F1 gossip: Vettel, Verstappen, Gasly, Hartley, Alonso, Rosberg

Sunday, 15 April

Vettel could only finish eighth after the collision and is now only nine points clear in the Championship

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel praised Red Bull's Max Verstappen for finding him immediately after the Chinese Grand Prix to apologise for their collision in the closing stages. (ESPN)

Toro Rosso drivers Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley said their collision at the Chinese Grand Prix was the result of "miscommunication" over a pre-planned position swap. (Crash.net)

Fernando Alonso said his seventh-place finish in China was a "great result" but conceded McLaren "need to find more pace" at the next race. (PlanetF1.com)

Alonso said his battle with Vettel in Shanghai late in the race was "not fair" because of damage to the Ferrari driver's car. (Motorsport.com)

Vettel questioned the timing of the safety-car period that compromised his race. (Autosport)

Nico Rosberg, who retired only days after winning the world championship in 2016, enjoyed the welcome he received in China.

Rosberg laps up the attention at the Chinese Grand Prix

Saturday, 14 April

It's been another difficult start to a season for McLaren

Lewis Hamilton needs to set his World Championship alight in the smog of Shanghai to overturn a statistical inevitability that has held sway for 36 years. (Daily Mail)

Haas has rejected a sensational rumour suggesting that Fernando Alonso might move to the American team for 2019. (BT)

Max Verstappen joked that Ferrari have "somehow found a turbo button" after singling out their "really quick" straight-line speed. (Planet F1)

Though Ferrari has yet to officially react to FOM's proposals for the future of F1, company president Sergio Marchionne has reiterated his unease with the engine rules. (Pit Pass)

Formula 1's delayed TV streaming service will launch in May ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.(Reuters)

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned Formula 1 against making changes to pit stop procedures after a Ferrari mechanic was injured during a tyre change at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. (ESPN)

Friday, 13 April

Robert Kubica drove the Williams Martini Racing FW41 Mercedes during winter testing in Spain

Reserve and development driver Robert Kubica will not be given any extra practice sessions at Williams despite their poor start to the season. (Planet F1)

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso's karting school has announced plans to expand into the Chinese market, with 40 new circuits set to be constructed over the next five years. (Motorsport Week)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull are not operating at the same level as his team and Ferrari. (Autosport)

Former Formula 1 driver Pedro de la Rosa has been appointed sporting and technical advisor at Techeetah Formula E team. (The Chequered Flag)

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will hope for a trouble free Friday in Shanghai

Thursday, 12 April

Toto Wolff says his "marriage on the track is with Lewis and [Valtteri] Bottas and not with the others" but is the Mercedes chief heading for a divorce?

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo says he has no agreement in place to join Ferrari for 2019, despite rumours he is set to replace Kimi Raikkonen next year. (Auto Bild - in German)

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown has denied claims his team have offered a 2019 drive to Lando Norris or Nyck de Vries if either wins the Formula 2 title. (Planet F1)

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is ready to give Lewis Hamilton a huge contract extension, but has conceded he could lose his driver to Ferrari. (Express)

FIA race director Charlie Whiting says the sport's governing body will be looking into whether wheel guns are causing pit stop problems after Ferrari mechanic Francesco Cigorini suffered a broken leg when he was run over by Kimi Raikkonen during a pit stop in Bahrain last weekend. (Motorsport Week)

Wednesday, 11 April

Toto Wolff's Mercedes drivers have finished behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the opening two races of the season

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says there is "no margin for imperfections" in this year's title race, after Ferrari won the opening two meetings of the season. (Daily Express)

Mercedes technical director James Allison also says the team were "too slow" to recognise the threat of Ferrari's winning driver Sebastian Vettel on Sunday. (Autosport)

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost expects his team to be finishing in the top 10 on a consistent basis after Pierre Gasly's fourth place in Bahrain. (ESPN)

Honda is "looking attractive" for Red Bull should the team switch engine manufacturers for 2019, says team driver Daniel Ricciardo. (Motorsport.com)

Tuesday, 10 April

Hamilton (right) said after the Bahrain Grand Prix that Verstappen (left) needed to have more "respect"

Max Verstappen has shrugged off Lewis Hamilton's criticism of him following the Bahrain Grand Prix and defended his move on the four-time world champion that led to the pair colliding. (Ziggo Sport via Autosport)

Hamilton says he and his Mercedes team must improve communication after his third‑place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix. (Guardian)

The Briton will meet senior members of his team before the Chinese Grand Prix to discuss the issue, which he believes is costing him points. (Times - subscription required)

Russian driver Sergey Sirotkin says he and the Williams team "looked like idiots" during a poor weekend in Bahrain. (Autosport)

Paddy Lowe says Williams need to band together and "work intelligently and diligently" to solve their pace problem.(Planet F1)

Monday, 9 April

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel defended Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton over remarks he made about Red Bull's Max Verstappen after the Bahrain Grand Prix. (Autosport)

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas says his second place behind Vettel in Bahrain "opened up our eyes in terms of how much we still have to work with the car" as the German outfit spotted "some weaknesses". (Crash.net)

Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne says the team have a "great car, a solid team and two drivers on top form" after winning the opening two races of the season but added: "There is still a long way to go." (F1i.com)

Williams driver Lance Stroll said the team "did the maximum we could have done" after he finished 14th in Bahrain but that "behind the scenes there is a lot of work to be done". (TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk)