Jul.4 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has questioned whether Liberty Media will be able to add Miami to next year’s F1 calendar. F1’s new owners are confident they will add the second US date to the schedule for 2019. But Ecclestone, who made a rare visit to the F1 paddock last weekend in Austria, isn’t so sure. […]
Month: July 2018
Mercedes hopes to avoid Silverstone penalties
Jul.4 (GMM) Mercedes is hoping to avoid penalties this weekend at Silverstone. Last weekend, the reigning world champions suffered an ultra-rare double DNF, with Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene wondering if the new upgrades were to blame. “(They were) entirely separate failures,” Mercedes technical boss James Allison said, “and neither of them related to the introduction […]
Ricciardo reveals contract talks with Mateschitz
Jul.3 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo may be inching towards a new deal with Red Bull. The Australian has been linked with moves to Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren for 2019, but Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said in Austria that Ricciardo is getting “closer” to inking a new contract. Ricciardo says the Austrian grand prix, Red Bull’s […]
Williams slow at every race – Stroll
Jul.3 (GMM) Lance Stroll says Williams’ car problems equate to up to a 30 horse power deficit. The British team is stuck in arguably its worst ever crisis, with the slowest car in formula one and boss Paddy Lowe admitting there is no light at the end of the tunnel. “I don’t expect a lot […]
Ferrari could struggle at Silverstone – boss
Jul.3 (GMM) Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has warned that Ferrari may struggle this weekend at Silverstone. Thanks to Mercedes’ double failure, Sebastian Vettel left Austria on Sunday with a 1 point lead in the world championship. But as F1’s first ever triple header ends in Britain this weekend, Ferrari’s Arrivabene is not sure Vettel can […]
Force India could collapse in 2018 – report
Jul.2 (GMM) F1 could end the 2018 season with just 18 cars on the grid. That is the claim of Brazil’s Globo, reporting that Force India is on the verge of insolvency. Although the small Silverstone based team is a competitive midfield runner, the report said if a buyer is not found by the end […]
Villeneuve questions Vandoorne’s drive
Jul.2 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has questioned Stoffel Vandoorne’s drive to succeed in formula one. Vandoorne arrived in F1 last year, but at the tail of the Honda era and now also with Renault power, the Belgian has struggled to make an impression alongside Fernando Alonso. At present, McLaren is not committing to him for 2019. […]
Critics shouldn’t question Verstappen style – father
Jul.2 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s critics should “never again” question the aggressive racing style of the young Dutchman. That is the view of his father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He was speaking to the Dutch publication Formule 1 after Max, 20, ended a run of crashes with victory in Austria. “People should never again put […]
Strategist keeps job after Mercedes blunder
Jul.2 (GMM) Mercedes’ chief strategist will keep his job after a serious blunder during the Austrian grand prix. Both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas retired with technical problems on Sunday, handing a 1 point championship lead back to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. But amid that, Mercedes strategist James Vowles admitted on the radio to Hamilton: “I […]
Marko tips Ricciardo to sign Red Bull deal
Jul.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he is confident Daniel Ricciardo will stay at Red Bull in 2019. The Australian driver is currently delaying his decision, amid rumours he might switch to Mercedes, Ferrari or even McLaren. But Marko, the Red Bull consultant, thinks those moves are all unlikely. “Where would he go? To Mercedes? […]
No 2019 German GP ‘frustrating’ – Bratches
Jul.1 (GMM) Liberty Media has confirmed that Germany will be missing from the 2019 calendar. Hockenheim boss Georg Seiler revealed in the week that he has failed to reach a good commercial deal with the F1 owner. Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says that’s a pity. “The conditions are not easy for the circuits in […]
Ferrari seat ‘too early’ for Leclerc – Villeneuve
Jul.1 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve thinks Ferrari is promoting Charles Leclerc too soon. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Maranello team has signed up the 20-year-old Sauber driver for 2019 and 2020, to replace Kimi Raikkonen. “I think it’s too early for him,” 1997 world champion Villeneuve told Auto Bild in Austria. “On the one […]
Grosjean thinks 2018 slump now over
Jul.1 (GMM) Romain Grosjean thinks his 2018 slump could finally be over. Although driving the competitive Haas car, only the Frenchman and Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin are yet to score a single point so far this year. But Grosjean qualified an impressive sixth in Austria. He said afterwards he is not worried his points slump will […]
Sainz pardons Vettel for Austria block
Jul.1 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has excused Sebastian Vettel after an incident in qualifying. Renault’s Sainz went off the track and broke a wing when he encountered a slow-moving Vettel on the racing line in Austria. “It made me break a wing, which obviously costs our team money, but he didn’t do it on purpose,” said […]
Renault wants quick decision over Sainz
Jul.1 (GMM) Carlos Sainz could be let go by Renault if Red Bull does not quickly sign up its drivers for 2019. That is warning of Cyril Abiteboul, the Renault team boss. Currently, Spaniard Sainz drives for Renault but he is ‘on loan’ for a year from Red Bull. He is first in line to […]
Mercedes keeping same drivers – Lauda
Jul.1 (GMM) Niki Lauda says Mercedes is definitely sticking with its current drivers beyond 2018. It is believed Lewis Hamilton’s long-delayed new contract is now signed, and that the Briton has asked for Valtteri Bottas to also be retained until 2020. “I guarantee that next year Lewis Hamilton and also Valtteri Bottas will drive for […]
McLaren working on performance slump fix
Jul.1 (GMM) McLaren is working on “correcting” its current performance slump. That is the news from team boss Eric Boullier, after the once-great British team recently revealed that wind tunnel problems were behind the current lack of pace. “For now, reaching Q3 is just impossible for us with this car,” Fernando Alonso told RTBF broadcaster […]
Aston Martin to scrap F1 engine plans
Jul.1 (GMM) Aston Martin is close to scratching its plans to enter formula one as an engine supplier. Currently just the title sponsor at Red Bull, the British luxury car maker was looking into putting together an engine programme for the 2021 regulations. But CEO Andy Palmer told Autocar: “It doesn’t look like the new […]