Nov.30 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali says the Formula 1 calendar is capped at a maximum of 24 grands prix for now. There were a lot of tired faces in the Abu Dhabi paddock recently at the finale of the long 22-race calendar – but next year Las Vegas is hosting a much-anticipated race and China is […]
Month: November 2022
Marko tips Binotto’s successor to be internal pick
Nov.30 (GMM) Mattia Binotto’s demise at Ferrari might be traced back to the moment Charles Leclerc had the now-ousted team boss’ finger pointed at him at Silverstone. Despite denying it in Abu Dhabi, the Maranello marque has now confirmed that after 28 years with Ferrari, Binotto will not be team principal beyond New Year’s Eve. […]
Ricciardo to attend ‘a dozen’ races in 2023
Nov.29 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo will attend “a maximum of a dozen races” in 2023 as he faces his first season off the Formula 1 grid in over a decade. Although he could have lobbied for the Haas seat, the struggling 33-year-old opted instead to recharge his batteries with a purely test and marketing role at […]
Many names linked with ousted Binotto’s top job
Nov.29 (GMM) Ross Brawn put a swift halt to rumours his next move could be to replace Ferrari’s soon-to-be-ousted team boss Mattia Binotto. Although the initial rumours of Binotto’s demise were denied by the Maranello team, they are back with a vengeance this week in authoritative Italian specialist publications. “After Abu Dhabi, there were no […]
Newey changes mind about ground effect rules
Nov.29 (GMM) Adrian Newey has changed his mind about Formula 1’s new-in-2022 aerodynamic rules. Before the cars underwent their radical transformation from traditional downforce to the current ‘ground effect’ principle of today, Red Bull’s famous technical boss denounced it as a “shame”. “I think if you come up with completely new regulations, we should make […]
F1 to keep ‘tough’ stance on Russia – Popov
Nov.28 (GMM) Alexey Popov is not confident Formula 1 will return to Russian television screens any time soon. Along with Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali’s departure from Haas early this year over the Ukraine conflict, Ferrari lost its Kaspersky backing and the Russian GP at Sochi was scrapped. And for Russian fans, they cannot […]
Kubica admits F1 exit likely
Nov.28 (GMM) Robert Kubica admits 2022 may have been his final outing in Formula 1. The 37-year-old Pole stunned the sporting world by staging his 2019 return to the F1 grid despite the permanent arm injury sustained ahead of the 2011 season. However, Kubica struggled at Williams and subsequently took his Orlen sponsorship to Alfa […]
Rosberg rules out F1 team boss role
Nov.28 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has ruled out return to Formula 1 in a team management role. Last week, rumours swirled that Sebastian Vettel’s next move after retiring as a driver might be a future role in charge of a team. So with 2016 title winner Rosberg already owner of his own Extreme E team, might […]
De Vries had given up on ‘realistic’ F1 dream
Nov.28 (GMM) Nyck de Vries admits he thought his Formula 1 dream was over. Although he’ll be a rookie in 2023 with Alpha Tauri, Red Bull’s ‘junior’ F1 team, the Dutchman is actually 27-years-old. “Now comes the realisation that it really is going to happen,” de Vries, this year’s Mercedes reserve, told the Dutch program […]
Alonso did ‘2pc’ of Alpine workload – Ocon
Nov.28 (GMM) Esteban Ocon claims he did “98 percent” of the work at Alpine as he hit back at Fernando Alonso’s recent comments. Although they appeared to have gotten along at the Renault-owned team, Alonso became publicly critical of both Alpine and Ocon as he prepared to move to Aston Martin for 2023. “Of course […]
F1 will cope with Vettel exit – Doohan
Nov.28 (GMM) Formula 1 will brush off the loss of two of its most familiar names, according to motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan. Today, Doohan’s 19-year-old son Jack – sixth overall in Formula 2 this year – is starting to make a name for himself in the F1 paddock as he signs up in a […]
Verstappen dislikes F1 street circuits
Nov.28 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen admits he is no longer a fan of Formula 1 street circuits. Although the back-to-back title winner has collected all the major recent street track trophies including Monaco, Miami, Jeddah and Baku, he admits he has fallen out of live with the barrier-lined discipline. “Formula 1 cars are really […]
Italian press says Binotto definitely departing
Nov.28 (GMM) The Italian media remains convinced that Mattia Binotto will not remain Ferrari’s team boss in 2023. Ferrari denied similar reports at the Abu Dhabi season finale, but is now not commenting on the latest claims that Binotto is stepping down due to having lost the support of chairman John Elkann. Corriere della Sera […]
Aston Martin rules out own F1 engine
Nov.28 (GMM) Aston Martin has decided against following in Red Bull’s wheeltracks by making its very own Formula 1 engine. Although Porsche is reportedly still shopping around for a 2026 partner, Auto Motor und Sport says Aston Martin has ruled out a collaboration as it would detract from its own brand. At the same time, […]
Wolff not expecting Ferrari-like title drought
Nov.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he’s sure Mercedes isn’t heading into a Ferrari-like period of championship drought. After almost completely dominating the initial ‘power unit’ era between 2014 and 2021, Lewis Hamilton failed to win a single grand prix this past season. Team boss Wolff says it was purely about the car. “It was our […]
Mazepin not giving up on F1 return
Nov.25 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says he hasn’t abandoned his dream of racing in Formula 1. The Russian and his father’s company were expelled by the Haas team at the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. Since then, 23-year-old Mazepin has insisted that he would not return if it means agreeing with the FIA’s rules about denouncing […]
Alonso will thrive at Aston Martin – Briatore
Nov.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is a “rottweiler” who will survive and thrive at Aston Martin. That is the view of Flavio Briatore, who has been intimately wrapped up with the management of the 41-year-old’s entire and long Formula 1 career. Alonso’s latest move is from Alpine to Aston Martin for 2023 and 2024, where he […]
Verstappen denies pushing for Perez axe
Nov.25 (GMM) Max Verstappen has hit back at rumours he might be pushing Sergio Perez out of the sister Red Bull cockpit. In Brazil, the picture of a harmonious team was smashed when the reigning world champion refused to let Perez past to maximise the Mexican’s chance of securing second overall in 2022. Perez’s father […]
Vettel could be eyeing Red Bull role
Nov.25 (GMM) Red Bull’s door is “open” to welcoming Sebastian Vettel in the event the quadruple world champion wants to re-enter Formula 1. The energy drink stable has just snapped up its out-of-work former grand prix winner Daniel Ricciardo for a test and marketing role in 2023. 35-year-old Vettel, however, may not be interested in […]
Mick’s uncle Ralf ‘wanted public fight’ – Steiner
Nov.24 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has hit back hard at axed Haas driver Mick Schumacher’s outspoken uncle Ralf. In the media, the pair have been at loggerheads in the second part of the 2022 season amid team boss Steiner’s criticism of Mick’s performance and apparent dithering over his 2023 contract. “We didn’t play any game for […]