Aug.27 (GMM) Both Valtteri Bottas and George Russell have given strong indications that their respective futures have now been decided. “I have no news to share and I don’t have to explain it,” said Bottas, who is tipped to be ousted by Mercedes and replaced by Mercedes junior and current Williams driver Russell for 2022. […]
Month: August 2021
New Haas contract now in ‘final steps’ – Schumacher
Aug.27 (GMM) Another piece of the 2021 driver puzzle looks set to fall into place, with Mick Schumacher now expected to be re-signed to Haas for next year. Earlier, the young German rookie and Ferrari academy member was linked with a move to Alfa Romeo – another team powered by the famous Maranello team. But […]
Dutch GP holds breath for eleventh-hour ruling
Aug.27 (GMM) An eleventh-hour court ruling could still throw a major spanner in the works of the Dutch GP. Zandvoort has received a green light for a two-thirds capacity crowd next weekend – just a few days after a court in Haarlem, the North Holland capital, is scheduled to sit early next week. The action […]
Newey still ‘stimulated’ by Formula 1
Aug.26 (GMM) Adrian Newey says Formula 1 continues to ‘stimulate’ him. For many years, Formula 1 insiders and fans have speculated about how much longer one of the sport’s most iconic designers ever would remain motivated. “I keep asking myself that,” the 62-year-old smiled to Auto Motor und Sport. Although design freedoms for the 2022 […]
Wolff, Stroll cleared after insider trading probe
Aug.26 (GMM) Financial authorities have cleared Toto Wolff and Lawrence Stroll amid reports they were under investigation for a recent transaction involving Mercedes and Aston Martin. After Wolff bought into Aston Martin last year with a personal 1 percent stake that is now worth $36 million, Mercedes followed suit by upping its stake to 20 […]
Ecclestone still betting on Verstappen title
Aug.26 (GMM) Billionaire Bernie Ecclestone would still put his money on Max Verstappen for the 2021 world championship. That is despite the fact that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have managed to claim back the lead in both championships as Formula 1 emerges from its August break. “I would put my money on Max,” former F1 […]
Wolff admits 2021 season could be ‘shorter’
Aug.26 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits the 2021 world championship could be “shorter” than the scheduled 23 races. With covid still wreaking havoc across the world, the Mercedes boss was asked how much more difficult his task is when it is so unclear how long the calendar will ultimately be. Although Qatar is now expected to […]
One more hurdle for Dutch GP at Zandvoort
Aug.25 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers still have a hurdle to clear before the F1 engines fire up at Zandvoort next weekend. On the face of it, the event has been given the green light, with the government limiting the crowd to 66 percent capacity – a crowd of 70,000 per day. “The grand prix can […]
Mercedes must sign Russell for 2022 – Schumacher
Aug.25 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher has rejected suggestions Mercedes may actually stick with Valtteri Bottas for next year. The former Formula 1 driver thinks it is obvious that the German outfit will actually move the young and highly-rated George Russell from Williams for 2022 and beyond. “I am firmly assuming that Russell will be in the […]
Hakkinen tells Mercedes to keep Bottas
Aug.25 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen, who is involved in the management of Valtteri Bottas’ career, has defended the Mercedes driver amid strong rumours he is about to lose his seat. “If you look at the facts, the results in all the years Valtteri has driven with Lewis (Hamilton) – what the team has achieved with these […]
Alonso can keep racing in F1 with Alpine – CEO
Aug.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso can race for Alpine for life, according to the French carmaker’s CEO Laurent Rossi. Spaniard Alonso, 40, returned to Formula 1 this year with the Renault-owned team, more than a decade after his back-to-back titles for the Enstone based works outfit. What is clear is that Rossi is more than happy […]
2021 Verstappen-Hamilton duel is ‘unique’ – Berger
Aug.24 (GMM) The world of Formula 1 is witnessing a “unique” battle for this year’s world championship, according to F1 legend Gerhard Berger. Still closely aligned with Red Bull, the now DTM series chief said Max Verstappen was on course for the 2021 title until Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton turned it around in the most recent […]
New engine to give Ferrari a Belgian GP boost
Aug.24 (GMM) Former F1 tyre engineer Kees van de Grint says fans should keep an eye on Ferrari’s performance this weekend at Spa. The Dutchman, who worked with Bridgestone and Michael Schumacher during Ferrari’s ultra-successful era, says an engine upgrade will be a key weapon for the Maranello based team in the Belgian GP. Although […]
Juan Manuel Correa says F1 dream still alive
Aug.24 (GMM) Juan Manuel Correa will tackle the fabled Eau Rouge once again when he returns to racing action at Spa-Francorchamps two years after almost dying. It was late August in 2019 when, on the exit of F1’s most famous corner, Correa’s Formula 2 car careened into the crashed single seater of 22-year-old Anthoine Hubert, […]
Manager says Schumacher’s wife ‘deleted me’
Aug.24 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s manager says the F1 legend’s wife “deleted me from her life” after the fateful skiing accident of late 2013. Willi Weber, whose autobiography ‘Benzin im Blut’ (‘petrol in the blood’) is being released, revealed that the last time he saw his former colleague and close friend was in the weeks shortly […]
Authorities probe Wolff-Stroll F1 financial deal
Aug.24 (GMM) Authorities have opened a financial probe involving two of Formula 1’s most powerful figures – team chiefs Toto Wolff and Lawrence Stroll. According to Le Journal de Montreal, the investigation involves Mercedes boss and 33 percent team owner Wolff having bought into fellow team boss Stroll’s Aston Martin brand last year. The Canadian […]
Wolff not ruling out team boss exit
Aug.23 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he could eventually step down as Mercedes’ team boss. The 49-year-old Austrian actually admits that he recently gave thought to stepping away from Formula 1 altogether. “For a year I thought about going back into the financial world,” he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “But we at Mercedes decided together […]
Haas to run ‘Ferrari driver’ in 2022 – boss
Aug.23 (GMM) “A Ferrari driver” will be belted into a Haas cockpit next year, team boss Gunther Steiner insists. He hopes it will be Mick Schumacher, who made his Formula 1 debut for the small American team in 2021. However, the young German has been linked with a move to Alfa Romeo. “I’m as confident […]
Age not slowing down Marko, Mateschitz – Horner
Aug.23 (GMM) They may be in their late 70s, but Red Bull’s Austrian chiefs are showing no signs of lifting their feet from the throttle. That is the news from team boss Christian Horner, who was asked if Dr Helmut Marko, 78, or the year-younger Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz are beginning to eye retirement. […]
Second 2021 GP at Zandvoort ‘not an option’
Aug.23 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers have played down rumours Zandvoort could step in to plug the latest hole in the covid-affected 2021 calendar. With Suzuka now cancelled, some had reported that a second race at Zandvoort would kill two birds with one stone – replacing Japan, and accommodating the almost 30,000 ticketed Dutch fans who […]