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 […]
Month: March 2015
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 […]
Rosberg’s pregnant wife unwell – report
Mar.27 (GMM) Nico Rosberg’s mind is on the other side of the world as he also concentrates on his job this weekend in Malaysia. Back at his home in Monaco, where he has lived almost his entire life, the Mercedes driver’s new wife Vivian is unwell. According to Bild newspaper, she is struggling with hyperemesis […]
Massa denies doubting Mercedes engine parity
Mar.27 (GMM) Felipe Massa has denied ever saying Williams may be running inferior engines than Mercedes’ works team. “I hope we have the same engine,” Brazilian Massa had said in Australia. “I believe we have the same engine, so it’s the car. Maybe.” That was on Saturday, and after the Melbourne race he repeated that […]
Doubts remain as Rosberg says Alonso saga ‘strange’
Mar.27 (GMM) The FIA does not intend to release the findings of its investigation into Fernando Alonso’s Barcelona test crash. Although the Spaniard is back up and running after his one-month recovery, big questions remain about what happened on the exit of turn 3 on February 22. Alonso muddied the already bizarre waters even further […]
Manor fires up Ferrari engine at Sepang
Mar.26 (GMM) By the sound of it, Manor appears on course to hit the track this weekend for the first time in 2015. The former Marussia team tried the patience of the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone in Australia, when it stayed silent in the pits all weekend. Reportedly, amid suspicions the team is simply turning […]
Red Bull eyes future as engine maker – report
Mar.26 (GMM) Red Bull could be ramping up efforts to go it alone in formula one as an engine manufacturer. In the days between Australia and Malaysia, open war broke out between the energy drink-owned camp and its works engine supplier. Renault, now openly contemplating a return to full team ownership, hit back furiously this […]
Mosley tells moaning Red Bull to ‘live with it’
Mar.26 (GMM) Max Mosley has told those complaining about the F1 rules to “live with it”. As Red Bull protests bitterly about Mercedes’ domination amid arguably overly-complex and foolhardy regulations, Dr Helmut Marko pointed his finger at the FIA. “We need a leadership in formula one that can force decisions,” he told Speed Week. “Just […]
Red Bull fracas just ‘frustration’ – Ricciardo
Mar.26 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has dismissed as “frustration” the unseemly spat between Red Bull and its works engine partner Renault. After Melbourne, it became clear that while Ferrari has markedly improved its engine over the winter, Renault arguably went backwards. Red Bull figures including Adrian Newey, Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko lashed out, but […]
Now Force India signs low-profile development driver
Mar.26 (GMM) Force India has become the next F1 team to court controversy with its signing of a ‘development driver’. Lotus has faced criticism of trading credibility for money, as it unveiled first Carmen Jorda and then Adderly Fong as the newest members of the Enstone team. Between the pair, they have contested five seasons […]
Williams confirms Bottas return
Mar.26 (GMM) Williams on Thursday confirmed Valtteri Bottas’ return to action in Malaysia. The Finn sat out the Melbourne season opener with a torn disc in his lower back, but has since been working on his recovery with a physiotherapist. “Following final approval by the FIA medical team in Malaysia today, we are pleased to […]
Alonso declares ‘locked steering’ caused crash
Mar.26 (GMM) Fernando Alonso on Thursday said he crashed in Barcelona last month because his steering “locked”. The news has thickened the already convoluted plot even more, after weeks of rumours, speculation and contradiction in what will be remembered as one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of F1. Mere days ago, McLaren […]
Manor told it must run cars in Malaysia
Mar.26 (GMM) Manor has been told it must fire its engines this weekend in Malaysia. In Australia, where the former Marussia team stayed in the pits all weekend, suspicions arose that Manor never even intended to exit the Albert Park pits. “They couldn’t have raced if someone had gone there with a machine gun and […]
Bottas tweaks car after back injury
Mar.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says modifications have been made to his car ahead of the Malaysian grand prix. The Finn got clearance from FIA doctors on Thursday to return for Williams this weekend in Malaysia, after tearing a disc in his lower back two weeks ago. His manager, Mika Hakkinen, speculated that a problem with […]
Williams signs Sutil as 2015 reserve
Mar.26 (GMM) After a quiet winter for the experienced 32-year-old, Adrian Sutil has kept his formula one dream alive. Some Le Mans rumours and a low-profile legal dispute with Sauber aside, little has been heard from Sutil since the German’s 2015 contract was not honoured by the struggling Swiss team. But on Thursday, the British […]
Alonso rumours still racing on comeback eve
Mar.26 (GMM) On the eve of his return to the F1 cockpit, the saga surrounding Fernando Alonso’s mysterious Barcelona testing crash continues. The latest rumours are as wild as should now be expected after a period of intense speculation about the cause of the February 22 incident and the reason for the Spaniard’s four days […]
FIA declares Alonso ‘fit to race’
Mar.26 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has been declared fit to return to the cockpit of his McLaren-Honda this weekend. The Spaniard had already been given the green light prior to travelling to Malaysia this week by a panel of FIA-nominated doctors at Cambridge university. But he also had to satisfy FIA medical delegate Jean-Charles Piette on […]
Vettel turns down Rosberg’s debrief invite
Mar.26 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has turned down Nico Rosberg’s invitation to attend his engineering briefing in Malaysia. In Australia, the rival Germans exchanged verbal blows in the press conference when Rosberg suggested he would be happy if Vettel’s Ferrari caught up. “Engineers room, debrief — I’ll be there,” Vettel grinned. “Friday, Malaysia, ok,” said Rosberg. […]
China buys Pirelli
Mar.25 (GMM) China has bought F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli. State-owned China National Chemical, or Chem China, has secured control of the Milan-based company valued at over EUR 7 billion. According to Forbes, the deal “will put 140 years of Italian tradition and research and development at the service of the huge Chinese market”. Pirelli […]