Formula 1 gossip: Rosberg, Mercedes, Todt

Sunday, 8 November

Nico Rosberg (r) has missed out on the world title to Lewis Hamilton in each of the last two years

Niki Lauda says he felt sympathy for Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, 30, when the German's hopes of winning the 2015 drivers' championship ended. (Autosport)

Meanwhile, Lauda, Mercedes' non-executive chairman, has rejected reports of a managerial rift at the team, saying "everything is wonderful". (Frankfurter Allgemeine via Planet-F1)

Formula 1's current drivers lack the ruthless streak that many of the sport's former greats boasted, according to Sweden's former F1 driver Stefan Johansson. (NBC Sports)

FIA president Jean Todt says he is "sorry" for next year's conflicting schedule that has the inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place on the same weekend as the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours.(Eurosport)

Sauber's recent aerodynamic upgrade is looking "very promising" for 2016, says team principal Monisha Kaltenborn.(ESPN)

Saturday, 7 November

Sebastian Vettel won the drivers' championship with Red Bull in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013

Four-time drivers' champion Sebastian Vettel is determined to shake off Ferrari's "underdog" tag, with new engine and chassis updates anticipated in the winter.(Autosport)

Renault will take over the F1 Lotus team for the 2016 season, with an announcement to be made at the last race of this season in Abu Dhabi, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport - but French magazine Auto Hebdo claims that the Lotus name will be retained for 2016. (JamesAllenonf1.com)

Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg concedes that the team's chances of overhauling Red Bull for fourth place in the constructors' championship are all but over. (Motorsport.com)

Meanwhile, Force India's deputy team principal Bob Fernley says the team's talks with Aston Martin about a takeover are at an early stage and that any deal is "still a little way off". (ESPN)

Jenson Button says the Mexican Grand Prix showed how much work McLaren and Honda have to do over the winter if they are to make big improvements for 2016. The 2009 champion finished 14th and team-mate Fernando Alonso retired on the first lap. (Sky Sports)

Gene Haas insists his new F1 team, which is set to debut next season, is not a junior Ferrari outfit despite striking up a technical partnership with them.(formula1.com)

Friday, 6 November

Red Bull will race in Formula 1 in 2016 using a Renault engine unit upgraded in their own factory in Milton Keynes, ending months of uncertainty over their future in the sport. (Thejudge13)

Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that current drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat will retain their seats for next season. (Velocity magazine)

Williams driver Felipe Massa says 2016 will be his last year in Formula 1 unless he can secure a competitive seat at the end of next season. (UOL Esporte, in Portuguese)

Lewis Hamilton on the front cover of Esquire Middle East

Nico Rosberg has shown a deft touch around the greens to beat former world number one golfer Martin Kaymer in a nearest-the-pin golf challenge. (Mercedes-Benz on YouTube)

A 1972 Ferrari Daytona, formerly owned by Formula 1 legend James Hunt and worth £1.2m, has been stolen from a Melbourne repair shop. (9 News)

Thursday, 5 November

Button made his Formula 1 debut in 2000

McLaren driver Jenson Button has signed up to compete in this year's Race of Champions at London's Olympic Stadium. (ESPN)

Nurburgring boss Carsten Schumacher is hopeful that the circuit will make a comeback after not being part of the Formula 1 calendar this season due to financial troubles. (Grand Prix Times)

Another award for Lewis Hamilton...

Marcus Ericsson says that Sauber have proved far more competitive than he had imagined when joining the team ahead of the 2015 season. (Formula1.com)

Red Bull boss Christian Horner insists an independent engine manufacturer in Formula 1 is a "no-brainer." (Autosport)

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says engine manufacturers cannot afford to have "a charitable approach", as the FIA seeks to lower the retail price of their power units. (F1i.com)

Another day, another award for world champion Lewis Hamilton, who tweets: "Thank you @GQMexico for sending me home with the GQ Mexico International Sportsman Of The Year, award!! #TeamLH."

Wednesday, 4 November

Red Bull owner Dietrich Matechitz believes there is no chance Renault will remain an engine partner next season. (F1i.com)

Lewis Hamilton at the Black Jaguar White Tiger sanctuary in Mexico

FIA president Jean Todt says a concession by Formula 1 manufacturers to offer cheaper engines to smaller teams would be enough to stave off the prospect of a standard power unit. (Motorsport.com)

Nico Rosberg says he isn't treating his return to success in the Mexican Grand Prix as a first step on the way to a challenge for the 2016 F1 World Championship, insisting he is focusing on the final races individually. (Crash.net)

Former Manor F1 team technical chief Bob Bell is set for an imminent return to Renault as their planned takeover of Lotus continues. (Autosport)

World champion Lewis Hamilton continues his wildlife experience in Mexico and tweets:"Big hugs from Ma-Tzu the Jaguar, at the Black Jaguar White Tiger sanctuary. Such an amazing creature."

Tuesday, 3 November

Team boss Christian Horner feels Red Bull is now "right on the limit" in terms of being ready for the 2016 season, as it continues its search for an engine supplier. (Autosport)

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel says the decline in popularity of Formula 1 in his homeland of Germany is a "mystery". (Bild - in German)

Fernando Alonso took a spectacular photograph as he flew above a volcano after Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix.

Mexican Sergio Perez says the experience of racing in an F1 grand prix at home "will live with me forever". (Motorsport.com)

Jenson Button had a "fiery dinner" while in Mexico.

Monday, 2 November

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says Honda is "very keen" to supply the team with Formula 1 engines, but the deal is being blocked by McLaren chief Ron Dennis. (Autosport)

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg says he "felt like a rock star" on the podium as he celebrated winning Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix.

Williams' Valtteri Bottas described his second collision in three races with Ferrari driver and compatriot Kimi Raikkonen as a "shame", saying that it was simply a case of bad luck. (Formula1.com)

Lotus chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu is set to follow driver Romain Grosjean to the new Haas F1 team in 2016. (F1i.com)

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says his team's double non-finish at the Mexican Grand Prix will act as a "good lesson" for the team. (Motorsport.com)