"The biggest crisis" in Formula 1 history could result in a mass exodus of teams. That is the dire warning of Frederic Vasseur, boss of the Alfa Romeo team formerly known as Sauber. "This is the biggest crisis - I can't remember a situation in which Formula 1 was facing a bigger challenge," he told.....check out full post »

Jacques Villeneuve thinks the coronavirus situation could be about to get a lot worse. The 1997 world champion, who is now a commentator for Italian and French television, lives on the outskirts of Milan - the region that has been the hardest hit by the global pandemic than anywhere else on earth. "We are forced.....check out full post »

Cyril Abiteboul has denied that Renault is poised to quit Formula 1. When McLaren announced recently that it is pushing ahead with its switch to Mercedes power for 2021 despite the delayed regulations, some interpreted that as a sign that current supplier Renault may be pulling out. Renault struggled on track last year despite its.....check out full post »

In terms of health, McLaren has managed to emerge unscathed from the Melbourne coronavirus scare. As well as the positive coronavirus infection that caused the cancellation of the Australian GP, over a dozen other McLaren team members have also been stuck in quarantine in Melbourne. "It was not easy for anyone on our team, but.....check out full post »

AlphaTauri's two race drivers will not be taking part in the new trend of high-profile online virtual racing. Team boss Franz Tost admits that it is a "potential market" for F1 teams - but he says he isn't personally interested either. "I didn't see the race because I can't get the ORF sport channel where.....check out full post »

Lewis Hamilton's only weakness may be when a rival makes him "feel uncomfortable". That is the view of 1996 world champion Damon Hill, the famous former nemesis of the great Michael Schumacher and now a pundit for British television. When asked to name some of six-time world champion Hamilton's weaknesses, he told the official Formula.....check out full post »

Gunther Steiner says he is working hard to protect Haas from collapse amid the coronavirus pandemic. He is in North Carolina, where he lives and runs the small American team. Steiner said the US state is partially closed but the locals are "calmer" than elsewhere. "People have respect for the future, but are not yet.....check out full post »

He may have been out of the sport for a few years now, but how could anyone forget Flavio Briatore? The former Benetton and Renault boss was one of the biggest and most controversial characters in F1 throughout the Nineties and Noughties, but he was also one of the most successful, with his inimitable style.....check out full post »

Kevin Magnussen says the prospect of 18 races in six months sounds "crazy". Some are sceptical that Formula 1 will get back to racing at all this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the official plan is for 15-18 races beginning in June. "It sounds crazy to have 18 races in six months," Haas driver.....check out full post »

David Richards has called on Liberty Media to ensure the smaller F1 teams are "looked after" amid the global pandemic and economic crash. Formerly an F1 team boss, Richards is now head of Motorsport UK, Britain's motorsport governing body. Most Formula 1 teams are based in England, and are staring into a long period without.....check out full post »

Red Bull will not simply abandon its push to get to the bottom of the secret agreement reached between the FIA and Ferrari. Before the coronavirus pandemic took over Formula 1 and the entire world, the hottest topic was a big group of teams threatening legal action over the way F1's governing body handled the.....check out full post »

2019 Super Formula champion Nick Cassidy says he feels uncomfortable about returning to the track this week. While every other major series in the world is paused for the coronavirus pandemic, the top Japanese open wheeler category pressed ahead with official testing at Fuji. "Not comfortable about it," series champion Cassidy, a New Zealander, said.....check out full post »

Nico Hulkenberg says he is making the most of the world's collective pause for the coronavirus pandemic. The German's first 'track' action since losing his Renault seat at the end of last year was his recent participation in a high profile 'esports' race from his Monaco apartment. Otherwise, Hulkenberg says he is trying to get.....check out full post »

Although locked in the midst of Italy's tragic coronavirus situation, Ferrari may also be ruing the latest goings on in the world of Formula 1. Earlier, it emerged that only one team - Ferrari - was initially undecided about joining the otherwise unanimous vote to keep the 2020 cars next year rather than press on.....check out full post »

Yet another driver has questioned the realism of the latest 'Drive to Survive' series on Netflix. Some drivers have said that while supporting the high quality series, it doesn't necessary reflect the true state of affairs behind closed doors in F1. In one scene, Romain Grosjean's boss Gunther Steiner told the Frenchman in front of.....check out full post »

Fernando Alonso thinks the world needs to brace for "many weeks" of coronavirus lockdown. The Spaniard was recently critical of his own country's response to the global pandemic, which is now leading to dire news similar to that seen in China and Italy. "I think it's time to stay home," he is quoted by El.....check out full post »

