Feb.23 (GMM) Formula 1 teams will be quickly up to speed this week as pre-season testing shrinks to just three days in total. “You can’t do big tests – you’ll have to set times as quickly as possible,” Dr Helmut Marko, a top official at world champions Red Bull, told f1-insider.com. Mere days then separate […]
Month: February 2023
F1 race return unlikely for Schumacher – Ecclestone
Feb.22 (GMM) Mick Schumacher would still be on the Formula 1 grid if his famous father Michael was in good health. That is the view of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, after young Schumacher, 23, lost his Haas race seat late last year and settled for the Mercedes reserve role for 2023. The German is […]
De Vries must avoid Verstappen comparison – boss
Feb.22 (GMM) Nyck de Vries should be careful not to compare himself with fellow Dutchman Max Verstappen in 2023. That is the warning of Formula 1 rookie de Vries’ first team boss Franz Tost, who will oversee the 28-year-old’s first season on the grid at Alpha Tauri this year. De Vries is actually almost 3 […]
Red Bull not so dominant in 2023 – Marko
Feb.22 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is confident Red Bull will be able to defend Max Verstappen’s back-to-back titles in 2023. The energy drink owned team also won the constructors’ championship last year. “Yes, we want to defend both titles,” said Marko, the team’s 79-year-old top Austrian official. “But I don’t expect a season as dominant […]
New Aston Martin looks like a ‘fast car’ – Ocon
Feb.21 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s former teammate thinks the two-time champion could have a “very fast car” on his hands in 2023. Last year, Alonso was paired at Renault-owned Alpine by Frenchman Esteban Ocon – who actually beat the Spaniard in the world championship standings. But Alonso, 41, elected to leave Alpine to join what he […]
Honda taking ‘many’ enquiries from F1 teams
Feb.21 (GMM) Formula 1 teams are already enquiring about Honda’s plans for 2026 and beyond. That is despite the fact that, while the Japanese manufacturer may have registered with the FIA as an engine supplier for the next regulations era, an actual decision about staying in the sport is yet to be made. “We like […]
Verstappen signs ‘multi-million dollar’ deal
Feb.21 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s new personal sponsorship with Dutch beer Heineken is a “multi-million dollar deal”, according to De Limburger newspaper. Another Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, said the new deal is for six years. Correspondent Erik van Haren explained: “The deal itself is unique, because the brewer doesn’t normally work with individual athletes.” Back-to-back world […]
Saudi Arabia eyes F1 team, driver
Feb.21 (GMM) Plans may be afoot for a Saudi Arabian Formula 1 team. The lucrative Kingdom caused a stir recently amid rumours Saudi’s national investment body could be eyeing a $20 billion buyout of F1’s commercial rights. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali denied it, but with Saudi Arabia’s commercial interests in Formula 1 growing, and with […]
No details yet about Stroll bike crash, injury
Feb.21 (GMM) Aston Martin has not yet disclosed whether the newly-injured Lance Stroll will be replaced at the forthcoming pre-season test in Bahrain. Ahead of this week’s action in Bahrain ahead of the start of the 2023 season at the same circuit, it was announced on Monday that 24-year-old Stroll had crashed his bicycle in […]
Salo ends involvement with Russian racing
Feb.20 (GMM) Mika Salo is no longer involved in Russian motorsport. The same is true for Gunther Steiner, the Haas team boss who ousted Russian Nikita Mazepin and his lucrative sponsor Uralkali at the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. “No more Russians,” Steiner is quoted as saying in the new edition of F1’s Netflix series […]
Mercedes may regret de Vries’ F1 move
Feb.20 (GMM) Mercedes may end up regretting losing Nyck de Vries to the Red Bull camp. That is the plain admission of Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering boss. Last year, the now 28-year-old Dutchman de Vries was the Brackley based team’s full-time reserve, who got his chance to debut when Mercedes-powered Williams driver Alex Albon […]
Andretti father, son already F1 ‘insiders’
Feb.20 (GMM) Michael and Mario Andretti are already “insiders” who should be welcomed back into Formula 1. That is the view of the latter, Mario Andretti – the world champion of 1978. His son Michael, who raced alongside Ayrton Senna at McLaren in 1993, is now bidding to bring his Andretti Autosport operation into F1 […]
Leclerc plays down Vasseur contract talks
Feb.20 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has played down rumours he may soon be pressing his new boss for a new Ferrari contract. It is rumoured that the 25-year-old is very happy that Frederic Vasseur – his first Formula 1 boss from his Sauber days – replaced Mattia Binotto in charge of Ferrari over the winter. “It’s […]
FIA takes step away from political speech ‘ban’
Feb.20 (GMM) F1’s governing body says it is only interested in limiting drivers’ political gestures and speech “during key moments”. Last week, seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton broke his silence and joined several other drivers who have criticised the FIA’s new political clampdown. Alongside the newly-retired Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton was the most prominently outspoken […]
Newey no longer in F1 full-time – Horner
Feb.20 (GMM) Adrian Newey is no longer working on Formula 1 every single day, Red Bull’s Christian Horner admits. Earlier, the 64-year-old – widely regarded as among the greatest designers in the sport’s history – was credited for using his knowledge of F1’s past ground effect era to ace the new 2022 regulations. But it […]
Alpine not missing Alonso ‘yet’
Feb.20 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer insists Alpine is not missing Fernando Alonso – yet. Last week, former two-time champion Alonso caused a stir when he rebuked the Renault-owned team that he has just departed for celebrating fourth overall in 2022. The 41-year-old claims Aston Martin – his new team – is “more ambitious” than that. “Here, […]
Axed Binotto says 2023 Ferrari ‘not my car’
Feb.17 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says he is not taking the credit for Ferrari’s 2023 car. The Swiss-born Italian engineer was axed as Ferrari team boss following the often calamitous failed championship attempt last year. He was in charge at Maranello for four years, but before that had prominent engineering and executive roles dating all the […]
Ricciardo wanted $10m for 2023 Haas seat
Feb.17 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo simply wanted too much money to stay on the Formula 1 grid this year, according to Haas boss Gunther Steiner. After two disappointing years with McLaren, former Red Bull race winner Ricciardo – now 33 – was ousted. Ultimately, he has returned to Red Bull for 2023 as a brand ambassador, […]
Marko backs Horner over Andretti-Cadillac stance
Feb.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko supports the widespread view among Formula 1’s current teams regarding a bid by Andretti-Cadillac to enter the sport in 2025. Although the FIA has now instigated a formal process to consider expanding the grid from 10 to up to 12 teams, F1 itself – and the existing teams – are […]
Black trend in F1 all ‘about performance’
Feb.17 (GMM) The livery trend for Formula 1’s 2023 season is obvious – and it’s carbon black. Alpine has now completed this year’s full grid of cars by revealing its 2023 challenger – with notably more raw black carbon in its two blue and pink-based designs. But it’s the trend up and down pitlane, with […]