Mar.17 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied having an eye on Lewis Hamilton’s works Mercedes seat for 2022. The quadruple world champion has moved from Ferrari to Aston Martin for the new season, with Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko calling the latter’s 2021 car “the second Mercedes”. “The second Mercedes, the Aston Martin, had similar problems […]
Month: March 2021
Marko questions Perez’s ‘five race’ prediction
Mar.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko does not think Red Bull newcomer Sergio Perez will need five races to start driving and racing his 2021 car at full speed. 31-year-old Mexican Perez, with almost 200 grands prix and a maiden win in 2020 under his belt, has joined Max Verstappen at the team following the ousting […]
Mercedes ran ‘much more fuel’ in test – Marko
Mar.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has brushed off suggestions that Red Bull is clearly the favourite heading into the 2021 season. That is despite the fact that every analyst agrees that Mercedes struggled throughout the single Bahrain test, while Red Bull’s new car was clearly improved compared to the one that dominated in Abu Dhabi […]
Williams could beat Haas in 2021 – Steiner
Mar.16 (GMM) Team boss Gunther Steiner admits it is “possible” Haas will finish dead last in the 2021 world championship. Most observers agree after the Bahrain test that Williams may have jumped ahead of the American team since the end of last season. Indeed, while Haas is focusing exclusively on the 2022 regulations, Williams got […]
F1 safety car driver ‘nervous’ about new season
Mar.16 (GMM) Long-time F1 safety car driver Bernd Maylander admits to feeling “nervous” about the 2021 season. “I haven’t been so nervous about a new season before,” the German admitted to the Dutch publication Formule 1. He is nervous because, for the first time, Formula 1 has two official safety cars – the usual Mercedes-AMG, […]
McLaren ‘surprised’ to get loophole jump on rivals
Mar.16 (GMM) McLaren is “surprised” to be the only team exploiting an early loophole in the tweaked aerodynamic rules for 2021. Spain’s Marca sports newspaper says the British team has found a way to minimise the performance loss of the tweaked diffuser rules by maintaining the length of some of the ‘vertical blades’. “I think […]
Norris questions Tsunoda’s ‘DRS’ laptimes
Mar.16 (GMM) Sharp-eyed observers have questioned rookie Yuki Tsunoda’s pace in the pre-season Bahrain test. Alpha Tauri’s young Japanese ended with the second fastest time behind sister team Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. “He delivered a sensational performance,” said Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. “I expect a heated fight in the midfield.” However, tongue-in-cheek McLaren driver […]
Verstappen ‘much faster’ in Bahrain – Wolff
Mar.16 (GMM) Max Verstappen was “much faster” than Mercedes’ drivers at the Bahrain test. That is the claim not only of authoritative sources like Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, but even Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff himself. “The blue car from Milton Keynes will start the season as favourite,” the Italian newspaper declared. “The setup […]
Mercedes struggling with aero rule change – Albers
Mar.16 (GMM) Former F1 driver Christijan Albers has dismissed claims that Mercedes may be sandbagging ahead of the 2021 season. “Mercedes wouldn’t achieve such a bad outcome deliberately,” the Dutchman told De Telegraaf in light of the team’s issues in Bahrain. “And a top team like that can turn a lot around in two weeks.” […]
Stroll ‘a benchmark’ for Vettel – Surer
Mar.16 (GMM) Lance Stroll could be “a benchmark” for quadruple world champion and teammate Sebastian Vettel in 2021. That is the view of former driver and pundit Marc Surer, who played down Vettel’s problems as the German’s on-track career began at the weekend in Bahrain. “We don’t know exactly where the problem is coming from,” […]
‘No panic’ despite difficult start – Vettel
Mar.16 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says there is no “panic” despite his difficult start to on-track life with Aston Martin. “Ten years ago there would have been panic,” the quadruple world champion and former Ferrari driver said after the one and only pre-season test. The German suffered from technical problems in Bahrain. “I’m definitely missing about […]
3 points for ‘sprint qualifying’ winners
Mar.15 (GMM) The winner of the trial ‘sprint qualifying’ races in 2021 will receive 3 points as well as pole position for the main event. It now appears set in stone that at three race weekends this year – expected to be Silverstone, Monza and Brazil – a 30-minute Saturday sprint race after qualifying on […]
Ferrari engine power ‘looks reasonable’ – Binotto
Mar.15 (GMM) Ferrari has succeeded in producing a more powerful engine for 2021. “As far as we can tell so far, our top speed looks reasonable,” team boss Mattia Binotto said at the Bahrain test. Last year, Ferrari slumped into the midfield in the wake of the engine legality scandal of 2019. The Maranello marque […]
Vaccines helping F1 eye ‘full season’ in 2021
Mar.15 (GMM) Formula 1 is hoping to race through the covid crisis by attending all 23 scheduled grands prix on the 2021 calendar. Melbourne, China and Vietnam are not happening for now, while Imola and Portimao have stepped in at late notice. But F1’s sporting boss Ross Brawn is hoping the full current calendar can […]
Alpine defends ‘plump’ 2021 car
Mar.15 (GMM) Alpine’s executive director Marcin Budkowski has defended the emergence of a notably ‘plump’ area of the 2021 car’s engine cover just behind the airbox. Some said it even reminded them of Ligier’s infamous 1976 ‘teapot’ car design, with Budkowski explaining that the new solution is simply better for the team. “We found that […]
Marko admits new Mercedes ‘looks nervous’
Mar.15 (GMM) Mercedes has made “a horrible start” to the 2021 season, according to team boss Toto Wolff. The team, having won every single title throughout the rest of the ‘hybrid’ era, suffered reliability and handling issues during the mere three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain. So with some pundits describing Lewis Hamilton as […]
Climate change a ‘serious problem’ for F1 – Vettel
Mar.12 (GMM) Formula 1 needs to be “careful” not to be left behind as climate change takes centre stage, according to quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel. After switching from Ferrari to Aston Martin for 2021, the 33-year-old has emerged as an ambassador for Austrian team sponsor BWT’s new environmental initiatives. As such, he will race […]
‘Too early’ for Canada GP ‘green light’ – promoter
Mar.12 (GMM) It is “too early” to be totally confident that June’s Canadian GP will take place as scheduled. That is the admission of Montreal race promoter Francois Dumontier, after local government officials made alarming pronouncements about major events in the city. On Thursday, Montreal mayor Valerie Plante told the local broadcaster Le Canal Nouvelles […]
New engine recovers ‘large part’ of 2020 deficit – Gene
Mar.12 (GMM) Ferrari has recovered a “large part” of its engine power deficit of 2020 ahead of the new Formula 1 season, according to long-time team test driver Marc Gene. The Maranello team says it has produced an entirely new power unit for 2021, given the serious drop in performance last year. “I have been […]
Ferrari legend Forghieri questions Binotto leadership
Mar.12 (GMM) Legendary Ferrari figure Mauro Forghieri has questioned Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto’s ability to pull the Maranello marque out of its performance slump. Despite the covid-related development limitations, Ferrari has unveiled a noticeably tweaked car for the 2021 season. But 86-year-old Forghieri, who was a major player at Ferrari from the 60s to […]