Oct.11 (GMM) New back-to-back drivers’ world champion Max Verstappen says his goal for the remaining four races is now to help Red Bull secure the constructors’ crown. It would be the first time since the Sebastian Vettel era in 2013 that Red Bull won the team title, breaking Mercedes’ dominant eight-year streak. “We’re leading the […]
Month: October 2022
All-female F1 support series collapses
Oct.11 (GMM) The all-female open wheel support series for Formula 1 has collapsed with two races still to run in 2022. We reported a fortnight ago that the ‘W Series’ was on its last legs after the Singapore event, with reports revealing that “significant sums” are owed to creditors. “We’re looking at our budgets,” said […]
Rule confusion risks alienating F1 fans – report
Oct.11 (GMM) Formula 1 needs to be “careful” not to alienate its fans with overly complex rules. The entire paddock and F1 world, including Red Bull, was caught by surprise when Max Verstappen was declared world champion some 20 minutes after he won Sunday’s Japanese GP. “We were sure there would only be full points […]
‘A shame’ Mercedes is losing de Vries – boss
Oct.11 (GMM) Mercedes’ technical boss says it’s “a shame” the Brackley based team is losing Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman, whose one-off debut for Williams this year was due to his role as Mercedes’ official reserve, has been signed up by Red Bull’s second team Alpha Tauri for 2023. Franz Tost, Alpha Tauri boss, denies […]
Red Bull’s budget cap penalty ‘could take a while’
Oct.11 (GMM) It could be “a while” until the penalty for Red Bull’s now-confirmed budget cap breach is decided. The energy drink owned team officially reacted to the FIA’s confirmation of “minor overspend breaches” last year with “surprise and disappointment”. F1’s governing body said it is now “determining the appropriate course of action”, but severe […]
Honda’s full F1 return for 2026 not decided yet
Oct.10 (GMM) Talks in Tokyo with Dr Helmut Marko, and a deal to return clear ‘Honda’ branding to the car doesn’t mean the Japanese carmaker will rekindle its full works backing of Red Bull in Formula 1. That is the insistence of Koji Watanabe, president of Honda’s subsidiary ‘Honda Racing Corporation’ (HRC) that until recently […]
Father tips Verstappen to keep dominating F1
Oct.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father thinks the Red Bull driver and new back-to-back world champion could utterly dominate the next several Formula 1 seasons. Even 25-year-old Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had to admit after the Japanese GP that the Dutchman is currently close to untouchable. “Once he feels comfortable, he drives at a different level,” […]
Confusion and anger as Verstappen wins second title
Oct.10 (GMM) Confusion, danger, anger and intrigue set the scene at Suzuka as Max Verstappen splashed to his second consecutive drivers’ title win. The entire F1 world thought the Dutchman had just fallen short of the points he needed to wrap up the championship with a full four grands prix still to run in 2022. […]
Verstappen helped de Vries secure 2023 seat
Oct.9 (GMM) Nyck de Vries admits world champion, Dutch countryman and friend Max Verstappen “put in a good word for me” that ultimately led to a 2023 Formula 1 contract. After de Vries, 27, caused a stir on debut at Monza by scoring points in the sick Alex Albon’s Williams, he sat down for dinner […]
Marko confirms new Tokyo talks with Honda
Oct.9 (GMM) Red Bull is leaving the door wide open for a full revival of the works Honda engine partnership. The Japanese carmaker pulled out of F1 in an official capacity after Red Bull-Honda’s 2021 title breakthrough, with the energy drink owned-team subsequently setting up ‘Red Bull Powertrains’. With ‘HRC’ (Honda Racing Corporation) branding on […]
Binotto ‘pessimistic’ about Red Bull saga outcome
Oct.9 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says he’s “pessimistic” about the outcome of the Red Bull budget cap saga. Like Mercedes and many other teams, the Ferrari team boss has called for hefty penalties if the energy drink-owned outfit is found to have breached the 2021 spending limit. However, the FIA this week delayed the release of […]
Agent says Ricciardo ‘dealt bad hand’ by F1
Oct.9 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has been “dealt a bad hand” by Formula 1, according to the Australian driver’s agent. Having been bought out of his contract for 2023 as McLaren replaces him with young compatriot Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo had to admit at Suzuka that he will not be on the grid next year. The last […]
Budget cap saga speculation ‘pointless’ – Berger
Oct.8 (GMM) “Nobody knows anything” about the details of Red Bull’s alleged breach of the Formula 1 budget cap. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger, who despite being boss of the German touring car series DTM is sitting out the final round at Hockenheim this weekend with a minor case of covid. […]
F1 media harsher on ‘lazy Latino’ drivers – Perez
Oct.8 (GMM) Sergio Perez has doubled-down on his suspicion that he is subject to greater criticism in Formula 1 because he is Mexican. After winning in Singapore, the 32-year-old from Guadalajara said he hoped the victory would silence his critics after “a bit of a rough patch” during the course of his second season for […]
Schumacher denies crash cost him 2023 contract
Oct.8 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says he would be “surprised” if his practice crash at Suzuka ends his chances of staying at Haas in 2023. Before the German crashed on an in-lap in treacherous conditions ahead of the Japanese GP on Friday, new rumours suggested the two parties are now close to signing a one-year contract […]
Porsche not giving up on F1 project
Oct.7 (GMM) Porsche insists it has not abandoned its plans to enter Formula 1. When the 50 percent buyout talks with Red Bull recently collapsed, insiders indicated that the VW-owned German carmaker may instead look to Williams or McLaren. However, reports subsequently suggested that Porsche had in fact dropped its F1 ambitions altogether for the […]
Schumacher has ‘advantage’ for Haas seat – boss
Oct.7 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has an “advantage” over other candidates for the race seat at 2023, boss Gunther Steiner has admitted. However, after the small American team failed to score a single point with rookies Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin last year, Steiner also insists that Haas is “done with rookies for the foreseeable future”. It’s […]
Verstappen calm amid title pressure, budget cap saga
Oct.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen is cutting a relaxed figure in the Suzuka paddock as he faces his second ‘match point’ for a dominant second consecutive title win. The Dutchman says even the furore surrounding Red Bull’s alleged breach of the budget cap is not bothering him, after the FIA delayed the release of its findings […]
‘Silly season’ to race ahead at Suzuka – Marko
Oct.6 (GMM) The engines of Formula 1’s ‘silly season’ will continue to rev this weekend at Suzuka. It is now expected that Pierre Gasly’s release from his 2023 Red Bull contract, with Alpha Tauri set to replace him with Nyck de Vries, will be completed at the scene of the Japanese GP. “First of all, […]
Alpine can still improve without Alonso – Ocon
Oct.6 (GMM) Esteban Ocon insists that Renault-owned Alpine can continue to push forwards in Formula 1 even without two-time champion Fernando Alonso. With 41-year-old Spaniard Alonso defecting to Aston Martin for 2023 and beyond, Ocon will soon be appointed a new teammate – believed to be fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly. That news could be forthcoming […]