Feb.8 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen is relocating from his native Denmark to Dubai. BT newspaper said the Haas driver has already sold his existing apartment and will move into his new one in Dubai next week. “I have an apartment in the area called Dubai Marina, which is near the international airport,” Magnussen said. Already living […]
Month: February 2018
Rosberg still not thinking of F1 comeback
Feb.8 (GMM) Nico Rosberg insists he is still not giving any thoughts to a potential racing comeback. Days after winning the 2016 world championship, the German stunned the motor sport world by suddenly quitting both Mercedes and formula one. And he now tells Bunte magazine: “I have not ever felt the desire for a comeback […]
Wehrlein not ruling out 2019 comeback
Feb.8 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein is not ruling out a potential return to F1 for 2019. The German was ousted when Sauber signed F2 champion Charles Leclerc to partner his former teammate Marcus Ericsson for this year. Wehrlein, 23, is therefore returning to DTM, where he won the title in 2015 before moving into F1. “Unfortunately […]
Magnussen could race Daytona in 2019
Feb.7 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen looks set to be the next driver to expand his horizons beyond the F1 paddock. According to BT newspaper, the Dane came very close to joining Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll this year at Daytona. “We were quite far advanced with the plans but in the end we just ran out […]
2018 ‘not ugliest F1 season’ – Vasseur
Feb.7 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has played down two of the biggest controversies in F1 at present. Many believe that the introduction of the ‘Halo’ and the banning of ‘grid girls’ means that 2018 could be a particularly ugly season at the pinnacle of motor sport. “They are two different things,” Sauber boss Vasseur told the […]
Grid girl ban is ‘discrimination’ – Ramirez
Feb.7 (GMM) Former McLaren team coordinator Jo Ramirez has slammed Liberty Media’s decision to ban grid girls. Throughout the 80s and 90s, the now 76-year-old Mexican was a leading figure in F1. Ramirez now hits out at Liberty’s decision to ban grid girls, replacing them with ‘grid kids’ from 2018. “F1 is losing its way. […]
McLaren ‘happier’ heading into 2018 – Ramirez
Feb.7 (GMM) Jo Ramirez says he senses a very different McLaren as the British team prepares for 2018. McLaren’s long-time former team coordinator told Spanish radio Cadena Cope that dumping Honda means the team now “sees light at the end of the tunnel”. “They’re much happier,” said Mexican Ramirez. “They are working very well with […]
Verstappen to get early feel for 2018 car
Feb.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen thinks he will get an idea about his chances of fighting for the title in 2018 after the very first day of testing later this month. Mercedes and Ferrari duelled for the world championship last year, but Red Bull is tipped to join the party in 2018. Verstappen said: “Normally you […]
Alesi ‘not in favour’ of grid kids project
Feb.7 (GMM) Former F1 driver Jean Alesi says he is no fan of Liberty Media’s new “grid kids” initiative. F1’s new owners caused an international storm when it was announced that grid girls will be banned in 2018. In their place, children will hold the drivers’ grid boards instead. Former Ferrari driver Alesi weighed into […]
Lando Norris prepared to leave McLaren
Feb.6 (GMM) Lando Norris says he is prepared to leave McLaren if the British team has no place for him within a year or so. This year, McLaren will line up with an unchanged driver pairing of Fernando Alonso alongside Stoffel Vandoorne. But youngster Norris, the new reigning F3 champion, steps up into the reserve […]
Mercedes pushing limits with 2018 design – report
Feb.5 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes is pushing the development of its 2018 car to the limit. Italy’s Corriere dello Sport claims that with Ferrari and Red Bull closing in, Mercedes has pushed the limits with the performance parameters of the new car. The report says several exhausts have broken on the test rigs […]
Ferrari-Liberty showdown ‘inevitable’ – Brown
Feb.5 (GMM) Zak Brown thinks the showdown between Ferrari and Liberty Media was “inevitable”. With Liberty reportedly proposing a fairer income distribution system among other things, Ferrari has threatened to quit F1. McLaren executive Brown told AS newspaper: “It was inevitable that there would be a confrontation between Ferrari and Liberty. “Ferrari wants to protect […]
Boullier backs Alonso’s Le Mans move
Feb.5 (GMM) Eric Boullier says he supports Fernando Alonso’s move into the world of Le Mans racing. Some believe that the McLaren driver getting permission to split his time between F1 and sports cars this year is the brainchild of team executive Zak Brown rather than Boullier. But team boss Boullier insists he is not […]
Renault engine ‘one second’ faster – Boullier
Feb.5 (GMM) Eric Boullier says McLaren will get a one second per lap boost simply by using a different engine in 2018. After three years with Honda, the British team lost patience and will use customer Renault power this season. Team boss Boullier says McLaren is on schedule for 2018. “The Honda and Renault engines […]
Sirotkin hits out at ‘pay driver’ label
Feb.5 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says he is ignoring those who call him a ‘pay driver’. Some, including sections of the media, say the Russian secured Williams’ second seat for 2018 thanks to the millions brought to the team by SMP Bank. “I do not pay attention to names like ‘pay driver’,” Sirotkin told Russian radio […]
Liberty ‘doing everything wrong’ – Ecclestone
Feb.5 (GMM) Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has lashed out at the sport’s new owners Liberty Media. The 87-year-old said last week that he strongly disagrees with Liberty’s decision to ban grid girls. But he has now told Sonntagsblick newspaper: “So far I have not seen a single thing that makes sense. “They are doing […]
Alonso needs Le Mans to ‘prove’ skills – Domenicali
Feb.2 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is racing outside formula one to “prove” he remains one of the world’s best drivers. That is the view of his former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali, who today is the boss of Lamborghini. Last year, Alonso contested the Indy 500 and this year he will combine his McLaren duties with Le […]
Series boss says Formula E will overtake F1
Feb.2 (GMM) The boss of Formula E says he thinks the all-electric series will eventually overtake F1. Series chief Alejandro Agag took a swipe at F1 after Liberty Media announced this week that grid girls are being banned, declaring “Welcome to the 21st century”. “They are copying many things we do,” he smiled to London […]
Wolff tips Hamilton to sign new contract
Feb.2 (GMM) It is only “a matter of time” before Lewis Hamilton signs a new Mercedes contract. That is the claim of his boss Toto Wolff, even though reports of a new deal have been around for months and Hamilton regularly flirts with the idea of retirement. The 33-year-old driver is under contract until the […]
Massa laments end of Brazilian F1 drivers
Feb.2 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he is “disappointed” that his retirement means there are no more Brazilians on the F1 grid. “Of course I am,” he told France’s Auto Hebdo. “My country is an integral part of F1 with drivers like Senna, Piquet and Fittipaldi and I am honoured to have been a part of […]