For a man as quiet as he is, the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen has been making a lot of noise with his racing in the pinnacle of motorsport for the last 19 years. Even after taking two years off and returning to the grid in 2012 with a solid but not great.....check out full post »

Things are heading "in the right direction" in terms of hosting Formula 1's first race of 2020. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, who is behind Red Bull's plans to proceed with the Austrian GP on 5 July. Even amid the global pandemic, the plan has the support for now of the Austrian.....check out full post »

Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix boss Angelo Sticchi Damiani has admitted that even September's Monza race is threatened by the coronavirus crisis. The Italian automobile club president said a repeat of Melbourne, in which the entire sport descended on Melbourne only for the race to be cancelled, would be a "disaster". "We cannot afford to.....check out full post »

Gunther Steiner is hoping Formula 1 can organise at least 8 grands prix in 2020. Officially, the sport's bosses Chase Carey and Ross Brawn are hoping to cobble together a fast-paced, tightly-packed calendar of up to 18 or 19 races for the second half of the year, potentially spreading into early 2021. Haas boss Steiner.....check out full post »

Ferrari will be "prepared" for when Formula 1 gets up and racing once again. That is the word from the Maranello team's CEO Louis Camilleri, who this week moved to cheer up shareholders concerned about the impact of the coronavirus crisis. "Our decision to distribute this dividend demonstrates our confidence in the future, and it.....check out full post »

F1 drivers will feel the physical strain when the racing finally gets underway in 2020, McLaren's Carlos Sainz has warned. Winter testing aside, the drivers have not been at full speed since the end of last year, and now most are stuck at home amid the global shutdowns. Asked if that is a problem, Spaniard.....check out full post »

F1 should not implement a 'two speed' budget cap next year, according to Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul. While some small teams are saying only a drastically reduced cap will ensure their survival in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the top teams - notably Ferrari - have other ideas. "Maybe the answer is not a.....check out full post »

Carlos Sainz says the 2020 driver contract silly season is currently "paralysed" by coronavirus. The Spaniard, who drives for McLaren, has been linked with a move to Ferrari next year to replace Sebastian Vettel. Martin Brundle is among those who are recommending Sainz to the Maranello team. "It feels good when people in your industry.....check out full post »

The attitudes of some "high level teams" threaten the very existence of "two, three, four" of their smaller competitors. That is the view of 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, who accused those not willing to be extremely flexible amid F1's biggest crisis of being "selfish". "If you have selfish minds that do their own thing,.....check out full post »

Virtual racing is more of a "diversion" than a viable alternative to real motor racing and Formula 1, according to McLaren driver Carlos Sainz. Ever since Melbourne was cancelled due to coronavirus, a series of online races based on simulator games including F1 2019, iracing and rfactor have been attracting widespread attention. Indycar and Nascar.....check out full post »

Amid a sea of cancellations, postponements and speculation, it appears that Austria might be able to rescue F1 by hosting the first races of 2020. While the first nine races have all fallen by the wayside, and the next round of postponements seems to loom for France, Britain and Belgium, the Austrian government says it.....check out full post »

Apr.16 - It is "possible" that the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit will not host a grand prix at all in 2020. While nine races have already fallen by the wayside because of coronavirus, only Melbourne and Monaco have actually been cancelled outright. But Belgium could now join them. Promoter Spa Grand Prix has announced that because.....check out full post »

Kimi Raikkonen says Formula 1 should never have travelled to Australia last month for the ultimately cancelled 2020 season opener. The sport's current total shutdown began in Melbourne exactly one month ago, when Formula 1 descended on the city but then cancelled at the last minute when a McLaren team member had symptoms of the.....check out full post »

Lewis Hamilton should put his money where his mouth is amid the coronavirus crisis, according to Nico Hulkenberg. When Formula 1 tried to push ahead with its Melbourne season opener amid the worsening situation last month, world champion Hamilton was the most vocally critical. "Cash is king. I can't add much more to it. I.....check out full post »

Nico Hulkenberg admits the coronavirus crisis could scupper his plans to potentially return to Formula 1 in 2021. Although the German lost his Renault race seat for 2020, Hulkenberg is now in the same situation as the active F1 drivers - caught up in the global shutdown. But what makes his situation more complex is.....check out full post »

So ... this is where we are. Not a lot of point talking about normal Formula 1, because there is no Formula 1. Heck, there's no normal life right now - nothing like it. So let's see what we can talk about in a Formula 1 opinion column. What we have is a world that,.....check out full post »

This week’s guest on Beyond The Grid can stake a claim to shaping all modern F1 cars. Not only was John Barnard responsible for victoriously introducing the now ubiquitous carbon fibre chassis to F1, he also was the brains behind the semi-automatic gearbox that is now an integral part of every Grand Prix car. On.....check out full post »

