Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: McLaren-Honda Livery, Nico Hulkenberg, More

After entering their new era with the same old colours, it seems as though McLaren are ready to succumb to public opinion and change their 2015 livery.

But which colours will the Honda-powered MP4-30 adopt from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix?

An initial report suggested the new paint job won't be a significant departure from the current one, but McLaren have produced what seems like a cryptic clue, featuring a livery which could provide a nod to the team's illustrious past and doubtlessly please the masses.

Nico Hulkenberg, fresh from his first taste of endurance racing, could also be making a change in the near future. 

The German finished a credible sixth in his first event for Porsche at Spa last weekend, and having endured a difficult start to the season with Force India, Hulkenberg has admitted he could soon leave F1 behind and race full-time in the World Endurance Championship.

Nico Rosberg, meanwhile, has received a vote of confidence from his Mercedes boss after an underwhelming start to his campaign.

The 2014 championship runner-up has been beaten by team-mate Lewis Hamilton in every competitive session in 2015 thus far, but Toto Wolff believes his drivers are separated by a small margin and has backed Rosberg to produce a strong challenge this year.

Another driver who has benefited from Wolff's support throughout his career is Valtteri Bottas, who was a colleague of the Austrian's at Williams.

Wolff fled for bigger and better things at the beginning of 2013 and it appears as though Bottas could follow in his footsteps within the next two seasons, with Ferrari expressing an interest in signing a driver of the Finn's calibre.

Closing this week's roundup is Pastor Maldonado, who has discussed the effect his Spanish GP win had on his career three years on from his maiden F1 victory.

McLaren-Honda are reportedly planning to sport a new livery in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, but those longing for a return of the classic red-and-white colour scheme of years gone by are set to be left disappointed.

When the MP4-30, the first Honda-powered McLaren car for 23 years, was launched in January, the team were widely criticised for deciding against bringing back the livery made famous by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the 1980s and '90s, instead opting to retain the silver, black and red colours of recent times.

However, F1 journalist Adam Cooper reports the livery will change in time for this weekend's race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but any alterations are set to be relatively minor.

"It’s understood that the new version could be described as ‘shades of grey,’ with no chrome or silver, and that the change does not signal the arrival of a new sponsor," Cooper claims, via his personal blog.

There seemed to be another twist in the tale on Monday, however, when McLaren, along with TAG Heuer, tweeted a film poster featuring an image of Senna as well as current drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso under the title of A Legend Returns, which is due to be "released" on Thursday.

Could the new livery be red and white after all? Are TAG Heuer, a long-term sponsor of McLaren, behind a push to revive the iconic paint job?

Will the colour scheme—whatever it may be—be unveiled in a short video, akin to the Back to the Future spoof clip produced by McLaren in pre-season? Or will the team stage a photo-call outside their garage to showcase the new-look car?

It's uncertain exactly what McLaren are planning, but it's increasingly obvious that the team have something up their sleeve for the Spanish GP weekend.

After making his World Endurance Championship debut last weekend, Nico Hulkenberg has admitted he could switch to endurance racing on a full-time basis.

Last November, it was announced that the Force India driver would be combining his Formula One commitments with a role in Porsche's LMP1 program in 2015, which includes the historic Le Mans 24 Hours event.

In preparation for his Le Mans bow, Hulkenberg took to the wheel of the 919 Hybrid car in a six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps last Saturday, finishing sixth alongside co-drivers Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.

The German probably took more enjoyment from those six hours than he has from the opening four grands prix of the new F1 season, in which Hulkenberg and team-mate Sergio Perez have scored just 11 points between them as Force India await the arrival of their B-spec car.

With deputy team principal Bob Fernley telling Sky Sports' James Galloway that Force India are struggling financially, Hulkenberg's position could come under threat if the Silverstone-based outfit are forced to hunt for a pay driver to provide extra funding.

And Hulkenberg says his relationship with Porsche could expand if he is bitten by the endurance bug, telling Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper:

"To be honest I'll do this race (Spa) and I'll do Le Mans and then after that I'll assess how much I like it.

"If there's a future or not here or in F1...I think my future is completely open, and it's too early to say at this time of year."

The 27-year-old added that he doesn't expect to have any problems readjusting to an F1 cockpit at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, telling the same source: "I think I have the F1 feeling inside my body. You take the different software from the drawer in my desk and install that again in my brain!"

Lewis Hamilton may already have a 27-point lead over Nico Rosberg in the championship, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists his drivers are more closely matched than first meets the eye.

Hamilton, after winning his second world title last season, has been the standout performer of 2015 thus far, securing pole position in every race and winning all but one grand prix.

