Jul.19 (GMM) Christian Horner sees parallels between McLaren’s current situation and the predicament faced by Red Bull two years ago. In 2015, amid Red Bull’s falling out with Renault, the energy drink owned team struggled to find a replacement engine as none of the alternatives were keen to work with the former champions. Now, a […]
Month: July 2017
Sainz plays down chances of Hungary team switch
Jul.18 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has now joined those playing down his chances of switching teams ahead of the Hungarian grand prix next weekend. Tension is clearly high between the Toro Rosso driver and his Red Bull bosses, with Christian Horner now admitting the 22-year-old can be bought by a rival for an appropriate exit fee. […]
Verstappen ‘still a little wild’ – Vettel
Jul.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has no right to complain about dangerous driving. That is the retort of Max Verstappen, after German Vettel’s latest spate of fist-waving during the pair’s on-track battle at Silverstone. During the race, Verstappen said Vettel appeared to want to play “bumper cars”, but afterwards it was the Ferrari driver questioning the […]
Italian press says Ferrari must ‘start from scratch’
Jul.18 (GMM) Italy’s partisan media is worried the tide may have turned against Ferrari in its championship battle with Mercedes. As Lewis Hamilton utterly dominated, Mercedes scored a one-two and Ferrari’s drivers struggled to the finish with disintegrating Pirelli tyres, the Italian press departed Silverstone concerned about the implications. “Ferrari’s defeat was the worst this […]
Wolff wants Hamilton to stay at Mercedes
Jul.18 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is pushing Lewis Hamilton to commit to Mercedes beyond the end of next year. After the British driver closed the championship gap to just a single point at Silverstone, Hamilton hinted to the media that he is not ruling out retirement. “I love driving and you could say it’s […]
Bottas set for 2018 Mercedes deal – Wolff
Jul.17 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas looks set to secure a one-year extension to his Mercedes contract for 2018. The Finn signed a one-year deal to replace the suddenly-retired Nico Rosberg this year, and has been pushing for a “long-term” commitment by the German team. The good news for Bottas is that Mercedes seems to want to […]
Verstappen says Ferrari rumours ‘positive’
Jul.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen has described rumours linking him with a move to Ferrari as “positive”. Amid his reliability problems, an underpowered Renault engine and obvious outward frustration in 2017, rumours have suggested Ferrari is serious about poaching the 19-year-old. However, he has a firm contract for 2018 and 2019, and Red Bull’s Dr Helmut […]
Red Bull to consider Sainz release – Horner
Jul.17 (GMM) Red Bull chiefs and Carlos Sainz have hit back at suggestions the Spanish driver will switch to Renault ahead of the forthcoming Hungarian GP. It is claimed Renault wants to immediately oust struggling British driver Jolyon Palmer and replace him with Sainz, who currently drives for the Red Bull-owned junior team Toro Rosso. […]
Alonso pushing for McLaren’s engine decision
Jul.17 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he would like to know the identity of McLaren’s 2018 engine supplier as soon as possible. Amid suggestions a McLaren-Honda divorce is on the cards, it has emerged that the British team has held talks with potential alternatives Mercedes, Renault and even Ferrari. The outcome could affect Alonso’s future. “It’s […]
Force India musing two options for name change
Jul.17 (GMM) Force India has written up a short-list of potential new team names for the 2018 season and beyond. Keen to attract more international sponsors, and amid his legal troubles with Indian authorities, owner Vijay Mallya is determined to drop the word ‘India’ from his Silverstone-based team’s name at the end of this year. […]
Ferrari offers Vettel three-year contract – report
Jul.17 (GMM) Ferrari wants Sebastian Vettel to sign a new three-year contract. With the German’s current deal up at the end of the season, he has been linked with a potential move to Mercedes — perhaps for 2019, once Lewis Hamilton’s current contract has expired. Vettel recently invited Mercedes chief Toto Wolff to his 30th […]
Haas turns ‘full focus’ to 2018 car
Jul.17 (GMM) F1’s American team Haas is turning its attention to building a better car for 2018. “Our full focus is on 2018 now,” team boss Gunther Steiner confirmed to Ekstra Bladet newspaper. In its second year on the grid, the Ferrari-linked team is seventh out of the ten teams in the championship, with Romain […]
Ferrari tyre failure blame ‘obvious’ – Arrivabene
Jul.17 (GMM) Pirelli is looking into the tyre failures that cost Sebastian Vettel almost his entire championship lead at Silverstone. Vettel’s Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen also suffered a tyre delamination late in the British grand prix,. “We are investigating,” Pirelli chief Mario Isola said. “The tyres will be sent to Milan and studied,” he revealed, […]
Mercedes tackles quit rumours with sponsor news
Jul.16 (GMM) Mercedes has hit back at rumours the German carmaker might pull out of formula one in the coming years. Recently, team boss Toto Wolff slammed F1 pundit Eddie Jordan for suggesting Mercedes might quit as the major sponsorships of Petronas and UBS run out late next year. But at Silverstone, Mercedes revealed that […]
Wolff blasts ‘delusional’ Hamilton critics
Jul.16 (GMM) Toto Wolff has blasted Lewis Hamilton’s critics, after the Mercedes driver skipped the London demonstration event this week. Critics suggested that as the British hero and arguably F1’s most popular driver, Hamilton should not have been the only driver absent in the UK capital. That criticism came amid speculation Hamilton and Wolff have […]
Kvyat pushes to know Toro Rosso plans
Jul.16 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat says he is open to staying at Toro Rosso next year. In Austria a week ago, Red Bull chief Christian Horner said there is no reason the Russian should not be retained by the energy drink company’s second F1 team. “First of all, I appreciate Christian’s kind words,” Kvyat said at […]
Gasly to replace Sainz at Toro Rosso – report
Jul.16 (GMM) A new driver could be set to join the F1 grid as soon as the next grand prix in Hungary. Germany’s Auto Bild reports that, amid his recent falling-out with Red Bull chiefs, Carlos Sainz could be set to immediately leave Toro Rosso in order to replace the struggling works Renault driver Jolyon […]
No more ‘risky’ starts for Bottas
Jul.16 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he will not attempt a “risky” race start at Silverstone. After a gearbox penalty and a poor qualifying, the Finn finds himself down the British grand prix grid. So when asked if he will try to emulate the perfect and yet controversial start that saw him effectively anticipate the red […]
Now Toro Rosso linked with Honda switch
Jul.16 (GMM) The uncertainty about Honda’s future in F1 has taken another twist. Already, it was not clear whether McLaren and Honda would stay together for 2018, or even if the customer engine deal with Sauber will proceed. And now, Auto Motor und Sport reports that Honda could link up with Toro Rosso next year. […]
Force India sued over pink sponsor deal
Jul.16 (GMM) Although boss Vijay Mallya is happy with his pink-coloured cars in 2017, the sponsorship deal has landed Force India in legal trouble. Bild am Sonntag newspaper reports that an agency is claiming a commission for the EUR 12.5-15 million deal with Austrian water company BWT. “At the end of the day, I find […]