Jun.5 - Bernie Ecclestone says he will help his old friend Sir Frank Williams find a buyer for the embattled F1 backmarker. Having finished dead last in 2019 and now splitting with title sponsor Rokit amid the corona crisis, the now Claire Williams-led team announced that it is looking for investors and potentially a buyer......check out full post »

Dr Helmut Marko hopes Red Bull is ready to take on Mercedes once the 'ghost racing' gets up and running in 2020. He said the energy drink-owned team will be aggressive in what could turn out to be a shorter than expected season amid the corona crisis. "Normally we are strong by the middle of.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - James Allison says the 18-inch rims for 2022 means that Formula 1 is switching to a "worse tyre" that is heavier and slower. Mercedes' technical boss noted the current tyre specifications have remained similar for "decades", and surmised that the new rule is essentially for the aesthetic effect and road car relevance. "This.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - Dr Helmut Marko admits that the corona crisis has rattled Max Verstappen. The Red Bull official says his star Dutch driver will not attend a couple of planned promotional events ahead of the back-to-back season re-start in Austria. "I have to say that he is anxious," Marko told RTL. "We had a couple.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - Toto Wolff has admitted he may soon have a different job title. Currently, the Austrian is Mercedes' team boss - but former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks "very exciting" changes are around the corner. That is because Wolff has bought shares in Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll's new Aston Martin venture. According to.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - Organisers of the Russian GP say they are open to hosting a second race at Sochi on the 2020 'corona calendar'. So far, only eight races are featured on the initial Europe-only calendar, with F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn admitting the dates are "pretty firm". After those races, F1 wants to start travelling.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - Ross Brawn has hit back at Toto Wolff's reasoning behind blocking the introduction of qualifying sprints and reverse grids for next month's 'ghost races'. It is believed Racing Point, whose owner Lawrence Stroll is now in business with Wolff in the Aston Martin project, joined Mercedes in blocking the move. "Personally, I don't.....check out full post »

Jun.5 - Formula 1 is finally revving its engines in 2020. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will test the team's 2018 car during a session at Silverstone next week to "practice protocols" ahead of the first ghost races in early July. And McLaren driver Lando Norris has shaken out the rust with a test.....check out full post »

Ralf Schumacher says he will not break his rule about talking to the media about the health of his brother. Michael Schumacher won a record seven world championships and 91 grand prix wins, but almost nothing is known about his condition since he sustained brain injuries in a late 2013 skiing crash. When asked about.....check out full post »

Gerhard Berger is not optimistic that Sebastian Vettel will still be in Formula 1 next year. Already this week, the F1 legend - who was team co-owner when Vettel won his first grand prix in a Toro Rosso - has invited the German to switch to DTM. "Seriously, why not?" said the German touring car.....check out full post »

Zak Brown does not think other active drivers will follow Fernando Alonso in combining Formula 1 with a bid to win the fabled Indy 500. McLaren is unique among the ten F1 teams in also having an Indycar operation. Spaniard Alonso skipped Monaco in 2017 to contest his first Indy 500 and, now retired from.....check out full post »

Lewis Hamilton's father is arguing that Formula 1 should not get back to racing in July. Six-time world champion Hamilton himself has been in the headlines this week after chastising the "white-dominated sport" for staying silent amid the George Floyd protests. His boss, Toto Wolff, says he has learned about identity politics from the 35-year-old......check out full post »

Sebastian Vettel is only an "outsider candidate" for a Mercedes race seat in 2021. That is the news from team boss Toto Wolff, who said he will not join Ferrari and McLaren in announcing Mercedes' 2021 lineup so far ahead of time. "I don't want to pull the corset too tight in terms of timing,".....check out full post »

This week Tom welcomes one-time Grand Prix winner Heikki Kovalainen onto the show to discuss his rollercoaster Grand Prix career, which began with Renault in 2007 and took in 111 starts, with stops at McLaren, Caterham and Lotus F1. The amiable Finn discusses the challenges of going up against an all-time great in Hamilton –.....check out full post »

