Oct.31 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost says he will catch up with Max Verstappen and welcome him to a “very exclusive club”. In Mexico, Dutchman Verstappen won his sixteenth grand prix of the 2023 season – breaking his own record. When asked what’s next, the 26-year-old smiled: “Seventeen? Nineteen? I don’t know.” Red Bull’s Dr […]
Month: October 2023
Mexico safety concerns were overblown – Marko
Oct.31 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits he was overly cautious about triple world champion Max Verstappen’s personal safety and security situation ahead of the Mexican GP. Following the tsunami of boos Verstappen was subjected to after the US GP a week earlier, Red Bull decided to hire two sizeable bodyguards to protect the 26-year-old Dutchman […]
Alonso, Aston, Perez: Wild F1 rumours before Brazil GP
Oct.31 (GMM) Wild rumours are filling the short gap between the Mexican and Brazilian grands prix. Before leaving the Formula 1 venue near Mexico City, well-known Spanish journalist Albert Fabrega wrote cryptically on social media: “I don’t want to believe the rumour they have told me now in the paddock. No.” Many of his followers […]
Mexico GP will suffer post-Perez blow – promoter
Oct.30 (GMM) Mexican GP promoter Federico Gonzalez admits the race may suffer a blow once Sergio Perez is no longer on the grid. Currently, 33-year-old Guadalajara-born Perez drives for F1’s top team Red Bull – who is supported so ardently by the crowd that a violent fight actually broke out in the grandstands on Sunday […]
New floor ‘gives confidence’ for 2024 – Wolff
Oct.30 (GMM) With the 2023 titles already long decided, the big question for the two big teams trailing Red Bull is whether they can catch up for next year. For Mercedes, now second overall and with Lewis Hamilton pushing to beat Sergio Perez to second in the drivers’ standings, the signs are promising. Hamilton finished […]
Aston Martin slump is ‘not a funeral’ – Alonso
Oct.30 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says the public perception of troubled times at Aston Martin is wrong. That is despite the fact that the 42-year-old Spaniard’s move from Alpine over the winter seemed a masterstroke as he initially looked like one of Max Verstappen’s biggest rivals early in 2023. But as the growing Silverstone-based team upgraded […]
Sargeant ‘part of the family’ at Williams
Oct.30 (GMM) Logan Sargeant says he feels like “part of the family” at Williams. That is despite the fact that the entire grid for Formula 1’s 2024 season is now officially set – except for struggling rookie Sargeant’s seat. But the message from team boss James Vowles recently has been clear – as long as […]
Sauber-Audi eyeing Perez for the future – Bravi
Oct.30 (GMM) A new name has emerged in connection with the future Sauber-Audi collaboration – Sergio Perez. Already in recent days and months, several names have been linked with the 2026 works project, with rumours suggesting Sauber may sign them for 2025 in preparation for Audi entering Formula 1 the following season. Among those names […]
Perez’s 2024 season with Red Bull ‘will happen’
Oct.30 (GMM) Sergio Perez will be staying at Red Bull next year, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko declared even though the Mexican crashed out of his home race on lap 1. In the pressure cooker of his home race in front of a huge, passionate and adoring crowd, the 33-year-old almost went from P5 on […]
Schumacher’s health will remain a secret – lawyer
Oct.29 (GMM) The media lawyer for Michael Schumacher’s family says there are no plans to divulge official information about the health of the seven time world champion. When asked if he knows anything about his former Ferrari teammate’s current medical condition, Felipe Massa told Infobae recently: “Yes, but I’m not the one to say something. […]
Doohan to focus on F1 with Alpine in 2024
Oct.29 (GMM) Jack Doohan, the son of two-wheeled Australian legend Mick, will not be on the Formula 2 grid next year. The 20-year-old Australian, who is a Formula 1 reserve driver for Alpine, got at the wheel of Pierre Gasly’s car in Mexico on Friday as part of the team’s rookie driver requirement for 2023. […]
Shooting deaths will not stop Mexico GP
Oct.29 (GMM) A fatal shooting just outside the circuit will not affect the running of the rest of the Mexican GP weekend. A perpetrator and a police officer were both killed in the shooting standoff right outside the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the entire Formula 1 world is gathered. But Formula One Management said the […]
Ferrari were ‘bluffing’ before qualifying surge – Marko
Oct.29 (GMM) Ferrari, and the Italian team’s rivals, were equally shocked when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz locked out the front row of the grid for the Mexican GP. “It’s incredible what they did in those last laps,” Red Bull’s home-town hero Sergio Perez told DAZN. “We did not expect it.” His boss, Dr Helmut […]
Father insists Perez loves driving for Red Bull
Oct.29 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s father says there is no doubt his son will still be at Red Bull in 2024. Mexican Perez, 33, has a contract for next year, but rumours of strained relationships with Verstappen, Red Bull bosses and his performance slump will not go away. Perez’s father Antonio Perez Garabay has often fanned […]
Most F1 drivers snubbed FIA meeting invitation
Oct.29 (GMM) Less than half of the 20 Formula 1 drivers turned up to a special meeting convened by top FIA steward and World Motor Sport Council member Gary Connelly. Amid a string of recent and ongoing controversies including penalties, track limits, tyre problems in Qatar and even EUR 1 million fines, the drivers have […]
Marko doubts Norris can beat Verstappen in Mexico
Oct.28 (GMM) Red Bull’s bosses are looking beyond Ferrari and Mercedes as they wonder if Max Verstappen will be challenged for victory this weekend in Mexico. With several races left but the drivers’ and constructors’ titles all wrapped up, top rivals have been edging closer to Red Bull lately – like Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton who […]
Journalists warn Audi to ‘tell the truth’ about F1 rumours
Oct.28 (GMM) Three of the most respected journalists in Formula 1 have thrown extra light on the bubbling rumours emerging from the Sauber-Audi camp. An article in Der Spiegel, a highly authoritative German news weekly, suggests that after Audi CEO Markus Duesmann’s recent sacking, the VW-owned marque’s board may be rethinking its 2026 commitment to […]
Marko hurting Perez ‘psychologically’ – Hamilton
Oct.28 (GMM) Red Bull is “psychologically” hurting home town hero Sergio Perez, according to the Mexican’s former McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton. So far in Mexico, Max Verstappen’s struggling teammate Perez and their boss Christian Horner have denied the Red Bull duo have any animosity for one another. “I need to really disappoint you that there […]
Hulkenberg admits F1 talks amid Audi uncertainty
Oct.27 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg admits he had “discussions” with Sauber about a potential move to the Swiss team ahead of its future works collaboration with Audi. Whether Audi, the Volkswagen-owned German carmaker, will actually follow through with its 2026 works Formula 1 project is actually the subject of intense speculation at present. A new report […]
F1 rivals oppose radical sprint race format changes
Oct.27 (GMM) Two big Formula 1 rivals are united in their disdain for proposals aimed to spice up the controversial ‘sprint race’ weekend format for 2024. US GP organisers in Austin reported that they did not notice the intended popularity of the extra qualifying session and short race in terms of ticket sales. Max Verstappen […]