May 7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is ramping up the pressure with his “leaked” provisional calendar for 2015. “It would appear that the proposed 2016 calendar has been leaked,” the F1 supremo’s Formula One Management said in a statement after the 21-race schedule began to emerge on the internet recently. “This calendar has not yet been […]
Alonso wearing sunglasses for eye infection
May 7 (GMM) Eyebrows were being raised on Thursday as Fernando Alonso refused to take his dark sunglasses off during the official FIA press conference. Earlier this week, on social media, the McLaren driver showed photographs of a stye in his eye, and then his trip to McLaren’s driver simulator in Woking — wearing dark […]
Pirelli to go soft to spice up F1 – Hembery
May 7 (GMM) Pirelli is aiming to spice up races by leaning towards soft-compound tyre choices as the 2015 season progresses. Having faced intense criticism of its deliberately heavily-degrading tyres of the past, F1’s official supplier went notably more conservative for the start of the new ‘power unit’ era last year. Pirelli vowed to ramp […]
‘Arms race’ to decide 2015 title – Vettel
May 7 (GMM) Mercedes is now set for a head-to-head fight with Ferrari starting in Barcelona this weekend. That is the view of the reigning world champion team’s F1 chairman Niki Lauda, who is certain Mercedes no longer wields a horse power advantage over the resurgent camp in red. “Ferrari has closed the gap from […]
Lotus short nose fails crash test
May 7 (GMM) Lotus has had to leave the centrepiece of its Barcelona car upgrade in the luggage. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reported that the Enstone team wanted to debut a new, ultra-short nose at the Spanish grand prix, but it failed the mandatory crash test. The debut of the nose and wing has […]
Bottas plays down Ferrari rumours
May 7 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas on Thursday tried to play down rumours he is shaping up as a Ferrari driver of the future. The Williams driver denied the wilder of the reports, for instance that he has already signed a ‘pre-agreement’ to join the fabled Italian marque. “I saw some and heard plenty of stories […]
Second chance likely for struggling Kvyat
May 7 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat looks set to be given a second chance to shine at Red Bull. After his meteoric debut at the mere age of 19 for the junior team Toro Rosso last year, the confident Russian was promoted to replace the Ferrari-bound quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel for 2015. Kvyat’s start at […]
Arm surgery for Arrivabene before Barcelona
May 7 (GMM) Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has headed to Barcelona just a few days after undergoing surgery under general anaesthetic. That is the news of renowned Ferrari insider Leo Turrini, who said the 58-year-old Italian is likely to be wearing a sling ahead of the Spanish grand prix. In Bahrain, insiders had already […]
Webber no longer ‘at odds’ with Vettel
May 6 (GMM) Mark Webber has admitted the venom has gone from his relationship with former F1 teammate Sebastian Vettel. The pair were teammates at Red Bull until the Australian’s retirement at the end of 2013. Webber, now a leading Le Mans prototype driver for Porsche, told a Dubai radio station it was Vettel’s “trophy […]
De la Rosa admits F1 career probably over
May 6 (GMM) Pedro de la Rosa has admitted his career in formula one appears over. From his first test laps for Jordan in 1998 to his Ferrari role that ended last year, the 44-year-old Spaniard’s F1 adventure spanned 16 years. He raced more than 100 times for five teams, through the highly-competitive McLaren team […]
Alonso ‘dark and moody’ at Ferrari – Montezemolo
May 6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso had become “dark and moody” by the time Ferrari realised it needed a change. That is the claim of the ousted former long-time Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who this week hit back at suggestions it was in fact his successor Sergio Marchionne who made the decisive move for Sebastian […]
Lotus now ready to join ‘second group’
May 6 (GMM) Lotus thinks it is ready to join the action in the “second group” behind the title-warring Mercedes and Ferrari. Like most teams, the Enstone camp has brought what driver Romain Grosjean refers to as a “major upgrade” for its 2015 car to Barcelona. “Unlike last year, we now have a car that […]
Mateschitz ‘wants Audi to enter F1’ – Montezemolo
May 6 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo claims Ferrari’s new guard has been “lucky” to be so successful in 2015. The Maranello marque’s long-time and now former president admits that the end of his tenure following a power struggle with Sergio Marchionne was not a happy one. He is therefore critical of how new president Marchionne […]
Susie Wolff feels ‘far away’ from F1 debut
May 6 (GMM) Susie Wolff has admitted she still feels “very far away” from the formula one grid. Actually, the 32-year-old is much closer than others, as she will take over Valtteri Bottas’ Williams on Friday morning ahead of the Spanish grand prix. It will mark the “40th anniversary of the last time a female […]
F1 ‘no longer real racing’ – Briatore
May 6 (GMM) Flavio Briatore, who for two decades presided over often title-winning success on the pitwall, says he is now only an occasional viewer of grands prix. “On Sunday I watched the (Bahrain) race for ten minutes and then did something else,” the Italian told Rai radio earlier this week. “They spend (EUR) 300 […]
McLaren hits back at ‘critics’ in a hurry
May 6 (GMM) McLaren has reacted “angrily” to claims it has failed to live up to the hype of its works Honda partnership. Ahead of the fifth race of 2015 in Spain, Britain’s Times newspaper said team boss Eric Boullier hit out at “critics” who “inflated expectations” that McLaren-Honda could instantly recapture the successful glory […]
Ferrari not joining ‘short nose’ camp
May 6 (GMM) Ferrari has opted against joining the ‘short nosed’ camp on the 2015 grid. Mercedes and Williams have designed their 2015 aerodynamic concepts around an ultra-short nose, and now Red Bull is hoping to make up ground from Barcelonan onwards with perhaps the most radical solution to date. Ferrari’s SF15-T, however, has a […]
McLaren reveals dark new F1 livery
May 6 (GMM) McLaren has revealed a striking new ‘graphite’ livery ahead of the Spanish grand prix. The British team confirmed on Tuesday that it is launching a new look for Barcelona and beyond. Some believe the move was to distance McLaren from its chrome-themed, Mercedes-powered past, especially in light of the new works partnership […]
Rosberg ‘must try to catch’ Hamilton – Lauda
May 6 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is facing a tough task to get back on terms with Lewis Hamilton. Earlier, F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss insisted that Hamilton, although a double world champion and on-form championship leader, is “not yet” a great. But he is quoted by the Swiss newspaper Blick: “Hamilton is in another league. […]
Berger not surprised by Renault’s V6 struggle
May 6 (GMM) Even Sebastian Vettel would not have made a difference to Red Bull’s tough season in 2015. “In (terms of) car development, maybe,” said the now Ferrari-driving German’s former boss and mentor Dr Helmut Marko. “For example, we have now changed back to the brake manufacturer that he (Vettel) always wanted to have,” […]