Jun.3 - Organisers of the Spanish GP have confirmed they will not pay Liberty Media a fee for hosting one of the initial eight European 'ghost races' this year. Liberty Media finally announced the schedule on Tuesday, with F1 CEO Chase Carey hoping to publish a "full calendar" of 15-18 races "before the end of.....check out full post »

Jun.3 - Carlos Sainz has hit back at claims he will be Ferrari's 'number 2' driver from 2021. A Ferrari insider this week said Charles Leclerc "is our future", using a football strategy analogy to explain that the earlier policy of having two strikers is ending. "No, I have not signed anything that makes me.....check out full post »

Chase Carey appears to want Sebastian Vettel to remain in Formula 1 beyond 2020. It seems that joining Mercedes or Renault, or simply retiring, are the quadruple world champion's options for when he leaves Ferrari later this year. Renault appears poised to sign its former champion Fernando Alonso. Correspondent Ralf Bach's f1-insider.com claims that a.....check out full post »

Williams failed to keep up with the pace of modern Formula 1, according to former team driver Ralf Schumacher. The German, who won six grands prix for the British team until 2004, was asked by Speed Week to comment on news that Williams is currently for sale. "It looks like neither Frank Williams nor his.....check out full post »

Jun.3 - McLaren could be a winner of the budget cap measures set to take effect next year. That is the view of Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko, who told Auto Motor und Sport that McLaren is set to benefit from faster rivals Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull needing to significantly slash staff numbers......check out full post »

Frans Verschuur, who runs a GT4 team, thinks Renault should oust its team boss Cyril Abiteboul. "In my opinion there are three of them in Formula 1 that have to go," the Dutchman told the F1 aan Tafel podcast. "Abiteboul, Claire Williams and Mattia Binotto," he said. Explaining his opposition to Frenchman Abiteboul, who presides.....check out full post »

Jun.3 - Former F1 team owner and boss Giancarlo Minardi says he would not have signed Carlos Sainz for 2021 if he was in charge at Ferrari. Sainz has been selected to replace Sebastian Vettel, but Minardi told Il Resto del Carlino newspaper: "I would have given (Antonio) Giovinazzi a chance, also to protect the.....check out full post »

A wave of politics is rolling over Formula 1 amid widespread protests and rioting throughout America. Although the world championship is British and European based, six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton began the new trend among F1 drivers, personalities and teams by hitting out at those "staying silent" after a death in custody in Minnesota. Hamilton's.....check out full post »

It is believed Racing Point has now joined the works Mercedes team in indicating it will vote against experimenting with short qualifying sprints and reverse grids once the 'ghost races' get up and running in July. Before the corona crisis struck, Liberty Media had similarly tried to shake up the race weekend format, but F1.....check out full post »

Robert Kubica says he has a "big" desire to get back to work at the race tracks. As Alfa Romeo tester and a DTM race driver, the Pole had been shaping up for a very busy season when the corona crisis struck. "The situation is still dynamic, but one thing is certain," he told Sportowe.....check out full post »

Formula 1 has published its official 'corona calendar' of initial spectator-less races in Europe today. After racing was put on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak, F1, the teams and the FIA have been working to put together a plan to allow the season to begin safely, and today F1 chief executive Chase Carey outlined.....check out full post »

In this series, I will look at the ownership and funding of the teams in F1 and maybe uncover a dark secret or two. Part 8: Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN is the new name for Sauber motorsport with Alfa Romeo and Orlen being the title sponsors. Alfa Romeo entered a technical.....check out full post »

Formula 1 is now expected to publish its official 'corona calendar' of initial spectator-less races in Europe on Wednesday. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto wrote in La Gazzetta dello Sport that the fact the team factories are all now awaking from a prolonged shutdown period "is not only a sign of optimism but a significant.....check out full post »

