F1 gossip: Hamilton, Ecclestone, Ricciardo, Bottas, Vettel, Alonso

Bernie Ecclestone was in charge of Fomula 1 for nearly 40 years

Saturday, 28 April

Lewis Hamilton is "fed up" and "is not the Lewis he was before", according to former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. (Sky Sports)

Hamilton says he will be "knocking on the door" of the Mercedes team engineers to allow the team to challenge for a top position in qualifying. (Planet F1)

Daniel Ricciardo says that his former Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel would not veto him joining Ferrari. Australian Ricciardo is prepared to leave Red Bull if they cannot provide a competitive car. (Daily Mail)

Valtteri Bottas was the fastest in the first practice in Baku

Vettel has admitted that he is struggling to find his usual speed in Baku - but he added that the problems are down to him, and not his car. (Autosport)

McLaren's Fernando Alonso says F1 will not "suddenly see fantastic racing" when the race fuel allowance is increased in 2019. (Motorsport)

Friday, 27 April

Lewis Hamilton (right) pictured with former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry in 2010

Four-time Formula 1 world champion and Arsenal fan Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger offered him a chance to train with the club. (ESPN)

Hamilton says he respects Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel more now than he did at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017, where Vettel drove into Hamilton. (Reuters)

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he underwent minor surgery on his lip in between the China and Baku Formula 1 races. (Autosport)

Max Verstappen has vowed to tackle his error-prone campaign by driving faster than ever at this week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. (Daily Mail)

Williams' Lance Stroll still rues a mistake he made by not driving aggressively against Daniel Ricciardo at last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Stroll said he would have won a grand prix for the first time if he had been more forceful against the Australian, who won the race with Stroll coming third. (Motorsport)

Stroll has hit back at former team-mate Felipe Massa's criticism of the team's line-up for 2018. Massa said the team had prioritised its financial outlook over driver choice by picking Sergey Sirotkin alongside Stroll. (Crash)

Fernando Alonso thinks McLaren and its midfield rivals could benefit from the close fight developing at the front of the grid between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. (ESPN)

Carlos Sainz says he is not worried about team-mate Nico Hulkenberg's early 2018 superiority at Renault. (Sky Sports)

Sauber are now racing "on an equal footing" with Williams, according to Sauber's Marcus Ericsson.(Auto Motor und Sport, via F1today)

Romain Grosjean found a tasty version of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix track

Thursday, 26 April

Neither Sergey Sirotkin (pictured) or team-mate Lance Stroll have picked up any points for Williams this season

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams says Formula 1 is "basically broken" and her team cannot win again as it is "impossible to keep up" with the big teams. (Planet F1)

Lewis Hamilton says he is applying "constructive pressure" to his Mercedes team to ensure they give him the best car possible. (Crash)

World champion Lewis Hamilton has finished second, third and fourth in the three races this season

Max Verstappen is confident of Red Bull having a successful weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying that the track "suits them quite well".(Express)

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen believes that Renault are the biggest challengers to them outside the big three teams - Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull - this season.(Formula Spy)

Singers Bruno Mars and Britney Spears will be performing during the weekend of the United States Grand Prix. Mars will hold a show after qualifying on Saturday, 20 October, while Spears will perform after the race on Sunday, 21 October. (Formula 1)

Ferrari's strategy for Kimi Raikkonen in the Chinese Grand Prix was a mistake which showed their only priority is the drivers' championship, according to Formula 1's chief technical officer Pat Symonds. (Race Fans)

Wednesday, 25 April

Daniel Ricciardo won the Chinese Grand Prix for Red Bull

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has given Daniel Ricciardo until August to re-sign or the team will begin looking elsewhere, with the Australian linked with a switch to Ferrari. (ESPN)

Ricciardo has reportedly signed an option agreement with Ferrari as speculation mounts over his long-term future in Formula 1. (planetf1.com)

Rookie Stoffel Vandoorne believes he is now more capable of producing the same sort level performance in difficult circumstances as McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso. (autosport.com)

Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the French manufacturer will introduce engine updates at the Spanish Grand Prix. (crash.net)

Ferrari are being investigated over whether the Italian team have crossed the line with their use of a blown exhaust. (Marca)

Formula 1 teams will be allowed to mount their rear view mirrors on the halo, as long as they comply with all relevant regulations. (motorsport.com)

Tuesday, 24 April

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (right) has won two of the three races this season with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo (left) winning the other one. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton (centre) has finished second, third and fourth in 2018

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton says a fifth title in 2018 "would mean even more" than previous seasons because his Mercedes team face a strong challenge from Ferrari and Red Bull. (Motorsport)

Hamilton says he is out to "upset" Ferrari by setting new records with his team.(ESPN)

Team principal Christian Horner says Red Bull can hold on to Daniel Ricciardo if they can provide a car that challenges for victory in every race.(PlanetF1)

Horner has backed Red Bull's Max Verstappen to refine his driving without losing the "magic" which has made him one of F1's most exciting talents.(Sky Sports)

Former world champion Nico Rosberg has launched the Rosberg Young Driver Academy to find future stars of motorsport.(F1i.com)

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner says Kevin Magnussen's growing confidence in his second season with the team has allowed him to improve his consistency. (Autosport)

Sergio Perez says the Force India team are returning to form after a shaky start to the 2018 season. (The Checkered Flag)

Charles Leclerc says his Sauber team-mate Marcus Ericsson deserves more respect. (Speedweek, via Wheels 24)

McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne enjoyed the sun on a day off

Monday, 23 April

The Spanish Grand Prix has been staged at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya since 1991. when Nigel Mansell won

Former Manor Formula 1 team boss John Booth confirmed his departure from Toro Rosso, having worked as their director of racing since 2016. (Autosport)

A Spanish FIA official played down rumours the future of the country's grand prix at Barcelona could be in jeopardy, with their contract set to expire next year. (F1i.com)

Lando Norris says it "would be nice" to give McLaren a "headache" over their driver line-up plans by winning the Formula 2 title in 2018. (Crash.net)

There is a mystery new paddle on the steering wheel of Ferrari's championship leader Sebastian Vettel. (Motorsport.com)

The new addition to Sebastian Vettel's steering wheel also caught the attention of former Arrows, Jaguar, McLaren, Sauber and HRT F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa