May 26 (GMM) Championship leader Nico Rosberg has now played down swirling speculation that he might leave Mercedes at the end of the season. An Italian newspaper recently suggested talks with Ferrari have begun, with Germany’s Sport Bild now claiming the 30-year-old is moving to push his retainer much closer to the many more millions […]
Gutierrez not joining Grosjean in Nascar
May 26 (GMM) Romain Grosjean’s teammate sounds uninterested in joining the Frenchman in a one-off Nascar outing. The pair race for Gene Haas’ new F1 team, with the Californian also co-owning the top Nascar outfit Stewart-Haas. Grosjean is keen to use the opportunity to try American’s premier tin-top racing category, perhaps with a Sprint Cup […]
Alonso surprised over bosses’ optimism
May 26 (GMM) Fernando Alonso on Wednesday sounded surprised when told that McLaren chiefs Ron Dennis and Eric Boullier have been making very upbeat comments lately. McLaren supremo Dennis has been talking about wins and team boss Boullier declared that the MP4-31 is even better than Ferrari’s. “Who said that?” Alonso is quoted by Spanish […]
‘Respect’ intact but Mercedes tension lingers
May 26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg entered the Monaco paddock on Wednesday with the message that everything is ‘ok’ with their relationship. “Do I think everything is ok? No I don’t,” former double world champion Mika Hakkinen, who lives in Monaco, said on a visit to the paddock on Wednesday. Mercedes team figures […]
Verstappen success good for me – Sainz
May 26 (GMM) Carlos Sainz thinks the quick success achieved by his former teammate Max Verstappen could also reflect well on him. Indeed, Spain’s AS newspaper mentioned the 21-year-old as a potential candidate to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next year. When asked about that, Sainz said in Monaco: “I need to keep doing what […]
Ricciardo still in the game with new engine
May 26 (GMM) Red Bull has made clear Daniel Ricciardo is still in the game at the energy drink company’s top F1 team. Although the Australian is an established F1 star, it has been F1 teen sensation Max Verstappen grabbing all the praise and headlines in the wake of his Barcelona win. “What? Verstappen won […]
Monza angry as Imola steps up GP bid
May 26 (GMM) A Monza official has hit out at Imola, the former San Marino grand prix host that is reportedly shaping up as an alternative venue for Italy’s annual F1 race. With negotiations between Monza and Bernie Ecclestone about 2017 and beyond still dragging on, officials at Imola – a famous circuit east of […]
Renault eyes leap into Q3
May 25 (GMM) Renault’s works team is eyeing a sudden leap into Q3 this weekend in Monaco. After the eleventh-hour Lotus takeover, it has been an uncompetitive full works return for the French marque in 2016 so far. But there are now signs of clear progress. This weekend, two versions of the Canada-spec engine upgrade, […]
Schumacher gets award for ‘life’s work’
May 25 (GMM) Michael Schumacher will be honoured at an award ceremony this week, the German newspaper Bild reports. The report said the inaugural ‘Nurburgring Award’ trophy will go to the great German on Friday after he won at the fabled circuit a record five times. As he is still recovering from his 2013 skiing […]
Wolff hopes drivers ‘have learned’ from crash
May 25 (GMM) Toto Wolff is heading into Monaco this weekend determined that Mercedes’ drivers will not crash again. From the moment Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg tangled and ended in the Barcelona gravel, the German team’s boss has played down the explosive incident. But now, just a day before track action resumes in Monaco […]
Verstappen ‘unbelievable’ at 18 – Prost
May 25 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost says Max Verstappen has been impressive beyond his mere age of 18. Some pundits are warning the F1 world not to go overboard in praise for the sport’s youngest ever winner, but Frenchman Prost is not among them. A winner of 51 grand prix wins and four titles, […]
Just 2 engines per driver by 2019 – report
May 25 (GMM) F1’s long-life engine rules will get more than twice as arduous for manufacturers beyond 2019. A few weeks ago, after a long period of negotiations, changes to further converge performance and cut costs were finally agreed. At the time, the FIA said cost reduction will be possible through a “progressive reduction of […]
F3 team Prema linked with F1 entry – report
May 24 (GMM) The next new team for F1 could now be on the horizon, according to Germany’s Auto Bild Motorsport. The publication suggested that Prema Powerteam, a lower-category Italian outfit that fields Lance Stroll in F3 and Mick Schumacher in Formula 4, could be first in line to emulate the successful new ‘Haas’-like model. […]
Too soon to predict Verstappen greatness – Petrov
May 24 (GMM) It might be too early to predict greatness for F1 teen sensation Max Verstappen, according to a former grand prix driver. Even before his first win in Barcelona, many insiders were wondering if Red Bull’s 18-year-old Dutchman might eventually break the great Michael Schumacher’s record tally of seven career titles. But Vitaly […]
Haryanto admits he could lose Manor seat
May 24 (GMM) Rio Haryanto has admitted for the first time that he might not make it through the 2016 season. Although backed by the Indonesian government and highly popular in his native country, it is understood the rookie is only paid up at Manor until mid-season. But his manager Piers Hunnisett told us in […]
Father still involved in Verstappen’s career
May 24 (GMM) Jos Verstappen has admitted that while he has taken a step back, he is still closely involved in his son’s meteoric F1 career. It has been suggested that while Toro Rosso was happy for the former Benetton driver to be closely involved, Red Bull has asked Jos to take a step back […]
Massa not sure Red Bull better than Mercedes
May 24 (GMM) Felipe Massa is in a realistic mood about Williams’ chances ahead of this weekend’s race in Monaco. The British team was third overall in 2014 and 2015 but has clearly fallen behind both Red Bull and Ferrari this year. “I think we will be behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull,” Massa told […]
McLaren chassis better than Ferrari – Boullier
May 24 (GMM) McLaren-Honda appears to be finally emerging from its long slump, with bosses Ron Dennis and Eric Boullier sounding particularly upbeat ahead of Monaco. Dennis, the Woking team’s supremo, told the BBC: “I honestly believe that the next world champions after Mercedes will be McLaren. We’ll get to that goal before other people.” […]
Shift to 2017 focus ‘delicate’ – Vasseur
May 24 (GMM) A decision is looming about how Renault will handle the transition from 2016 to 2017, team boss Frederic Vasseur has admitted. It is widely believed that, with the French marque having taken over Lotus at the eleventh hour, Renault regarded 2016 as little more than a transitional season as it focused much […]
Heineken deal to be announced soon
May 24 (GMM) F1 looks set to lift the lid on its major new sponsorship deal with Heineken ahead of next month’s Canadian grand prix. Last week, following a leak in the press, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone all but confirmed reports the Dutch beer brewer is entering the sport not only with a trackside advertising […]