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Showing posts from July, 2019

Wolff: Mercedes celebrations played no part in "Armageddon" race

Formula 1’s leading outfit ran a special livery and had its staff wear retro-style attire at its home race, in honour of the German car brand’s 125 years of motorsport involvement. However, Mercedes would endure its worst race of the F1 season by far at Hockenheim, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton finishing out of the points after several mishaps and Valtteri Bottas crashing out late ... Keep reading

Stroll says mistake cost him German GP podium

Stroll was the first driver to switch to slick tyres after the penultimate safety car period, having run outside of the points for most of the race. However, the Canadian eventually found himself in the lead as all his rivals pitted for dry-weather tyres. Stroll went on to finish in fourth position - his best result of the season - but said an error in the final laps of the race allowed Toro ... Keep reading

Magnussen blames Grosjean for late German GP clash

Grosjean and Magnussen made contact at the Turn 6 hairpin late on after Magnussen moved to the inside of Grosjean through the corner on lap 56 of 64. Light contact meant both drivers were able to continue and Haas scored a double-points finish with Grosjean leading Magnussen home in ninth, but both drivers were placed under investigation. When asked if the drivers could have thrown away a team ... Keep reading

Kvyat: German GP was "horror movie with a bit of black comedy"

The Russian ran outside of the points for much of the race, as the frequent changes in weather and track conditions contributed to several twists and turns in the lead battle. But after making a key switch to slick tyres on the drying track right at the penultimate safety car restart, Kvyat cycled through to third place – which became second when he passed the Racing Point of fellow ... Keep reading

Leclerc says low-grip Hockenheim run-off "unacceptable"

Leclerc also admitted that he was "completely at fault" for the crash after sliding off on the approach to Turn 15 and skating across the soaking wet run-off and into the barriers. The Ferrari man had been set to take over the lead of the race following Lewis Hamilton's pitstop - the Mercedes driver damaged his front wing shortly after - but instead, Leclerc was forced into ... Keep reading

German GP: Verstappen wins crazy race, disaster for Mercedes

Rain before the start and during the race made for an incident-packed event in which polesitter Lewis Hamilton spun twice on his way to an eventual 11th place, and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas crashed out. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel raced from the back of the grid to finish second, but it was a mixed day for the Scuderia after Charles Leclerc spun into retirement. Daniil Kvyat was ... Keep reading

Ricciardo: Important to keep Renault criticism "constructive"

Renault's stated aims were to finish at least fourth in the 2019 constructors' championship on merit, and to close the gap to the leading three teams, but it currently lies fifth in the standings. Last week Ricciardo's teammate Nico Hulkenberg hit out at what he called a "disappointing" rate of development.  But Ricciardo believes it's the responsibility of the drivers to manage ... Keep reading

Wet German GP would be a step into the unknown - Pirelli

Heavy rain arrived at Hockenheim shortly before noon on Sunday, triggering a red flag in the Porsche Supercup race. Most drivers on the F1 grid have no experience with the current tyres because there have been no wet test sessions or race weekends. However, a wet weather test for 2020 tyres at Paul Ricard in late May has potentially given Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel ... Keep reading

Norris gets grid penalty after battery problems

The young Briton was knocked out in Q1 at Hockenheim on Saturday thanks to a problem with his battery pack that the team estimated cost him one tenth of a second. He had been due to start 16th. But with the team concluding that the battery pack needed replacing, it has also elected to fit a new MGU-K and Control Electronics as well. Read Also: McLaren blames battery issue for ... Keep reading

Haas closer to understanding current car problems

At Hockenheim Romain Grosjean qualified sixth – helped by the problems for the two Ferraris – using the original Melbourne aero package. Meanwhile his teammate Kevin Magnussen qualified 12th with the latest spec, having locked up on his second run in Q2, costing him a shot at progressing to the top 10. Read Also: Magnussen seeing no progress from latest Haas F1 update Haas ... Keep reading

Wolff expected Mercedes to be "much more competitive"