"Drastic measures" will keep Renault in Formula 1 in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. That is the suggestion of team boss Cyril Abiteboul, responding to claims that the situation could be the trigger for Renault's departure. "If we do not take drastic measures, there could be a risk," he told L'Equipe. "But I am.....check out full post »

Emanuele Pirro, an Italian former F1 driver, hopes the coronavirus situation leads down the path of a "more viable and accessible Formula 1". Nine races have already been either cancelled or postponed, and now Silverstone and Paul Ricard look set to follow. "I see that Wimbledon, a week earlier than Silverstone, has already been cancelled,".....check out full post »

The world of Formula 1 has lost an "incredible man", according to Kevin Magnussen. The Haas driver is referring to F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss, who died on Easter Sunday at the age of 90, following a long illness. "He was an incredible man in every way," Magnussen told the Danish newspaper BT. In 2016,.....check out full post »

Jos Verstappen says his son Max is paid more than the Red Bull driver's former teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has made headlines this week by revealing that Australian Ricciardo will have his retainer reduced amid the coronavirus crisis. "We have yet to make the exact deal, but I am not afraid that.....check out full post »

Max Mosley has joined his old sparring partner Bernie Ecclestone in recommending that Formula 1 simply call off the 2020 season. "The 2020 season should be cancelled," the former FIA president, who has just turned 80, told DPA news agency. "That way, the race organisers would have the security to plan and take measures," Mosley.....check out full post »

Robert Kubica has admitted that the coronavirus crisis has made his plans for 2020 "very difficult" to execute. The Pole had intended to combine his Alfa Romeo reserve role this year with a race seat in the German touring car series DTM. "This season promised to be very busy for me, because I was to.....check out full post »

Former F1 driver JJ Lehto thinks Formula 1's current plan for the post-coronavirus phase is "absurd". Currently, the sport - like many others - is simply waiting for approval to return to action. In F1's case, the idea is that a concentrated calendar of up to 18 or 19 races may then be able to.....check out full post »

Formula 1's new budget cap should be as low as $75 million in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. That is the view of Formula E boss Alejandro Agag. "In general, this could be an opportunity for motorsport," he told motorsport-total.com. "Especially for Formula 1, it could be a huge opportunity to restructure the entire.....check out full post »

Kimi Raikkonen enjoys taking part in the "development" of the Alfa Romeo team, according to team boss Frederic Vasseur. At 40, Finn Raikkonen is clearly the oldest and most experienced driver in Formula 1. Even after being dropped by Ferrari at the end of 2018, he elected to sign on with Alfa Romeo - the.....check out full post »

Pirelli boss Mario Isola is not sitting out the coronavirus crisis at home. For years, one of the Italian's hobbies has been driving ambulances in his native country, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper. "If I told you I'm not afraid I'd be telling a lie," Isola, who has stepped up amid Italy's horror epidemic,.....check out full post »

Jean Todt says he will not push to remain FIA president beyond 2021. The Frenchman, 74, is currently serving his third four-year term - the maximum under the current FIA statutes. And even amid F1's unprecedented crisis due to the coronavirus crisis, Todt insists he will depart late next year as scheduled. "Despite the fact.....check out full post »

Bernie Ecclestone is still urging Formula 1 to simply cancel the entire 2020 season. When asked by Italy's Corriere della Sera if he has been following the sport's crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic, he answered: "Yes, it was easy - nothing happened." What has happened is that, one by one, race promoters have been postponing.....check out full post »

Flavio Briatore doubts there would be buyers for teams who cannot make it through the coronavirus crisis. Asked if he would consider returning to the paddock as a team owner, the former title-winning Renault boss said: "Why should I? "I was successful and made a lot of money in Formula 1. Only if you want.....check out full post »

Max Mosley says his biggest regret as FIA president was failing to make it easier for young drivers with a "normal family" to target a career in Formula 1. Mosley, who turned 80 on Easter Monday, told DPA news agency he is proud to have improved safety. But he rues another personal goal that he.....check out full post »

F1 has delayed making a decision about how to proceed with further cost cutting measures amid the coronavirus crisis. With several teams - now including Renault - having furloughed staff, a debate is raging about how severely to further reduce the planned 2021 budget cap from $175 million. "On Thursday we had a meeting with.....check out full post »

Austria and Red Bull could be set to throw a lifeline to F1's endangered 2020 season. Red Bull - the owner of the Red Bull Ring - has said it wants to proceed with its scheduled July race, even though surrounding events France and Britain now look set to be postponed. Even politically, Red Bull's.....check out full post »

Paying tribute to a racing icon and sporting legend. Rest in Peace, Sir Stirling Moss. We'll miss you .

Race legend Sir Stirling Moss passed away yesterday. He had been ill since 2016 and had serious chest infection. He was 90 years old. His wife told the press: “It was one lap too many, He just closed his eyes.” The Englishman drove 66 Formula 1 Grand Prix between 1951 and 1961 and won sixteen.....check out full post »