Formula 1 gossip and rumours from international media

FRIDAY, 15 AUGUST

Lotus technical director Nick Chester has admitted his team have had a difficult 2014 but is adamant lessons have been learnt. (Formula 1.com)

Bianchi was Ferrari's test and reserve driver for the 2011 season

Marussia driver Jules Bianchi, 25, has played down suggestions he could replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2015. (Crash.net)

Raikkonen, 34, is not expecting the forthcoming Belgian Grand Prix to start a swift turnaround in his fortunes.(ESPN.co.uk)

Deputy team principal Claire Williams has hailed the performances of Williams team drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas this season. (Autosport)

THURSDAY, 14 AUGUST

McLaren's Jenson Button has dismissed speculation he could leave F1 at the end of the season. The 2009 world champion, 34, is out of contract at the end of the year but said: "I am young and fast and enjoy what I do for a living, and I don't want that to change."(Daily Mirror)

Jenson Button wants to continue in F1 in 2015

Williams reserve driver and GP2 frontrunner Felipe Nasr is hopeful of making his F1 race debut in 2015. The 21-year-old Brazilian, who receives financial backing from Banco do Brasil, says his management has already begun talks over a seat for next season. (Motorsport.com)

Former Williams and McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes F1 should look to motorsport series in the United States for ideas to help the sport re-engage with fans. (Autosport)

Ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen has played down reports his 16-year-old son Max, newly signed to Red Bull's development programme, will replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso next season. (Motorsport.com)

WEDNESDAY, 13 AUGUST

Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti believes the performances of Spanish driver Fernando Alonso are "keeping Ferrari alive" this season.(Formula1)

Ferrari tweeted: We love our drivers!

An up-to-date list of driver salaries has been published with Alonso, Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel top of the list. (Tomorrownewsf1)

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has admitted it is "unlikely" his team will catch a dominant Mercedes outfit during the 2014 season.(Inautonews)

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) will carry out the final inspection of the new Sochi track in Russia - amid controversy surrounding the Crimean crisis - next week as the country only has a provisional place on the 2014 schedule. (F1today)

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean says the mid-season break is the perfect time to consider his future, but is "99.99% confident that the team is going to be better next year".(Crash)

Grosjean also believes his former Lotus team-mate Raikkonen, now at Ferrari, is struggling this year because the cars do not suit his driving style. (Autosport)

TUESDAY, 12 AUGUST

Defending champion Sebastian Vettel is having a disappointing season because he is worn out, according to his Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. Auto Bild Motorsport (in German)

And Horner says Red Bull do not need to bring in a technical director despite Adrian Newey's reduced involvement with the team. Autosport

A piece of F1 history - McLaren chairman Ron Dennis' old office phone, unearthed a few days ago

Force India driver Sergio Perez fears the team will lose ground on rivals Williams and Ferrari if they do not work on upgrading their car. Crash

Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn says the team must be more courageous to avoid suffering the worst season in their history. Autosport

Former Renault managing director Jean-Michel Jalinier says the team have struggled this year because they have been out-spent by Mercedes. Inautonews

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas is the star of the season, according to Force India boss Vijay Mallya. Autosport

Jenson Button has revealed that he once signed autographs for a thrilled American family who told him they were big fans - only to discover that they thought he was Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Daily Mail

MONDAY, 11 AUGUST

Luca Di Montezemolo has rejected claims that he is set to step down as president of Ferrari. El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish)

Jenson Button says he has no plans to retire amid rumours that he could quit the sport at the end of the season. NBC Sports

Lotus reserve driver Charles Pic on Twitter: "Enjoying the summer break! Recharging the batteries."

Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe has dismissed the idea that success in Formula 1 is solely down to differences between teams' engines. Autosport

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery says the tyre firm is open to an F1 calendar featuring more than 20 races per season.Crash

Marussia reserve driver Alexander Rossi says he has held talks to sign for Gene Haas's new team when it joins F1 in 2016.Crash

Red Bull's reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel has bought his father a present - a Ferrari with a personalised number plate. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian)

Vettel's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo has been enjoying the mid-season break, telling fans: "Been having a relaxing break. Beach, sun, lots of food & a couple fresh beverage. Time to get back into it. Can't wait, feeling refreshed!"Twitter