F1 gossip: Mercedes wider tyres, Ecclestone, Alonso, Halo, Bottas, Williams

Mercedes have run Pirelli's wider Formula 1 tyres for the first time at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. The tyres are being developed for 2017 and Manor's Pascal Wehrlein drove the modified 2015 car, which also simulates increased downforce levels. (Autosport)

Bernie Ecclestone says he has not decided whether to accept an offer to stay involved in Formula 1 management by US media giants Liberty Global, who are planning a £6bn takeover.(Daily Mail)

McLaren's Fernando Alonso will be among the drivers testing Halo during free practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.(ESPN)

Valtteri Bottas says his team Williams need "to get everything perfect" over the remaining seven races of the season to see off Force India for fourth in the Constructors' championship. Williams hold a slender three-point advantage in fourth-place, 168 points behind Ferrari in third. (F1i.com)

Officials at Imola are taking legal action regarding government backing of the deal to keep Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.(Autosport)

Toro Rosso posted a motivational fitness tweet showing their drivers Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz working hard.

Tuesday, 6 September

Rosberg has won seven races and is only two points behind Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 title race

Nico Rosberg has asked Mercedes for medical advice before this month's Singapore Grand Prix, where the risk of catching the Zika virus - which is linked to brain deformities in new-born babies - is rated 'very high' by the Foreign Office. Rosberg, who has a one-year-old daughter, said: "As a family man now, I am very interested and am looking into it." (Daily Mail)

A later start to 2017's F1 season is being pencilled in to allow teams more time to prepare for next year's rules overhaul, with the season-opening Australian GP possibly staged on March 26, one week later than this season. (Sky Sports)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes potential new American investors could be "good news" for Formula 1 as it nears an $8.5bn takeover. (ESPN)

Ferrari has given GP2 title contender Antonio Giovinazzi his first taste of a Formula 1 simulator at its base in Maranello. (Autosport)

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene believes his team is now on the right path to return to the top of Formula 1 following its recent technical reshuffle with the departure of technical director James Allison. (Motorsport.com)

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was up early to prepare for the next two races in an attempt to add to his 70 points this season.

Monday, 5 September

Bernie Ecclestone has been at the forefront of the sport since the late 1970s, after debuting as a driver in 1949

With the sale of Formula 1 to the owner of Virgin Media, Liberty Media Corporation, set to go through for $8.5bn (£6.5bn) on Tuesday, current supremo Bernie Ecclestone, 85, says he will decide what role he takes under any new regime. (auto motor und sport - in German)

Alternatively, LMC's purchase is not yet guaranteed, with two other parties in the running to make a deal. (Autosport)

On the track, Fernando Alonso, 35, believes that "the good times are coming" for McLaren-Honda, and hopes that his team will be battling Ferrari and Red Bull for top-five finishes before the season's end. (Autosport)

Williams development driver, 17-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll, is in pole position to take retiring Felipe Massa's seat at the team next season. (Motorsport)

British Renault driver Jolyon Palmer, 25, has accused Sauber's 24-year-old Brazilian Felipe Nasr of "unfair driving", after an early crash between the two retired both of their races, saying that there's "better racing in GP2 and GP3 at the minute". (Sky Sports)

Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat will not be replaced by GP2 leader, 20-year-old Frenchman Pierre Gasly, says Red Bull boss Dr Helmut Marko. Russian Kvyat, 22, has struggled since being demoted from the senior Red Bull team in favour of 18-year-old Belgian Max Verstappen. (Autosport)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff did his best Jack Nicholson impression to prevent Nico Rosberg's plane from taking off after his Monza victory...

Hereeeeeeee's Toto!

Stoffel Vandoorne will take on his first F1 season with McLaren next year, but with Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button on-side, he has plenty of experience to draw on.

Vandoorne will replace Button next season, with the veteran Brit staying at McLaren as an ambassador