Gossip: Hamilton, Bottas, Mercedes, Rosberg, Newey, Liberty Media – BBC Sport

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton<!–

Lewis Hamilton (right) finished five points behind world champion Nico Rosberg last season

Wednesday, 18 January

US media conglomerate Liberty Media says its shareholders have voted to approve the buyout and takeover of Formula One. (NBC Sports)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton will get a “run for his money” from new team-mate Valtteri Bottas. (Daily Express)

World champion Nico Rosberg says Bottas and Mercedes are a good fit, and believes the Finn can push Hamilton. (Planet F1)

Red Bull’s Adrian Newey believes Mercedes will start 2017 as favourites for the F1 titles once again, despite the new rules being introduced.(Sky Sports)

Tuesday, 17 January

New Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas says his mind is firmly set on winning the World Championship. (F1 today)

Bottas’ move to Mercedes leaves an “emotional hole” at Williams, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams. (Autosport)

Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz claims Nico Rosberg’s retirement encouraged Mercedes to initiate discussions with Red Bull over the availability of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. (Speedweek, via F1i.com)

The FIA simulated Fernando Alonso’s crash at the Australian Grand Prix, but with the Halo cockpit device attached to his McLaren, as part of a research project. (Planet F1)

Monday, 16 January

McLaren will be revealing their 2017 car on Friday, 24 February – the same day as Ferrari. (Daily Mail)

Nico Rosberg’s retirement will hurt Mercedes for years, says former F1 driver Martin Brundle, who is now a pundit. (Daily Express)

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg says he never considered putting his name forward to fill the Mercedes seat vacated by Rosberg. (ESPN)

McLaren executive director Zak Brown says the team will continue using ‘MP4’ as part of their Formula 1 car name, despite the departure of chairman Ron Dennis. (NBC)

Every F1 circuit will be upgraded to accommodate this year’s faster cars. (Fox Sports)

Renault will introduce a second-generation energy recovery system in light of the new regulations. (F1 Today)

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes modern F1 drivers lack respect for their rivals. (Eurosport)

Lewis Hamilton has returned to London after his travels. (Instagram)