Renault Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo says rival team McLaren currently has "the kind of package that we're looking for".

The high temperatures in Austria caused some serious problems for the two Silver Arrows. The Mercedes couldn't handle the heat and for the first time in the 2019 Formula 1 season, they didn't win the race. Honda Technical Director Toyoharu Tanabe also says the heat caused problems for their engine.

Max Verstappen's sublime drive gave Honda their first win since they returned to the sport. But Tanabe confirmed the team had to work against the elements.

“We were on the edge on terms of cooling. Of course, the high temperatures forced us to save the power unit. We tried to extract as much power as we could," Tanabe told Formula 1's official website.

“I did not [expect to be competitive] like this, be so strong. From the previous races, we could see a very strong Mercedes but sometimes we could compete with Ferrari. Differently, we showed the strongest performance against them, so I’m a bit surprised.”

Mercedes has revealed the cooling problems that made its Austrian Grand Prix “painful” were a legacy of the fundamental design of its Formula 1 car being too “optimistic”.

The Williams team is looking to secure a deal to use Renault engines in 2020, according to reports in the European media.

The British-based privateer team has been using Mercedes-Benze power units since 2014. It had close links with the German manufacturer, whose team principal Toto Wolff was formerly an investor in Williams.

But the team has been struggling in recent seasons, and so far in 2019 has failed to score a single point in the first nine races of the current season.

It's a very long way since the team's nine F1 championships the last of which was 22 years ago. The last time that the team won a race was in 2012 when Pastor Maldonado won the Spanish Grand Prix.

Williams' evident lack of power during races despite running the same race-winning engine as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas appears to be down to their determination to use key components of their own construction, such as in the drivetrain and gearbox.

With the team having recently parted company with its former technical director Pat Lowe, it appears that the team is seeking a fresh new direction to help it fight its way back from a fallow few years.

Germany's AutoBild magazine has reported this week that the team is actively pursuing a change to Renault power units next year as a way of shaking things up.

Renault's factory squad is currently in fifth place in the constructors championship. But ahead of them by some margin in the standings is McLaren which also used Renault power unit.

An impressive double points finish for the team last weekend in Austria has established McLaren as the 'best of the rest' in the midfield, behind the Big Three teams at the top.

But if Williams were to switch camps, the reports suggest that McLaren might consider a move in the opposite direction and dump their current power units for the latest Mercedes technology.

McLaren and Mercedes have a long history together in the sport. The Silver Arrows were investors in McLaren for a decade and a half until returning to the series in their own right in 2010 with the takeover of Brawn GP.

At this point there appears little substance to the paddock gossip, and none of the parties involved have made any comments on the reports so far.

Which just goes to show that silly season is alive and well in the engine market just as it is with the drivers...

Toto Wolff hopes the weather at this weekend’s British Grand Prix will buy his team time to fix a weakness related to high temperatures that was evident in Austria.

The Austrian Grand Prix brought ambient temperatures exceeding 95F, which Mercedes struggled to deal with from a cooling standpoint. As a result the team had to run extremely conservatively and was unable to challenge for victory, and Wolff admitted there is no quick fix to the issue because the car’s bodywork was already opened up as much as possible.

“First of all, I’m really hoping for the typical English weather in Silverstone so we can gain a little bit of time to sort our problems out,” Wolff said. “But then there is no question — there is no alternative than to fix our problems for the coming hot European races, Hockenheim and Budapest. There is just no other option.”

The current forecast is for a relatively cool weekend in the United Kingdom, and while Ferrari had the pace to secure pole position in Austria, Wolff is confidence Silverstone’s layout will play to his team’s strengths.

“I think that the power deployment maybe isn’t as much of a differentiator through the fast corners, so I think Silverstone should be much more to our liking,” he said. “Maybe not as good as Paul Ricard, but much better than Austria.”

Austria delivered a Ferrari pole and Red Bull win, but came off the back of a dominant Mercedes performance in France, and Wolff is wary of pressing the panic button based on the past two races.

“People have criticized that there is not enough hard racing and that Mercedes were too far ahead,” he said. “I think (in Austria) that we’ve seen a different scenario, and whether they’ve closed the gap or not, let’s look at the next few races and hope the different circuit layouts with a different weather come back to our strengths.”

Pirelli have said that they believe Silverstone will be even faster than expected due to the resurfacing of the track, and have therefore brought the hardest tyre selection possible to the British Grand Prix.

It is the third time this season that F1's tyre supplier has brought the C1, 2 and 3 compounds of tyre to a race, with Bahrain and Spain being the other two.

Pirelli's head of car and F1 racing, Mario Isola, said: “The new asphalt has only been laid very recently, so it’s going to be interesting to see what the effect of this will be in competition.

"It could make a circuit that is already fast even faster. We’re nominating effectively the same compound selection as we did last year, which should be well-suited to cornering demands that are among the highest of the year, along with places like Spa and Suzuka.

"With the new asphalt and famously variable British weather, there will definitely be a few unknowns heading into this year’s Silverstone race. This makes the exercise of data-gathering in free practice even more important than usual, in order to come up with the best strategy”.

Daniel Ricciardo has stated that he ‘wouldn’t be involved’ ifSebastian Vettel made the decision to retire from Ferrari and Formula 1 amid the speculation that the German could walk away.

For quite a few years Ricciardo to Ferrari has been rumoured here and there but the Australian has shut down any suggestion that it could happen for the 2020 F1 season.

There were suggestions of Vettel walking away from F1 at the end of this year and claims that Ferrari had been searching for a replacement followed, looking at Mercedes Valtteri Bottasand Ricciardo.

Ricciardo made the decision to move to Renault for the start of this season mid-way through last year, leaving Red Bull after five years.

