Apr.13 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne looks set to add yet another executive role to his plate. Bloomberg, the business news agency, said the Fiat Chrysler and Ferrari president will soon also take over as Ferrari’s CEO, as Amedeo Felisa is tipped to retire. Ferrari declined to comment, but the news follows the Maranello marque having lost […]
Month: April 2016
Haryanto beat Vandoorne ‘head to head’ – Campos
Apr.12 (GMM) Rio Haryanto’s former boss has hit back at suggestions the Indonesian is a straightforward F1 ‘pay driver’. A common analysis is that while the Mercedes-backed Pascal Wehrlein is effectively at Manor on merit, it is Indonesian Haryanto’s state-fuelled dollars that are powering his own 2016 debut. But driving for former F1 driver Adrian […]
Alonso in China for F1 return bid
Apr.12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is already in Shanghai as he bids to return to F1 action this weekend. On social media, the Spaniard has posted several messages from the sprawling Chinese city, including a cartoon depicting him frantically exercising amid the backdrop of his McLaren-Honda. “Working. Projects,” another Instagram photo posted by Alonso, depicting Shanghai’s […]
Berger, Coulthard doubt Ferrari can win title
Apr.12 (GMM) Two former F1 drivers do not think Ferrari is ready to beat Mercedes to the world championship. “No,” Gerhard Berger, a 10-time grand prix winner and former team boss, told Germany’s Auto Bild emphatically. “The gap Mercedes had at the end of last year was just too big — Ferrari can’t catch it […]
Bottas to keep approach despite Hamilton crash
Apr.12 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas insists he will not alter his racing style, even though he crashed with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain. The Finn had to serve a drive-through and see two penalty points added to his super-license after colliding with Mercedes’ Hamilton at the race start. Bottas laughed when asked by Finland’s Iltalehti […]
F1 ‘has learned’ from qualifying debacle
Apr.12 (GMM) Claire Williams thinks F1 has learned from the ‘musical chairs’ qualifying debacle. F1’s governing body announced late on Monday that the World Motor Sport Council rubber-stamped by ‘e-vote’ the decision to revert to the 2015 format ahead of this weekend’s Chinese grand prix. Williams, the Grove team’s deputy, suggested the episode has been […]
Little ‘synergy’ with Red Bull now – Toro Rosso
Apr.12 (GMM) Toro Rosso technical chief James Key says there is no longer much ‘synergy’ between the Faenza based team and the senior Red Bull outfit. In the past, although Haas has now allied strongly with Ferrari, the rules allowed a closer collaboration between senior and junior teams. “There are certain areas where there were […]
Monza could have F1 deal by early May – report
Apr.12 (GMM) It is still not clear if historic Monza will continue to host the endangered Italian grand prix beyond September’s 2016 race. Bernie Ecclestone’s negotiations with race organisers have been publicly tumultuous, culminating in the recent resignation of Ivan Capelli from the organising body Sias. But Sias president Andrea Dell’Orto insists he is going […]
Rosberg plays down expiring contract
Apr.12 (GMM) Claire Williams has tipped the F1 paddock to host a fascinating driver ‘silly season’ this year. Seats at multiple top teams, including Williams but also Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Renault and McLaren, will potentially be up for grabs for 2017. The most sought after will arguably be Nico Rosberg’s spot at the title-winning […]
Italy hails new ‘Schumi’ after race wins
Apr.11 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is pressing the throttle on the next stage in his quest for future F1 glory. The son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, the 17-year-old is racing in both the Italian and German F4 series this year and at the weekend he kicked off his 2016 campaign with two wins in damp […]
McLaren ‘confident’ Alonso to race in China
Apr.11 (GMM) McLaren is “confident” Fernando Alonso will be shown the green light for his return to racing action this weekend in China. With the McLaren-Honda driver sidelined in Bahrain with chest injuries following his huge Melbourne crash, Spaniard Alonso has been giving insight into his recovery to followers of his social media accounts. On […]
Haas’ controversial approach divides F1 opinion
Apr.11 (GMM) The early success of the new F1 team Haas is splitting opinion in the paddock. While some hail Romain Grosjean’s double points-scoring efforts in Australia and Bahrain, others wonder if the close alliance with Ferrari is really a good thing for F1. Frenchman Grosjean, meanwhile, is delighted at his decision to leave Enstone […]
Honda now turning focus to ‘power’
Apr.11 (GMM) Honda is ready to push ahead with finding more performance from its 2016 power unit. After the unmitigated disaster of 2015, when McLaren and Honda reunited but finished an embarrassing ninth overall, this season has started better for the Anglo-Japanese collaboration. But the once-great team is still not yet a contender, causing former […]
2017 rules could fail at Pirelli hurdle – report
Apr.11 (GMM) F1’s radical rules changes for 2017 may stumble at the last hurdle, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports. Earlier, it emerged that eight of the 11 active teams actually now oppose the rules for much faster cars next year, fearing they will only increase costs and actually exacerbate the sport’s overtaking problem. Explaining […]
F1 must not repeat ‘erratic’ quali decisions – Wolff
Apr.11 (GMM) With the third round of the season now looming, F1 is heaving a collective sigh of relief that the hated ‘musical chairs’ qualifying is now gone. “There was simply too much criticism,” Jos Verstappen, a former F1 driver and father of Toro Rosso sensation Max, is quoted by De Telegraaf newspaper. “The elimination […]
Vettel – ‘I am not a hero’
Apr.11 (GMM) Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel insists he has no desire to behave like a “hero”. While the reigning title winner Lewis Hamilton is commonly called a F1 “superstar”, Ferrari’s Vettel refuses even to sign up for Twitter or Instagram. “I am a normal person like everyone else on the road,” he told the […]
GPDA letter a mistake – Johansson
Apr.11 (GMM) F1 veteran Stefan Johansson has blasted today’s drivers for their recent open letter. Although signed off by the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), it emerged recently in Bahrain that the letter was in fact backed by the entire field of F1’s active drivers. But some, like Jacques Villeneuve, have hit back at the […]
Boss eyes ‘solution’ to Sauber financial strife
Apr.8 (GMM) Sauber is working hard to find “a lasting solution” to its obvious financial problems, boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn has revealed. The struggling Swiss team was late to pay wages to its 300 staff in February and March, with driver Felipe Nasr also revealing that the delayed launch of the 2016 car was […]
‘Too early’ for silly season to start – Bottas
Apr.8 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has refused to rule out playing a starring role in this year’s ‘silly season’. Last year, the Finn admitted strong rumours linking him with a potential switch to Ferrari were a distraction. Now, an opening at the fabled Maranello team will once again be up for grabs for 2017, amid similar […]
Monza boosts F1 hopes with Capelli exit – reports
Apr.8 (GMM) Amid intense and faltering negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone, former F1 driver Ivan Capelli has resigned as a chief of Monza’s circuit operator Sias. Just last weekend in Bahrain, F1 supremo Ecclestone had admitted a new deal for the historic Italian grand prix beyond 2016 was being held up over local politics. “I know […]