Wolff concedes that had Ferrari not blown its chance with technical issues for both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc in qualifying, the Brackley team was unlikely to have been at the front. Read Also: German GP: Hamilton on pole as Ferrari implodes Mercedes was ready to replace ill Hamilton for qualifying Mercedes came to its home race with a package of aero ... Keep reading

Binotto admits Ferrari needs to review "internal processes"

The Ferrari drivers were the favourites to secure pole position at Hockenheim after they had dominated all three practice sessions. But a turbo airflow problem stopped Sebastian Vettel from setting a time in Q1 and a fuel system issue prevented Charles Leclerc from running in Q3. Read Also: Ferrari "doesn't deserve" qualifying disaster - Leclerc German GP: Hamilton on pole as ... Keep reading

McLaren blames battery issue for Norris' Q1 exit

After a recent run of strong qualifying performance, Norris endured a more frustrating time at Hockenheim as he failed to make it past the first knock-out phase. He will line up 16th on the grid. Read Also: Norris feels he let McLaren down with Q1 exit While Norris initially blamed himself for the performance, it has subsequently emerged that the British driver was ... Keep reading

Ferrari "doesn't deserve" qualifying disaster - Leclerc

Ferrari had topped all three practice sessions at Hockenheim in the lead-up to qualifying, but Sebastian Vettel’s SF90 was immediately halted in Q1 by what was later diagnosed as a likely intercooler problem. Leclerc progressed into the final qualifying segment but did not take to the track there, thwarted by a failure of the fuel pump driver module. “In the car I felt bad for Seb at ... Keep reading

Norris feels he let McLaren down with Q1 exit

Norris will start tomorrow's race from 16th on the grid after he was eliminated from Q1 following a late improvement for Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi. It meant the McLaren driver missed out on a Q2 berth by just 0.055s slower than the 15th-placed Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat. Teammate Carlos Sainz eased into Q2 and qualified seventh after making into Q3, and Norris's starting position marks ... Keep reading

Bottas held back by "surprising" brake inconsistency

After Ferrari, which had topped all three practice sessions at Hockenheim, suffered a nightmare first two thirds of qualifying – with a turbo airflow problem stopping Sebastian Vettel running in a Q1 and a fuel system issue putting Charles Leclerc out without a Q3 time – the fight for pole was blown wide open. Hamilton eventually prevailed ahead of Verstappen, with Bottas ending up 0.362 ... Keep reading

Norris feels he let McLaren down with Q1 exit

Norris will start tomorrow's race from 16th on the grid after he was eliminated from Q1 following a late improvement for Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi. It meant the McLaren driver missed out on a Q2 berth by just 0.055s slower than the 15th-placed Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat. Teammate Carlos Sainz eased into Q2 and qualified seventh after making into Q3, and Norris's starting position marks ... Keep reading

Verstappen laments impact of Q2 power loss scare

Verstappen had a scare during the second German Grand Prix qualifying segment when he reported a power loss on his opening run. The Dutchman had gone out on the medium tyre, aiming to lock it in as his starting compound in case of a dry race on Sunday, but was forced to abort the run and rejoin the track on softs. He would go on to progress to Q3 and qualify second between the two Mercedes ... Keep reading

Mercedes was ready to replace ill Hamilton for qualifying

Hamilton felt ill ahead of final practice, but went on to secure pole position in a dramatic session that saw the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc both hit mechanical dramas. Read Also: German GP: Hamilton on pole as Ferrari implodes "I wasn't feeling good this morning, bit of a sore throat," said Hamilton when asked by Motorsport.com about his ... Keep reading

German GP: Hamilton on pole as Ferrari implodes

With Vettel eliminated in Q1 having completed a single lap thanks to a problem with the airflow to the turbo, Leclerc was favourite for pole in Q3 having looked quickest up to that point. But Leclerc was unable to take to the track during Q3, climbing out of his car and commiserating with the team and leaving the way clear for Hamilton to set the pace. Hamilton then dominated Q3, with the ... Keep reading