With the news that the 2020 Formula One curtain-raiser had been canceled with just a couple of days warning, Australian racing fans and plenty of other global petrolheads who had traveled to Melbourne would have been undoubtedly aggrieved at such rapid development. While with the first round canceled, there was a subsequent look to the.....check out full post »

One day after Flavio Briatore revealed he may have had coronavirus in December, Dr Helmut Marko is telling a similar story. "In the middle of February I had a bad cold with a strong cough," Red Bull's top Austrian official told f1-insider.com. "The condition lasted for ten days, which was unusually long for me," said.....check out full post »

F1 may "run out of weekends" to put together a meaningful race calendar for 2020. That is the fear of Stephane Clair, director of the French F1 GP venue at Paul Ricard. Every race until June's Canadian and French grands prix have so far been either postponed or cancelled. Paul Ricard is currently closed. "We.....check out full post »

Martin Brundle thinks he might have been putting money on Max Verstappen in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a complete stop to Formula 1 and other sport around the world, and Brundle thinks it is depriving fans of an epic battle. "After all you've seen of the two, in equal machinery, who wins over.....check out full post »

As the coronavirus pandemic rules the world, F1 has a "historic opportunity" to drastically cut costs in Formula 1. That is the view of former driver Christian Danner, as Auto Motor und Sport claims that F1 CEO Chase Carey and FIA president Jean Todt are working on driving down the scheduled $175 million budget cap.....check out full post »

F1 will be lucky to organise an 11-round world championship in 2020, according to former driver Marc Surer. "22 races were planned, but if we have eleven by the end of 2020, we can count ourselves lucky," he told Speed Week. Actually, Ross Brawn recently said he is hoping for a 17 or 18-race calendar,.....check out full post »

The global motor racing industry is on a "knife-edge" because of the coronavirus pandemic. That is the worrying claim of Trevor Carlin, whose UK-based operation competes in Indycar, sports cars, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4 and other series. He told City A.M. that he was making his way to America for the Indycar season.....check out full post »

Baku circuit officials say the venue needs two months of lead time to organise a rescheduled Azerbaijan GP later in 2020. Formula 1 is busily considering alternative plans for this year's race calendar, after the opening eight races on the original schedule were cancelled or postponed. Baku would like its race rescheduled, but circuit spokesperson.....check out full post »

A decision about whether Canada's June 14 race in Montreal will go ahead as scheduled is now looming. With the opening eight races either postponed or cancelled, Canada is currently scheduled to be the opening event of 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. "At this point, we all hope the race can go ahead on June.....check out full post »

Robert Kubica has admitted that he secretly tested a Formula E car. After losing his Williams seat, the Pole has become Alfa Romeo's reserve driver for 2020 and was also scheduled to race in the German touring car series DTM. But Kubica, 35, also looked into Formula E. "I'll be honest," he told wrc.net.pl. "I.....check out full post »

Chase Carey has now admitted that the original 22-race calendar for 2020 could be slashed to just 15 grands prix amid the coronavirus crisis. The opening eight races have already been postponed or cancelled, now including Baku on June 7 - even though Azerbaijan had earlier been slated as the likely re-start date. And Montreal,.....check out full post »

As concern for the future of Formula 1 ramps up, Jacques Villeneuve has urged the sport to keep planning ahead. On the face of it, the situation is dire. The government has forced AlphaTauri, in crisis-struck Italy, to close its factory. Asked what his role is now, boss Franz Tost told f1-insider.com: "Keep the company.....check out full post »

Max Verstappen should not fear coronavirus, according to his boss Dr Helmut Marko. The brash, tough and plain-speaking 76-year-old Austrian told Kronen Zeitung newspaper: "It would be best if Max caught the virus now." But Marko, the head of Red Bull's notorious driver program, does not mean that he wishes his star driver any harm......check out full post »

Christian Horner has defended F1's decision to travel to Melbourne just two weeks ago. It has been a whirlwind fortnight for Formula 1 and the world, as the coronavirus pandemic takes an iron grip. But according to some, F1 should have seen the writing on the wall before heading to Australia. "In Formula 1 you.....check out full post »

Pierre Gasly says he can't take part in the new wave of virtual racing that is filling the void while real Formula 1 engines are silent. "I do it all the time at home," said the AlphaTauri driver. "I love it. "But in Dubai, I don't have a sim, just a Playstation. So I play.....check out full post »

Carlos Sainz deserves his rising status in Formula 1. That is the view of former F1 driver and fellow Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, who over a decade ago became the youngest ever F1 driver. Now retired from racing and a professional DJ, he is turning 30. The only Spaniard left on the grid now is Sainz,.....check out full post »

After extensive discussions with the FIA, Formula 1 and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic, Baku City Circuit has today announced the postponement of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided by.....check out full post »

