Aug.4 (GMM) FIA doctor Professor Gerard Saillant says he is “surprised” that so few cases of coronavirus have been detected since the 2020 ‘corona calendar’ kicked off last month. Thousands of tests have been carried out since the racing began in Austria and then moved on to Hungary and Britain. But so far, only two […]
Month: August 2020
Newey’s design dominance may be over – Albers
Aug.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen should re-focus his target for 2020 and instead aim to be runner-up behind Mercedes’ dominant champion Lewis Hamilton. That is the view of former F1 driver Christijan Albers, who told De Telegraaf that while Hamilton is untouchable, his teammate Valtteri Bottas appears beatable. “Max can create opportunities there. He is a […]
Wolff hints Mercedes ‘foursome’ staying together
Aug.4 (GMM) Mercedes will soon announce that its ‘dream team’ is staying together for another season. That is the claim of team boss Toto Wolff, referring not only to the prospect of 2021 contracts for Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, but also a new deal for himself. “We will announce the wedding soon,” the German […]
Binotto denies Ferrari to test new parts on Wednesday
Aug.4 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has denied that Ferrari will use a ‘filming day’ at Silverstone on Wednesday to try urgent car updates. While the other teams wait onsite for the second installation of the Silverstone double-header, it emerges that Ferrari will be in action mid-week. When asked if Ferrari is using the opportunity to try […]
Szafnauer not denying Vettel rumours
Aug.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel insists he has not made a decision about his next move in Formula 1. That is despite reports not only that he ‘bumped elbows’ with Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll at Silverstone, but left the circuit on Sunday in team boss Otmar Szafnauer’s car. “Nothing has been decided yet,” the quadruple […]
Wolff ‘not worried’ about Hamilton contract
Aug.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is “not worried” that Lewis Hamilton might decide against extending his Mercedes contract beyond 2020. At Silverstone, the dominant six-time world champion went into the weekend explaining that he expects to keep racing in F1 for three more years. But when asked about his 2021 Mercedes deal and his […]
Magnussen stops kneeling because of Black Lives Matter
Aug.3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he has joined those who refuse to kneel before Formula 1 races because he does not support the Black Lives Matter political movement. In Austria and Hungary, only six drivers did not join Lewis Hamilton and the rest of the 2020 field in kneeling in solidarity with the anti-racism movement. […]
Second race for Hulkenberg in Perez’s seat ‘likely’
Aug.3 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is likely to get another chance this Sunday to take Racing Point’s fast and controversial ‘pink Mercedes’ to the start line at Silverstone. Reports suggest that because Sergio Perez needs a full ten days in isolation following his positive coronavirus test, the Silverstone based team will once again rely on Hulkenberg’s […]
FIA to consider ‘pink Mercedes’ protest on Wednesday
Aug.3 (GMM) F1’s governing body will consider the legality of Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’ on Wednesday. It comes as Renault on Sunday lodged a third consecutive official protest against the car’s brake inlets, with team advisor Alain Prost arguing that Racing Point must have got “outside help” with the design from Mercedes. AFP France claims […]
Climate change protesters arrested during British GP
Aug.3 (GMM) Climate change protesters broke into the Silverstone circuit prior to the start of Sunday’s British GP. They unfurled an “Act Now” banner over the regular trackside advertising, highlighting a potential problem with the sport’s security amid the corona crisis. According to reports, the four ‘Extinction Rebellion’ protesters were dressed as marshals and were […]
Hamilton will win 2020 championship – Verstappen
Aug.3 (GMM) When asked if anyone other than Lewis Hamilton can win the 2020 world championship, Max Verstappen’s answer was simple. “No,” said the Red Bull driver, even though he finished within sight of the ultra-dominant Mercedes at Silverstone on Sunday. But that was only because Hamilton – and his teammate Valtteri Bottas – suffered […]
Gasly also asked Red Bull for new engineer
Aug.2 (GMM) Pierre Gasly says he also asked Red Bull for a more experienced race engineer before he was dropped mid last year. The pressure on Gasly’s successor, Alex Albon, is continuing to rise, amid rumours Sebastian Vettel is pushing hard for the 2021 seat alongside Max Verstappen. For Silverstone, Red Bull relegated Albon’s existing […]
Vettel would be a ‘huge coup’ for Aston Martin – Wolff
Aug.2 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger says he would “totally understand” if Sebastian Vettel signs up with Racing Point for 2021. “I would say that he would clearly be on the podium or at least be in a much better situation than he finds himself in at Ferrari,” he told sportbuzzer.de. However, Berger – Vettel’s […]
Vettel says Ferrari not slowing him down
Aug.2 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he does not suspect that Ferrari is deliberately trying to slow him down. It comes after the German’s former boss, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko, said at Silverstone that a sudden power boost for Charles Leclerc in qualifying was “a mystery”. “It is a mystery to us where Leclerc […]
F1 tweaks track schedule for ‘take a knee’ moment
Aug.2 (GMM) Drivers have been allocated ten extra minutes so as to better organise their ‘take a knee’ moment against racism before Sunday’s Silverstone race. Following the controversial shambles of Hungary, the FIA revealed a detailed pre-race schedule for Sunday that even outlined the kind of acceptable gestures the drivers could make. Among them are […]
Mercedes helped Racing Point design 2020 car – Prost
Aug.2 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost says he does not believe Racing Point’s explanation about how the Silverstone based team designed its 2020 ‘pink Mercedes’. The team insists that it designed the car purely on the basis of detailed photographs of last year’s title-winning car. “It’s naive to say you can copy an entire car […]
Hulkenberg ‘will struggle to keep his head up’
Aug.2 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is struggling physically as he fills in at short notice for Racing Point’s Sergio Perez. With Perez testing positive for coronavirus, former Renault driver Hulkenberg went from the first phone call from Otmar Szafnauer to the cockpit of the ‘pink Mercedes’ in a little over 24 hours. “Nico is not yet […]
Alonso will not be F1 ‘corona reserve’ – Seidl
Aug.2 (GMM) McLaren has dismissed rumours that Fernando Alonso is being lined up as a reserve driver amid the ongoing corona crisis. It follows Racing Point’s eleventh-hour recruitment of Nico Hulkenberg this weekend to replace Sergio Perez, who tested positive for the virus. “No, Fernando will not be reserve driver for our team,” team boss […]
Lack of competition ‘not Mercedes’ fault’ – Ricciardo
Aug.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits Mercedes is “not making friends” by utterly dominating Formula 1 in 2020. Although the sport and its fans are relieved that the race shutdown is now over, there is growing consternation at the supremacy of the reigning world champions. The qualifying gap to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was over a […]
Nurburgring hopes to welcome F1 spectators
Aug.1 (GMM) Nurburgring officials are hopeful the German circuit will be able to welcome spectators to the scene of the October race. The venue has been drafted onto F1’s corona calendar for 2020, but Nurburgring boss Mirco Markfort said he is hopeful it will not have to be another ‘ghost race’. Indeed, the German motorsport […]