Rosberg, in stark contrast, has been unable to maintain the level of performance he showed for much of 2014, when he took the championship battle to the last race, racing in Hamilton's shadow and fighting the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen for the remaining podium positions.

Hamilton's current points advantage is so comfortable that even if he were to retire from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and Rosberg claimed the win, the two-time world champion would still be in the lead of the drivers' standings ahead of the Monaco GP.

Although the results would suggest there is a significant gulf between the pair, Wolff is adamant that is not the case when it comes to outright performance, referring to the qualifying session for the Chinese GP—where Hamilton and Rosberg were separated by just 0.042 seconds, according to the official F1 website—as evidence.

Wolff told Autosport's Ian Parkes:

That is not someone who is clearly beaten.

That is a tiny little edge which was enough for Lewis to make it on pole and control the race.

It could have been completely different if Nico had been on pole.

Nico wouldn't be in Formula 1 as a multiple race winner and a challenger for the championship if he allowed himself to be destabilised after a few races.

I fully expect him to come bouncing back. I don't know when it will happen, but he's always going to be there, no doubt.

Rosberg has a decent record in Spain, claiming pole position for the 2013 event, although Hamilton took a pole-to-flag win in last year's race.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has dropped the biggest hint yet that Valtteri Bottas is on his radar, refusing to deny his interest in signing the Williams driver.

Since making his Formula One debut two years ago, Bottas has emerged as a star of the future, dragging the uncompetitive FW35 to third on the grid at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix, securing six podium finishes last season and performing strongly alongside team-mate Felipe Massa, who came within a point of the 2008 title.

Bottas, who has strong links to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, was thought to be a prime candidate to join the Silver Arrows when either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg move on, but a seat at Ferrari now seems like a more realistic possibility. 

After Kimi Raikkonen secured his first podium finish in 18 months in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Arrivabene told ESPN's Lawrence Edmondson that the Finnish driver is worthy of a contract extension for 2016.

With Raikkonen set to turn 37 toward the end of next season, however, Ferrari must plan for the future, and it seems the team have identified Bottas as the 2007 world champion's eventual replacement.

Arrivabene, when asked whether Bottas has a pre-contract agreement to join Ferrari for the 2017 campaign, told Bild (h/t Motorsport.com): "I promised in the pre-season that I would never lie to you (the media), but for this question it is too early to give a precise answer."

Although Arrivabene refused to admit his interest in Bottas, the Italian did explain that he would prefer an emerging talent—rather than an established world champion—to partner Sebastian Vettel, telling the same source: "Why do I need Lewis Hamilton when I have a heavyweight like Vettel?"

"I would rather look around for a young, talented driver to unite with Sebastian."

When asked if he fancied his chances of replacing Raikkonen, Bottas—whose relationship with Williams stretches back to 2010—told the official F1 website in pre-season: "All I know is that I want to be in the quickest car available."

If a Mercedes is unavailable, and Williams continue to struggle to match their 2014 performances, it seems a switch to Ferrari is the logical next step in the Finn's career.

This weekend's Spanish Grand Prix marks three years since Pastor Maldonado claimed his solitary Formula One victory, but it seems like a lifetime ago.

Since that afternoon, when the then-Williams driver inherited pole position from Lewis Hamilton and then beat the might of Ferrari and Fernando Alonso in a straight fight, the Venezuelan has scored points on just five occasions as his career has gone downhill.

Maldonado joined Lotus for 2014 in the hope of a change of fortune but finished in the top 10 once last season, and after the opening four races of 2015, he remains one of five drivers yet to score a point in 2015.

The 30-year-old, who has a reputation for making mistakes, has made contact with other cars in each grand prix this season, retiring at the first corner in Australia, clashing with Valtteri Bottas in Malaysia, colliding with Jenson Button in China—a race where he missed the pit-entry—and touching Max Verstappen in Bahrain.

As he prepares to return to the scene of his greatest—or rather, his only—triumph, Maldonado believes the events of the 2012 Spanish GP weekend serve as a reminder to never admit defeat.

According to Crash.net, he said:

That weekend, after being 17th in first practice, shows why you must never give up in F1. It gave me more confidence because my first year in F1 had been difficult but, as soon as the car was competitive I was up there, fighting with the top drivers. My mentality changed and this now drives me forward when times are tough.

Although Maldonado is unlikely to repeat his 2012 exploits this weekend, the Venezuelan should be more than capable of registering his first points since last season's United States Grand Prix, with Lotus performing strongly at the Barcelona track in recent seasons.

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