The president of Italy's automobile club is hopeful that the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monza can go ahead in September. The country is currently the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but Automobile Club d'Italia chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani has an upbeat outlook for racing fans. "I think and hope that the Monza.....check out full post »

Lewis Hamilton says he turned down the opportunity to be tested for coronavirus. Concerns about the Mercedes driver's health did the rounds after he was photographed with actor Idris Elba and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie, who both subsequently tested positive. Hamilton is now self-isolating, but he turned down the chance to be tested.....check out full post »

Pirelli has stopped manufacturing F1's tyres for 2020. After Australia, it emerged that the almost 2000 tyres taken by the sport's official supplier to Melbourne had to be destroyed and recycled. "It's not safe to re-use them once they have been fitted to a rim and then removed," Pirelli's F1 chief Mario Isola told Racer......check out full post »

Daniel Ricciardo does not think the halted 2020 season will affect the 'silly season'. Former F1 driver Mika Salo said recently that because of the coronavirus pandemic, contract talks - like the actual grands prix - will also be delayed. "Everything's messed up right now and it's hard to say, but my best guess is.....check out full post »

The latest decisions made by Formula 1 may have saved some of the smaller teams, according to Frederic Vasseur. The Alfa Romeo boss said bringing forward the August summer break to now is right "because I would have had trouble putting everyone into telework". The Alfa Romeo team he leads shuts down for 21 days.....check out full post »

Sebastian Vettel has admitted he has started to "see beyond" the end of his Formula 1 career. Speculation that the quadruple world champion may not have his deal extended at Ferrari, or that he might either retire or switch to another team, has been constant. "It is not that my passion has diminished - quite.....check out full post »

Formula 1 has quickly jumped aboard the new trend of virtual racing. Separate to the existing F1 Esports Series for gamers, the sport's new series will feature "a number of current F1 drivers", Formula 1 announced. It follows the immediate launch after the cancellation of the Australian GP of two high-profile non-official series, featuring Lando.....check out full post »

Max Verstappen has counted himself out of the new official virtual F1 series. The Dutchman is an avid gamer, taking part in one of the high-profile unofficial replacement events for the postponed Australian F1 GP. But although earlier named as a contender, Verstappen did not take part in the online replacement events for Bahrain, including.....check out full post »

McLaren says it will press ahead with switching to Mercedes power for 2021. Some had wondered whether the move from Renault to Mercedes power would go ahead, now that the teams will use their 2020-spec cars next year as well. A McLaren spokesperson told France's Auto Hebdo: "We will be using Mercedes engines in 2021,.....check out full post »

Dr Helmut Marko says race promoter Red Bull wants July's Austrian GP to go ahead. The opening seven races of 2020 have already been postponed or cancelled, and now Baku is set to join them. As for the Red Bull-promoted Austrian F1 GP, though, Marko told Osterreich: "Our marketing activities will start in mid-May. We.....check out full post »

Robert Kubica has urged Formula 1 fans to take care during the unprecedented global pandemic. "Today, many people are focusing on work and making money, but now health is the most important thing," the Pole told Przeglad Sportowy. "Without it, everything else goes to the background. "I urge us to join our forces in the.....check out full post »

Romain Grosjean admits there is a "possibility" Haas will be closed down after 2020. Team owner Gene Haas and boss Gunther Steiner have been hinting that deliberations are currently taking place over the future of the American team. "It's a possibility that must be taken seriously," team driver Romain Grosjean told Canal Plus. "The message.....check out full post »

Baku, which until now looked set to host the new 2020 F1 season opener, is now expected to be postponed as well. With the opening seven races on the original schedule now cancelled or postponed, Azerbaijan's F1 GP June 7 event then looked set to be the first this year. But international media reports now.....check out full post »

Esteban Ocon has played down suggestions that Mercedes has been using the 'DAS' steering system since 2018. On-board footage has emerged of Lewis Hamilton apparently pulling on the controversial steering system as long ago as Hungary 2018. But former Mercedes driver Esteban Ocon denies he knew about it. "Either they were very, very clever and.....check out full post »

More information about a rescheduled 2020 race season should be forthcoming "within one to two months". That is the claim of the promoters of the inaugural Vietnam GP, whose postponed race was set to take place next weekend. But organisers are telling disappointed fans to hold onto their tickets. "We hope to have a new.....check out full post »

As a racer, Pedro de la Rosa competed in more than 100 Grands Prix, and drove many, many more miles as an F1 test driver for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari. And on this week’s show the Spaniard gives host Tom Clarkson a fascinating perspective on F1, from life behind the scenes during the explosive.....check out full post »