Mar.22 (GMM) Red Bull’s chassis and drivers can do the rest if its Renault engine is within half a second of Mercedes this year. That is the view of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, as he gave a rare pre-season interview to Austrian media including Salzburger Nachrichten. First, he said he is delighted with Toro Rosso’s […]
Month: March 2018
Hamilton names Ricciardo as favourite
Mar.22 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has named local hero Daniel Ricciardo as the favourite in Australia this weekend. Although the bookies and pundits think reigning champion Hamilton is the favourite, the Briton thinks Red Bull will in fact have the edge in Melbourne. “I think they’re favourites, personally,” he said. “Not because it’s Daniel and it’s […]
No name change for Force India
Mar.22 (GMM) Force India will not change its name in 2018. Earlier, amid rumours an energy drink company called Rich Energy would buy the team, it was reported the team could drop the word ‘India’ from its name. But Auto Motor und Sport says any name change for Force India will now wait until at […]
McLaren ‘not best prepared’ for 2018 – Boullier
Mar.21 (GMM) McLaren is not setting a precise goal for 2018. Despite splitting with Honda after an abysmal three years, the British team had another troubled winter. Team boss Eric Boullier insists those problems have been sorted for Australia, but he also admits that McLaren is not setting unrealistic expectations either. “The objective is clearly […]
Mercedes leads by only two tenths – Lauda
Mar.21 (GMM) Niki Lauda thinks Mercedes’ advantage over its rivals is as small as two tenths. In Barcelona testing, the reigning champions did not even use the softest ‘hypersoft’ tyre, indicating it is more than confident it will dominate in 2018. “The hypersoft was never part of our programme,” Mercedes team chairman Lauda told Kronen […]
Sauber will be lucky to score points – Vasseur
Mar.21 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has admitted that Sauber will be lucky to score points in 2018. Days ago, rookie driver Charles Leclerc said his goal for the new season was to score points “in one or two races”. Asked if he agrees, the Swiss team’s boss Vasseur answered: “Yes. But when you are at our […]
Red Bull ‘learning Japanese’ in 2018 – Marko
Mar.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hinted strongly that Red Bull is giving serious consideration to a switch to Honda power for 2019. Currently, the Austrian outfit is weighing up between staying with Renault or moving to the Japanese manufacturer. Already for 2018, Red Bull decided to install Honda engines at its second team, Toro […]
Hamilton will like Paul Ricard more – boss
Mar.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will like Paul Ricard once he gets up and racing at the new French grand prix venue in June. That is the view of the track’s boss Stephane Clair, following recent comments made by the quadruple world champion. “Honestly, I don’t like Paul Ricard,” Hamilton said. “I liked it when the […]
Massa thinks Mercedes could win again
Mar.21 (GMM) Felipe Massa suspects Mercedes will dominate in 2018. After Barcelona testing, while many believe Mercedes has its nose in front, the conventional wisdom is that Red Bull and Ferrari could make it a close fight. Massa told Corriere della Sera: “That would be nice. But I fear it will not happen. “Many things […]
Ferrari’s quit threat is serious – Wolff
Mar.21 (GMM) Toto Wolff has warned the FIA and Liberty Media not to take Ferrari’s F1 quit threat lightly. As negotiations over a new commercial deal and regulations beyond 2020 loom, many long-serving F1 figures have heard Ferrari’s quit threats before. But Mercedes boss Wolff says it’s different this time. Referring to Ferrari president Sergio […]
McLaren has fixed testing problems – Boullier
Mar.20 (GMM) McLaren has sorted its problems in time for this weekend’s 2018 season opener. Despite dumping Honda and switching to Renault, the once-great British marque remained the team with the most problems in winter testing. “We didn’t have the reliability we had hoped for in winter testing,” team boss Eric Boullier admitted before the […]
Haas ‘seems very fast’ in 2018 – Wolff
Mar.20 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits Haas may be ‘best of the rest’ in Melbourne. It is clear that Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari will lead the way as the 2018 season begins. But many think it will be the small Ferrari-linked Haas team in front of Renault and a densely packed midfield. “From our statistical […]
Wolff confident amid Hamilton contract delay
Mar.20 (GMM) Toto Wolff is still confident Lewis Hamilton will sign up with Mercedes beyond 2018. Earlier, amid claims a contract announcement was imminent, Hamilton suggested that the process may in fact be delayed. When asked about the state of the negotiations, boss Wolff said about a conclusion to the deal: “It’s a matter of […]
Ferrari is close to Mercedes – Wurz
Mar.20 (GMM) Ferrari could be closer to Mercedes this season than has been suggested in recent days and weeks. That is the view of Alex Wurz, who admitted that whether Ferrari can take on the German team is the big unanswered question ahead of the Melbourne season opener. “We have seen in the tests that […]
Toro Rosso took pressure off Honda – Key
Mar.20 (GMM) Toro Rosso has confirmed rumours Honda made a big step forward over the winter after the Japanese engine manufacturer got more ‘freedom’. One analysis of the big improvement made by Honda since the McLaren split is that it now has more room to breathe at its new partner, Toro Rosso. Technical boss James […]
Webber doubts Ferrari will quit F1
Mar.20 (GMM) Mark Webber says he would be “flabbergasted” if Ferrari quits formula one. Mercedes is also unhappy about Liberty Media’s plans for a budget cap and new engine regulations, but Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has threatened to pull the Maranello based team out of the sport after 2020. “It’s a bit of a chess […]
Hamilton hints at Mercedes contract delay
Mar.19 (GMM) A new deal between Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes could be delayed. Earlier, team boss Toto Wolff said he hoped a contract to keep the quadruple world champion at Mercedes beyond 2018 would be agreed by Melbourne. “We started talking about it but it’s not really my priority at the moment,” Hamilton said at […]
Copenhagen official plays down F1 hopes
Mar.19 (GMM) A top Copenhagen official has played down hopes the Danish capital could soon join the F1 calendar. Ninna Hedeager Olsen, the deputy mayor for Copenhagen’s technical and environment department, told Politiken newspaper that an F1 race in the city is “completely unrealistic”. “The organisation of an event like formula one is so extensive […]
Too early to dream about Ferrari – Leclerc
Mar.19 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says it’s too early to dream about a future at Ferrari. The reigning Formula 2 champion is backed by Ferrari, and has been placed at the newly Alfa Romeo-sponsored Sauber team for his F1 debut in 2018. But when asked if he is eyeing Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari seat for 2019, he […]
Ocon admits eyeing Mercedes future
Mar.19 (GMM) Esteban Ocon admits he is quietly eyeing a future at Mercedes. The young Frenchman is currently at Force India, but he is backed by Mercedes. According to RMC, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff recently called the 21-year-old his “little gem”. “It’s always cool to hear things like that from your boss,” Ocon smiled. But […]