Jun.11 (GMM) Well-known Italian F1 insider Leo Turrini hopes Ferrari’s new CEO puts Formula 1 to the top of the fabled Maranello marque’s priority list. After the shock death of Sergio Marchionne in 2018, Louis Camilleri took over – but he stepped down for personal reasons at the end of last year. John Elkann, the […]
Month: June 2021
Mazepin didn’t mean to ‘scare’ Schumacher
Jun.10 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says he had no intention of giving his Haas teammate a “scare” with his defensive driving in the final moments of the Baku GP. After slipstreaming past his teammate at the chequered flag of last Sunday’s race, Mick Schumacher fumed on the radio: “Does he want to kill us?” Schumacher was […]
Verstappen now faster than ‘older’ Hamilton – Irvine
Jun.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen has performed an overtaking manoeuvre to stand alone as “the fastest driver” on the 2021 grid. That is the view of Eddie Irvine, who says Red Bull’s Dutch championship leader reminds him of when he was paired at Ferrari with the great Michael Schumacher. “Verstappen is definitely the fastest driver out […]
Expert expects no covid restrictions for Dutch GP
Jun.10 (GMM) A well-placed journalist is now very confident that Formula 1 will race in front of packed grandstands at Zandvoort in September. With many races either postponed, cancelled or under a covid-shaped cloud, Dutch GP organisers have made it clear that their race model is designed solely for a full crowd of over 100,000 […]
Bottas must ‘find his form again’ – Berger
Jun.10 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas will play “an important role” in the Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen head-to-head battle for the 2021 world championship. With George Russell clearly waiting in the wings, the pressure on Bottas to keep his place at Mercedes beyond 2021 raised to fever pitch with his poor weekend at Baku. Former F1 […]
Marko rejects Gasly-to-Alpine reports
Jun.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has dismissed rumours that Pierre Gasly could be on the way to Alpine. Frenchman Gasly, 25, has been pushing for a return to Red Bull’s premier team, and his 2021-2022 contract is designed so that he can theoretically race either for the top outfit or Alpha Tauri. But Marko told […]
F1 ‘laughing’ at Wolff’s anti-Bottas bias – Popov
Jun.10 (GMM) Toto Wolff’s double standard in relation to his two drivers at Mercedes has become amusingly obvious, according to a Formula 1 commentator. It is becoming ever more clearer that Valtteri Bottas’ seat is in serious doubt for 2022, as George Russell waits impatiently in the wings. But according to Alexey Popov, the commentator […]
Pirelli ‘understands’ Verstappen’s tyre-kicking anger
Jun.10 (GMM) Mario Isola says he can “completely understand” Max Verstappen’s anger which culminated in the Dutchman kicking his shredded Pirelli tyre after a high-speed blowout at Baku. The incident cost Red Bull’s top driver the win and an expanded championship lead, with Verstappen immediately and correctly predicting that Pirelli would blame debris rather than […]
Marko indicates Perez’s seat safe for 2022
Jun.10 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s win at Baku appears to have cemented his place at Red Bull beyond his one-year contract. When asked if the Mexican is now doing enough to justify his position alongside championship leader Max Verstappen, Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: “Yes. “He is integrating in the team very well. […]
F1 hits back at Rosberg over ‘scary’ Baku
Jun.9 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi has hit back at Nico Rosberg, after the 2016 world champion said an aspect of the Baku circuit design is fatally dangerous. Even before Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes on the long, fast stretch of the city layout prior to the pit entrance, 2016 world […]
Rosberg not interested in being ‘next Toto Wolff’
Jun.9 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is racing away from any suggestion that he is eyeing a Toto Wolff-like future. Prior to rising to prominence as one of the most successful Formula 1 team bosses of all time, 49-year-old Wolff was a driver and motorsport investor. Today, since telling Wolff in late 2016 that he was suddenly […]
‘Time’ to put Russell in Bottas’ car – media
Jun.9 (GMM) The latest buzz on the Formula 1 rumour mill is that Valtteri Bottas remains in danger of losing his Mercedes seat – perhaps even within 2021. The Finnish driver struggled notably both at Monaco and Baku, with boss Toto Wolff even suggesting he was to blame for his stuck wheel-nut at the former […]
Alarmed Wolff won’t turn 2022 car plans ‘upside down’
Jun.9 (GMM) Mercedes is holding firm even after boss Toto Wolff declared that the overall performance of the reigning champion team recently has been “unacceptable”. The Austrian’s latest comments come as it emerges that Honda will supply an updated version of its engine to championship leaders Red Bull at Paul Ricard next weekend. Auto Motor […]
Mazepin deserved penalty for ‘life-threatening’ move
Jun.8 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin should have been severely penalised for his near-incident involving Mick Schumacher at Baku. That is the view of Mick’s uncle and former F1 winner Ralf, after Mazepin swerved at over 300kph to defend his position from a late-charging Schumacher at the end of Sunday’s race. “Does he want to kill us?” […]
F1 denies two-lap Baku restart only for ‘show’
Jun.8 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi has denied that Sunday’s race at Azerbaijan was only restarted for ‘the show’. “The Americans took over so I wasn’t really surprised that the first thing is the entertainment,” said Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly, referring to Formula 1’s owners since 2017, Liberty Media. At Baku, the race […]
F1 tyre expert questions Pirelli blowout ‘story’
Jun.8 (GMM) A well-known Formula 1 tyre expert has publicly questioned Pirelli’s explanation about the high speed tyre blowouts at Baku. Even before Pirelli chiefs said a word, Max Verstappen correctly predicted that F1’s official tyre supplier would blame his and Lance Stroll’s scary incidents on track debris. However, Kees van de Grint says as […]
Wolff has ‘right’ to ‘roast’ own team – Horner
Jun.8 (GMM) Christian Horner says he doesn’t agree with Toto Wolff’s handling of a nightmare weekend for Mercedes at Baku. If you ask the international media, Lewis Hamilton was ‘solely to blame’ for his late race lunge for the lead that cost him both victory and a recaptured lead in the world championship. However, while […]
Vettel ‘completely different’ at Aston Martin – Ebel
Jun.8 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is finally restoring his confidence after the ill-fated end to his Ferrari adventure. That is the view of Kai Ebel, the legendary face of RTL’s former long-time television coverage of Formula 1 in Germany. He was speaking after Vettel brushed aside his struggle to get up to speed at Aston Martin […]
‘Plenty of time’ to extend Perez deal – Horner
Jun.8 (GMM) Sergio Perez appears to be on track for a Red Bull contract extension. With Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon both ousted after struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen, the highly-experienced Perez was drafted in on a one-year deal for 2021. After an initial struggle to acclimatise to his new team, the 31-year-old […]
Alternatives line up for covid-affected F1 races
Jun.8 (GMM) Alternative race hosts are lining up for potentially vacant spots on the 2021 Formula 1 calendar. Singapore’s 2021 race is the latest casualty of the ongoing covid crisis, but Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt claims Turkey will be the likely replacement. Further cancellations are also possible later in the season, with […]