Jun.19 (GMM) Crash repairs and engine changes will take significantly longer at grands prix in 2020, Racing Point technical boss Andy Green has warned. He said strict social distancing measures in the garages at the forthcoming ‘ghost races’ means work on the cars will “automatically take longer”. “We have a limited number of people who […]
Month: June 2020
Binotto hits back at Wolff over Vettel news
Jun.19 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has hit back at fellow F1 team boss Toto Wolff after the Mercedes chief expressed surprise about recent driver signings. Wolff said he was surprised that Ferrari announced so early that Sebastian Vettel will leave at the end of 2021 and be replaced by Carlos Sainz. “I’m glad that Mercedes always […]
Boss Steiner ‘not certain’ about Haas’ future in F1
Jun.19 (GMM) “Nothing is certain” about the future of the small American team Haas in Formula 1. That is the admission of team boss Gunther Steiner, who admits the outfit has been hit hard by the corona crisis and financial fall-out. Even driver Kevin Magnussen knows Haas is in trouble. “It’s a major crisis,” he […]
McLaren could sell 30 percent team stake – report
Jun.18 (GMM) Hot on the heels of news that Williams is for sale, another independent British team – McLaren – is reportedly also on the market amid the corona crisis. Mark Kleinman, the respected City editor for Sky News, says talks between McLaren officials and “advisers and lenders” have already taken place. A source said […]
Timing not right for Ferrari seat – Magnussen
Jun.18 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says the “timing” just wasn’t right for him to be considered for the 2021 Ferrari race seat. Instead, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz got the nod to replace quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel. “I haven’t hidden that I would like that seat,” Magnussen told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “It’s a lot to do with […]
Ricciardo ‘fits’ at McLaren – de Ferran
Jun.18 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo “fits” with the McLaren brand and team supremo Zak Brown. That is the view of Gil de Ferran, the former Indy 500 winner who now heads McLaren’s Indycar project. The Brazilian was recently also McLaren’s F1 sporting boss, and he told Globo Esporte’s Na Ponta dos Dedos podcast that he can […]
Ferrari adds 15hp to engine before Austria GP
Jun.18 (GMM) Ferrari has reportedly found 15 horsepower to add to its 2020 engine ahead of the resumption of racing in Austria early next month. Ralf Bach, a prominent German journalist writing for Sport1, said the update is also more reliable following problems with the Melbourne-spec engine in winter testing. As for the power upgrade, […]
Teams can still improve ‘frozen’ cars for 2021
Jun.18 (GMM) There is “enough scope” in the new corona-era car development freeze for uncompetitive teams to improve their single seaters for 2021. That is the claim of Racing Point technical boss Andy Green, referring to the fact that teams must also use their 2020 cars in 2021 to keep costs down. “A bad car […]
Hamilton withdraws attack on Helmut Marko
Jun.18 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has withdrawn a scathing rebuke of Dr Helmut Marko after it emerged that comments attributed to the Red Bull official were not real. The six-time world champion said on social media that he was “offended” that Marko had reportedly pointed out that “certain drivers” were “distracted” by political issues while Max […]
No plans yet for races with spectators – Brawn
Jun.17 (GMM) Ross Brawn says Formula 1 will only “very slowly” push to reintroduce spectators in the wake of the corona crisis. The sport has confirmed only eight ‘ghost races’ at six European venues for 2020 so far, but there are plans for around 15-16 by the end of the year. Some of those European […]
Schumacher should focus on F2, not F1 – Vasseur
Jun.17 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur is giving no hints about whether Mick Schumacher will make his Formula 1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2020. FIA president Jean Todt, who knows Mick’s father Michael well, this week called the 21-year-old German driver “intelligent, mature and humble”. “I hope he has a good season in Formula 2,” Todt […]
Bottas suggests Mercedes will use DAS in Austria
Jun.17 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas thinks he and Lewis Hamilton will be using the controversial ‘DAS’ steering system once the 2020 season gets up and racing next month. Mercedes’ highly innovative system, which alters the ‘toe’ of the front wheels when the drivers pull or push on the steering wheel, attracted queries about its legality in […]
Leclerc questions F1 2020 game’s driver rankings
Jun.17 (GMM) Charles Leclerc thinks the way current drivers were ranked by the developers of the new official game F1 2020 was “not appropriate”. For the game’s new ‘My Team’ feature, developer Codemasters has ranked the current drivers out of 100 in terms of how expensive they are for users to sign up. Lewis Hamilton […]
Marko unhappy with Red Bull Ring over Renault test
Jun.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is unhappy with the management of Red Bull’s own Formula 1 circuit in Spielberg. This week, Renault is testing a two-year-old car at the Red Bull Ring, which will be the scene of the first two post-corona races beginning next month. Red Bull’s Marko is not happy that the circuit’s […]
Ferrari no ‘happy family’ in 2020 – Brown
Jun.17 (GMM) An unhappy internal atmosphere will plague Ferrari’s 2020 season, according to Zak Brown. McLaren supremo Brown will lose his driver Carlos Sainz to the Maranello team for 2021, with Ferrari having signed him to replace Sebastian Vettel. Vettel, however, will race in 2020. “I doubt there will be a great environment in the […]
Mugello to be confirmed as post-Monza 2020 race
Jun.17 (GMM) Mugello looks set to host a second grand prix in Italy this year, one week after Monza. Imola, yet another Italian circuit, is also in the running. “Imola is just too narrow for Formula 1 with these wider cars,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Andrea Cremonesi. “There would be hardly any overtaking and […]
Hamilton to ‘take a knee’ in Austria
Jun.17 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton reportedly intends to kneel during the Austrian anthem ahead of Formula 1’s post-corona return to racing next month. British newspapers cited “sources close” to the six-time world champion who said Hamilton’s gesture will be in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The Mercedes driver appears to have the support of […]
Mercedes loses F1 engine boss
Jun.16 (GMM) Engine boss Andy Cowell is leaving Mercedes’ F1 team next month. Instead, he will “consult to Mercedes-Benz AG on a major future project” until 2021, and be replaced by “internal appointments”, the reigning world champions said. “Now is the right time to move on from my role and seek a new engineering business […]
Verstappen aims to win ‘every race’ in 2020
Jun.16 (GMM) While Jean Alesi has sold a Ferrari F40 to finance his son Giuliano’s Formula 2 career, Max Verstappen has bought one of the Italian marque’s road cars. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Dutchman has ordered a Ferrari Monza SP2 for about EUR 1.6 million. But the Dutchman is determined to beat […]
China could host two F1 races in 2020
Jun.16 (GMM) China is shaping up to host not one but two grands prix in 2020, even though reports suggest coronavirus cases are surging once again in the country. As thousands line the streets in Beijing following a reported new outbreak of the virus that has swept the world, Shanghai’s sports chief Xu Bin revealed […]