Jun.15 (GMM) Team co-owner and boss Vijay Mallya is considering changing Force India’s name. The former billionaire, who is currently locked in a high profile legal battle with Indian authorities, bought the Spyker team and renamed it Force India ahead of the 2008 season. But La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Mallya called the Silverstone based […]
Month: June 2017
F1 will never go all-electric – Todt
Jun.15 (GMM) Jean Todt says F1 will never abandon its petrol-based origins and join Formula E as an all-electric powered series. “It’s impossible,” the FIA president told La Presse newspaper. “F1 is an absolutely different discipline,” he insisted. Todt said he is a great supporter and fan of Formula E, but he thinks F1 took […]
Broadcaster says F1 ‘humming’ once again
Jun.15 (GMM) F1 is “humming” once again. That is the positive assessment of Manfred Loppe, the sporting boss of the German free-to-air television broadcaster RTL. After a F1 ratings slump for RTL in recent years, Kolner Express newspaper reports that TV audiences have been up in Germany for all seven races so far in 2017. […]
Honda lagging behind in simulation – Cuquerella
Jun.15 (GMM) A former F1 engineer suspects Honda is lagging behind in the area of simulation. This week, amid intense rumours of a looming split with McLaren, Honda chief Yusuke Hawegawa admitted the engine maker is having trouble with correlation between its test benches and the track. “It may be that they have invested a […]
Wolff backtracks after Rosberg return comments
Jun.15 (GMM) Toto Wolff has backtracked after saying Nico Rosberg might return to F1 from retirement. In Montreal, Mercedes chief Wolff said he would “not be surprised” if the German was lured to “Ferrari or someone else” in the future. Rosberg hit back: “No, I really have finished my career.” Now, Wolff has clarified his […]
More Kubica tests ‘possible’ – Renault
Jun.15 (GMM) Robert Kubica wanted an F1 test in order to decide the next steps in his career. That is the claim of Cyril Abiteboul, the Renault team boss, after the Enstone outfit recently gave Kubica his first F1 outing since the Pole almost severed his arm in 2011. “He did the test because he […]
Palmer ‘under pressure’ to deliver – Abiteboul
Jun.15 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul has admitted Jolyon Palmer is under “pressure” to “deliver” for Renault in 2017. The British driver is yet to score a single point versus teammate Nico Hulkenberg’s 18 so far, amid rumours he could be ousted mid-season. “Jolyon must deliver,” boss Abiteboul told the French broadcaster Canal Plus. “He has a […]
F1 to start testing ‘Shield’ next month
Jun.15 (GMM) F1’s new ‘Shield’ concept will make its public debut earlier than expected. Earlier, we reported that the FIA would begin testing the new head protection on F1 cars during free practice in Monza and Singapore, in September. But it now emerges that the reportedly transparent cockpit-integrated device will actually now be tested for […]
Ferrari not ready to talk 2018 contracts
Jun.14 (GMM) Ferrari has refused to comment on the contractual status of its F1 drivers. Both championship leader Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen are out of contract at the end of the year. Many believe German Vettel will obviously stay in 2018, while there have been reports that Ferrari is now considering a […]
Honda admits ‘test bench’ problem
Jun.14 (GMM) Honda has given an explanation about the extent of its struggle so far in 2017. The signs are growing stronger by the day that McLaren has now decided to dump its hapless engine supplier mid-contract. “The rhetoric has changed,” former technical boss Mike Gascoyne told British television Sky. “It just sounds like a […]
Still ‘too early’ for contract talk – Bottas
Jun.14 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says it is still “too early” to talk about the possible extension of his contract. After Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement, Mercedes signed the Finn only for 2017 and there have been rumours Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel could move to the German team to replace him. However, team management and Lewis […]
Palmer has ‘no explanation’ amid rumours
Jun.14 (GMM) Jolyon Palmer says he has “no explanation” for his struggle to keep up with his teammate Nico Hulkenberg at Renault so far in 2017. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul recently gave the Briton a hurry-up, amid rumours a mid-season driver change – potentially involving tester Sergey Sirotkin or even Robert Kubica – might be […]
Verstappen worried about Red Bull for 2018
Jun.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is worried not only about Red Bull’s performance this year, but also for 2018. The young Dutchman is already under contract for next year, but after retiring in Montreal he insisted 2017 has been “completely crap” so far. Team boss Christian Horner excused the 19-year-old, though. “He knows how […]
Bottas ‘much better’ teammate than Rosberg – Hamilton
Jun.13 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says his relationship with new teammate Valtteri Bottas is working perfectly. After the inter-team acrimony of the past ended when Nico Rosberg retired, Mercedes replaced the German with Finn Bottas but only on a one-year deal. But Hamilton sounds keen for the new partnership to continue in 2018. Asked to compare […]
Father, Williams say Stroll deserves F1 seat
Jun.13 (GMM) Lawrence Stroll’s father and boss say the under-fire 18-year-old has now proven he deserves to be in formula one. After qualifying ten places behind teammate Felipe Massa ahead of his seventh race of his young career, Stroll was given the label of perhaps the worst rookie in F1 history by Jacques Villeneuve. But […]
Michael Douglas tips Alonso to quit F1
Jun.13 (GMM) Hollywood legend Michael Douglas has tipped Fernando Alonso to leave F1 at the end of the season. Famous American actor Douglas is an avid and long-time F1 fan and a personal friend of McLaren co-owner Mansour Ojjeh. He was a McLaren guest over the weekend in Montreal, and told Spain’s Marca sports newspaper: […]
‘No information’ about Honda upgrade – Alonso
Jun.13 (GMM) Rumours are growing by the day that the works McLaren-Honda partnership is now definitely doomed. It seems the final straw for the British team was Montreal, where Honda failed to deliver on a promise to upgrade its woefully unreliable and underperforming power unit. Then, Fernando Alonso retired within sight of the team’s first […]
Perez denies ignoring team order
Jun.13 (GMM) Mercedes chiefs think rival team Force India made a mistake in Montreal. Actually, the mistake may have been made by Sergio Perez alone, after he arguably cost his own teammate Esteban Ocon a podium on Sunday by refusing to obey team orders. But Mexican Perez denies he was actually asked to let Ocon […]
Stroll ‘worst F1 rookie ever’ – Villeneuve
Jun.12 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has ramped up his criticism of countryman Lance Stroll, following a difficult opening third of the 18-year-old Canadian’s rookie F1 season. Before the season, 1997 world champion Villeneuve actually defended Stroll, saying he deserved his Williams seat despite the millions in funding provided by his billionaire father Lawrence. Stroll then finally […]
Sainz ‘sure’ Renault will improve 2017 engine
Jun.12 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has responded to claims Renault will no longer update its engine in 2017. Paddock rumblings in Montreal suggested that amid pressure from customers Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Renault was struggling to deliver a scheduled mid-season upgrade for its turbo V6. But it is now reported Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has […]