May 31 (GMM) Two former Formula 1 drivers have warned Charles Leclerc to be careful about his criticism of Ferrari’s bungled race strategy at Monaco. Team boss Mattia Binotto immediately protected the Maranello marque’s top star, insisting he is right to be angry about only finishing fourth on Sunday. “When you start first and lose […]
Month: May 2022
Monaco boss reveals troubled F1 negotiations
May 31 (GMM) Top Monaco GP official Michel Boeri has admitted he is in difficult negotiations with Liberty Media over the uncertain future of F1’s most famous race. The Automobile Club de Monaco president, who is also a top FIA official, confirmed reports that the main sticking point with Liberty is the F1 owner’s desire […]
Verstappen not inspired by Ericsson’s Indy win
May 31 (GMM) The fact former F1 driver Marcus Ericsson won the Indy 500 win will not change reigning world champion Max Verstappen’s mind about the fabled oval race. Swede Ericsson switched to the US-based Indycar series after losing his Sauber race seat a few years ago, and says he hopes the win finally silences […]
Ricciardo’s McLaren career ‘is over’ – Villeneuve
May 31 (GMM) The writing is on the wall for Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 career at McLaren. That is the blunt assessment of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who thinks it’s clear that the Woking based team will replace the underperforming Australian for 2023. “Ricciardo’s time at McLaren is over,” the Canadian told the […]
Uncle Ralf says Mick ‘can’t afford’ more crashes
May 31 (GMM) Mick Schumacher “can’t afford” any more major mistakes like the huge crash that split has Haas in two during the Monaco GP, his uncle Ralf has warned. Team boss Gunther Steiner was clearly furious with yet another mistake for the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher – and had even issued a […]
Perez ‘still the second driver’ – Albers
May 31 (GMM) Two former F1 drivers doubt Sergio Perez can mount a challenge for the 2022 drivers’ world championship. After the Mexican won in Monaco, many hailed it as the start of a true three-way battle for the drivers’ title – as Perez is only 6 points behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Championship leader Max […]
Criticism swirls around Monaco’s F1 future
May 30 (GMM) With the future of the event currently in doubt, Toto Wolff has aimed fire at Monaco’s historic Formula 1 street circuit layout. The Mercedes boss hit out at the fact that Fernando Alonso was able to deliberately drive 5 seconds too slow – at ‘Formula 2 pace’ – in order to keep […]
Schumacher ‘can’t go on like this’ – Danner
May 30 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s Haas seat is on shaky ground following the young German’s biggest crash of the season so far in Monaco. Already point-less and under pressure from an increasingly frustrated team boss Gunther Steiner, Schumacher admitted the high speed shunt that split the 2022 car in half was due to running “10 […]
Mercedes looking to drop engine customer – Wolff
May 30 (GMM) Mercedes is looking to shed a Formula 1 engine customer, boss Toto Wolff has revealed. Currently, the German marque supplies power units to its own works team in addition to Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams. But Wolff told the Financial Times that the new financial limits in F1 mean Mercedes is not […]
Ferrari shocked Red Bull with Monaco protest
May 30 (GMM) Ferrari caught Red Bull by surprise after Sergio Perez recorded a shock win in a rain and crash-marred Monaco GP. Boss Christian Horner was talking to the media about his Mexican driver’s win when he took an urgent phone call from team manager Jonathan Wheatley. “Ferrari just lodged a protest against Max,” […]
Monaco win seals deal on Perez’s 2023 contract
May 30 (GMM) Monaco GP winner Sergio Perez appears to have locked up his future with Red Bull. The Mexican, who has been on one-year contracts since becoming Max Verstappen’s teammate, said in Barcelona that moving over for the reigning world champion was “unfair”. But Perez, 32, then arrived in Monaco insisting that he and […]
Monaco GP contract negotiations begin
May 29 (GMM) Formula 1 team bosses are confident Liberty Media and organisers of the iconic Monaco GP will settle their differences and agree a new contract for 2023 and beyond. Many in the paddock are stunned that the sport’s commercial rights holder would consider axing what is arguably the most historic and unique of […]
Verstappen’s manager slams salary cap idea
May 29 (GMM) Max Verstappen has slammed as “idiocy” plans to enforce a driver salary cap in Formula 1. As a debate rages in the paddock about whether rampant inflation should bump up the $140 million per-team budget cap in 2022, it emerges that also under discussion is a separate limit on how much drivers […]
‘Many teams’ will break budget cap – Binotto
May 29 (GMM) Ferrari has joined Red Bull in pushing for an emergency increase to Formula 1’s $140 million team budget cap for 2022. Red Bull’s Christian Horner has warned that most teams will completely run out of money prior to the season finale due to rampant inflation. And his counterpart at Ferrari, Mattia Binotto, […]
Verstappen to do pre-Monaco GP ‘rain dance’
May 29 (GMM) Ferrari’s rivals admit to reverting to ‘rain dance’ tactics ahead of the Monaco GP on Sunday. Pole sitter and local Charles Leclerc is looking to reclaim his championship lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as soon as possible. “The whole weekend has been a bit difficult for me,” Dutchman Verstappen admitted, after […]
Paul Ricard may host F1 race every two years
May 28 (GMM) The only way Paul Ricard can keep the French GP alive may be to alternate a single annual race date with another grand prix. Fernando Alonso, who has raced at Monaco more than any other current F1 driver, said rumours the Principality could lose its fabled street race “don’t make sense”. Russian […]
Red Bull’s budget cap problem ‘great’ – Szafnauer
May 28 (GMM) Some teams are refusing to budge as Red Bull leads a vocal campaign to see the budget cap raised in 2022 in order to tackle exploding inflation. Red Bull’s Christian Horner warned this week that unless the FIA agrees to an adjustment to the $140 million limit, only a few teams will […]
Ecclestone plays down ‘gun on plane’ arrest
May 28 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has played down widespread reports that he was arrested in Brazil after trying to smuggle a gun onto a plane. “I wasn’t arrested, I was questioned,” the former F1 supremo, who is now 91, told Bild newspaper. Ecclestone actually lives in Brazil with his wife and their two-year-old son, and […]
Schumacher linked to Aston Martin for 2023
May 28 (GMM) As relations between Mick Schumacher and Haas get more tense, the German driver is now being linked to Aston Martin for 2023. Haas boss Gunther Steiner is particularly frustrated with the 23-year-old, who is yet to score a single point this year compared to teammate Kevin Magnussen’s 15. The American team’s top […]
McLaren admits Ricciardo could leave team
May 28 (GMM) It is possible that Daniel Ricciardo will be shown the exit door at McLaren after the 2022 season. In Monaco, there has been some confusion about the duration of the Australian’s fixed contract, after he appeared to accidentally admit that the term ends this year. “It’s clear – I’ve got a contract […]