Apr.17 (GMM) Another Formula 1 driver has had his expensive watch stolen from his wrist. After the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium, McLaren driver Lando Norris had a designer Richard Mille watch worth $180,000 taken from his wrist after being put in a headlock. Last week, footage emerged of Charles Leclerc chasing a group […]
Month: April 2023
Hockenheim says F1 race rotation scheme ‘ideal’
Apr.17 (GMM) Hopes that Germany may return to the Formula 1 calendar are not dead, according to Hockenheim boss Jorn Teske. Although the country’s prominence at the pinnacle of motorsport is at a low ebb, rumours have circulated in just the past few days that Formula 1 is keen to revive a German GP. It […]
Ferrari criticism ‘pulling us down’ – Sainz
Apr.17 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has hit out at the Italian media for weeks of negative coverage about the start of Ferrari’s 2023 campaign. The Spanish driver says the negativity is not helping the fabled Maranello team to improve. “You have to realise that no one is more upset or angry or unhappy about the situation […]
Too early for Hulkenberg, Ricciardo talks – Steiner
Apr.17 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo seems unlikely to return to the Formula 1 grid next year with Haas. Late last year, as Ricciardo lost his McLaren race seat for 2023, Haas boss Gunther Steiner had brief talks with the Australian. “He wants ten f***ing million. Minimum,” Steiner said. Steiner ultimately brought Nico Hulkenberg out of his […]
Rosberg admits ‘shock’ of retiring at 31
Apr.14 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has admitted it was “a shock to my system” when he suddenly quit Formula 1 in the days after winning his first and only title in 2016. The German, now 37, was missing in his role as an F1 pundit last year after declining to get vaccinated for covid. But he […]
Russian Kvyat becomes Italian for race seat
Apr.14 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat will race with an Italian license and ‘il Tricolore’ on his overalls as he races at Le Mans with Lamborghini. Currently, Russian drivers face a barrage of restrictions when racing in European-based international competitions. F1’s governing FIA even requires Russians to essentially denounce their country over the Ukraine conflict with the […]
Haas would reward Hulkenberg for first podium
Apr.14 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg will get “something” if he breaks his and the Haas team’s Formula 1 podium droughts. The 35-year-old German, who has impressed on his return to F1 this year after a three-year sabbatical, holds the all-time record for the most career starts without a single top-three finish. Haas is also yet to […]
Miami’s F1 circuit under water
Apr.14 (GMM) Just 20 days ahead of Formula 1’s return to Miami, the street circuit is under water. Social media images show people walking knee-deep through water in the paddock of the Miami International Autodrome. A year ago, drivers were already scathing of the condition of the asphalt surface, with Fernando Alonso describing the off-line […]
Team got big boost from Aston Martin duo – boss
Apr.14 (GMM) Aston Martin boss Mike Krack admits he would be “lying” if he tried to say two key appointments haven’t given the team a major performance boost. Much of the credit for Aston Martin’s sudden performance surge in 2023 has been attributed to Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin – high-profile aerodynamics signings from Red […]
Lewis Hamilton could ‘fix’ Ferrari – Berger
Apr.13 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger thinks Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 future is up in the air. Publicly, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and seven time world champion Hamilton, 38, are declaring their intention to ink a new contract beyond 2023. But Berger thinks it’s possible that Hamilton will actually make an audacious move to Ferrari. […]
Vasseur gives sprint qualifying tweak thumbs-up
Apr.13 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has given the thumbs-up to Formula 1’s sudden qualifying format change in 2023. In Melbourne, it emerged that the ‘sprint race’ weekend format was set for an immediate tweak, with a second and separate qualifying session added. Now, for the sprint weekends, there will be just a single practice session before […]
Leclerc ‘motivation’ still intact – Vasseur
Apr.13 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur insists the “motivation” of Ferrari’s star driver Charles Leclerc is still intact despite a horror start to his 2023 campaign. Not only is Ferrari’s new car lagging Red Bull whilst closely matched by Aston Martin and Mercedes, Leclerc is just tenth in the drivers’ championship. “The retirement in Bahrain, the penalty […]
Claims of Verstappen favouritism ‘a lie’ – Perez snr
Apr.13 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s father has played down any suggestion that Red Bull has a policy of favouritism in the direction of world champion Max Verstappen. Perez, 33, is under contract both this year and next, but there have been claims of tension in the relationship amid rumours Verstappen is the clearly-preferred driver. Perez’s father […]
Piquet never intended to ‘harm’ Massa
Apr.13 (GMM) Former F1 driver Nelson Piquet jr says he never intended for his actions to deprive fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa of the 2008 title. Retired Massa, 41, is looking into his legal options after former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted both he and then FIA president Max Mosley knew about Piquet’s deliberate crash in […]
Alonso eyes new Aston Martin contract for 2025
Apr.13 (GMM) If Fernando Alonso keeps racing beyond 2024, it will be at the wheel of an Aston Martin. The 41-year-old Spaniard is enjoying a renewed stint near the very top of Formula 1, with three consecutive podiums after switching from Alpine over the winter. He is not even ruling out wins and even a […]
Alpha Tauri top speed ‘terrible’ – Tsunoda
Apr.13 (GMM) Yuki Tsunoda is expecting Alpha Tauri’s car to struggle even more than ever on the streets of Baku. With rookie Nyck de Vries still getting up to speed, Japanese Tsunoda’s one point is all the Red Bull-owned team has to boast so far in 2023. “Our top speed is terrible,” he is quoted […]
Malaysia cannot afford F1 race comeback
Apr.12 (GMM) Malaysia cannot afford to bring Formula 1 back to the Sepang circuit. Between 1999 and 2017, the circuit near Kuala Lumpur was highly regarded by the drivers. But as Malaysia’s F1 adventure ended, then sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin said: “I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. “Cost […]
Rumours of Verstappen conflict overblown – Perez
Apr.12 (GMM) Reports of conflict between Red Bull’s two drivers have been overblown, according to Sergio Perez. The Mexican signed a new two-year deal last year, but that was before his relationship with teammate and world champion Max Verstappen appeared to take clear backwards steps. However, as some predict that new team reserve Daniel Ricciardo […]
Schumacher couldn’t perform like Hulkenberg – Stuck
Apr.12 (GMM) German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck isn’t sure Mick Schumacher would have been able to keep up with countryman Nico Hulkenberg in 2023. Hulkenberg, 35, was out of Formula 1 for three full years until he was signed by Haas to replace struggling 24-year-old German Schumacher this season. “I can’t have a driver who […]
Alonso ‘not thinking’ about quitting F1 – physio
Apr.12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is not even “thinking” about retiring from Formula 1. That is the word from the Spaniard’s long-time and loyal physiotherapist Fabrizio Borra – an ever-present paddock companion. Speaking after 41-year-old Alonso’s back-to-back-to-back podiums so far in 2023, Borra told the Italian magazine Autosprint: “I think it’s great when someone of Fernando’s […]