Apr.23 (GMM) Ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari, the fabled Italian Formula 1 team is now tipped to sign a lucrative deal with a title sponsor. Ferrari has not had a title sponsor since the ‘Mission Winnow’ project involving ongoing but behind-the-scenes tobacco backer Philip Morris. But before Hamilton arrives with salary requirements that no doubt dwarf that of his predecessor Carlos Sainz, Sport Business reports that Ferrari is set to announce a title sponsor deal with Hewlett-Packard (HP). “Driver salaries do not count against Formula 1’s ‘cost cap’,” explained F1 correspondent M ..read more

Apr.23 (GMM) Heikki Kovalainen is on the road to recovery, following open-heart surgery. It emerged in March that the former Formula 1 driver, who is 42, was being forced to put his rallying career on hold after doctors discovered an enlarged aorta during a routine check. He had the required operation shortly afterwards. And now, after resting completely for a time, the ex-McLaren and Renault driver returned to F1 commentary duties over the recent Chinese GP weekend. “The recovery is going very well in every way,” the Finn told Ilta Sanomat newspaper. “But recovery is a long process.” Kovalain ..read more

Apr.23 (GMM) Mohammed Ben Sulayem is charging ahead amid an obvious and escalating power struggle, denying that he necessarily needs the support of “the Formula 1 teams”. It’s well known that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s wife Susie has commenced defamation claims against the controversial FIA president, following comments Ben Sulayem made earlier this year. But he’s also been accused of trying to block Liberty Media’s new blue-riband Las Vegas GP last year, and of interfering in stewards decisions at grands prix. In reaction, the FIA has been publishing multiple letters of support from automobil ..read more

Apr.23 (GMM) Opinions are already divided, as Formula 1 stakeholders gear up for talks about expanding the current points system. The F1 Commission will discuss a proposal, forwarded by the smaller teams but also reportedly supported by Red Bull, to expand the points-scoring places from P10 to P12. Six teams must vote in favour of an eventual concrete proposal for it to debut in 2025. “The competition is tough,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Bild newspaper. “Two groups have formed – the top 5 and then the teams from sixth to tenth places. “Every single point is hard fought for. Of c ..read more

Apr.23 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has added Thailand to his travelling itinerary this week. It was already clear that, after a South Korean delegation visited Suzuka recently for talks about a Formula 1 race, Domenicali intended to visit the country this week “for further discussions”. But on Monday, the Italian was not in Korea – he was in Thailand. Domenicali met with prime minister Srettha Thavisin, according to RMC Sport, with Bloomberg also reporting both Thailand and F1 are keen on a race deal. Government spokesperson Chai Watcharong is quoted as saying: “Basically, if F1 is to take ..read more

Apr.21 (GMM) A contract extension for Sergio Perez is appearing more and more likely. His current deal expires at the end of 2024, and at a very awkward time for the 34-year-old Mexican – just as on-form Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz is also on the move. But Perez has, so far in 2024, suddenly taken a big step closer to Red Bull Racing teammate Max Verstappen’s pace. “Probably because he’s out of contract!” laughed team boss Christian Horner in Shanghai. “No – I think he’s worked hard over the winter, perhaps with a slight change to his approach to the weekends.” Indeed, Perez openly admits tha ..read more

Apr.21 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful his Formula 1 career is back on track. The embattled Australian had hoped to humble his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda this year and leapfrog into the Red Bull Racing seat next to Max Verstappen for 2025. Tsunoda, however, has had the clear edge so far, even triggering speculation that Shanghai this weekend could be 34-year-old Ricciardo’s last in F1 before he is replaced by Liam Lawson. “Everybody in the team is shutting that (speculation) down,” Ricciardo said ahead of the Chinese GP. “But I do have to earn my spot. “At the end of the day, if I am getting m ..read more

Apr.21 (GMM) For about the third time in as many weeks, Bruno Famin has once again rejected persistent rumours that Alpine’s Formula 1 team is on the market. After a couple of seasons of management and shareholding chaos, Renault’s works team emerged with arguably the slowest car of all for the 2024 season. Esteban Ocon got a new floor on his Alpine in China, and told Canal Plus that he sees signs of hope. “These are small but not insignificant improvements,” said the Frenchman. “You have to see satisfaction in that – that you work hard and it pays off.” However, Ocon warned that “a big gap” r ..read more

Apr.21 (GMM) Haas looks set to lose Nico Hulkenberg at the end of the season. Last year, the now-ousted team boss Gunther Steiner brought the 36-year-old out of retirement to replace Mick Schumacher – and he promptly shone. It’s put long-time Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in difficulty, as new boss Ayao Komatsu told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet this week that a contract extension for the 31-year-old Dane is not yet a certainty for 2025. There’s almost no doubt, however, that Haas would like to retain Hulkenberg. “There is a team that is really putting pressure on the driver market at the m ..read more

Apr.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate has slammed the seven time world champion for rolling out constant excuses about his 2024 troubles. Hamilton went into the Chinese GP lambasting critics who “talk sh*t” about him – but he then impressed by being P2 in both sprint qualifying and Saturday’s short race. However, by Saturday afternoon for the real qualifying session, he had slumped to a woeful P18 – and quickly blamed an experimental car setup. “We have to (do that) at the moment,” said the 39-year-old. “In this sprint, George (Russell) and I had very similar cars, but then we ..read more