Aug.20 (GMM) A trio of drivers swallowed hard this week when Ferrari announced it is keeping Kimi Raikkonen for 2016. They had hoped the Maranello team might swap the 35-year-old Finn for a younger model, hoping either to replace him or benefit from the domino effect of a major ‘silly season’ shift. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean […]
Month: August 2015
Ferrari ‘sensible’ to re-sign Raikkonen – Salo
Aug.20 (GMM) Ferrari was “sensible and wise” to have re-signed Kimi Raikkonen for 2016. That is the view of Mika Salo, another Finnish driver who once raced for the fabled Maranello team. “Ferrari has made a sensible and wise decision,” he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV. “There were no better options than Kimi.” Salo, 48, […]
Ferrari keeps Raikkonen for 2016
Aug.20 (GMM) Ferrari has ended speculation about Kimi Raikkonen’s future by re-signing the Finn for 2016. “The driver lineup next season will still consist of the Finnish driver and Sebastian Vettel,” team boss Maurizio Arrivabene declared in a short statement. The news follows speculation a deal between Ferrari and younger Finn Valtteri Bottas fell through […]
Bottas likely to stay at Williams – manager
Aug.20 (GMM) With the Ferrari seat to remain occupied by Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas will now almost certainly stay at Williams next year. The Finn was reportedly the leading candidate to oust his older countryman at Maranello, but it appears Ferrari would not agree to Williams’ demands for Bottas’ contract release. The Grove team has […]
Perez sure Force India ‘B’ car safe
Aug.20 (GMM) Sergio Perez on Thursday said he has no concerns about the safety of his Force India car. In Hungary, both the Mexican and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg suffered catastrophic failures aboard their otherwise more competitive ‘B’ spec machines. Asked about the suspension design following his roll-over crash, Perez told reporters in Belgium: “Yes, […]
All eyes on new race start rules at Spa
Aug.19 (GMM) A big talking point at Spa this weekend will be the FIA’s new rules regarding race starts. The mid-season change has divided paddock opinion, with some applauding the shift away from engineers and technology, and back to the drivers. Others, however, worry that teams will struggle to adapt their 2015 systems to the […]
Less overtaking in 2015 – report
Aug.19 (GMM) There has been less overtaking in formula one this year compared to 2014, the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport has found. The report said that last year, based on the opening ten races of the season, there were 42.6 overtaking moves on average per race. In the first half of 2015, that […]
Rosberg hints at ‘nonsense’ in Hamilton lifestyle
Aug.19 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is charging out of the summer break determined to fire everything at his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. Reigning champion Hamilton, leading the duo’s in-house 2015 battle by 21 points, entered the August shutdown period with a notably bad outing in Hungary. The gossip media then followed the Briton’s every step through […]
Toro Rosso starts work in new building
Aug.19 (GMM) A new building at Toro Rosso’s Faenza headquarters is now up and running. Italy’s Omnicorse reports that, during the summer break, the Red Bull-owned team took advantage of the car development lull to set up camp at the new facility. “This (building) means the working environment is quite good, because all the engineers […]
Finnish GP likelihood ‘unrealistic’ – Raikkonen
Aug.19 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has described reports that Finland could host a grand prix in the near future as “unrealistic”. We reported earlier in August that Bernie Ecclestone held talks during the Hungarian grand prix weekend with the former wife of Robert Lappalainen, who in the mid-90s promoted DTM races in the Finnish capital. “He […]
Ferrari to give title chase ‘best shot’ – spokesman
Aug.19 (GMM) Battle will resume between Mercedes and Ferrari this weekend in Belgium. While Mercedes is easily leading both world championships, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel entered the recent summer break with his second win of the season. It followed a dip in form for the otherwise resurgent-in-2015 Maranello team. “The fact we won in Hungary doesn’t […]
Raikkonen denies Spa result key to F1 future
Aug.19 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has denied that his future in formula one depends on the outcome of this weekend’s Belgian grand prix. F1 legend Niki Lauda has said that Spa-Francorchamps specialist Raikkonen stands a bigger chance of retaining his Ferrari seat if he does well in Belgium. “As I’ve said many times before, it is […]
Grosjean barracking hard for Renault buyout
Aug.19 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has admitted a buyout by Renault would be an ideal solution to Lotus’ “difficult financial situation”. It is believed Renault and Lotus’ owner Gerard Lopez are poised to agree a deal whereby the Enstone team once again becomes the French carmaker’s works squad. Frenchman Grosjean admits 2015 has been difficult for […]
Lauda thinks Bottas staying at Williams
Aug.19 (GMM) Niki Lauda thinks it is possible Williams and Ferrari will line up in 2016 with unchanged driver lineups. It has been strongly rumoured that Williams’ Valtteri Bottas could move to Ferrari next year, likely ending the career of his older Finnish countryman Kimi Raikkonen. It means Raikkonen has a very good reason to […]
Raikkonen still key to driver market – Grosjean
Aug.19 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen remains the key to the 2016 ‘silly season’. That is the view of Romain Grosjean, the current Lotus driver who openly admits he is barracking for Renault to buy back the Enstone team. But the Frenchman is also keeping an eye on the driver market, admitting he thinks whether Ferrari keeps […]
Danica Patrick out of running for Haas seat
Aug.19 (GMM) Haas’ driver short-list of ten potential candidates for 2016 may now have become nine, as the American female superstar Danica Patrick fell out of the running. Patrick, 33, has been mentioned on several occasions by the new team’s chiefs Gene Haas and Gunther Steiner, as she already races for Haas’ Nascar outfit. But […]
Grosjean admits sitting out for Palmer ‘unfair’
Aug.19 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says continually sitting out free practice sessions in 2015 is “unfair”. Whenever reserve driver Jolyon Palmer conducts Friday morning duties for Lotus, it is Frenchman Grosjean rather than the heavily PDVSA-funded Pastor Maldonado who gives up his seat. “Let’s say that in the beginning it was not easy to live with […]
Vettel no fan of F1 ‘fuel saving’
Aug.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he is no fan of having to save fuel during grands prix. The Ferrari driver, who counts himself among what are regarded as motor racing ‘purists’, told Germany’s Auto Bild that if it was up to him, the regulations would look different. “I am a sportsman,” quadruple world champion […]
McLaren-Honda not expecting big progress at Spa
Aug.18 (GMM) It is not clear how much progress McLaren-Honda will make this weekend in Belgium. While much of the F1 world enjoyed its summer break, struggling engine supplier Honda has been working hard on a much-needed update for its 2015 ‘power unit’. Some reports suggest the revised unit is up to 50 horse power […]
Massa enjoys having 5yo son at races
Aug.18 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he enjoys having the support of his family at grands prix. Lately, the highest-profile youngster in the paddock – Max Verstappen aside – is five-year-old Felipinho. He has thrilled television audiences by following the heels of his lookalike dad around the paddocks of the world, giving mini-interviews during race weekends […]