Jun.30 (GMM) Once considered an unlikely fit for formula one, Azerbaijan is racing into its grand prix future. Bernie Ecclestone has inked a deal for a street race in Baku, the oil-rich former Soviet country’s capital, and asked if it is going ahead, the F1 supremo insisted: “Yep. Sure. “It’s going to be great. People […]
Month: June 2015
More penalties looming for Alonso
Jun.30 (GMM) This weekend will not be a happy home grand prix for McLaren. The British team’s season hit new lows in Canada and Austria, and the hits will keep on coming this weekend at Silverstone. “It’s never the way you want to get to the British grand prix after the two weekends we’ve had,” […]
Red Bull not losing Ricciardo – Horner
Jun.30 (GMM) Christian Horner on Tuesday said there is “no risk” Red Bull is set to lose Daniel Ricciardo to Ferrari. Ricciardo, whose frustration with the situation at Red Bull is beginning to show, earlier told reporters that Ferrari’s apparent interest for 2016 is “nice” and “a compliment”. But he also acknowledged that he is […]
Toro Rosso shines amid Red Bull-Renault debacle
Jun.30 (GMM) Amid the Red Bull-Renault debacle of 2015, the only winner appears to be the junior team Toro Rosso. A report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims the James Key-designed STR10 is perhaps among the three best cars on the grid this season. “With a Mercedes engine we would be at the front,” […]
Raikkonen says future not in his hands
Jun.30 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen does not agree that his future at Ferrari is in his own hands. “Raikkonen’s fate is in his hands,” Italian media have quoted team boss Maurizio Arrivabene as saying, amid swirling speculation about the Finn. Some sources have reported that Raikkonen, 35, has been given only another couple of races to […]
Attention returns to Strategy Group on Wednesday
Jun.30 (GMM) F1’s attention will return to the Strategy Group on Wednesday. Six weeks ago, as the sport’s main protagonists insisted formula one must turn a corner, the group met and voted on a package. But, since then, it has become clear that the proposed changes are not ready to be pushed to the World […]
De Villota family still considering legal action
Jun.30 (GMM) Maria de Villota’s family is not ruling out legal action after more details of her 2012 Marussia crash emerged. Last month, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive said action would not be taken against the backmarker team even though the 33-year-old Spaniard died 15 months after suffering horror injuries in the crash at Duxford […]
Lombardy says Ferrari to help Monza keep F1
Jun.30 (GMM) Ferrari is willing to help Monza keep the Italian grand prix. That is the claim of regional Lombardy president Roberto Maroni, just a day after he vowed to “to go war” with Bernie Ecclestone over the endangered future of the historic track. “The right way is to apply pressure, involving public opinion, the […]
Ricciardo admits eye on Raikkonen’s seat
Jun.30 (GMM) As F1 heads to Silverstone, all eyes are on Ferrari. And that is not because the Maranello team expects to beat Mercedes at the British grand prix. In fact, the red-coloured team is set to use a different approach this weekend. After often looking a match for Mercedes in Friday practice recently, boss […]
Todt tells Ecclestone to keep criticism quiet
Jun.30 (GMM) Jean Todt has urged Bernie Ecclestone to keep quiet about formula one’s problems. Ecclestone, the F1 supremo, has been the harshest critic of the sport’s new turbo V6 era, calling the technology a “crappy product” in a recent interview. And now, in a joint interview with teen sensation Max Verstappen posted on the […]
Red Bull not commenting on Webber claims
Jun.30 (GMM) Red Bull declined to comment on Mark Webber’s latest claims about his intense rivalry with former teammate Sebastian Vettel. Earlier this month, quadruple world champion Vettel said he was not concerned amid reports his old Australian rival would ‘tell all’ in a forthcoming autobiography. To be published in July, the book will reportedly […]
Formula E means 2016 ‘not lost year’ – Abiteboul
Jun.30 (GMM) Success in Formula E means 2015 will not be a “lost year” for Renault. That is the view of Cyril Abiteboul, who is managing director of the French carmaker’s formula one arm, Renault Sport F1. Renault is having a nightmare run at the beginning of the sport’s ‘power unit’ era, struggling in 2014 […]
Calls for engine rules fix grow louder
Jun.30 (GMM) Calls for F1 to revisit the detail of its engine rules are growing stronger. In Austria, the full extent of the current situation became clear when McLaren’s cars were ordered an extraordinary 50 places down the 20-position grid. “It’s ridiculous,” said former F1 driver and Britain’s lead Sky commentator Martin Brundle. The situation, […]
More bidders join race to buy F1
Jun.29 (GMM) More bidders have reportedly joined the race to buy formula one. Last week, it emerged that the sport’s controlling shareholder, CVC, as well as Bernie Ecclestone could sell their respective stakes to a consortium involving Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Qatar’s sports investment arm. But F1 supremo Ecclestone hinted that they might […]
F1 drops Jerez as 2016 test venue
Jun.29 (GMM) F1 has reportedly dumped Jerez as a winter test location for 2016. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport claims that, to cut costs, the sport has decided to reduce its official pre-season programme from three to just two four-day tests. It means the traditional first test at Jerez in February has been dropped, leaving […]
Leimer expects Friday drive at Silverstone
Jun.29 (GMM) Fabio Leimer is expecting to make his Friday practice debut for Manor this week. The backmarker’s new reserve driver wanted to drive in the opening practice session in Austria, but it is reported he did not conclude his sponsorship arrangements in time. While at the Red Bull Ring, however, the Swiss and 2013 […]
Renault not ruling out quitting F1
Jun.29 (GMM) Renault has still not ruled out quitting formula one altogether. On a visit to the Formula E race in London at the weekend, the French carmaker’s CEO Carlos Ghosn said the only certainty is that Renault is fully committed to the all-electric series. As for F1, it depends entirely on Renault’s “return on […]
F1 ‘not interesting’ for VW brands – Winterkorn
Jun.29 (GMM) Martin Winterkorn has dealt a blow to those hoping a Volkswagen brand will enter F1 in the near future. Persistent speculation has linked Audi and Porsche, who both already compete at Le Mans, with a potential formula one foray. But Winterkorn, chairman of the parent VW Group, said of F1: “This is not […]
Vettel wants Raikkonen to keep Ferrari seat
Jun.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has thrown has voice behind Kimi Raikkonen’s bid to keep his seat at Ferrari. The pair united as friends at the fabled Italian team in 2015, but while German Vettel has become the star driver, Finn Raikkonen is still struggling to regain his form of old. So the candidates to replace […]
FIA clears top teams over oil concerns
Jun.29 (GMM) The FIA has cleared top teams Mercedes and Ferrari following concerns about the teams’ respective oil systems. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed samples were taken from the cars raced by Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in Canada. “A detailed analysis of the viscosity and texture of the samples showed no abnormalities”, said […]