Oct.31 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel thinks his world championship campaign started to hit the skids in mid September. Some think the turning point can actually be traced back to his Hockenheim crash in July, or his collision with Lewis Hamilton at Monza. “It was Singapore for me,” the Ferrari driver is quoted by Speed Week. “From […]
Month: October 2018
Any top driver would win with Hamilton’s car – Verstappen
Oct.31 (GMM) Max Verstappen says any top driver would have won the 2018 world championship in Lewis Hamilton’s car. Hamilton, whose title win in Mexico delivered his Juan Manual Fangio-equalling fifth drivers’ crown, says the battle against Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel this year was the toughest of his career. But when asked what made Hamilton so […]
Vettel ‘past his peak’ in F1 – Stewart
Oct.31 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel may be past his prime in formula one. That is the sensational claim of F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, after the Ferrari driver lost the 2018 title to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. “I think Sebastian is past his peak and Lewis is still building to his,” the triple world champion told Bild […]
Ricciardo will complete 2018 season – Horner
Oct.31 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo will complete the final two races of his career at Red Bull. That is the news from team boss Christian Horner, after Australian Ricciardo furiously suggested he might sit out Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Mexico GP pole sitter Ricciardo was furious after suffering yet another technical failure in the race, declaring […]
‘Furious’ Ericsson moves to Indycar
Oct.31 (GMM) Sauber driver Marcus Ericsson is switching to Indycar for 2019. The Swede, who debuted in 2014 for Caterham, has lost his race seat with Sauber despite being linked with the Swiss team’s current owners. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, the Indycar team that the now paraplegic driver Robert Wickens drove for, has announced that 28-year-old […]
Honda to be ’10 kilowatts behind’ in 2019 – Marko
Oct.31 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he is “very optimistic” about Red Bull’s title chances for 2019. After years of complaining about its customer Renault power, the top F1 team is moving to works Honda engines for next year and beyond. And together with the aerodynamic rule change, Marko says he is confident. “We already […]
Kubica admits Ferrari test role possible
Oct.31 (GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted that moving to a testing role at Ferrari is a possibility for 2019. The Pole’s other major option in F1 for next year is to get a promotion to the race seat at Williams. But the beleaguered British team wants to put a pay-driver next to George Russell, so […]
Russell ‘not worried’ about Williams form
Oct.30 (GMM) George Russell says he is “not worried” he is joining the slowest F1 team on the grid. The Mercedes-backed, 20-year-old Briton looks set to be the Formula 2 champion this year, but in 2019 he will make his debut for Williams. The once-great British team has slumped badly this year, and is easily […]
‘Exceptional’ Hamilton deserves title – Leinders
Oct.30 (GMM) “Exceptional” driver Lewis Hamilton fully deserves the 2018 title. That is the view of former F1 test driver turned pundit Bas Leinders, after Hamilton beat Sebastian Vettel to the championship with two races to spare last weekend in Mexico. “You can love him or not, but you have to admit that he is […]
Hartley told of 2019 Toro Rosso axe – report
Oct.30 (GMM) Brendon Hartley has reportedly been told that he will not be driving for Toro Rosso in 2019. Officials of team owner Red Bull have been warning the New Zealander for some time that he needed better performance and results to secure his place. Hartley, though, thinks he has been upping his game. “I […]
Calderon says female series would be ‘step back’
Oct.30 (GMM) F1 test driver Tatiana Calderon says she is not very interested in the new female-only single seater category ‘W Series’. The 25-year-old Colombian says she is aiming higher, and will get those ambitions started in Mexico this week with a test for the Swiss team Sauber. Although it will only be a 100 […]
‘Anger’ at Ricciardo powered Verstappen win – father
Oct.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen was powered to victory in Mexico by anger. That is the claim of his father Jos, who said the Red Bull driver was furious after missing out on pole despite otherwise dominating last weekend. “I saw him on Sunday morning and he told me straight away that he had slept very […]
Mercedes wheel ‘hole’ controversy not dead yet
Oct.30 (GMM) The issue of Mercedes’ controversial wheel rim ‘holes’ is not dead yet. Lewis Hamilton may have won the drivers’ crown, but Ferrari is still pushing to win the lucrative constructors’ world championship. And the Italian team is determined that Mercedes’ wheels are not legal. The Italian press agrees. “I would like an investigation […]
Hamilton ‘impossible to beat’ in 2018 – Prost
Oct.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton could justifiably be called the “best of his generation”. That was the view of quadruple world champion and F1 legend Alain Prost, after the Mercedes driver raced past his own title tally by securing a fifth drivers’ crown in Mexico. Prost said it makes Hamilton “one of the best, if not […]
Ferrari supports Vettel despite title loss – Arrivabene
Oct.29 (GMM) Ferrari is still “together” even amid waves of rumours and Sebastian Vettel’s failure to win the drivers’ world championship. That is the claim of team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, after Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wrapped up his fifth crown in Mexico. “It’s a horrible moment,” German Vettel admitted amid Hamilton’s title celebrations. Both Vettel and […]
‘No point’ finishing 2018 season – Ricciardo
Oct.29 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo sounded ready to quit Red Bull immediately, after yet another disappointing day in the 2018 car. “I’m a very positive guy,” the Australian said after another technical problem in Mexico, having started the race from pole but ultimately watching teammate Max Verstappen win. “But I can only be that positive for […]
Winning ambition ‘not arrogance’ – Leclerc
Oct.28 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says Ferrari has prepared him well for life as a race driver with the fabled Maranello team. The highly rated 21-year-old from Monaco started his climb to Ferrari with the team’s driver ‘academy’, before this year making his F1 debut for Sauber. Now, in 2019, he will be Sebastian Vettel’s teammate. […]
Vettel lacked Ferrari support in 2018 – Ecclestone
Oct.28 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says Lewis Hamilton is a God-send for F1 amid a “not so exciting” time for the sport. Mercedes’ Hamilton will almost certainly wrap up his fifth drivers’ world championship on Sunday in Mexico. “The guy is just phenomenal,” former F1 supremo Ecclestone told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “He is simply the […]
Renault on track for 2019 podiums – Bell
Oct.28 (GMM) Bob Bell says Renault remains on track to race to podium finishes in 2019. The French team has made progress this year, and signed up Red Bull’s Mexico GP pole sitter Daniel Ricciardo for 2019. “Everyone has highlighted our progress on the track,” technical boss Bell told Ouest-France. “We wanted to be fourth, […]
Rival teams eye Ferrari’s disgruntled Binotto – report
Oct.28 (GMM) Mattia Binotto could be eyeing the exit door at Maranello. Recently, amid Ferrari’s mysterious 2018 championship slump, rumours of an internal conflict between team boss Maurizio Arrivabene and Binotto, the technical boss, raged. But it then emerged that Arrivabene has secured a new contract through 2021. “Ferrari’s competitors have quickly reacted and Mercedes […]