Feb.24 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s departure from Ferrari, replaced by fellow former champion Sebastian Vettel, was one of the highest-profile driver changes in the history of formula one. But according to Flavio Briatore, a guiding hand throughout the management of Alonso’s fascinating career, it was simply the natural result of the Spaniard spending five years at […]
Honda admits no customers for F1 engine yet
Feb.24 (GMM) Honda does not have any potential customers for its new F1 engine, boss Yasuhisa Arai has admitted. After a six-year absence, the Japanese carmaker’s plan had always been to return to the sport this year and only supply new works partner McLaren. But for 2016, Honda is open to adding paying customers to […]
Ferrari passes Williams as ‘second force’ – pundit
Feb.24 (GMM) A low-profile winter for the Grove team is beginning to raise questions about Williams’ 2015 prospects. Last year, the newly Mercedes-powered team emerged from a deep slump to finish the championship third overall, and with arguably the second-fastest car behind the similarly-powered works outfit. But the new FW37, although solid and evidently not […]
Wind caused Alonso’s crash – McLaren
Feb.24 (GMM) McLaren has hit back at the conspiracy theories about Fernando Alonso’s testing crash on Sunday. With the Spaniard still in intensive care, the conspicuous delay in McLaren’s explanation about the cause of the crash and his precise medical condition had fuelled wild rumours. Was he electrocuted by KERS? Did leaking battery fumes render […]
Alonso could sit out final winter test
Feb.24 (GMM) Fernando Alonso may sit out the final test of the 2015 pre-season in the wake of his Barcelona crash. The Spaniard has already spent two nights in hospital recovering from concussion and the effects of sedation given to him after he was knocked out on Sunday. Alonso’s manager Luis Garcia Abad says the […]
Mercedes promises ‘halo’ for cockpit safety
Feb.24 (GMM) Reigning champions Mercedes have proposed a new solution to the ever-present problem of cockpit safety in formula one. Canopies and roll-cages have been discussed at length behind closed doors since the fatal accident of F2 racer Henry Surtees, and the serious injuries sustained by Felipe Massa when he was a Ferrari driver in […]
Horner admits driveability issue with Renault engine
Feb.24 (GMM) Renault has made progress but not enough yet to topple dominant Mercedes. That is the admission of Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko, although they are confident works supplier Renault is on track with a better engine for 2015. It has now been tested at Jerez and Barcelona, and lead […]
‘Engine championship’ means Mercedes 2015 favourite
Feb.24 (GMM) The nature of the ‘new’ F1 means Mercedes will again be hard to beat in 2015. That is the claim of former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore, who is no fan of the regulation changes that saw Mercedes utterly dominate in 2014 with its turbo V6. Now, he is expecting more of the […]
Midfield teams propose to be ‘semi-constructors’
Feb.23 (GMM) Three midfield teams have reportedly proposed that F1’s rules be tweaked so that ‘semi-constructors’ are legal. It recently emerged that the FIA had commissioned KcKinsey, a multinational consulting firm, to examine the finances of the nine F1 teams amid the apparent need for cost-cutting. But the latest round of internal meetings within formula […]
Rory Byrne is new Ferrari designer’s ‘guru’
Feb.23 (GMM) Legendary Ferrari designer Rory Byrne has returned to Maranello to be Simone Resta’s mentor. South African Byrne, 71, was a key member of the Ferrari ‘dream team’ of last decade, when along with Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher, they utterly dominated the sport. More recently, he had retired to Thailand, but […]
Honda’s horror F1 return continues on Monday
Feb.23 (GMM) Six years after pulling out of the sport, Honda is once again making headlines in formula one for all the wrong reasons. In the midst of an horror run of technical trouble as McLaren struggles to run the new works turbo V6, star driver Fernando Alonso looks set to spend a second night […]
Alonso could spend second night in hospital
Feb.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso could spend a second night in hospital, his manager Luis Garcia Abad has admitted. The Spaniard is currently in a Barcelona hospital after a mysterious crash during the final day of the second 2015 winter test. The cause of the crash has not been revealed by McLaren, triggering wild theories, including […]
Marchionne backs 2017 delay for F1 revolution
Feb.23 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne has backed the move to delay a technical revolution in formula one until 2017. It had appeared that Ferrari was leading the charge for rapid change, when on the very day the F1 Commission met to vote on proposed changes for 2016, it published images of its radical-looking ‘concept car’. But […]
Drivers ‘express themselves’ by changing helmets
Feb.23 (GMM) F1 is robbing drivers of one of the last ways they can truly express themselves. That is the claim of Jens Munser, a helmet livery painter made famous in recent years by the ever-changing colours worn by quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel. Last week, it emerged that, to help spectators better recognise their […]
De la Rosa set for Mercedes switch – report
Feb.23 (GMM) Pedro de la Rosa could be set to return to formula one with Mercedes. In recent years, the Spanish veteran worked closely with his countryman Fernando Alonso at Ferrari as official reserve driver. But, like Alonso, the almost 44-year-old has now departed Maranello, triggering speculation he might be set to return to his […]
Top teams told camera mountings illegal – report
Feb.23 (GMM) Top teams and likely title challengers Mercedes and Ferrari will have to modify their cars ahead of the season opener in Melbourne. That was the claim on Monday of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that the solutions to mount the mandatory television cameras at the front of the respective cars are illegal. […]
2015 Renault is ‘two thirds’ new – Taffin
Feb.23 (GMM) Renault has been able to make a substantially new ‘power unit’ for 2015 after its disappointing start to the turbo V6 era. That is the claim of the French marque’s F1 operations chief Remi Taffin, who countered suggestions the so-called ‘engine freeze’ means that dominant Mercedes’ advantage is now locked in for years. […]
No manager makes Hamilton talks ‘difficult’
Feb.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s lack of a manager is making contract negotiations with the reigning world champion more difficult. That is the admission of Toto Wolff, who after the split between Hamilton and his manager Simon Fuller is now having to tread the fine line between maintaining good relations with the British driver and negotiating […]
Ferrari ‘fine’ after Marchionne’s revolution
Feb.23 (GMM) So far, Sergio Marchionne’s revolution is going exactly to plan. Last year, as Ferrari badly faltered at the start of the new turbo V6 era, the Fiat Chrysler chief was the big mover behind a huge shakeup at Maranello. And so Italian-Canadian Marchionne made a visit to the Barcelona test at the weekend […]
Wild speculation follows mysterious Alonso crash
Feb.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s testing crash has triggered wild speculation about the cause. So far, McLaren is saying nothing except that it was a “normal” crash necessitating medical checks. “Fernando’s accident was just one of those things that happens in testing,” said team boss Eric Boullier, insisting the same is also true of his trip […]