Turbo problem puts Vettel out in Q1 in Germany

The Ferrari driver had headed in to shootout for grid positions with a good chance of fighting for pole position, on the back of a strong run of form that had seen his team top all the sessions so far this weekend. But it all went wrong on his out lap in Q1 when he encountered an engine issue shortly after he left the pits. Speaking to the team over the radio as he returned to the pits, he ... Keep reading

Schumacher: Waiting to drive F2004 was "torture"

The Formula 2 driver delighted his home crowd with a short three-lap demonstration of the car that took his dad to the world title and victory in the German Grand Prix in 2004. Having stepped out the car, Schumacher admitted how his emotions had been running high before he left the pits because he was so desperate to get out there. "I just wanted to go out and I just wanted to drive," said ... Keep reading

Brown: Sainz, Norris giving McLaren edge over midfield rivals

McLaren currently lies fourth in the world championship, having regularly won the “best of the rest” midfield battle in recent races. And Brown believes it is not just the improved MCL34 but strong performances from the two drivers that have given McLaren an edge over its nearest rivals. “We’re very happy with both our drivers, they’re both very quick they get along very well, they ... Keep reading

German GP: Leclerc tops FP3, Mercedes off the pace

Leclerc’s 1m12.380s lap, set during his second run on soft tyres, stood to the end of the session and was 0.264s faster than teammate Sebastian Vettel’s best. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen split the Ferraris with a 1m12.548s as Mercedes came up short. Valtteri Bottas was 0.510s off Leclerc’s benchmark time, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth overall, 0.585s down and slower than the Haas of ... Keep reading

Ricciardo doesn't share Hulkenberg's view on Renault progress

While Hulkenberg said ahead of the German Grand Prix that he had been disappointed that Renault had not made more gains over the three seasons he has been there, Ricciardo says that he still sees positives from the situation the team is in. For although he left Red Bull for the opportunity with Renault, he says the fact that his former team has won a race this year changes nothing for ... Keep reading

F1 race director issues track limits warning at German GP

In a note sent from F1 race director Michael Masi to all the teams, it was made clear about how much the drivers will be allowed to run wide at those two sections of track. Masi said: “A car will be deemed to have exceeded the Track Limits at the exit of Turn 1 if any part of the car passes to the left of the blue and white exit kerb.” In relation to the final corner, he added: “A car ... Keep reading

Kubica gets replacement Williams chassis due to damage

During overnight preparations ahead of qualifying at Hockenheim, Williams found that parts of the car needed to be repaired – but that work could not be completed at the track. A decision was taken to switch the Pole to a new chassis, which meant Williams breaking F1’s curfew restrictions to get the car built up in time. There is no penalty for the chassis change, because the official ... Keep reading

Pirelli short on time to answer F1's 2020 low-deg demand

Pirelli’s 2020 test programme, which has thus far has encompassed nine teams and four sessions in Bahrain, Barcelona, the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, has hitherto focussed on already agreed aims of creating a wider working range and having less overheating. However, recent meetings regarding future rules have put a new emphasis on low degradation, with the drivers particularly keen to have ... Keep reading

Tyre failure caused Buemi's high-speed Silverstone crash

Buemi was taking part in the second day of a two-day session for Pirelli's 2020 prototypes when the left rear failed and sent him hard into the barriers at the first corner. Read Also: Pirelli Silverstone test cut short by Buemi crash The tyre that failed was a familiar compound, but a new construction. However, it had already been run by Alfa Romeo at the previous ... Keep reading

Magnussen seeing no progress from latest Haas F1 update

Magnussen evaluated the latest updates in the second practice session but was 1.29s slower than teammate Romain Grosjean, who has reverted to the VF19’s original specification as raced in Melbourne four months ago. During FP1 Magnussen ran a specification introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, and was seven tenths slower than Grosjean. Over the course of the season a pattern has ... Keep reading

Mercedes would've struggled "massively" without cooling update

On the back of its struggles at the Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes has worked hard on a series of developments to improve the cooling of its car – which has been marginal all season. The timing of the introduction of the new parts could not have been more important, with Germany taking the full brunt of the heatwave that has spread across Europe as temperatures got close to 40C. Read ... Keep reading

