Mar.29 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has broken his long public silence about his father, admitting the F1 legend and former Ferrari and Mercedes driver is “my idol”. Schumacher, who has just turned 18, is stepping up to the highly competitive European F3 series this year, which is widely regarded as a potential final step before formula […]
Month: March 2017
Alonso could race for five more years – Brown
Mar.28 (GMM) McLaren would be willing to sign up Fernando Alonso for five more years, new team executive Zak Brown has hinted. The Spaniard has been with McLaren-Honda since he left Ferrari after 2014, but he is now letting his frustration with the hapless Anglo-Japanese collaboration show. But Zak Brown, McLaren’s new executive, thinks there […]
Ex boss wants Giovinazzi to replace Raikkonen
Mar.28 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi has put himself in pole position for a Ferrari race seat. That is the view of the great Maranello marque’s former boss Cesare Fiorio, after Italian Giovinazzi made his surprise race debut for the Ferrari customer Sauber in Melbourne. “What Antonio did in Melbourne was outstanding, particularly as he was woken […]
Lauda not commenting on McLaren engine rumours
Mar.28 (GMM) Niki Lauda has dodged speculation Mercedes could step in to help McLaren solve its performance crisis. Rumours swept the Melbourne paddock last weekend that, now into its third hapless season with works engine partner and sponsor Honda, McLaren is finally looking for the exit. The rumour goes that Eric Boullier is behind a […]
Rosberg would not have beaten Bottas – Lauda
Mar.28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is being praised from all sides after his solid Mercedes debut in Melbourne. “Initially he was a Calimero,” joked Italian journalist Giorgio Terruzzi, referring to a popular and cute cartoon baby bird, “but he eventually showed signs of being a Rosberg.” Terruzzi is referring to Nico Rosberg, the driver and reigning […]
Verstappen must wait for faster Red Bull
Mar.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he must be patient amid Red Bull’s push to catch top two F1 teams Ferrari and Mercedes in 2017. While some thought the energy drink-owned team was bluffing in the winter, the Dutchman finished fifth in Australia as Red Bull admitted to both chassis and engine deficits. Red Bull said […]
Hamilton keeping fit without trainer in 2017
Mar.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is looking forward to battling Sebastian Vettel for the world championship in 2017. Since 2014, with Mercedes basically alone at the front of the field, Hamilton’s battle were confined to an acrimonious inter-team scrap with Nico Rosberg. So with Rosberg retired and Ferrari’s Vettel now in the fray, Hamilton […]
Vandoorne says McLaren slowest car in F1
Mar.27 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is not the only team driver who is highly critical of former F1 grandee McLaren-Honda’s current predicament. Many observers have interpreted Alonso’s post-race comments in Melbourne as a clear sign that his patience is finally up, as the Anglo-Japanese collaboration continues to falter for the third consecutive season. “Optimism? I think […]
FIA to investigate Melbourne spectator invasion
Mar.27 (GMM) Officials are investigating the invasion of the Albert Park circuit by spectators while F1 cars were still completing their post-race in-laps on Sunday. Winner Sebastian Vettel, a lover of F1 history and a racing ‘purist’, admitted he actually enjoyed how trackside spectators breached the circuit perimeter just after he crossed the chequered flag. […]
Lauda scoffs at Raikkonen struggle theory
Mar.27 (GMM) F1 legend Niki Lauda has scoffed at one controversial explanation for Kimi Raikkonen’s Melbourne struggle. The Mercedes team chairman admitted he was surprised by the performance gap between race winner Sebastian Vettel and his Ferrari teammate Raikkonen on Sunday. “I don’t know what went wrong for Kimi,” Lauda told the German broadcaster RTL. […]
Giovinazzi to wear Ferrari red in China
Mar.27 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi says he will be back in red gear when he returns to the F1 paddock in two weeks. Ferrari’s new reserve driver got a shock call-up to the race grid in Australia, when Sauber’s Mercedes-backed main driver Pascal Wehrlein pulled out with apparent fitness concerns. Giovinazzi, a standout in GP2 last […]
Mercedes ‘not too far ahead’ – Horner
Mar.27 (GMM) Team boss Christian Horner has denied losing its ‘trick’ suspension system is the reason Red Bull struggled in Australia. Many observers are surprised that, with the rules changing and designer Adrian Newey reportedly fully motivated again, Ferrari and Mercedes turned out with clearly faster cars at the 2017 season opener. Mercedes also removed […]
Montezemolo hails return to winning for Ferrari
Mar.27 (GMM) Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has hailed the Italian marque’s return to victory. Tension between the long-time Ferrari chief and his successor Sergio Marchionne has been obvious, but Montezemolo insisted Ferrari fully deserved to win in Melbourne. “I’m really happy for the men and women of Ferrari,” he is quoted by La […]
Liberty will not set F1 rules – Todt
Mar.27 (GMM) Jean Todt has made clear the FIA will continue to make the rules in formula one. As the Liberty Media era begins in earnest, new F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn said in Melbourne he is prepared to “fight” for changes if the spectacle is not right. FIA president Todt, also in Melbourne, responded: […]
Bottas ‘the right driver’ for Mercedes – Lauda
Mar.27 (GMM) Niki Lauda says Melbourne proved that Mercedes chose “the right driver” to replace reigning world champion Nico Rosberg for 2017. During the season opening Australian grand prix, now retired Rosberg ‘tweeted’ a photo showing him watching the race on TV with his wife and daughter. Many people wanted Mercedes to hire a more […]
Overtaking ‘a problem’ in new F1 – Wolff
Mar.27 (GMM) Although Ferrari won on Sunday, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff gave a thumbs-up to the ‘new’ F1 after the 2017 season opener. On a competitive level, however, Wolff’s colleague Niki Lauda called it a “wake-up call”. “The best wake-up call is early morning, so now we are awake,” said the F1 legend. But the […]
F1 hails ‘red versus silver’ title battle
Mar.27 (GMM) The F1 world and beyond is now looking forward to an intense inter-team battle for the 2017 world championship. For the first time in the ‘power unit’ era, Mercedes looks set to have a real challenger in the form of Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel won in Melbourne, but third force Red Bull’s Christian Horner […]
Suspension not reason for Red Bull struggle – Verstappen
Mar.26 (GMM) Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s place as the third force behind Mercedes and Ferrari has been made obvious to the world in Melbourne. “We are behind,” the Dutchman said after qualifying. “We lack grip and engine power.” The team has been warning for weeks that it is not on the top two teams’ […]
Lowe defends Stroll amid bad debut F1 weekend
Mar.26 (GMM) Paddy Lowe has leapt to Lance Stroll’s defence, as the teen rookie struggles through his first race in formula one. After making notable mistakes in winter testing, 18-year-old Stroll – whose father Lawrence is a billionaire – crashed again in Melbourne practice and lines up dead last on Sunday’s grid. But Williams technical […]
Drivers happy with ‘8G’ new-generation F1 cars
Mar.26 (GMM) F1 drivers say the cars of 2017 are living up to expectations. Laptimes in qualifying were far from the predictions of 4-5 seconds per lap faster, but Max Verstappen said that kind of speed can be expected on circuits other than Melbourne. So when asked if the ‘new’ F1 is on track, the […]