Aug.22 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has hailed five time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s “consistency and mental strength”. The young Ferrari driver told Italian magazine Sette: “What would I take from Lewis? His consistency and his mental strength. And his ability to always know how to extract the maximum. “Everyone can do a good lap, the difference […]
Month: August 2019
Gasly issues ‘psychological’ – Marko
Aug.22 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says “psychological problems” caused Pierre Gasly to lose his Red Bull seat. For the remaining nine races of 2019, Gasly will swap places with Toro Rosso rookie Alex Albon. Marko, Red Bull’s driver manager, said he chose British-born Thai driver Albon over the alternative Daniil Kvyat. “I think Albon is […]
Governor says F1 ‘will not leave Sao Paulo’
Aug.22 (GMM) Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria says Formula 1 is staying at Interlagos. In recent weeks, the race beyond 2020 has seemed endangered after Liberty officials met with counterparts in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has even said a switch to Rio is “99 per cent” certain. But Sao Paulo governor Doria […]
Bottas ‘answering calls’ about F1 future
Aug.22 (GMM) Both Valtteri Bottas and Toto Wolff say the Finnish driver will be in Formula 1 next year. Wolff, the Mercedes boss, has said he will use the August break to choose between Bottas and Esteban Ocon to be Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 teammate. In the past days, Bottas has been testing a world rally […]
McLaren needs new rules to beat top teams – Sainz
Aug.22 (GMM) Only a big change to the F1 rules for 2021 will make it possible for a team like McLaren to challenge the top three, according to Carlos Sainz. After years of recent struggles, the once-great British team is now the most competitive in the closely-contested midfield. But Sainz fears that McLaren’s progress will […]
Carmakers propose F1 engine freeze
Aug.22 (GMM) F1 engine makers are proposing that development of the hybrid technology be frozen for performance and cost reasons. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the idea is being championed by Renault, who are struggling to compete with the top three teams both in terms of performance and budget. “With the budget cap and […]
Wolff rules out Alonso for Mercedes
Aug.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Fernando Alonso will not return to Formula 1 with Mercedes. Recently, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg joked that a petition should be created to bring two-time Alonso back to the grid. However, the 38-year-old’s 2020 project actually looks set to be the off-road Dakar Rally with Toyota. The Japanese carmaker […]
Engine rivals ‘have caught up’ – Wolff
Aug.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes’ F1 engine rivals have “caught up”. The German manufacturer has dominated the sport since the introduction of the new ‘power unit’ rules in 2014. But boss Wolff says that Honda’s performance surge this season indicates that all of the engine makers in Formula 1 are now closely matched. “Honda […]
Vettel defends Ferrari boss Binotto
Aug.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has defended his Ferrari team boss. At the end of last year, presumably because of another failed world championship bid, former Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene was ousted. He was replaced by then technical boss Mattia Binotto, whose much more open and relaxed style has been hailed by the press. But on […]
Villeneuve tells Mercedes to keep Bottas
Aug.14 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve does not think Mercedes should drop Valtteri Bottas. Many pundits believe it is likely that team boss Toto Wolff will replace the Finn for 2020 with Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon. Bottas, 29, is currently testing an unbranded M-Sport world rally championship-spec Ford Fiesta in Germany. “You always learn something when […]
Briatore starts political movement
Aug.14 (GMM) Flavio Briatore is entering politics. The former world championship-winning F1 team boss has announced the formation of an Italian political movement he calls Il Movimento del Fare. The 69-year-old said he was motivated amid a “critical moment for our country”. Briatore said it is “totally independent of any current political party” and “at […]
Brown to discuss Alonso’s 2020 plans at Monza
Aug.14 (GMM) Zak Brown says he will talk about Fernando Alonso’s future at the forthcoming Italian GP. It appears that Alonso is not returning to Formula 1 next year, and there are rumours that his 2020 project will in fact be his debut at the off-road Dakar rally. But McLaren is entering the full Indycar […]
Sponsor, Williams, still supporting Kubica
Aug.14 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s major sponsor is continuing to support the Pole. On his high-profile return to Formula 1, the 34-year-old has been consistently outperformed by his rookie teammate George Russell. But team boss Claire Williams says she is happy with Kubica. “We needed a driver like Robert with his engineering and technical intelligence,” she […]
Verstappen supports Red Bull’s driver decision
Aug.14 (GMM) Max Verstappen has backed Red Bull’s decision to axe Pierre Gasly. “Of course it’s a pity for Pierre,” the Dutchman told De Telegraaf newspaper. “But personally I don’t care who my teammate is.” Verstappen’s new teammate is Alex Albon, a British-born Thai driver who is promoted from the junior team Toro Rosso. Dr […]
Verstappen’s father thinks Hamilton is rattled
Aug.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father thinks the on-form Red Bull driver has rattled reigning five time world champion and 2019 championship leader Lewis Hamilton. “When you see what kind of races Max has been driving, I don’t think you can be surprised,” Jos Verstappen, himself a former F1 driver, said of his son. He thinks […]
F1 looking into alternative fuels – Carey
Aug.13 (GMM) Chase Carey has vowed to push ahead with introducing non-fossil fuels in Formula 1. In June, we quoted Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul as saying one way the sport could rev up its green credentials would be to contemplate carbon neutral fuels. It appears that F1 CEO Carey agrees. He is not a critic […]
‘No reason’ to change Ferrari drivers – Binotto
Aug.13 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says Ferrari will head into 2020 with an unchanged driver lineup. There has been high speculation about the future of Sebastian Vettel, with the latest theory being that he could return to Red Bull next year. Indeed, German Vettel gives himself just five out of ten for his first half of […]
Raikkonen ‘drives without instructions’ – Zehnder
Aug.13 (GMM) Alfa Romeo, formerly Sauber, is more than impressed with Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen actually started his F1 career at Sauber as a controversially-inexperienced 21-year-old, with Beat Zehnder as the team manager. Zehnder is still at Hinwil, and he told Auto Motor und Sport he is now even more impressed with Raikkonen after his 21 […]
Gasly to show ‘true value’ back at Toro Rosso
Aug.13 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is vowing to push on after being dumped by Red Bull’s premier team. Despite repeatedly insisting that the struggling Frenchman would stay at least for the rest of 2019, Red Bull announced on Monday that he will in fact be replaced immediately after the summer break by Alex Albon. “The team […]
Journalists predict F1 exit for Kubica
Aug.12 (GMM) Two well known F1 journalists think Robert Kubica is likely to lose his place on the grid. After an eight year break with his permanent arm injuries, the 34-year-old Pole returned to Formula 1 this year with Williams but has struggled. “George Russell is clearly the faster man at Williams,” said veteran Swiss […]