Dec.11 (GMM) 2020 will be a “critical” season for Renault, the French works team’s boss Cyril Abiteboul has admitted. Although missing its goal of getting closer to the top three teams this year, Abiteboul insists that Renault is making progress. “If you want to win in Formula 1 you must have the best drivers, the […]
Month: December 2019
Marko broke ‘promises’ in 2019 – Gasly
Dec.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko broke “promises” to Pierre Gasly in 2019, the French driver claims. Gasly, 23, had a fraught 2019 season, as he underperformed initially for Red Bull’s top team and was relegated back to Toro Rosso, where he thrived. “There are some things that must stay between the team and me,” he […]
Insiders say Mercedes ‘best F1 team ever’
Dec.11 (GMM) Mercedes is perhaps the greatest Formula 1 team ever, according to several well-placed insiders. Although 2020 is shaping up as an epic three-way battle also involving Ferrari and Red Bull-Honda, Mercedes has just wrapped up its record sixth consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ world championships. “Mercedes is the most dominant team ever,” Toro Rosso […]
Haas not commenting as McLaren aero boss leaves
Dec.11 (GMM) Haas is not commenting on reports that McLaren’s aerodynamics boss Guillaume Cattelani is heading to the small American team. Denmark’s BT newspaper cited ‘sources’ who claim Cattelani, who worked for Enstone based Lotus before moving to McLaren in 2014, is switching to Haas. Haas struggled with Pirelli’s tyres but also aerodynamics in 2019. […]
Lehto questions new limited brake parts rule
Dec.11 (GMM) Former F1 driver JJ Lehto has questioned a new Formula 1 rule limiting the amount of brake components a driver can use during a season. Grid penalties will be handed out from 2021 if drivers have to use more than 22 sets of brake discs and pads. The number is derived from the […]
Current Ferrari lineup ‘not explosive’ – Binotto
Dec.11 (GMM) Mattia Binotto insists it is not “difficult” to manage Ferrari’s current driver lineup. With Sebastian Vettel alongside Charles Leclerc labelled by some as too “explosive”, the hot rumour at present is that six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton could be heading to Maranello for 2021. But team boss Binotto is backing the current lineup, […]
Hamilton crashed Rossi’s MotoGP bike – report
Dec.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton may have crashed Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP bike at the Valencia circuit this week. The pair swapped their Mercedes and Yamaha machines for a promotional event organised by mutual sponsor Monster, but the media was locked out and no official information whatsoever has been forthcoming. But two Italian newspapers are reporting information […]
Verstappen not prepared to fall down F1 grid
Dec.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he will not accept a move down the grid in order to extend his Formula 1 career. The 22-year-old Dutchman is regarded as a title contender for 2020 with Red Bull-Honda, and has been linked with potential moves to Mercedes or Ferrari for 2021. Bt he says the actual length […]
F1 boss Michael Masi ‘looking forward’ to 2020
Dec.11 (GMM) Michael Masi says he is “looking forward” to returning to his new role as F1 race director in 2020. Following the shock death in Melbourne of Charlie Whiting ahead of the 2019 season opener, deputy Masi stepped in and has kept the top role ever since. “I am often asked about the most […]
Tyre pressures must be raised in 2020 – Pirelli
Dec.11 (GMM) Pirelli boss Mario Isola is warning F1 teams that tyre pressures will need to be raised in 2020. Although some teams including Haas were vehemently critical of Pirelli’s 2019 tyres, the teams have voted unanimously to scrap the proposed tyres for 2020. Pirelli said the teams argued that the 2020 tyres were requiring […]
Williams to sign Israeli tester for 2020
Dec.10 (GMM) An Israeli driver looks set to sign up as a Williams test driver for 2020. At the post-grand prix Abu Dhabi test, 25-year-old Roy Nissany, who reportedly sat out the 2019 racing season with an injury, tested the struggling British team’s F1 car. The well funded driver was several seconds off the pace […]
Seidl ‘took politics out of McLaren’ – Brown
Dec.10 (GMM) Zak Brown says new McLaren principal Andreas Seidl took “the politics” out of the team in 2019. Brown, still McLaren CEO, says that when he arrived at McLaren in the wake of the Ron Dennis era, “There were many chefs in the kitchen”. “Many things were happening in the company and among the […]
McLaren enters Tour de France cycling team
Dec.10 (GMM) McLaren has teamed up to take on the top level of cycling including the Tour de France. Already entering a team in Indycar next year, the Woking based outfit has now agreed a 50-50 joint venture with Bahrain to launch the UCI cycling team Team Bahrain McLaren. The team – to wear orange […]
More pressure at Ferrari than Mercedes – Costa
Dec.10 (GMM) Despite a more than decade-long title drought, Ferrari has everything it needs to succeed again in Formula 1. That is the view of Aldo Costa, the engineering boss at Mercedes who was actually technical director at Ferrari when Kimi Raikkonen won that last Ferrari title in 2007. When he moved to Mercedes for […]
Verstappen better at dealing with ‘anger’
Dec.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he was “more zen” throughout the 2019 season. Although he was chided for some media comments this year, including accusing Ferrari of “cheating”, most agree that the Red Bull driver appeared to have matured this year. “This year I was a lot calmer in front of the camera. More zen,” […]
Hamilton to Ferrari ‘would not change much’
Dec.10 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari would “not change much” at the Italian team, according to Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera. Rumours are abounding that Mercedes’ new six-time world champion may be flirting with a move to Maranello for 2021. “Wherever he goes he would be good as he’s a great driver,” Tronchetti Provera told […]
F1 vows to ‘monitor’ Russian sports ban
Dec.10 (GMM) Formula 1 has vowed to “closely monitor” Russia’s new four-year ban from all sporting events. At present, it is not clear if the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ban includes the annual Russian GP or Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat. But Sochi organisers say the Formula 1 race will not be affected. “The contract […]
Ferrari still not happy with 2021 rules
Dec.10 (GMM) Ferrari is still not happy with the published rules for 2021. That is despite the fact that the Maranello team, as the only F1 outfit on the World Motor Sport Council, actually voted for them. “We voted for it, although the package still does not convince us one hundred per cent,” said team […]
Rivals using engine saga to ‘pressure’ Ferrari – boss
Dec.10 (GMM) Mattia Binotto thinks Ferrari’s rivals complained about the legality of the Italian team’s 2019 engine to “put pressure on us”. Some rival teams claimed the Maranello-made power unit suddenly became 50 horsepower better in 2019, prompting a late-season round of scrutiny by the FIA that is ongoing. “The truth is far from that […]
Red Bull has Aston Martin ‘contract’ – Marko
Dec.9 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has played down rumours that Red Bull could lose its title sponsor. “We have a contract,” said the top team official, following reports that Aston Martin could in fact be bought by Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll. It is believed Marko was referring only to 2020. The reports suggested the […]