Formula 1 gossip: Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Lauda, Raikkonen

Friday, 22 December

Verstappen has signed a lucrative deal to stay with Red Bull until 2020

Red Bull overpaid to tie Max Verstappen to a new contract, says Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda. (Wheels 24 - via Serus TV)

Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull Racing could be title favourites for the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, if they can avoid a slow start to the season. (Checkered Flag)

Formula 1 is "not really sport" due to a lack of competition between manufacturers, says former Manor-Marussia driver Max Chilton. (F1i.com)

Two Ferrari bosses have voiced opinions that grid girls should be kept in Formula 1. (Autoweek)

Outgoing Honda F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa says the Japanese manufacturer can be "proud" of its engine development rate during the 2017 Formula 1 season. (Motorsport)

Thursday, 21 December

World champion Lewis Hamilton has been with Mercedes since the 2013 season

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says contract talks with Lewis Hamilton are going well and he is confident the world champion will not walk out on the team unexpectedly, as Nico Rosberg did last December. (ESPN)

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne says Formula 1's sporting boss Ross Brawn acts like "Moses reading the Ten Commandments". (Speed Week, via F1i.com)

Marchionne expects to see a calmer and "less emotional" Sebastian Vettel in 2018, as he believes the German has learned from his mistakes. (Sky Sports)

Kimi Raikkonen can "drive like a god", but 2018 was his last chance to show what he can do, added Marchionne. (Fox Sports Asia)

Former world champion Nico Rosberg is set to return to Formula 1 in 2018 - as a pundit for German broadcaster RTL. (Express)

Sergio Perez says Force India need to let him and Esteban Ocon race each other again in 2018, given the threat posed by McLaren and Renault. The pair were under team orders not to fight each other after they collided twice at the Belgian Grand Prix. (Motorsport.com)

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen says F1 needs to be more competitive, with more teams fighting at front. (The National)

Renault's engine in 2017 was more than 0.3 seconds quicker than its 2016 version, according to managing director Cyril Abiteboul. (Autosport)

Ex-Sauber Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein could race for Mercedes in their DTM touring car team for 2018. (Autosport)

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen is already missing the thrill of racing in the off-season

Wednesday, 20 December

Ferrari have competed in every Formula 1 world championship since the 1950 season

Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne also says his team will need to look into replacing Kimi Raikkonen should the Finn have another inconsistent season in 2018. (The Checkered Flag)

Kevin Magnussen is set to join several of his Formula 1 rivals at the Daytona 24-hour race next month.(F1i)

McLaren will remain without a title sponsor for the 2018 Formula 1 season. (Motor Sport Magazine)

It appears Mercedes driver and World Champion Lewis Hamilton has a personalised Ferrari.(Daily Mail)

And following Tuesday's post on social media, here is Hamilton showing off his musical talent... (Express)

Tuesday, 19 December

Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell says they are close to to producing an F1 engine that can break the 1000bhp barrier.(Motorsport)

Lewis Hamilton says 2018 will not be his last year with Mercedes and he is heading for a new deal with current contract talks. (Rai via Daily Express)

Aston Martin says it will play the 'disruptor' in engine talks for F1 and will seek to do things differently from the current engine suppliers.(Autosport)

Teams have agreed to provide Ross Brawn's technical department with confidential aerodynamic information to help shape the future regulations of the sport. (ESPN)

Lewis Hamilton posted this photo showing the moment he took to the piano on Italian TV to play Adele's 'Something Like You':

Lewis Hamilton took to the piano on Italian TV

Monday, 18 December

Max Verstappen was given a time penalty after passing Kimi Raikkonen off the circuit

Red Bull's Max Verstappen admits his final lap overtaking move on Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari at the United States Grand Prix was "not correct" but feels his time penalty was harsh when other drivers were also breaking the rules.(Max Verstappen - official website)

Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa has apologised after one of his team-mates was involved in a brawl during a kart race in Brazil. (Autosport)

Russian businessman Boris Rotenberg says he is pushing hard to secure Sergey Sirotkin's place on the 2018 grid with Williams.(Sportsmole)

Renault F1 advisor Alain Prost says the engine deal with McLaren in 2018 will put 'positive pressure' on the team to perform. (Motorsport)

Lewis Hamilton congratulated Sir Mo Farah on his BBC Sports Personality of the Year award - posting this picture of them together:

Sir Mo Farah and Lewis Hamilton met up during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend