s 60-metre luxury yacht Force Blue, saying it was improperly registered as a charter for tax purposes. The case returned to the Genoa courts this week, according to Italian media reports. […]
Candidates line up for Force India role
May 13 (GMM) The candidates are lining up to be Force India’s official reserve driver. “We are looking,” confirmed deputy team boss Bob Fernley. Pascal Wehrlein, who is already Mercedes’ reserve, was scheduled to drive the Mercedes-powered Force India on the first day of this week’s Barcelona test. But media reports said his outing was […]
Jorda says McLaren ‘impatient’ with Honda
May 12 (GMM) Carmen Jorda, the female development driver for Lotus, says she has heard whispers of discord at McLaren-Honda. Spaniard and former GP3 driver Jorda, 26, is attending all the grands prix this year with the Enstone team. Regarding McLaren-Honda’s run of disappointing form at the beginning of the new works alliance, she revealed: […]
F1 cars ‘too complicated’ now – Prost
May 12 (GMM) Alain Prost, once nicknamed ‘The Professor’ in F1 for his famously intellectual approach to racing, has admitted the sport is now too complicated. F1’s controversial rules are a hot topic at present, as spectator, sponsor and television numbers decline and major stakeholders like Bernie Ecclestone and Red Bull argue stridently for urgent […]
Mercedes to change pitstop philosophy – Lauda
May 12 (GMM) Mercedes will change its philosophy regarding pitstops ahead of Monaco, team chairman Niki Lauda has announced. Although the German team extended its performance advantage over Ferrari in Barcelona, it is the Italian outfit that is now clearly the fastest in the pits. “Mercedes has had the strategy of leaving a few tenths […]
Audi could prevent Red Bull exit – Marko
May 12 (GMM) Audi could stop Red Bull from quitting formula one. That is the sensational claim of the former world champion team’s Austrian official Dr Helmut Marko, adding even more fuel to rumours the Volkswagen-owned German carmaker is considering entering formula one. Indeed, even Audi chief Rupert Stadler is no longer issuing blank denials, […]
Teams survived FIA fuel flow checks
May 12 (GMM) Teams escaped the ire of F1’s governing body following a spate of post-race fuel systems checks after the Spanish grand prix. Just after qualifying in Barcelona, the FIA told teams it was clamping down harder on the ‘fuel flow’ rules, amid suspicions some top teams had found a loophole. Immediately, amid Niki […]
Ferrari criticised for Barcelona test lineup
May 12 (GMM) The only team missing from the post-race Barcelona test this week is Manor. “There is nothing to test,” Britain’s Times newspaper quoted deputy boss Graeme Lowdon as saying before the struggling backmarker left the Spanish grand prix venue. The two-day test, at which every team present must field at least one rookie, […]
McLaren wants helmet ‘tear-off’ rethink
May 12 (GMM) McLaren has called on F1 to consider a rule tweak about the disposal of drivers’ helmet visor tear-offs. The Honda-powered team found that Fernando Alonso’s brake failure in the Spanish grand prix, which caused him to almost run over the front jack-man in the pits, was caused by one of the disposable […]
Alonso defends Button after ‘negative’ slip
May 12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has defended his teammate Jenson Button, after the British driver let his positivity slip after the Spanish grand prix. McLaren-Honda’s drivers and team management have been the epitome of positive energy so far in 2015, despite their disastrous level of performance and reliability. But after the Barcelona race, Button admitted […]
Red Bull ‘drivers not our problem’ – Horner
May 12 (GMM) Christian Horner has leapt to the defence of Red Bull’s drivers. Amid the Renault-powered former champions’ deep crisis, team official Dr Helmut Marko warned Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat after the Spanish grand prix to “look out”. “Paradoxically, the more inexperienced ones did the better job,” he said, referring to the sensational […]
Hamilton promises contract ‘news’ in Monaco
May 12 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has promised that the long delay over his new Mercedes contract will finally end at the next race. The repeatedly-delayed deal has triggered rumours of a switch to Ferrari, or that the Briton is demanding an exorbitant amount of money. But Hamilton, 30, said most of the estimates of the […]
McLaren ‘underestimated’ Honda switch – Hamilton
May 11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is surprised how much his old team McLaren is struggling in 2015. “When I saw them so lost in Australia, I thought to myself ‘How can that be?’” the reigning world champion said, referring to the once-great British team. Having been mentored and sponsored by Ron Dennis throughout […]