Mar.15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s “provocative” behaviour shows Ferrari is entering the 2017 season as a favourite. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, who as Red Bull’s driver chief brought the German into F1 and guided his four titles. Now, Vettel is at Ferrari but Marko says he senses the 29-year-old is feeling very […]
Month: March 2017
2017 cars not harder to drive – Perez
Mar.15 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he was surprised when he sampled F1’s much faster cars for the first time in Barcelona testing recently. The 2017 rules were penned to make the cars much faster, in turn requiring the drivers to train harder and put on muscle to deal with the greater G-forces. But Mexican Perez […]
Mercedes defends removal of Schumacher branding
Mar.15 (GMM) Mercedes has defended its decision to remove the ‘KeepFightingMichael’ hashtag branding from the livery of its F1 car. Ever since former team driver Michael Schumacher’s horror skiing crash and brain injuries some years ago, Mercedes has published the supportive message on its car. But some fans have noted with dismay that the 2017 […]
Old engine makes Sauber’s life ‘hard’ – Wehrlein
Mar.15 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has admitted Sauber’s year-old engines will be a disadvantage for the Swiss team in 2017. Last year, Sauber almost collapsed financially, with its survival ensured only by a Marcus Ericsson-linked buyout and millions in F1 prize money snatched from the grasp of Wehrlein’s former team Manor. “Yes, the loss of the […]
Liberty chief slams Azerbaijan race
Mar.15 (GMM) A dark cloud has moved above the future of Azerbaijan’s grand prix. Under ousted F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s leadership, a street circuit in the historic capital Baku made its debut on the calendar last year. The Azerbaijan race is back for 2017, but it is now under fire from Greg Maffei, the chief […]
Bottas ‘won’t panic’ if Hamilton faster
Mar.15 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he “will not panic” if Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton is faster than him early in 2017. Based on Barcelona testing, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko and even Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda think Finn Bottas is not quite up to speed with Hamilton. But Bottas, signed by Mercedes at the eleventh […]
Pink livery worth $20m to Force India – report
Mar.15 (GMM) Force India’s new pink livery has cost an incoming sponsor up to $20 million for the 2017 season. That is the claim of the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, following news that the Silverstone based team’s car and driver helmets are turning pink thanks to the new deal with Austrian water technology company BWT. […]
Horner happy with Renault relationship
Mar.15 (GMM) Christian Horner has played down fears about the reliability of Renault’s new-for-2017 engine. It is rumoured the new power unit boasts better performance than its 2016 predecessor, but it obviously struck consistent reliability trouble during Barcelona testing. Red Bull team boss Horner said: “Renault has taken a big step forward with its 2017 […]
Kvyat unclear over next F1 career move
Mar.15 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat is looking into his F1 career with confidence, after hitting a severe roadblock in 2016. The young Russian began 2016 as a driver for Red Bull’s main F1 team, but after a tumultuous chain of events ended up with the junior squad Toro Rosso. “I have left everything that happened last […]
Teams meet with F1 owner Liberty in London
Mar.15 (GMM) The big names in F1 have this week headed from a farewell party for Bernie Ecclestone to a meeting with the sport’s new owners. Last week, the ousted F1 supremo’s friend Flavio Briatore revealed that every major figure in the sport headed to London to farewell Ecclestone, 86. “I was surprised that everyone […]
Judge Stroll after ‘half a year’ – Smedley
Mar.14 (GMM) The pressure on Lance Stroll ahead of the 2017 season is “extremely high”. That is not the view of an outspoken pundit but of Rob Smedley, the engineering chief at Williams. Last week, Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost told Speed Week: “I see Mercedes in front and then Ferrari and Red Bull with […]
Vandoorne only has to beat Alonso – Villeneuve
Mar.14 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has played down the impact McLaren-Honda’s current situation will have on Stoffel Vandoorne. Belgian Vandoorne, 24, is a highly-rated rookie whose full F1 career is finally beginning in 2017. But it comes amid a so-called ‘crisis’ for McLaren, with the team’s works Honda power unit still notably under-performing and unreliable. “It’s […]
Mercedes ‘still ahead’ for 2017 – Marchionne
Mar.14 (GMM) Ferrari has rejected the “favourite” tag ahead of next weekend’s season-opening Australian grand prix. Although Mercedes has won the past three titles, Lewis Hamilton thinks a “bluffing” Ferrari is the “favourite” based on Barcelona testing. And team chairman Niki Lauda thinks a “tough year” lies ahead for Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel, however, insists that […]
Rosberg test visit ‘surprised’ Lauda
Mar.14 (GMM) F1 legend Niki Lauda does not think Nico Rosberg will mount a return to formula one. When new world champion Rosberg shocked the world with his post-title retirement announcement, team chairman Lauda was the most openly critical of the move within the Mercedes camp. But triple world champion Lauda says he has now […]
Newey could launch ‘brilliant update’ – Surer
Mar.14 (GMM) Adrian Newey could be shaping up to launch a “brilliant update” for its 2017 car. That is the claim of former F1 driver turned German-language pundit Marc Surer. The Swiss commentator is referring to the fact that, despite designer Newey’s usual brilliance in interpreting new rules, Ferrari and Mercedes were clearly quicker in […]
‘Tough year’ awaits Mercedes – Lauda
Mar.14 (GMM) Mercedes is looking ahead to a “tough year”, according to team chairman and F1 legend Niki Lauda. Lewis Hamilton said in Barcelona last week that although Ferrari appears strong, the Italian team could be “bluffing” and in fact be even faster in 2017. Sebastian Vettel said: “Our car is certainly better than last […]
F1 looks to ban extra wings – Surer
Mar.14 (GMM) F1 looks set to ban the ‘shark fin’ appendages that will fill the Melbourne grid next weekend. The fins, extending from the rear of the engine cover, “calm the air in front of the rear wing”, explained former F1 driver turned pundit Marc Surer. The so-called ‘shark fins’ first emerged several years ago […]
Liberty boss hints at F1 engine rule changes
Mar.13 (GMM) Liberty Media boss Greg Maffei has hinted F1 needs to make changes to its current engine regulations. Last week, FIA president Jean Todt ruled out a return to screaming V8, V10 or V12 engines, declaring it would “not be accepted by global society”. But the volume of the current ‘hybrid’ power units remains […]
Renault confident in midfield battle
Mar.13 (GMM) Renault thinks it is a solid bet to head the F1 midfield in 2017. The French works team had a bad 2016 in the wake of the Lotus takeover, but technical boss Alan Permane said at the end of Barcelona testing: “Together with Toro Rosso, we are slightly ahead of Force India and […]
2017 ‘power units’ only slightly louder – report
Mar.13 (GMM) F1 is continuing to nudge up the volume of its controversial ‘power units’. In 2011, in the midst of the screaming V8 era, a German newspaper clocked the leading Mercedes engine at 128 decibels – beyond the human pain threshold. Then in 2015, for the second season of the much quieter V6 turbo […]