Formula 1 gossip: Hamilton, Wolff, Pirelli

MotoGP championship leader Valentino Rossi has offered Lewis Hamilton the chance to test ride his Yamaha. (JamesAllenF1), external

Toto Wolff feels there is a calmness at Mercedes this season, with title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg acclimatised to their intra-team battle. (Autosport), external

Lewis Hamilton has spent some of his mid-season break teaching his dog Coco how to swim. (Daily Express), external

Pirelli has revealed it could introduce a fifth type of tyre next season that will be suited to street tracks. (Planet-F1), external

Mark Webber's pass on Fernando Alonso in Belgium 2011 has been voted Formula 1's best in the last five years. (Fox Sports) , external

Lewis Hamilton, 30, has been showing off his dance moves in Barbados as his sport takes a mid-season break from its 19-race calendar. He's been enjoying spending time in the company of singer Rihanna. (Mail Online), external

Honda has admitted it underestimated the difficulty of its return to formula one this year. (INAUTONEWS), external

The F1 teams cannot agree over where to test Pirelli's new 'super super-soft' tyre for 2016. (grandprix.com), external

Ferrari is facing penalties for using a fifth engine in 2015. (INAUTONEWS), external

He may be at the top of his game in Formula 1 at the moment, but Lewis Hamilton says he is keen to one day try out MotoGP and NASCAR. (Planet F1), external

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has defended Lotus development driver Carmen Jorda, saying the Spaniard "has done a good job" for the team. (Motorsport.com), external

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson believes he is not just making up the numbers in Formula 1 this year. (Autosport), external

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost says Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz have been forgiven for the mistakes they have made in the first half of this year. (ESPN), external

Felipe Massa is confident the majority of tracks left on the 2015 calendar will suit Williams. (Sky Sports), external

Gene Haas says he might not be able to attract Nico Hulkenberg, his reported number one target, when his new team enters Formula 1 next season. (Motorsport.com), external

Renault, whose contract to supply engines for Red Bull and Toro Rosso expires at the end of next season, says there will be no decision on its future in F1 until September at the earliest. (Autosport), external

World champion Lewis Hamilton has been indulging in his creative side during the summer break and showed off his eye-catching new hairstyle to his Instagram, external followers. "Barbados, we ready," he posted.

Williams have been inconsistent in recent races, but driver Valtteri Bottas says it will be a "different story" at Spa on 23 August. (PlanetF1.com), external

Red Bull are confident they have regained the downforce they lost over the winter. (ESPN F1), external

Manor sporting director Graeme Lowdon is wary of the threat he expects Haas to pose next year. (Autosport), external

Gene Haas says Jean-Eric Vergne, Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg are on a shortlist to take the two seats of his Haas F1 team for their 2016 debut. (PlanetF1.com), external

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg is struggling to explain why he cannot out-pace team-mate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying. (Crash.net), external

Valtteri Bottas believes a more "clever" Williams team will emerge following a team orders saga at the British Grand Prix. (Autosport), external

While teams begin their mandatory summer break, Honda will not be shutting down for a holiday as the factory looks to supply an upgrade for Spa. (InAutoNews.com), external

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes upcoming races at Spa and Monza will not benefit his team, with Singapore more likely to provide success. (Grand Prix Times), external

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo "figured it would be a violation towards instagram if I didn't do a food post". So he posted a picture, external of a pancake and a lemon.

It is fair to say that Lotus driver Romain Grosjean is enjoying the summer break, after posting a picture, external of a sun-drenched beach.

The future of the Italian Grand Prix could be secured by "early September" thanks to a tax-free investment for the Monza circuit. (PlanetF1.com), external

Pirelli says it is moving towards a solution which will give teams choice in tyre compounds for 2016. (ESPN F1), external

McLaren's Fernando Alonso has insisted he is still in love with F1 despite rumours he may be looking elsewhere for his motorsport fix. (Crash.net), external

But McLaren boss Ron Dennis says Alonso is frustrated by McLaren being unable to test during the F1 season to improve its competitiveness. (Motorsport.com), external

The German Grand Prix's decision to allow children up to the age of six free entry next year has delighted Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg. "Super news. Kids for free. Danke Hockenheim," the German tweeted., external

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton is spending his break pumping iron in idyllic surroundings. "Good Morning! Training with a view," tweeted, external the reigning world champion.