Dr Helmut Marko has little sympathy for sacked Formula E driver Daniel Abt. Audi's works team, which was originally owned by Abt's family, sacked the 27-year-old German recently after it emerged that he had secretly allowed a professional gamer to drive in his place during an official Formula E esports race. Marko, the head of.....check out full post »

An unnamed Ferrari insider has admitted that the Maranello team is planning to succeed by rallying around Charles Leclerc. Not long after former number 1 and quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel was ousted for 2021 and beyond, the insider told Auto Motor und Sport: "Charles Leclerc is our future." Using football tactics to describe Ferrari's.....check out full post »

Formula 1 is poised to announce an initial 2020 calendar featuring spectator-less 'ghost races' in Europe. Austrian health minister Rudolf Anschober says the safety plan reviewed by the government in the past days for back-to-back races in early July satisfies "the requirements in the corona period". Dr Helmut Marko, representing race promoter Red Bull, told.....check out full post »

Williams will have new colours once the racing gets up and running in July. Last Friday, the famous backmarker team not only announced its split with title sponsor Rokit, Williams also admitted it may be sold. "This certainly doesn't mean that the team won't go on for many years," team deputy Claire Williams, whose father.....check out full post »

Max Verstappen says he would like to spend his entire Formula 1 career at Red Bull. Early this year, the Dutch driver signed a reportedly lucrative new contract through 2023. The 22-year-old told local broadcaster Radio 538: "Yes, I want to stay with Red Bull and I have no intention of ever leaving. "If I.....check out full post »

F1's reigning world champion has slammed the "white-dominated sport" for "staying silent" amid the latest political turmoil. In recent days, the death in custody of a black man in Minneapolis has sparked protests but also violent and destructive riots across the United States. Lewis Hamilton is now calling out his F1 colleagues for "staying silent".....check out full post »

Dr Helmut Marko thinks "a lot is happening" behind the scenes at Mercedes. The Red Bull chief's former charge Sebastian Vettel, who will leave Ferrari at the end of the year, is being linked with a move to Mercedes for 2021. Others say Vettel could go to 'Aston Martin' - which according to speculation may.....check out full post »

Mika Salo says reverse grid races are "worth a try" as Formula 1 looks to emerge from its coronavirus shutdown. The sport is tipped to reveal its initial European 'ghost race' schedule on Monday, and reports suggest Liberty Media wants to use the opportunity to revive its idea of shaking up the race format with.....check out full post »

Kevin Magnussen remains hopeful Haas will keep him on board for 2021. With the racing set to resume without spectators next month, the Dane says he is eager to emerge from the sport's shutdown period. "I think I've used the break well," he told BT newspaper. "I have been relaxing with Louise and keeping up.....check out full post »

It is not clear if television broadcasters will be allowed to attend F1's first 'ghost races' in Austria next month. The sport is poised to unveil its plan for spectator-less races on Monday, but RTL commentator Florian Konig says he isn't sure if he will be there. "We have deliberately not done that yet," he.....check out full post »

Robert Kubica admits he was "surprised" when Ferrari decided to sign up Carlos Sainz as a replacement for Sebastian Vettel next year. "If the relationship was not good and not getting better, then it's better to make a decision," the Polish driver told Corriere della Sera. "I was a little surprised but I do not.....check out full post »

A former F1 team boss has warned Renault that signing Fernando Alonso for 2021 could be dangerous. The French works team's boss Cyril Abiteboul has admitted that filling Daniel Ricciardo's place by reuniting with former two-time champion Alonso is "an option". "It could be a lot of drivers," Abiteboul told the RMC program 'Par ici.....check out full post »

Formula 1 is not about to enter the era of the so-called 'pay-driver', according to Christian Danner. As a result of the corona crisis, which is also threatening established midfield teams like McLaren and Renault, it is feared that teams may need to lean even more heavily on drivers who can take substantial funding to.....check out full post »