Apr.30 (GMM) Two former Formula 1 drivers have questioned Ferrari’s decision to choose Charles Leclerc over Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond. Sainz, 29, is currently linked with Mercedes and Red Bull, but more strongly linked with a long and lucrative deal with the newly Audi-owned Sauber. But his impressive form alongside the continuing Leclerc […]
Month: April 2024
Audi F1 seat unlikely for Mick Schumacher, uncle admits
Apr.30 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s famous uncle has played down suggestions the former Haas driver might resurrect his Formula 1 race career with Audi. With Nico Hulkenberg now confirmed in one Audi-owned Sauber cockpit for the 2025 season and beyond, the candidates to become his teammate are now adding up. The favourite appears to be Ferrari […]
F1 still a long way from reuniting with Russia
Apr.30 (GMM) Formula 1 is a long way from healing its broken relationship with Russia, according to the former promoter of the defunct race at Sochi. The sport suddenly and totally severed all links with the country – including the driver Nikita Mazepin, his sponsor Uralkali, and the Russian GP – at the outbreak of […]
Verstappen’s father admits F1 team switch possible
Apr.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father is keeping his cards close to his chest amid rumours Adrian Newey is likely to leave Red Bull and join a top F1 rival. The widely-circulating rumours tie in with speculation that triple world champion Verstappen, 26, might also flee Red Bull – with a key meeting with top Mercedes […]
Sainz ‘a little down’ about Ferrari exit
Apr.29 (GMM) Carlos Sainz admits he’s “a little down” as the full reality of his impending departure from Ferrari sinks in. The on-form 29-year-old Spaniard – the only driver to have beaten a Red Bull in the past two seasons – will be replaced at Maranello by Lewis Hamilton from 2025. On a visit to […]
Verstappen rivals could be closer in Miami – Marko
Apr.29 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has warned that Red Bull could be facing a tougher challenge this weekend in Monaco. On the track so far in 2024, the energy drink company’s premier Formula 1 team continued and even extended its recent dominance with triple consecutive world champion Max Verstappen at the wheel. “Five weekends, five […]
2025 contenders line up at Haas and Audi
Apr.29 (GMM) The candidates are lining up for the vacant race seats at Haas and Sauber. Audi-owned Sauber fired up the next round of ‘silly season’ speculation last Friday by announcing that Nico Hulkenberg is joining the project from 2025. Ekstra Bladet newspaper in Denmark reports that the small American team Haas “wants to continue […]
McLaren happy about low-profile ‘silly season’ role
Apr.29 (GMM) CEO Zak Brown says he’s happy McLaren is not involved in the hectic current ‘silly season’ speculation. Although Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko has made the odd quip about being interested in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the McLaren duo is firmly under contract for now. And so, while Mercedes, Red Bull, Aston […]
Trump shelves plans to attend Miami GP
Apr.29 (GMM) Donald Trump may have had to shelve plans to attend this weekend’s Miami GP. The Washington Post reports that Trump’s friend and associate Steve Witkoff had organised a fundraising event to be held at F1’s Paddock Club. Those invited “were told the event was for Trump and would cost $250,000,” the newspaper said, […]
Circuit boss plays down ‘epic’ F1-MotoGP idea
Apr.29 (GMM) The boss of a current MotoGP circuit has played down rumours suggesting Liberty Media might organise a joint MotoGP-F1 race weekend. Liberty, F1’s commercial rights holder, recently acquired the MotoGP promoter Dorna in a multiple-billion dollar deal – intensifying speculation of a mega-weekend combining the pinnacle of both two and four-wheel racing. “I […]
Red Bull ‘falling apart’ under Horner – Schumacher
Apr.29 (GMM) Red Bull is “falling apart” under Christian Horner’s leadership, warns former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher. Amid widespread reporting that Adrian Newey has told Red Bull Racing he wants to leave the team before the end of 2024, his next move is now the subject of the latest wild speculation. Huge-money offers are […]
Axed French GP group facing ’embezzlement’ probe
Apr.26 (GMM) The 2022 demise of the French GP at Paul Ricard has now become a full-scale disaster, with local prosecutors opening an investigation into “embezzlement of public funds”. Le Monde newspaper also said the former legal structure of the organisation in charge of the Formula 1 race – public interest group GPF-le Castellet – […]
Hockenheim inches closer to F1 race return
Apr.26 (GMM) Hockenheim has inched closer to reviving the defunct German GP. Private investors have bought 75 percent of the well-known former Formula 1 circuit from the city of Hockenheim, raising hopes that the new owners could have the money to entice the sport back to Germany. DPA news agency says the buyers are “five […]
Hulkenberg news set to be announced on Friday – report
Apr.26 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber is tipped to officially confirm authoritative reports suggesting Nico Hulkenberg has agreed a three-year deal starting in 2025. The Swiss Formula 1 team, which is now 100 percent owned by German giant Volkswagen’s Audi subsidiary, is said to be willing to wait a little longer for Carlos Sainz to consider a […]
Red Bull, Ferrari play down sensational Newey reports
Apr.26 (GMM) Two top Formula 1 teams have played down sensational and widespread new reports suggesting Red Bull Racing is set to lose Adrian Newey. From De Telegraaf in the Netherlands to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport and the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport – and a slew of other authoritative specialist sources […]
Fresh chassis ‘psychological’ for Ricciardo – Marko
Apr.25 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo’s boost from his fresh monocoque in China may have been merely “psychological”. That’s the suspicion of Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s top Austrian F1 consultant, amid ongoing speculation that the Australian driver is not doing enough at the junior outfit RB this year to secure a 2025 seat. After struggling alongside […]
F1 CEO hits back at drivers’ schedule gripes
Apr.25 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali is taking a hard-line stance against drivers griping about Formula 1’s ever-intensifying schedule. Max Verstappen complained about the extra “stress” the sprint weekend format puts on the mechanics in particular, with Lando Norris agreeing: “It’s not healthy for them. “It’s not sustainable,” the McLaren driver added. These new complaints are on […]
New F1 deal for Barcelona ‘just as close’ as before
Apr.25 (GMM) A new deal to keep Formula 1 in Barcelona beyond 2026, when Madrid is taking over the official Spanish GP moniker, is “just as close” as it was a few months ago. That’s the news from the mouth of Oriol Sagrera, the new CEO of the Circuit de Catalunya – home of the […]
F1 governing body threatens to leave France
Apr.25 (GMM) F1’s governing body has revealed it may move out of France. The more than century-old FIA, as well as the similarly Paris-founded football sanctioning body FIFA, have told French publications that their major gripe is a “legal and tax system” and is “not adapted to their activities”. “Although France is the cradle of […]
Father has no fears Perez will lose F1 seat
Apr.25 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s father says he has no fear the Mexican will be left off the Formula 1 grid in 2025 and beyond. Dr Helmut Marko made clear in Shanghai that Red Bull has turned down the 34-year-old driver’s request for a three-year contract extension – but he’s not out of the frame to […]