F1 gossip: Sainz, McLaren, Bottas, Norris, Hamilton, Horner, Red Bull

Sunday, 10 September

Sainz joined Torro Rosso for the 2015 season having won Formula Renault 3.5 the previous year

Torro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz has signed a deal to join Renault, which will lead to a series of changes including McLaren using the French car manufacturer's engines in 2018. (Autosport)

McLaren would consider producing their own engines when the new regulations come into play in 2021, but only if the costs come down. (TheCheckeredFlag)

Valtteri Bottas is not expecting any significant upgrades on his Mercedes in time for the next race in the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix on 17 September. (F1i.com)

Lewis Hamilton, who leads the World Championship by three points from Sebastian Vettel, says he will do "all the due diligence" possible as F1 heads to Singapore, a track that negates much of Mercedes' advantage over their rivals. (PlanetF1.com)

McLaren will not consider loaning rising junior star Lando Norris to any of their rivals, despite suggesting he is already "fast enough" for grand prix racing. (Motorsport.com)

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has called for the scheduled three-engine-per-driver limit for the 2018 season to be scrapped. (TheCheckeredFlag)

Not any old dinner party for Williams driver Felipe Massa in Chantilly as a man on horseback makes a guest appearance, presumably not to serve the food. "Amazing dinner," the Brazilian says on Instagram.

Saturday, 9 September

Bottas (right) could help Hamilton (centre) in his battle against Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel

Valtteri Bottas says if he is "missing pace" compared to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who is fighting for the drivers' title, then it is "better to help than try something silly". (ESPN)

Force India are "fully committed" to trying to keep drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon with the team for 2018, despite the pair clashing several times this season. (Crash.net)

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo says the next race in Singapore represents "one of our best chances of a win in the second half of the season". (Planet F1)

FIA president Jean Todt is open to the idea of the championship leader having a different coloured Halo when it is introduced next season in similar move to the Tour de France leader wearing a yellow jersey. (Autosport)

Thursday, 7 September

F1 teams are facing a "big struggle" to make 2018 winter testing following the introduction of Halo next season, says Force India technical director Andrew Green.(Sky Sports)

Next year’s Formula 1 cars will all be fitted with the Halo cockpit protection system

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is not happy with Formula 1's official weather service. (Autoweek)

Sauber's 2018 Formula 1 car will be "completely different" to the current design, says team principal Fred Vasseur. (Autosport)

Wednesday, 6 September

Porsche are seriously considering a return to Formula One from 2021 after holding talks with F1's motorsport managing director Ross Brawn. (Independent)

Sebastian Vettel says there will be 'no panic' for Ferrari after a bad home race at Monza. (Autoweek)

After showing reluctance to do the same last year, Lewis Hamilton has put himself forward to sample Pirelli's 2018 compounds at Paul Ricard this week. (ESPN)

Force India look set to keep Sergio Perez on board for 2018. (F1 Today)

Haas boss Guenther Steiner says Formula One should not make a knee-jerk reaction about grid penalties. (ESPN)

Tuesday, 5 September

Fernando Alonso is a life-long Real Madrid fan

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso has become an honorary member at Real Madrid, the football club he has supported since he was a boy. (Goal.com)

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has called for an urgent review of F1's engine-penalty rules in the wake of the Italian GP being transformed by grid demotions. (Fox Sports)

Jolyon Palmer says he does not care about Fernando Alonso's complaints in the aftermath of their Italian Grand Prix collision. (ESPN)

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team believe Ferrari have taken a step backwards in the battle for the Formula 1 title. (The Scotsman)

It's pack up time. Formula 1 teams are getting ready for the long trip to Singapore for the next grand prix

Monday, 4 September

It was another bad weekend for McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne

Team principal Gunther Steiner believes Haas have been treated inconsistently by stewards this season. (Motorsport.com)

Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne was frustrated again after an issue with his Honda power unit at the Italian Grand Prix forced the McLaren driver into his fourth retirement of the season. (Crash)

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes the team's Italian Grand Prix dominance was due to title rival Ferrari having an off weekend, rather than a leap in performance. (Autosport)

It was a memorable weekend for Mercedes as their cars finished one and two at Monza