Feb.23 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne has backed the move to delay a technical revolution in formula one until 2017. It had appeared that Ferrari was leading the charge for rapid change, when on the very day the F1 Commission met to vote on proposed changes for 2016, it published images of its radical-looking ‘concept car’. But […]
Category: Recent stories
Alonso could spend second night in hospital
Feb.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso could spend a second night in hospital, his manager Luis Garcia Abad has admitted. The Spaniard is currently in a Barcelona hospital after a mysterious crash during the final day of the second 2015 winter test. The cause of the crash has not been revealed by McLaren, triggering wild theories, including […]
Honda’s horror F1 return continues on Monday
Feb.23 (GMM) Six years after pulling out of the sport, Honda is once again making headlines in formula one for all the wrong reasons. In the midst of an horror run of technical trouble as McLaren struggles to run the new works turbo V6, star driver Fernando Alonso looks set to spend a second night […]
Rory Byrne is new Ferrari designer’s ‘guru’
Feb.23 (GMM) Legendary Ferrari designer Rory Byrne has returned to Maranello to be Simone Resta’s mentor. South African Byrne, 71, was a key member of the Ferrari ‘dream team’ of last decade, when along with Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher, they utterly dominated the sport. More recently, he had retired to Thailand, but […]
Midfield teams propose to be ‘semi-constructors’
Feb.23 (GMM) Three midfield teams have reportedly proposed that F1’s rules be tweaked so that ‘semi-constructors’ are legal. It recently emerged that the FIA had commissioned KcKinsey, a multinational consulting firm, to examine the finances of the nine F1 teams amid the apparent need for cost-cutting. But the latest round of internal meetings within formula […]
Lauda told Mercedes to ‘put hammer down’
Feb.23 (GMM) After seven days of apparent sandbagging, did Mercedes finally let the cat out of the bag on Sunday? Until now, it has been Ferrari’s test pace at Jerez and now Barcelona that has appeared the most impressive, but many believe dominant 2014 champions Mercedes have been deliberately running with heavy fuel or de-rated […]
Wild speculation follows mysterious Alonso crash
Feb.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s testing crash has triggered wild speculation about the cause. So far, McLaren is saying nothing except that it was a “normal” crash necessitating medical checks. “Fernando’s accident was just one of those things that happens in testing,” said team boss Eric Boullier, insisting the same is also true of his trip […]
Vettel could ignore livery change ban
Feb.22 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he might ignore F1’s new ban on helmet livery changes. Reports have indicated the German has made about 60 livery changes since debuting in formula one. But it has also been a growing trend among Vettel’s peers as well, moving Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt to clamp down on […]
McLaren-Honda will not win first race – Button
Feb.22 (GMM) For now, McLaren’s problems will not go away. At the start of the Barcelona test, a faulty seal on the Honda’s MGU-K unit forced Japanese engineers to return the drawing board. The new part was fitted on Saturday, but it too failed and left Jenson Button at the bottom of the timesheets. Before […]
Good and bad news for Honda engine ‘freeze’
Feb.22 (GMM) The news on Sunday was both good and bad for Honda. The good is that McLaren’s struggling new works partner has found two more days in its delayed programme before the 2015-spec turbo V6 must be homologated. On paper, the deadline is actually February 28, but that is a Saturday and FIA inspectors […]
Alonso airlifted to hospital after crash
Feb.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso was “conscious” as he was airlifted to hospital on Sunday after a crash on the final day of the Barcelona test. The Spaniard was initially taken to the circuit medical centre by ambulance, after his McLaren hit the unprotected concrete wall at turn four. The Circuit de Catalunya said Alonso is […]
Gutierrez could drive Ferrari in Mexico
Feb.22 (GMM) Esteban Gutierrez is set to make his debut at the wheel of a Ferrari. After two years with Sauber, the 23-year-old has taken his Mexican sponsors to Maranello, where he is now the official reserve driver. New team boss Maurizio Arrivabene thinks that despite his difficult time since debuting in F1, Gutierrez has […]
Force India preparation ‘not ideal’ – Hulkenberg
Feb.22 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has admitted Force India’s preparation for 2015 is “not ideal”. Although the strongest rumours of unpaid suppliers and financial strife have been played down, the Silverstone based team’s 2015 car is yet to be seen. And speculation says the 2014 car is only lapping at the Circuit de Catalunya this week […]
First Ferrari target is a podium – Vettel
Feb.21 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he has arrived at Ferrari with the passion the most fabled name in formula one deserves. “Many things have changed” at the Maranello team, the former Red Bull driver and German told the Italian broadcaster Rai. “Even a driver,” he smiled. Indeed, it was rare to see the former quadruple […]
Renault considers buying F1 team – report
Feb.21 (GMM) Renault is reportedly considering buying a team and going it alone as a full constructor once again. Bruised by the ‘crash-gate’ affair, the French carmaker sold its works Enstone team to Gerard Lopez in 2010, who renamed it Lotus. But according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Renault is now considering buying it […]
McLaren admits Melbourne approaching too quickly
Feb.21 (GMM) For F1’s top teams, 2015 is a case of putting the troublesome first year of the new turbo V6 era in the past and setting sights on closing the big gap to Mercedes. It is bad news for McLaren, the British grandee who struggled last year and relished the prospect of kicking off […]
Faster rivals have Mercedes’ eyes ‘wide open’
Feb.21 (GMM) A fascinating picture is beginning to emerge from winter testing, as multiple teams threaten to step up and challenge Mercedes. Until now, Ferrari has appeared surprisingly as the biggest threat to Mercedes’ supreme dominance. “They could be our opponents this year,” 2014 runner-up Nico Rosberg admitted on Friday, as he tested in Barcelona […]
Horner says Manor ‘deserves’ F1 return
Feb.21 (GMM) Christian Horner on Saturday insisted he would welcome the former Marussia team back to F1. Earlier, despite vocally championing the rights of struggling teams, Force India in fact blocked the reborn ‘Manor’ team’s quest to bounce back in 2015 by using its car of last season. But Williams made clear it supports Manor’s […]
Ferrari not expecting 2015 title bid – boss
Feb.20 (GMM) Ferrari’s new boss is not changing his targets for the 2015 season, despite a strong showing in winter testing for the fabled team. Before the SF15-T emerged with consistently chart-topping pace at the Jerez and Barcelona tests, Maurizio Arrivabene – newly arrived at Maranello in the wake of the disappointment and calamity of […]
Lotus’ Gastaldi says ‘huge egos’ hurting F1
Feb.20 (GMM) “Huge egos” have ensured the status quo in formula one when it comes to cost-cutting and income distribution. That is the claim of Federico Gastaldi, the deputy chief at Lotus. Late last year, his boss Gerard Lopez was highly vocal as he joined fellow midfielders Force India and Sauber in complaining about the […]