German GP: Leclerc quickest in FP2 as Gasly crashes

Leclerc's 1m13.449s lap, set on soft tyres during a qualifying simulation run mid-session, was 0.124s faster than Vettel's best, with Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes just 0.22s further adrift. In a session that may well prove redundant if the weather changes as dramatically as expected on Sunday, Hockenheim sweltered in ambient temperatures ranging up to 37C and the surface temperature of the track ... Keep reading

Norris says McLaren still need to step up its game

While McLaren's impressive progress this year has allowed it to open up a 21-points advantage over its closest rivals Renault, Norris says a particular weakness its car has in low-speed corners is something that especially needs to be sorted. "I think we need to work quite a bit from Silverstone, as I don't think we were that strong altogether compared to Renault at least," explained the ... Keep reading

Mercedes sets August deadline for Bottas 2020 decision

While the Finnish driver has shown progress this year, especially with his qualifying performance, he has not always been able to convert that potential into race wins. That has left Mercedes with the choice of choosing to keep him or taking reserve driver Esteban Ocon instead. In the background, Max Verstappen is also in the mix, with his Red Bull future understood to still not be totally ... Keep reading

Vettel: Not fair to compare Mick Schumacher with Michael

Amid a belief that a Schumacher name's return to F1 could deliver a boost to help keep the German Grand Prix on the calendar, Vettel has urged caution on the sport expecting too much too soon from the F2 racer. "I think it's crucial that he's given the time he needs," said the Ferrari driver. "I think it's fair to judge him and his racing like every one of us has been judged and will be ... Keep reading

Spanish GP could stay on F1 calendar for 2020

The race is one of five events whose contracts ran out this year, and there was a growing belief that it would lose it slot. F1 owners Liberty Media have been clear that the calendar would likely remain at 21 races next season and the addition of new grands prix in the Netherlands and Vietnam meant two current races would lose out. With Italian officials having said earlier this year that ... Keep reading

German GP: Vettel leads Ferrari 1-2 in first practice

Vettel used soft rubber to knock teammate Charles Leclerc off the top spot by a quarter-of-a-second with 20 minutes remaining, setting a time of 1m14.013s. Leclerc had used the same rubber to relegate Lewis Hamilton to third place, with the Mercedes drivers using medium tyres to set their best times having spent the first part of the session on softs. Hamilton, who was three tenths off the ... Keep reading

Hamilton joins veganism documentary as producer

Hamilton has hooked up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan and Avatar/Titanic director James Cameron to back The Game Changers, a film about veganism, nutrition and fitness that questions the need for meat in the diet, even for top sportsmen. On Thursday Hamilton tweeted: “Performance is everything and it all begins with having the right kind of fuel in our bodies. I’m proud to be Exec ... Keep reading

Drivers have "four really clear points" to improve F1 show

GPDA directors Romain Grosjean and Sebastian Vettel represented the drivers in the meeting, after Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and the organisations' chairman Alex Wurz attended the previous gathering in Paris last month, along with the FIA, F1 and the teams. "It was long, but it was very important I think that the drivers were involved," said Grosjean when asked by Motorsport.com about ... Keep reading

FIA needed German GP start lights fix after bus slammed into them

Amid the build-up to the race, the bus driver appeared not to see a ‘Caution – Low Clearance’ warning sign under the gantry at the start-finish line and miscalculated how high his bus was – striking the lights square on. As LAT's and Adam Cooper's photos show above, the impact ripped most of the lights out and prompted F1 and FIA officials to get to work on removing the damaged items ... Keep reading

Racing Point seeks to "bring balance" to RP19 with upgrade

Having been regular points scorers in its previous Force India guise, Racing Point has struggled to break into the top 10 quite so often in 2019. The team has failed to score points since the Canadian Grand Prix, in which Lance Stroll claimed ninth in his home race. Since then, the attention has been on a comprehensive upgrade package to bring the car closer to its rivals in the ... Keep reading

