Dec.8 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas admits he is “not very happy” with his 2015 season. In the end, the Finn out-scored his Williams teammate Felipe Massa for the second year running, but many believe it was the back-in-form Brazilian’s performance alongside Bottas that deterred Ferrari from signing him up. “I was not very happy with my […]
Jordan backs Ecclestone, Brundle backs BBC
Dec.8 (GMM) Eddie Jordan has backed Bernie Ecclestone’s view that formula one should usher an independent engine supplier onto the grid. Even though the F1 Commission derailed the supremo’s plan for ‘parallel’ engine rules recently, Ecclestone is still warning that the current situation – with Mercedes and Ferrari wielding enormous power – must change. “This […]
Briatore denies Alonso to Renault rumours
Dec.8 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has dismissed suggestions Fernando Alonso might be considering a sensational return to lead Renault’s latest works effort in F1. The Enstone based team Lotus has already announced its driver lineup for 2016, with the heavily sponsor-backed Pastor Maldonado and Jolyon Palmer all signed up. But that team has subsequently been bought […]
Mercedes sues F1 engineer for espionage
Dec.8 (GMM) World champion team Mercedes on Tuesday confirmed reports it is suing an engineer. The Bloomberg news agency claimed the engineer Benjamin Hoyle, working for the German marque’s F1 engine facility, took documents and data as he prepared to move to Ferrari. Hoyle, who intends to join Ferrari after December, saved a 2015 Hungarian […]
Organiser denies 2016 Russia GP in doubt
Dec.7 (GMM) The future of the Russian grand prix is secure, race organiser Sergei Vorobyov insists. “The F1 round at Sochi is (secure) for many years to come and we know this for sure,” he told the government-linked Russian news agency Tass. His comments follow local Krasnodar deputy governor Igor Galas having told the business […]
Vettel not taking bait after Hamilton comments
Dec.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has declined to hit back with fury at Lewis Hamilton’s recent jibe about his talent. The new triple world champion recently said that because Vettel’s teammates Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen were and are not at their peak, “It’s difficult to assess how good he really is”. When asked about Hamilton’s […]
Rosberg donates EUR 100,000 to charity
Dec.7 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has donated EUR 100,000 to charity. Recently, the Mercedes driver sold the first family photographs of himself, his wife Vivian and his new baby daughter Alaia to the German newspaper Bild. He has now pledged that 100,000 euros to the Bild-linked ‘Herz fur Kinder’ (Heart for Children) charity, aiding sick children. […]
Alonso sure sabbatical rumours to continue
Dec.7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be on the grid in 2016. McLaren supremo Ron Dennis caused a stir at the Abu Dhabi season finale recently when he hinted Spaniard Alonso, arguably the best and highest paid driver in F1, might not return next year if the Honda-powered car is not up to speed. […]
Rosberg welcomes new tyre rules
Dec.7 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has welcomed the tyre-usage rule changes in formula one for 2016. The governing FIA and Pirelli announced last week that teams and drivers will get more freedom next year, as the range of different tyre compounds available at each grand prix is increased from two to three. The details of the […]
Boss says Hamilton ‘not irreplaceable’
Dec.7 (GMM) An unnamed team boss thinks Mercedes could seriously consider dropping Lewis Hamilton. The German team’s chief, Toto Wolff, warned dramatically after Hamilton won the 2015 title that, for the sake of harmony, the bitterness of the feud between the British driver and his teammate Nico Rosberg must stop. It also followed Hamilton’s sudden […]
Polarising Hamilton a ‘godsend’ for F1 – pundits
Dec.7 (GMM) Two F1 pundits believe Lewis Hamilton – warts and all – is good for formula one. “For formula one, I think he’s a godsend,” said former F1 driver and now German motor racing official Hans-Joachim Stuck. Briton Hamilton, F1’s newest triple world champion, polarises opinion in F1 with his speed and results on […]
F1 ‘will have different engine’ rules – Ecclestone
Dec.7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says the idea of an alternative engine in formula one is not dead yet. Before the recent F1 Commission meeting, the sport’s supremo and FIA president Jean Todt were pushing for an independent supplier of a new, louder and more affordable engine to come in for 2017, with rules to run […]
Renault to have Mercedes-like budget – report
Dec.7 (GMM) Renault will power back to the front in formula one with a Mercedes-like annual budget. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, following the announcement late last week that the French carmaker has decided to definitely buy Lotus. It should mean the struggling Enstone team’s court date over unpaid tax […]
Verstappen staying at Toro Rosso, eyes 2016 podium
Dec.7 (GMM) Toro Rosso has confirmed officially that Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz are staying at the Faenza based team in 2015. Along with Manor, the two Red Bull-owned teams were the last to formally confirm drivers for 2016, keeping speculation alive that the meteoric rookie Verstappen might be promoted to the senior team after […]
Bidders emerge as ‘parallel engine’ plan causes stir
Nov.23 (GMM) Up and down pitlane, and inside and outside of formula one, the sport’s plans for parallel engine rules in 2017 continue to make a stir. It has emerged that joining engine guru Mario Illien’s company Ilmor in bidding for the exclusive deal will be a British outfit called Advanced Engine Research (AER). Cosworth […]
Hakkinen slams crash-prone Maldonado
Nov.23 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen has hit out at Pastor Maldonado, as the Venezuelan continues to divide opinion in the F1 paddock. The sheer number of incidents involving the Lotus driver has inspired the website Has Maldonado Crashed Today.com, his latest contact occurring last time out at Interlagos with Marcus Ericsson. Maldonado hit back at his […]
Gascoyne linked with F1 return for Renault
Nov.23 (GMM) Mike Gascoyne has been linked with a return to formula one with Renault. Finland’s Ilta Sanomat newspaper reports that with the French carmaker preparing to announce its buyout of the Lotus team in Abu Dhabi this week, former technical director Gascoyne – most recently in F1 with Caterham – could be drafted in. […]
Verstappen comparison ‘not fair’ in 2015 – Sainz
Nov.23 (GMM) Carlos Sainz thinks he will look more impressive alongside teammate sensation Max Verstappen next year. As soon as Red Bull concludes engine deals for its two teams for 2016, Toro Rosso will announce that the rookie pair are staying put next season. “If the team is on the starting grid then I consider […]
‘Difficult’ to be ‘missing’ Schumacher – Vettel
Nov.23 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel dedicated his victory in the Race of Champions event at London’s Olympic Stadium at the weekend to Michael Schumacher. Together, the two Germans dominated the multi-discipline stadium-racing contest for years, but ever since late 2013 Vettel’s mentor Schumacher has been recovering from his near-fatal skiing fall. “It is a shame that […]
Rules will stop quick Honda comeback – Ramirez
Nov.23 (GMM) The current rules will prevent Honda from quickly closing the big gap to its engine rivals in F1. That is the view of Jo Ramirez, the retired long-time McLaren team coordinator who admitted the scale of the Anglo-Japanese collaboration’s problems as they reunited in 2015 caught even him by surprise. “Honda didn’t think […]