F1 gossip: Renault, Williams, Haas, Magnussen, McLaren

Renault
Renault sit fifth in the constructors' championship after three races

Sunday, 22 April

Renault were outsmarted by Formula 1's big teams over the winter and are "disappointed" to have not made a bigger step in performance, says chief technical officer Bob Bell. (Autosport)external-link

Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe says that the team are not hiding their performance issues behind the youth and relative inexperience of drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin. (f1i.com)external-link

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner believes the team are finally getting to see the best of Kevin Magnussen thanks to continuity.(Planet F1)external-link

McLaren have pinpointed next month's Spanish GP as the race where they will start to form a clearer judgement on their 2018 car. (Sky Sports)external-link

Saturday, 21 April

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will be replaced by Formula 2 driver Lando Norris at McLaren at the end of the season. (Diario Gol - in Spanish)external-link

Formula 1's 2021 overhaul is set to end the divide between the grid's biggest teams and the rest. (Autosport)external-link

Rubens Barrichello says he was prevented from seeing former Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher after the F1 legend's skiing accident. (Globo - in Portuguese)external-link

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, has taken a step back from being part of Robert Kubica's management team, having supported his efforts to return to Formula 1. (Motorsport.com)external-link

Honda is giving nothing away about the possibility of teaming up with Red Bull in 2019. (Auto Hebdo - in French)external-link

Carlos Sainz could continue with Renault beyond his one-year loan from Red Bull Racing. (Corriere Dello Sport - in Italian)external-link

Romain Grosjean on Twitter
Romain Grosjean took to four wheels during the break between races...
Romain Grosjean on Twitter
And even had time to joke with 30-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish

Friday, 20 April

Red Bull principal Christian Horner has said that Max Verstappen's mistakes remind him of a young Sebastian Vettel. (motorsport.com)external-link

McLaren will conduct a fundamental review of all aspects of its car after the MCL33's pace came up short in the opening three rounds of the season. (ESPN)external-link

Lewis Hamilton says winning the F1 title during a "tough" 2018 season would mean more to him than ever before. (Crash.net)external-link

Max Verstappen says the Baku street circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is not "ideally suited" to the Red Bull car. (Verstappen.nl)external-link

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas makes his 100th F1 start at the weekend, but says "100 is just a number". (Mercedes)external-link

F1 has secured a fantasy game and live streaming partnership with a stake in sports entertainment company PlayON valued at £30m. (ESPN)external-link

Thursday, 19 April

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo visited the Red Bull factory, but where will he be next season?

Daniel Ricciardo says Red Bull need to win more races this year to convince him to re-sign for 2019 and beyond. (CNN via Channel 10)external-link

The Australian also says that he's seeking to negotiate a two-year deal, as he aims to keep open his longer-term options in Formula 1. (Times - subscription required)external-link

Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat will share driving duties for Ferrari as Pirelli's in-season tyre development programme begins with wet tyres at an artificially watered Fiorano circuit this week. (Motorsportweek.com)external-link

Singapore Airlines have renewed their title sponsorship of the Singapore Grand Prix until 2019. (Straits Times)external-link

Twitter
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne has taken a look at new facilities which will be used at this year's Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place on 27 May

Wednesday, 18 April

Daniel Ricciardo
Ricciardo is a keen football fan and last year in Azerbaijan was presented with a Qarabag FK jersey

Formula 1 sporting boss Ross Brawn has described Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo's performance to win the Chinese Grand Prix as being like that of a "centre forward with incredible ball control". (motorsportweek.com)external-link

Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin said that he "could have managed better" at the start of Sunday's race in Shanghai. (thechequeredflag.co.uk)external-link

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the excitement of the recent races in Bahrain and China has shown the sport's decision-making to be "a little bit erratic".(Motorsport)external-link

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the team's real 2018 car will not be seen until next month's Spanish Grand Prix. (Autosport)external-link

Ex-F1 driver Rubens Barrichello, who won 11 races during his 18-year career in the sport, says he is recovering after collapsing with a brain tumour earlier this year. (Daily Express)external-link

Romain Grosjean on Instagram
Haas driver Romain Grosjean turned 32 on Tuesday and celebrated on wheels
Red Bull driver Verstappen
Red Bull driver Verstappen, 20, lost a likely win with an over-optimistic move on Lewis Hamilton and then crashed into Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel during the Chinese Grand Prix

Tuesday, 17 April

Max Verstappen's father, Jos, says his son needs to "think more" after his crash with Sebastian Vettel in China and that he was "disappointed" in the manoeuvre. (motorsportweek.com)external-link

FIA race director Charlie Whiting expects Verstappen to learn from his ill-judged move. (thecheckeredflag.co.uk)external-link

Adrian Scholtz, chief executive of Motorsport South Africa, said he does not know if the country will ever host another Grand Prix. (thesouthafrican.com)external-link

Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne has repeated his threat to pull his team out of Formula 1 should it turn into a "spectacle" rather than a sport. (motorsportweek.com)external-link

Cyril Abiteboul believes his Renault team are "building and getting stronger" after drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr both scored points in Shanghai. (thecheckeredflag.co.uk) external-link

Potential changes to improve overtaking in 2019 will be debated at Tuesday's Formula 1 Strategy Group meeting in Paris. (autosport.com)external-link

Max Verstappen posted on Instagram about his collision with Sebastian Vettel
Verstappen said on Instagram he will analyse what went wrong for him in Shanghai
Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo has been driving for Red Bull since the 2014 season

Monday, 16 April

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Daniel Ricciardo is "absolutely at the top of his game" after winning the Shanghai Grand Prix. (F1i.com)external-link

Kevin Magnussen says he is hoping to stay at Haas in 2019 because the team "supports me 100%". (Wheels24.co.za)external-link

Formula 1 is set to open an office in China, according to its director of strategy Yath Gangakumaran. (China.org.cn)external-link

Fernando Alonso says his brief contest with Sebastian Vettel in China wasn't a "fair fight" as the German's Ferrari was damaged. (Planetf1.com)external-link

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has defended the timing of the safety car in Shanghai.(F1i.com)external-link

Ricciardo posted on Instagram about his celebratory meal after winning in Shanghai
Ricciardo posted on Instagram about his celebratory meal after winning in Shanghai
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok tweeted this picture next to Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly on a flight
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok tweeted this picture next to Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly on a flight

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