Leclerc no longer "intimidated" to adapt Ferrari to his style

Leclerc, who joined Ferrari from Sauber for his second season in F1 this year, is currently on a streak of four successive podiums, and has led Ferrari’s efforts in the latest races in France, Austria and Great Britain. Speaking ahead of the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, the Monegasque racer said he had made a change to the way he worked with the Ferrari SF90 around the time of the Paul ... Keep reading

Tech insight: Mercedes reveals German GP aero update package

With the bargeboards and turning vanes next to the sidepods increasing in complexity over the course of the season, Mercedes has worked its way through numerous aerodynamic packages in this area so far this season. For the German Grand Prix this development has continued, and Mercedes has seemingly come up with a completely different design compared to the previous turning vane ... Keep reading

Hulkenberg "quite likely" to stay at Renault in 2020

The German's future with the French car manufacturer has been in doubt amid speculation that it could do a deal with Mercedes to take Esteban Ocon alongside Daniel Ricciardo next year. Read Also: The roles Ocon, Alonso could play in F1's silly season But despite his own clear frustrations at the way Renault has not been able to build on its strong 2019 form, Hulkenberg ... Keep reading

Verstappen feels Red Bull progress "still not good enough"

While the Dutchman's impressive run of results this year has lifted him to third in the drivers' standing, he says that he takes no satisfaction from having overhauled Ferrari so far. Pushed on what challenges he reckoned he faced in the forthcoming races, he said: "Closing the gap to Mercedes. That is the biggest one I think. We want to win so that is our biggest challenge ahead, to try to ... Keep reading

Mercedes unveils special anniversary F1 livery

The commemorative design that Mercedes will run to honour the 125th anniversary of the 1894 Paris to Rouen event, which is widely considered to be the world's first motor race, is a significant departure from the team's standard livery. The front wing and the front of the chassis will be matte white, the colour Mercedes-Benz's original grand prix cars were traditionally painted in, in ... Keep reading

Frustrated Steiner "still not over" Haas duo's British GP clash

Steiner was left angry after Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen collided on the opening lap at Silverstone, wrecking the team’s chances of points and robbing it of an opportunity to compare car specs in the race. Although two weeks have now passed since that incident, Steiner said his anger has not subsided – especially because the outfit was in a difficult competitive situation that meant ... Keep reading

Renault plans "substantial changes" for 2020 F1 car

Renault has often been challenging for "best of the rest" honours, but the team has also had poor weekends such as Austria, where it was off the pace. Read Also: Hulkenberg: Renault "left points on the table" at Silverstone McLaren trusts Renault to play it fair in 2019 head-to-head Experiments with set-ups at Silverstone, where Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg took ... Keep reading

The story behind F1's most iconic refuelling picture

What should have been a normal pitstop for Benetton driver Jos Verstappen turned into near disaster when petrol sprayed out of the refuelling hose and was ignited on a still hot car. Captured live on television at the time, the drama of the moment has been further sealed by what is now a world-famous photograph of then Benetton pit crew member Paul Seaby captured in the middle of flames as he ... Keep reading

F1 to test overtaking ideas with Vietnam circuit layout

Work is under way to prepare the new street circuit in a suburb of Hanoi, which is set to host its first race in April next year. Related videos: Virtual onboard lap of the new Hanoi Circuit The track has been created with the aim of delivering excitement and it has taken cues from successful concepts at other venues – like its tight Nurburgring-style opening sequence ... Keep reading

Red Bull "has confidence" for Germany after Silverstone showing

Although the team failed to take a podium at the British GP thanks to a collision between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, its form throughout the race indicated that it had the second fastest car behind Mercedes there. Considering that Red Bull's engine supplier Honda is still playing catch-up against Mercedes and Ferrari, such a strong performance at the fast Silverstone circuit has ... Keep reading

Haas won't design 2020 F1 car to fit Pirelli's tyres

The American team progressed well after entering F1 in 2016, and finished fifth in the constructors' championship last season, but is only ninth in this year's standings. That poor performance comes despite having a car that has been fourth-fastest on several occasions this season, only to be let down by inferior race pace. Haas's main problem is rooted in not getting Pirelli's 2019 tyres to ... Keep reading

Yamamoto set for FP1 outing with Red Bull/Toro Rosso

The defending Super Formula champion and current standings leader is eligible for a superlicence. Hhis 2018 title triumph came alongside winning Japan's Super GT championship and follows his first Super Formula crown in 2013. Though he turned 31 this month and has never raced outside of Asia, both of which are obstacles to a late move to F1 full-time, Honda is keen to place him in a car for a ... Keep reading

F1 confirms new Netflix series with all teams

Following the well-received first series, which was filmed throughout the 2018 season, Netflix was given permission to cover Barcelona testing and the early races of this year before a deal had been formally agreed. Read Also: Will F1 lose its Netflix innocence? Mercedes joins Netflix show that Wolff "didn't like" at first The cameras of production company Box to Box ... Keep reading

Aston Martin ready to up F1 involvement should Honda quit

The British company has had a title sponsorship deal with Red Bull since last year, expanding a pre-existing relationship that included an alliance with Red Bull Advanced Technologies to build the road-going Valkyrie hypercar. Aston has explored the prospect of building an engine to F1’s planned 2021 rules but Red Bull has switched from Renault to Honda engines since that was last openly ... Keep reading

Tech insight: The caped crusaders of the F1 paddock

It’s not exactly a new idea, just a reimagining of a device we’ve seen before, with the previous incarnation rising to prominence with Williams in 2009 and McLaren in 2010 (illustrated below, click on the arrows to scroll between them). The then-named ‘snowplough’ device looked to maximise flow performance from the high nose solution that the prevailing regulations ... Keep reading

Williams needed "two steps back for three forward" with FW42

The British team slumped to the back of the grid in 2018 and has suffered an even worse 2019 so far, as its car has proven well off the pace and left its drivers adrift of even the midfield battle. However, Williams has stated this season it has confidence that the base of the 2019 car is a fundamental improvement from last year, and it just needs to be aggressively developed. Rookie driver ... Keep reading

McLaren trusts Renault to play it fair in 2019 head-to-head

With McLaren having made a good step forward, and Renault bidding to recover from a difficult first half of the Formula 1 campaign, the form book suggests the two outfits will go head-to-head for the best of the rest tag behind the big three outfits. That opens up an interesting dynamic, because McLaren is a Renault engine customer and thus has a reliance on the French car manufacturer for some ... Keep reading

Mercedes takes fewest softs for Hungarian GP

The teams' tyre choices for the Hungaroring race, which will come the weekend after the upcoming German Grand Prix and will be the final F1 race before a four-week August break, have been unveiled by supplier Pirelli on Tuesday. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will both have just eight sets of the C4 soft compound, with the former taking on a field-high four sets of the medium. No other ... Keep reading

Hamilton better off being "polarising" than "boring" - Wolff

Wolff’s comments came in the light of a debate over Hamilton’s popularity in his home country, sparked by a controversial question regarding the perception of his 'Britishness' in a press conference at his local race. “I think certainly racing in front of his home crowd in Silverstone he wants to do particularly well,” said Wolff. “And that puts an additional tension and intensity ... Keep reading

Mercedes teases special anniversary livery for German GP

The German manufacturer will make its 200th start as a works team at its home race at Hockenheim. Mercedes also plans to honour the 125th anniversary of the 1894 Paris-Rouen event, widely considered to be the world's first motor race, with a special livery. It shared the first look of its commemorative design on the official Mercedes F1 Twitter account, with the usual Mercedes/Petronas ... Keep reading

Norris: F1 a better fit after "suffering" in more physical cars

The F1 rookie has been one of the stars of the 2019 season since qualifying inside the top 10 on his grand prix debut in Australia. Norris has started in the top 10 in eight of 10 races so far, and has beaten experienced teammate Carlos Sainz six times across the nine comparable qualifying sessions they have contested. Asked by Motorsport.com what he put his strong F1 qualifying form down ... Keep reading

Promoted: 2019 F1 German GP Preview with Esso Synergy Fuel

In its former guise Hockenheim was famous for its very long straights where cars would blast into the forests at speeds in excess of 200mph. The only thing slowing them down was three chicanes, before a tricky stadium section to finish the lap. The last part of the circuit is still in place, but in 2002 Hockenheim was shortened in length with just one long fast straight leading into a tight ... Keep reading

Aston "would love" to have Verstappen at Le Mans

Verstappen's Red Bull F1 team has a title partnership with Aston and the energy drinks company's Advanced Technologies firm helped Aston develop the road-going Valkyrie hypercar. Read Also: Valkyrie's British GP debut was "two fingers" to sceptics A racing version of the Valkyrie will be built to the World Endurance Championship's new top-class regulations in 2020, giving ... Keep reading

Haas sticks to split-spec approach for German GP

At the previous race in Britain, Grosjean dropped the aero package Haas had introduced during the first phase of the season and reverted to the spec he started the campaign with. However, the split-spec experiment to try to zero in on the team's race-pace difficulties was undermined by Grosjean and Magnussen colliding on the opening lap. Read Also: Steiner seeking firm "solution" ... Keep reading

Ricciardo hit with £10 million claim from ex-advisor

Ricciardo left his long-term backer Red Bull at the end of last season after striking an unexpected two-year deal to join the works Renault team from 2019. According to United Kingdom High Court of Justice documents obtained by Motorsport.com, Ricciardo’s former advisor Glenn Beavis claims he is owed “various sums” for the contract Ricciardo has entered into with Renault. Beavis' ... Keep reading

TCR set for Australian GP support berth

The category will form part of the support programme for the opening Formula 1 race weekend of the season, which has been locked in for March 12-15. That means the AGP could mark the first appearance of both Supercars and TCR Australia on the same schedule, pending an ongoing dispute between the two over the Adelaide 500. TCR Australia promoters Australian Racing Group are understood to have ... Keep reading

Vettel: No "strong need" for F1 to add more city races

The British Grand Prix’s future has been secured until 2024 after circuit bosses struck a new deal with F1 ahead of the 2019 edition of the race. Silverstone will continue to host the race and has also received certain assurances to protect itself if F1 successfully executes an additional grand prix in the UK in London, which has been under discussion for some time. Asked by Motorsport.com ... Keep reading

Bottas rules out resorting to psychologist like Rosberg

Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 World Championship just days before announcing his retirement, said recently that he visited a psychologist “every second day” that season to help him cope with the pressure of the intense battle with Hamilton. Bottas is adamant that he doesn’t want that kind of support structure, and would prefer to rely on friends and his own judgement. “I ... Keep reading

F1 bosses establish 'rule breaking' group for 2021 rules

With F1 and the FIA now in discussions with teams about finalising the details of the new car concept, there is a determination to ensure that the aims of delivering better racing are not derailed by teams exploiting grey areas in the rules. The chief concern is that teams could find ways to exploit the regulations to boost their own speed which at the same time wreck F1's efforts to help cars ... Keep reading

Insight: How F1's first ground effect era revolutionised the sport

But while the idea of a full-length diffuser is different to the last time cars were designed like this, the aim is identical: produce the maximum amount of downforce possible through undercar aero. Full coverage of F1 2021 plans: Revealed: F1 commits to ground effect for new-look 2021 car Explained: F1’s 2021 blueprint aimed at making the racing better Tech analysis: F1’s ... Keep reading

Steiner seeking firm "solution" to Haas driver clashes

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen hit each other on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, an incident that caused both to eventually retire and ruined Haas’s chances of gathering data for a crucial car experiment. They clashed earlier this season in the Spanish Grand Prix, and collided in Britain last year as well. Steiner said after the race did not “know the solution” because ... Keep reading

