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,” […]
New Manor car not due until Belgium – report
May 6 (GMM) Another half a dozen races may pass before Manor is ready to debut a 2015 car. So far in 2015, the former Marussia team has fought back from near collapse and administration with a hurriedly-modified version of last year’s car. It is fitted with last year’s Ferrari engine, which is significantly down […]
Red Bull now targeting third-best Williams
May 5 (GMM) Red Bull is setting its sights on F1’s third-best team. The 2010-2013 champions have already ruled out a tilt for this year’s title, with engine supplier Renault taking most of the blame so far. But Red Bull is also working hard on its chassis, with a big upgrade for Barcelona set to […]
Many drivers bring sponsors to F1 – Nasr
May 5 (GMM) Felipe Nasr has hit back at any lingering claims he might be written off as a typical ‘pay driver’. It was said the Brazilian’s arrival at Sauber with his sponsor Banco do Brasil – whose blue and yellow colours now dominate the 2015 livery – helped to save the embattled Swiss team. […]
Lauda tips Mercedes to keep ‘small’ advantage
May 5 (GMM) Niki Lauda is expecting Mercedes to maintain a “small” advantage at best over title challenger Ferrari in 2015. The German camp has admitted that the level of Ferrari’s resurgence since 2014 was a surprise. “They (Ferrari) have created a very big project this year,” F1 legend Lauda, also the Mercedes team chairman, […]
No quick fix for McLaren – Hakkinen
May 5 (GMM) Rumours McLaren may appear with a radical new livery this weekend in Barcelona are wide of the mark. Earlier, reports emerged that the British team – already criticised in 2015 for not adopting an all-new look for its new works Honda era – would race in Spain this weekend with more grey […]
Juncadella not sorry he left Force India
May 5 (GMM) Former Force India reserve Daniel Juncadella says he does not regret leaving the Silverstone based team. Last year, the young Spaniard worked with the Mercedes-powered team, attending races and occasionally driving in Friday practice sessions. But now, he is focusing only on racing his Mercedes in the German touring car series DTM, […]
Lauda insists ‘no fifth engine’ in 2015
May 5 (GMM) Drivers will not be allowed to use a fifth ‘power unit’ in 2015 and escape penalty, according to Niki Lauda. That is despite Red Bull team boss Christian Horner saying less than two weeks ago that the change to the ‘four engines per season’ rule had been agreed “unanimously” in March. “That […]
Mercedes does not want to dominate – Briatore
May 5 (GMM) Flavio Briatore claims Mercedes actually has no desire to dominate the 2015 season. The controversial former Renault chief told Italian radio Rai that, having utterly dominated last season, Mercedes is now happy to have its heels nipped by a resurgent Ferrari. It follows Red Bull chief Dr Helmut Marko’s sensational claim late […]
Hakkinen admits ‘wrong’ about Verstappen
May 5 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen has admitted he was “wrong” about Max Verstappen. When Red Bull announced last year that the 17-year-old would be making his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015, Hakkinen said: “In no case is a driver ready for formula one at 17. “Either as a manager or a father, I would […]
Lauda now targets Monaco for Hamilton contract
May 5 (GMM) The Lewis Hamilton contract saga looks set to continue throughout yet another race weekend or two. The reigning world champion’s repeatedly delayed new Mercedes deal has triggered rumours he might be considering a switch to Ferrari. But in the last days, German reports indicated a new three-year agreement has finally been signed […]
Vettel a F1 great, Hamilton ‘not yet’ – Moss
May 5 (GMM) F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss has admitted he is an avowed fan of Sebastian Vettel. That is despite the fact that it is Moss’ fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton who is dominating formula one at present. But “I don’t think Lewis is great yet,” the 85-year-old, commonly referred to as the best driver […]
Lopez urges team support for ‘viable future’
May 5 (GMM) Gerard Lopez, the Lotus team owner, has urged other formula one outfits to “stand together” to make the sport more sustainable. Caterham has collapsed, Marussia (now Manor) almost followed suit and midfield teams including Lotus, Force India and Sauber’s financial problems have been well documented. Even the competitive Williams recorded a $50 […]
McLaren confirms ‘graphite-grey’ livery change
May 5 (GMM) McLaren on Tuesday confirmed reports it is tweaking its livery ahead of the Spanish grand prix. Earlier media reports suggested the works Honda-powered team was set to drop the chrome from its identity, perhaps as it is too closely related to its Mercedes-linked past. Some had even speculated that McLaren might return […]
Honda not giving up on podium in 2015
May 4 (GMM) Honda is not yet abandoning the idea of powering McLaren to the podium in 2015. Amid all the hype about the reunion of the ultra-successful names in formula one, McLaren-Honda has struggled so far this season. But the MP4-30 has made significant progress since the Melbourne season opener, and star driver Fernando […]
Iran planning F1 track – official
May 4 (GMM) Iran is once again being mentioned as a potential new host for formula one. In 2011, the country bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq came onto the F1 radar when it emerged officials had approved plans for a circuit close to the capital Tehran. International journalists described the thought of an Iranian grand […]
Alonso to reunite with Barcelona hospital team
May 4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will this week reunite with the medical team that nursed him back to health after his winter testing crash. Spain’s El Mundo newspaper reports that the McLaren-Honda driver has invited members of the Hospital General de Catalunya out for dinner ahead of this weekend’s Spanish grand prix at the Barcelona […]
Raikkonen now happy with ‘English’ engineer
May 4 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is now happy with his relationship with his race engineer. Last year, as the Finn struggled with the 2014 Ferrari, Raikkonen was also at odds in the garage as he struggled to adapt to working with Italian Antonio Spagnolo. The 35-year-old had reportedly wanted to take with him to Ferrari […]
Catching Mercedes will take ‘a while’ – Vettel
May 4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted that Ferrari continues to trail F1 pacesetter Mercedes. At the wheel of his resurgent red car, the German won the Malaysian grand prix while Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen came close to challenging for victory two weeks ago in Bahrain. “We are trying to bother Mercedes,” Vettel told Welt […]
Ricciardo not sure Red Bull quit threats ‘real’
May 4 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he is not sure Red Bull’s F1 quit threats are “real”. When the extent of Red Bull’s 2015 struggle and dissatisfaction with the rules and engine partner Renault became clear earlier this season, the team’s Austrian faction headed by Helmut Marko and owner Dietrich Mateschitz indicated the energy […]