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen believes Sebastian Vettel remains a serious threat to Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the 2015 championship after his victory in Hungary last weekend. (NBC Sports), external

British driver Alex Lynn, 21, hopes his maiden feature race win in GP2 will land him a Formula 1 seat in 2016. (BT Sport), external

Felipe Massa is confident Williams' double non-score in the Hungarian Grand Prix will not be repeated. (Crash.net), external

Organisers say the Baku circuit layout is ready to be signed off before next year's first F1 race in Azerbaijan. The venue will be capable of hosting 19,000 seated spectators, but organisers are also considering a general admission area to increase capacity. (Motorsport.com), external

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has earmarked the Singapore Grand Prix in September as the next race where his outfit could cause an upset after their success in Hungary. (Planet F1.com), external

McLaren driver Jenson Button has some advice for aspiring F1 drivers: "Buy a football or a tennis racket. It's a lot cheaper and you stick with the same rules!" (Formula1) , external

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says that driver Daniel Ricciardo has a "watertight" contract amid speculation that the Australian could be a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari. (ESPN F1), external

Organisers of the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim will offer a three-day ticket to the 2016 race for less than 100 euros (£70) in a bid to win back fans. (Reuters), external

Formula 1 teams have lobbied Bernie Ecclestone to restore the summer break to three weekends after a provisional calendar for 2016 cut the mid-season shutdown to two weeks. (Adam Cooper F1), external

Force India driver Nico Hulkenburg is not resting on his laurels during the summer break. The German posted pictures on Twitter of himself running up steps Rocky-style, external, albeit in a more tropical-looking location than Philadelphia.

Lewis Hamilton's holiday fun continues. The world champion has posted an Instagram picture of him, external and his pals leaping into a lake.

McLaren driver Jenson Button is said to be in talks with new Top Gear presenter Chris Evans over joining the BBC programme, which re-launches in 2016. (Daily Mail), external

Fernando Alonso celebrated his 34th birthday on Wednesday and Button, external was one of those wishing the Spaniard well. "Hope you're having a good one," the 35-year-old Briton said on Twitter.

McLaren boss Eric Boullier and driver Fernando Alonso have expressed their frustration with plans to limit testing to just eight days in the 2016 Formula 1 calendar.(Sky Sports), external

Williams driver Felipe Massa says he cannot explain why his team performed so badly at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend. Massa finished 12th and team-mate Valterri Bottas 13th, having started sixth and eighth respectively. (Autosport.com), external

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says he was convinced driver Daniel Ricciardo was set for a repeat of last year's surprise victory at the year Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend. The Australian placed third despite a collision with Nico Rosberg's Mercedes that forced a pit stop. (Motorsport,com), external

Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene says the team will not be making a decision on the future of driver Kimi Raikkonen until after the summer break.(Sky Sports), external

Raikkonen, who has just four points from his last three races, believes recent results have been affected by bad luck and has stressed he still has "the speed and the passion" to compete at the highest level. (ESPN), external

Nico Hulkenberg says he is sure his Force India team will be able to identify and resolve the mechanical issues that led to two crashes at the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend. (Autosport), external

French car manufacturer Renault has dropped a firm hint it plans to end its relationship with Red Bull and buy the Lotus team, with a view to rebranding it for 2017. (Motorsport.com), external

September's Singapore Grand Prix is likely to feature closer racing and more overtaking after Formula 1's governing body approved changes to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. (Formula1.com), external

Meanwhile, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is clearly enjoying a well-earned break. "Back in my favourite place to be," he tweeted,, external accompanying the message with a photo.

Mark Webber says his relationship with former Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel has vastly improved now the Australian has left Formula 1.(Motorsport.com), external

Force India have denied compromising safety in the close fight for fifth in this year's constructors' world championship. (Inautonews via Bild), external

We are at the halfway stage of the current Formula 1 season and Lewis Hamilton was making the most of the chance to take a break. He said on his Twitter account:, external "It's officially the summer break, and the only day I can eat whatever I want so that calls for Pancakes and Bacon!", with the picture included.

Ferrari chief Maurizio Arrivabene said that Sebastian Vettel's win in Hungary at the weekend means the team have now achieved his pre-season target of two victories. (Inautonews), external

Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff believes his team needs to sort out their starts. (Wheels24), external

Lewis Hamilton laughed off his nightmare race in Hungary but Mercedes head Wolff wants answers. (Independent), external

Formula 1 needs Bernie Ecclestone in charge more than ever as it seeks to chart a way through its current difficulties, according to Red Bull team chief Christian Horner. (iafrica.com via AFP), external