Apr.30 (GMM) Mercedes chiefs have rubbished rumours Sebastian Vettel could be set to switch from Ferrari to Mercedes for 2018. German Vettel, the world championship leader and Sochi pole sitter, is out of contract at the end of this year. As for the rumours of a Mercedes switch, however, team chairman Niki Lauda told ORF: […]
Month: April 2017
F1 to better arrange calendar – Carey
Apr.30 (GMM) F1’s new owners are working on a plan to better organise the annual race calendar in future. In recent seasons, the ever-expanding calendar has been criticised for the arrangement of its often geographically-distant races. But Italy’s Corriere della Sera reports that the next calendar is being arranged so that races are grouped in […]
McLaren, Mercedes deny 2018 rumours
Apr.30 (GMM) McLaren and Mercedes have denied claims they are teaming up for 2018. Amid the Honda performance crisis, rumours are sweeping the Sochi paddock that a deal for a reunion of the old McLaren-Mercedes partnership is in the works. The rumour was proudly announced by former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, to which McLaren […]
Wolff plays down ‘off’ Hamilton form
Apr.30 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down an uncharacteristic ‘off’ weekend for triple world champion Lewis Hamilton. In his championship battle with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton qualified at Sochi not only behind the German but also the second Ferrari as well as his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. “Lewis is an outstanding driver, but he is […]
Ferrari happy with Raikkonen in Russia
Apr.30 (GMM) Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has hailed the performance of Ferrari’s race drivers. At Sochi, Sebastian Vettel qualified on pole but it was his earlier-struggling teammate Kimi Raikkonen who qualified next, in front of the two Mercedes. “I’m really happy, most of all because we have a great car and two exceptional drivers […]
Kaltenborn sure Honda will improve
Apr.30 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn says she is confident Honda will make a big step forward in formula one for 2018. It was announced on Sunday that Sauber, currently a customer Ferrari team with a year-old power unit, will switch to Honda next year. Honda, having notably struggled since returning to F1 in 2015, confirmed that […]
No night race in Russia
Apr.30 (GMM) Organisers of the Russian grand prix have backed away from their earlier deliberations about turning the Sochi event into a night race. Before Bernie Ecclestone was deposed as F1 supremo, talks took place about potentially installing the necessary floodlighting so that the race can be held after sunset in the future. “It’s a […]
Renault drivers scoff at FIA parity claims
Apr.30 (GMM) Renault-powered F1 figures have scoffed at the FIA’s conclusion that engine parity has now been achieved. Amid rumours Honda might get help in catching up with the other engine manufacturers, it emerges that an analysis by the FIA found that Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are all within 3 tenths of a second per […]
Massa sees Schumacher-like mentor role
Apr.30 (GMM) Felipe Massa says his new de-facto role as Lance Stroll’s mentor reminds him of the past. Over a decade ago, the then young Brazilian looked up to the great Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. Now, it is the 36-year-old Massa who is mentoring teenage rookie Lance Stroll at Williams. “My relationship with Lance reminds […]
2017 overtaking criticism ‘crazy’ – Lauda
Apr.29 (GMM) Niki Lauda has rubbished claims the 2017 rules have robbed formula one of overtaking. While the faster and more aggressive looking cars have been generally hailed, some have lamented the fact that passing – already rare in F1 – has now almost completely disappeared. “These people are crazy,” Lauda, the F1 legend and […]
Alonso admits 2018 team switch possible
Apr.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is not willing to wait much longer for Honda to improve. McLaren headed into the Sochi weekend hopeful of better reliability, but a failure for Stoffel Vandoorne means Alonso’s teammate has now already run through his engine allocation for 2017. Coupled with poor performance, Alonso – whose contract runs […]
Vettel backs struggling Raikkonen
Apr.29 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has jumped to the defence of his teammate and friend Kimi Raikkonen. Recently, amid speculation the Italian team might replace the Finn for 2018, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne made disparaging comments about Raikkonen’s performance. “You can find so many nonsense stories in newspapers and on the web,” Raikkonen said in Russia. […]
Indy 500 about Alonso’s ‘ego’ – Wolff
Apr.29 (GMM) The big story about McLaren tackling the fabled Indy 500 next month is all about Fernando Alonso’s “ego”. That is the view of Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes team. McLaren-Honda shocked the racing world recently by announcing that Spaniard Alonso will skip Monaco to try to win the famous American high speed […]
Ongoing Honda problems ‘incredible’ – Alonso
Apr.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has described Honda’s ongoing problems in 2017 as “incredible”. Actually, McLaren headed into Sochi with confidence, after an update appeared to have transformed the reliability of Honda’s struggling power unit at the post-Bahrain GP test. But Stoffel Vandoorne then struck more trouble in practice for the Russian grand prix. “He has […]
Officials hint Kvyat staying at Toro Rosso
Apr.29 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat stands a chance of keeping his Toro Rosso seat beyond 2017. That is the claim of Red Bull officials Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, as the young Russian recovers from his tumultuous career dip of last year. “He is driving well now,” Marko, the head of the energy drink company’s […]
Red Bull doubts F1 engine parity claims
Apr.29 (GMM) Red Bull has questioned the FIA’s conclusion that engine performance has now been basically achieved in formula one. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that, after the opening three races of 2017, the governing body analysed data that shows the gap between Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault is within an acceptable three-tenths per lap. […]
Mercedes not leaving F1 for Formula E – Lauda
Apr.29 (GMM) Niki Lauda has denied Mercedes is tossing up between a future in F1 or the all-electric open wheeler series Formula E. As F1 starts the process of planning for the new engine rules beyond 2020, it is notable that Mercedes has reserved a place for the future in the ever more popular and […]
Hamilton denies Mercedes sandbagging
Apr.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at claims Mercedes is sandbagging in Russia. Before going fastest in Sochi practice, championship leader Sebastian Vettel had said the circuit obviously suits Mercedes better than Ferrari. He then accused Mercedes of having “misled” the pecking order. “We’ve never done that intentionally,” Mercedes’ Hamilton responded. “There’s no benefit […]
Hamilton backs New York night race plans
Apr.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has backed apparent plans for a F1 night race in New York. Recently, Bernie Ecclestone’s successor Chase Carey said a race in New York is a “priority”. “In New York it would be really cool,” triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said in Russia. “We definitely need two grands prix in the […]
Force India not affected by Mallya issues – Perez
Apr.28 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he is not worried Force India will be affected by team co-owner and boss Vijay Mallya’s ongoing legal troubles. Amid the case relating to the former Indian billionaire’s huge Kingfisher airlines debt, Mallya was arrested and bailed in London recently. The Indian government is seeking the 61-year-old’s extradition, but Force […]