Jul.12 (GMM) Red Bull has hit an obstacle as it tries to promote its next young F1 hotshot. The energy drink company has been looking for a potential replacement for struggling Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley. It found him in the form of Daniel Ticktum, a 19-year-old Briton and Red Bull junior driver. A few […]
Month: July 2018
Renault engine ‘really a problem’ – Verstappen
Jul.12 (GMM) Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s title chances have taken a dive. Although the Dutchman won in Austria, he says at the most recent races, Renault’s power deficit has become a much bigger problem. “I think we have the strongest chassis of anyone,” said Verstappen. “If we had the Mercedes or Ferrari engine, they […]
2019 calendar waiting on Miami troubles
Jul.12 (GMM) Liberty Media is waiting on progress in Miami before finalising the 2018 calendar. It has emerged that the opening seven races on next year’s schedule – every race between March and June – have now been fixed: Australia, Bahrain, China, Azerbaijan, Spain, Monaco and Canada. And the season finale will take place on […]
Liberty working on Silverstone deal – Brawn
Jul.11 (GMM) Ross Brawn says Liberty Media is working on securing the future of the British grand prix. Silverstone owner the BRDC has actually triggered a break clause in the contract, meaning that unless another deal can be agreed, 2019 will be the last race. F1 owner Liberty’s sporting boss Brawn says he’s working on […]
Gutierrez pushing for F1 return
Jul.11 (GMM) Esteban Gutierrez says he is trying to get back onto the F1 grid. The Mexican lost his Haas seat after the 2016 season, and since then has made appearances in Formula E and Indycar. But he was back in the F1 paddock last weekend, appearing in Mercedes team gear at Silverstone. The world […]
Ricciardo admits Red Bull deal ‘likely’
Jul.11 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo now says it is “likely” he will stay at Red Bull in 2019. Earlier, the Red Bull driver was toying with a move to Ferrari, Mercedes or even McLaren. But now he is quoted by Spain’s AS newspaper: “It is increasingly likely that I will stay, although I haven’t signed yet […]
Alonso no fan of proposed new points system
Jul.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is not sure changing the points system is a good move for F1. Over the British grand prix weekend, it emerged that at the latest strategy group meeting, a proposal to expand the points paying positions from the top 10 to the top 15 cars had been tabled. But […]
Ferrari engine better than Mercedes – Rosberg
Jul.10 (GMM) Nico Rosberg says the engine is what is making the difference at Ferrari this year. The 2016 world champion says he thinks his old teammate Lewis Hamilton is having a tough time fending off Sebastian Vettel’s title assault mainly because of horse power. “I know from an insider source why Ferrari is so […]
Renault felt like Formula 2 engine – Verstappen
Jul.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he feels as though he has been relegated to Formula 2. In the Honda era, Fernando Alonso at one point called his Honda power unit a “GP2 engine”. But Verstappen says he knows how the Spaniard felt. “If you’re missing 70-80hp you know you’re going to struggle,” he said at […]
Grosjean form ‘unacceptable’ – Steiner
Jul.10 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says a “critical moment” could come amid his patience with struggling Haas driver Romain Grosjean. Frenchman Grosjean has had a mainly poor season with the American team, and it didn’t get better at Silverstone. Haas had to change his chassis after a crash in Friday practice, then in the race he […]
No one-year Renault contract for Alonso – Abiteboul
Jul.9 (GMM) Renault has not outright denied a rumour suggesting Fernando Alonso could drive for the team in 2019. The French team currently runs Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz, but the latter is in doubt as he is merely ‘on loan’ from Red Bull for a year. “We are not in a hurry and we […]
Alonso needs Indy for ‘motivation’ – Verstappen
Jul.9 (GMM) Max Verstappen suspects Fernando Alonso is looking outside of F1 because the Spaniard’s motivation has gone. Many have hailed Alonso for not only continuing to focus on formula one, but also expand his horizons by targeting the ‘triple crown’ including Le Mans and Indy 500 wins. But Red Bull’s Verstappen says he is […]
Arrivabene slams Mercedes after accusations
Jul.9 (GMM) Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene has hit back with fury at Mercedes, after an accusation of deliberate foul play at Silverstone. There had already been Ferrari vs Mercedes trouble in Austria a week ago, so when Kimi Raikkonen hit Lewis Hamilton at the start of the British grand prix, tempers flared. “To word it […]
No ‘triple header’ in 2019
Jul.8 (GMM) F1 will not schedule an arduous ‘triple header’ in 2019. Even though Liberty Media is hoping to add Miami to the calendar next year, teams have reported that staging France, Austria and Britain on consecutive weekends was too much in the past month. “Everyone’s tired. Everyone’s powering through it,” said McLaren’s Zak Brown. […]
Silverstone bump caused Vettel neck tweak
Jul.8 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel thinks a bump in the track surface at Silverstone could have tweaked his neck. The Ferrari driver struggled through qualifying on Saturday with sports taping on his neck, admitting he earlier feared he might not be able to race. “It wasn’t the most enjoyable session,” Vettel admitted, after qualifying second. “We’ve […]
Vandoorne sidesteps McLaren future rumours
Jul.7 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne has dismissed as “part of formula one” a run of paddock rumours about him. Earlier, it seemed possible that the British team would oust the Belgian, who has struggled to shine alongside Fernando Alonso both last year and in 2018. Youngster Lando Norris is waiting in the wings for a seat, […]
F1 engine makers form ‘cartel’ against 2021 rules
Jul.7 (GMM) F1 manufacturers have thrown a spanner in the works of Liberty Media’s engine rules for 2021. Earlier, it seemed clear that the sport would drop the complex MGU-H element of the hybrid systems in order to bring down costs and make the engines simpler and louder. In turn, this would entice carmakers like […]
McLaren success will ‘take a while’ – de Ferran
Jul.7 (GMM) Gil de Ferran agrees with McLaren boss Zak Brown that it will “take a while” for the British team to win again. With the Honda era now over, McLaren hit rock bottom in 2018 as it became apparent that, even with a better engine, the team is still not competitive. What followed was […]
No ‘negotiations’ with Raikkonen yet – Brown
Jul.7 (GMM) Zak Brown says McLaren has not yet opened contract talks with former team driver Kimi Raikkonen. It is rumoured in the paddock that Fernando Alonso could quit F1 or the beleaguered British team at the end of the year. Daniel Ricciardo and now Raikkonen have been linked with the seat. McLaren executive Brown […]
F1 considering new points system for 2020
Jul.7 (GMM) F1 could be contemplating a new points system for the future. Force India’s Vijay Mallya, on a rare paddock visit at Silverstone, reportedly revealed that Liberty Media is currently thinking about reforming how points are allocated at the end of races. Auto Motor und Sport said the points from 2020 could be allocated […]