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 […]
Ferrari still shining with 2015 car
Feb.20 (GMM) Ferrari is continuing to impress with the apparent speed of its 2015 car. At Jerez recently, the fabled team – despite having gone through the turmoil of a personnel revolution after its disappointing 2014 campaign – surprisingly emerged with the quickest pace as the winter test period began. And the SF15-T continued to […]
Rosberg to become father in 2015
Feb.20 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is the next F1 driver on pole position to become a father. Other new dads in the paddock are Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, while the Lotus duo of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, plus Felipe Massa, also have young children. And Mercedes’ newly-married Rosberg, championship runner-up in 2014, will […]
Ralf Schumacher divorced
Feb.20 (GMM) Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher and his wife Cora have divorced. Late last year, we reported that the great Michael Schumacher’s younger brother was only communicating with Cora, whose maiden name is Brinkmann, through their lawyers. Shortly afterwards, it emerged that police had been called to their home, with Ralf and Cora each […]
Red Bull needs to catch up – Ricciardo
Feb.20 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted Red Bull has some catching up to do in the few short weeks before Melbourne. “We are not where we would like to be,” the team’s new number 1 driver was quoted by Speed Week after the second winter test began in Barcelona. “Others are further ahead than us.” […]
Mercedes racers back on song in Barcelona
Feb.20 (GMM) Mercedes’ race lineup is back on song in Barcelona. As the second test of the winter began on Thursday, Lewis Hamilton did ten laps before retiring unwell with a high temperature. He was replaced by team reserve Pascal Wehrlein, even though the young German was actually in action for Mercedes’ customer team Force […]
Ferrari beats McLaren to Manor’s door
Feb.20 (GMM) Ferrari looks to have beaten McLaren-Honda to the reborn Manor team’s door. Earlier, we reported that with the former Marussia team now exiting administration, McLaren could play a role in the resurrection of the backmarker. Writing on his blog f1-insider, German correspondent Ralf Bach had said Ron Dennis was keen to emulate Ferrari’s […]
Extra Mercedes power ‘noticeable’ – Wehrlein
Feb.20 (GMM) How much progress has dominant 2014 title winner Mercedes made over the winter? The perfect man to ask on Thursday was Pascal Wehrlein. A DTM driver, the 20-year-old German began his duties at the Barcelona test at the wheel of the Force India. It is powered by Mercedes’ 2014 power unit, which was […]
F1 move ‘out of the question’ for Danica Patrick
Feb.20 (GMM) Danica Patrick has played down suggestions she might be in pole position to enter formula one next year. She already drives in Nascar for Stewart-Haas, the team co-owned by F1’s 2016 newcomer, Gene Haas. 32-year-old Patrick’s move from American racing to F1 would be an enormous publicity coup for the sport, as she […]
Lotus back on track for ‘top places’ – Gastaldi
Feb.20 (GMM) After a miserable 2014 season, Lotus appears back on track this year. Pastor Maldonado’s chart-topping time in the new Mercedes-powered E23 on Thursday would have been good enough to beat Lewis Hamilton to pole at the Spanish grand prix last year. However, the Venezuelan was fitted with soft Pirelli tyres, while the almost-as-quick […]
Manor takes another step to salvation
Feb.20 (GMM) Manor, the reborn Marussia team, took a step back from administration on Thursday. We reported earlier that the ailing backmarker’s administrators would on Thursday issue a statement confirming that a restructuring process (CVA) agreed with creditors is now in place. Indeed, the statement was issued to the media at 3pm UK. “With new […]
Massa, Lauda support helmet livery change ban
Feb.20 (GMM) The new ban on helmet livery changes was actually a compromise measure, it emerged on Friday. So far, news that drivers will be limited to just a single helmet livery per season has been highly controversial. “I am a fan of consistency,” Grand Prix Drivers’ Association president Alex Wurz said, “but seriously! What’s […]
Crash turns heads but Ferrari shining brightest
Feb.20 (GMM) Nearly three months after the chequered flag waved in Abu Dhabi, it was a pair of rookies who had pulses racing on Thursday. The press room at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya buzzed when images of Felipe Nasr’s Sauber with heavy rear damage, and the similarly-stricken Williams of female tester Susie Wolff, depicted the […]
Mateschitz denies selling F1 team to Audi
Feb.20 (GMM) Dietrich Mateschitz has denied reports he might be looking to sell his F1 team Red Bull to Audi. On Thursday, stories emerged in the German press suggesting that the Red Bull mogul and billionaire might be looking to go beyond his role as a team owner and buy into the sport’s commercial rights. […]
Vettel must beat Raikkonen in 2015 – Coulthard
Feb.19 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel must beat friend and new Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen in 2015. That is the claim of former F1 driver David Coulthard, who fears the quadruple world champion cannot afford to lose another internal battle this year. In 2014, Vettel was humbled by Red Bull newcomer Daniel Ricciardo, amid the German’s struggle […]
Bahrain confirms Qatar race talks ‘still on’
Feb.19 (GMM) Bahrain has admitted it is in “talks” amid reports neighbouring Qatar is about to join the F1 calendar. Earlier, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said that despite the oil-rich Arab state’s interest, nearby Qatar’s grand prix aspirations were being blocked by Bahrain. “They (Bahrain) said to me would I give them a guarantee I […]
Sirotkin confirms talks for Force India test seat
Feb.19 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin has admitted he is in talks with Force India. When the Silverstone based team sat out the recent Jerez test, we reported that it was because money promised by the Russian teen’s backers did not arrive. According to the rumour, once it was clear the team’s 2015 car was delayed, Force […]
Rosberg suffering inflamed nerve in neck – report
Feb.19 (GMM) Both of Mercedes’ race drivers are out of action at present. World champion Lewis Hamilton kicked off the team’s four-day test at Barcelona early on Thursday, but had to retire after a handful of laps, reportedly with a fever. Curiously, he was replaced not by his teammate Nico Rosberg, but by reserve driver […]
Hamilton unwell as Barcelona test begins
Feb.19 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein leapt rapidly from the Force India to the Mercedes cockpit as the Barcelona test began on Thursday morning. The 20-year-old German had just started running in the 2014 Force India when, in the works Mercedes, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton fell ill. “Lewis Hamilton is unwell and not able to continue […]
No quick fix to McLaren-Honda problems – Ramirez
Feb.19 (GMM) A crucial month lies ahead for the new McLaren-Honda collaboration. That is the obvious view from the outside, after the innovative MP4-30 struggled for pace and laps not only at Jerez, but also reportedly early this week at Barcelona, as the British-Japanese outfit conducted private ‘filming days’ with the troubled 2015 car. The […]