Bottas tests Toyota's WRC challenger

Bottas made his competitive rallying debut aboard a Ford Fiesta WRC in January’s Arctic Rally and has since tested M-Sport’s Fiesta R5. Toyota Gazoo Racing sporting director Kaj Lindstrom told Motorsport.com that Bottas’ outing in the Yaris was just for fun. Lindstrom joked: “There is no contract. He was happy in the Arctic Rally, but we have the best car and he wanted to try ... Keep reading

Mercedes drivers call out "political" F1 track choices

The heavily-criticised French Grand Prix has been followed up by two exciting races in Austria and Britain, where the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone circuits regularly produce entertaining contests.   Five-time world champion Hamilton said adding different races to the F1 calendar is a good thing but believes better decisions can be made with track layouts, even though he accepts that ... Keep reading

Alfa Romeo insists Giovinazzi not under pressure

Giovinazzi has been compromised by bad luck on several occasions this season, and at Silverstone last weekend he spun off due to an issue at the rear of the car. Although the lack of points is not entirely the Ferrari protege’s fault – his only score was 10th in Austria – it has inevitably put him in the spotlight. Vasseur has been encouraged by Giovinazzi's recent progress, especially ... Keep reading

Honda surprised to be so close to top F1 teams

Max Verstappen won this month’s Austrian Grand Prix to give the Red Bull-Honda partnership its first victory together, and should have finished on the podium in the British Grand Prix but was wiped out by Sebastian Vettel. Verstappen thought he could have fought for pole at Silverstone, where Red Bull has traditionally had a major deficit in the V6 turbo-hybrid era, without a turbo lag ... Keep reading

McLaren: Addressing slow-speed weakness a "high priority"

The Woking-based outfit has made good progress with its new MCL34, but it has been aware since the start of the campaign that an area where it is behind other cars is in slow-speed performance. With the tight-and-twisty Hungarian Grand Prix looming on the horizon after Hockenheim, McLaren knows that it needs to make a big effort in this area soon if it is not going to find itself losing ground ... Keep reading

F1 set to abandon high-degradation tyres for 2021

The FIA and F1 owners Liberty Media are working on a revamp of F1 that they hope will make the racing better and boost the sport’s popularity. Earlier this week a blueprint for the new 2021 car was revealed, with F1 chiefs committed to a ground effect concept that should allow cars to follow each other much closer. It has also emerged that F1 is looking at a whole new approach to tyres ... Keep reading

Uralkali dispute over Force India takeover gets court date

Last summer Uralkali, led by Dmitry Mazepin, was one of the failed bidders who attempted to buy the struggling Force India team from administrators FRP Advisory LLP. Mazepin’s son Nikita was a Force India test driver from 2016-18 before joining Mercedes this season for a private test programme alongside his Formula 2 drive with ART Grand Prix. Uralkali believes that it made a ... Keep reading

Ferrari knows it must react to increasing Red Bull threat

After starting the season expecting to fight Mercedes for the title, Ferrari has failed to win a race this year whereas Red Bull claimed its first victory with Honda in Austria.  Red Bull then showed greater pace than Ferrari in the British Grand Prix, at a circuit it has traditionally struggled in the V6 turbo-hybrid engine era.  Binotto said of Red Bull: “They certainly improved, and ... Keep reading

Alonso insists he's focused on "challenges" outside F1

The Spaniard is currently free of racing commitments, with his Indianapolis 500 assault with McLaren and tenure with Toyota in the FIA World Endurance Championship having now finished. Amid uncertainty about the future of Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, recent speculation has linked Alonso with a potential return there next year – and sources have suggested the Spaniard's representatives have ... Keep reading

Pirelli Silverstone test cut short by Buemi crash

Ex-Toro Rosso racer Buemi has continued to aid long-time backer Red Bull’s F1 development since leaving F1 in 2013, and carried out various simulator and on-track testing duties.  He was driving at Silverstone this week as part of Pirelli’s latest tyre development activity as it prepares its 2020 compound range.  Red Bull and Williams participated in the two-day test on Tuesday and ... Keep reading