Ricciardo told Auto Week: "To be honest, I've been seeing articles like for the last three or four years consecutively.

"So it's not new to me now. I have my contract, it's a hard contract until the end of 2020, it was a two-year deal.

"So if Seb did walk away this year, then that's his decision, but I wouldn't be involved in that."

In his first season at Renault the Australian has struggled to find his feet early on but is looking to have hit some form over the past few races, bar Austria.

"There's a lot a lot of stuff to take care of this year still," he added.

"I think Austria took a little bit of wind out of our sails, because we had quite good momentum through Monaco, Canada and France.

"Then we obviously didn't feel like we performed as well as we should have in Austria.

"I've been on the phone a little bit to the engineers this week and trying to figure it out. So Silverstone should be better. I think we've understood a little bit."

Dr. Helmut Marko has revealed former Formula 1 driverFernando Alonso has approached Red Bull Racing to enquire about a potential seat for the 2020 season.

Alonso and Red Bull have been linked with each other numerous times in the past, but there has always been a disagreement with at least one of the parties before a deal could be concluded.

Red Bull revealed they offered Alonso a 2008 seat after his departure from McLaren, but the Spaniard went onto sign for Renault. Marko later revealed that Alonso's wage demands were the decisive factor.

Marko has told Motorsport.com that Alonso's representatives have contacted Red Bull over their client's availability for next season, having spent just one season out of Formula 1.

"Alonso's representatives have let us know that he is available," Marko said. "But for Honda, Alonso is something impossible."

What Marko is talking about of course, is Alonso's previous history with Honda as his engine manufacturer. The Japanese team returned to F1 in 2015 and partnered with McLaren, and Alonso also went back to his old team.

Alonso was often very critical of the package Honda were able to produce and give to the British team.

It’s quite unusual for Formula 1 teams to make driver line-up announcements this early in the year. So why have McLaren chosen now to confirm Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris in 2020?

This has been a cracking season for McLaren so far, the iconic British team sitting fourth in the constructors’ championship and doing so based on pure performance, rather than good fortune. It would be fair to say that that kind of form, given their speed last year, has shocked most, if not all, of the paddock.

As is typical in Formula 1, their performance is down to a combination of things, from a restructure of the organisation that has seen Andreas Seidl drafted in as Team Principal and James Key as Technical Director, to a development curve that has steadily risen, rather than stuttering. The team have operationally been very tight and the drivers have been nothing short of sensational.

That last item is quite impressive given Sainz and Norris form McLaren’s youngest ever line-up. Sure, Sainz has raced for Toro Rosso and Renault, but he’s never before been the most experienced driver in a team and the one they rely on for feedback, while Norris may have embedded himself in the team before his debut but he is nonetheless still a rookie.

Sainz thoroughly deserves his seventh place in the drivers’ championship, the best of the rest outside the top three teams while Norris has started fifth in each of the last two races and would have a higher points tally had it not been for unreliability beyond his control.

Both had multi-year contracts, so were expected to stay on for next year. But Norris had to pass what you could call probation, in order for a clause to be activated that would confirm a second year. He did that with ease, and ahead of schedule, with McLaren wasting no time in signing him up.

Sainz knew when he started that he would be at the team for at least two seasons, the Spaniard eloquently talking about how that kind of commitment from McLaren, after years of one-year deals, gave him an immense amount of confidence. And he has rewarded that faith with his results this year. Confirming him alongside Norris is just a reaffirmation of their support for him.

And it’s the confidence that both Sainz and Norris are currently enjoying that McLaren are strengthening by doing this deal now, early in the season, so they can both focus on continuing their immense run of form, rather than allowing silly season to threaten to derail them. It’s a public show of support. They back their drivers. They don’t want anyone else. And they don’t want anyone else to take them.

Norris, of course, has been on Red Bull’s radar when they were looking to find a driver for Toro Rosso in 2017 – and his performances so far his year will no doubt have had a few other teams interested. Sainz, meanwhile, having been overlooked by Red Bull in favour of Gasly, is marking himself out as a driver that can deliver the maximum from a package – an F1 team’s dream.

With Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all weighing up their options for 2020, with at least one seat free at each team, McLaren locking down their line-up will prevent any rivals sweeping in.

It also closes the door to Fernando Alonso, who has been lurking in the shadows since leaving F1 at the end of the year. The double world champion stayed on as an ambassador, and even tested the car earlier this season, leading to speculation he might look to manoeuvre his way back to McLaren in 2020, particularly given their upturn in performance this year. That door is now closed, at least with McLaren.

Ultimately, McLaren have no reason to change. Not only are their drivers delivering on track, but they get well on off it, playing football at race weekends and FIFA in their downtime. The healthy dynamic between the two is clear to see. We’ve seen all too often how fractious team mate rivalries can destroy a team while harmonious ones can make one. McLaren may as well enjoy their current situation while it lasts.

There will no doubt be a hope that this announcement will give some stability to the team, allowing them to focus on clawing their way back to the front. They’ve still got a big job ahead of them, of that there is no doubt, but they are going about it in the right way and have moulded a great foundation to build on.

It is the circuit that played host to the very first World Championship Grand Prix in 1950 and now Formula 1 is delighted to announce that Silverstone will continue as the British Grand Prix venue until at least the end of 2024.

A five-year agreement between Formula 1, the British Racing Drivers’ Club and Silverstone Circuit was signed yesterday in London, ahead of this weekend’s Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix 2019.

“We are really pleased to confirm that the British Grand Prix will stay on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship calendar for at least the next five years, with the event remaining at its longstanding home, Silverstone circuit,” said Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, Formula 1.

“We have always said that, if it is to have a long-term future, our sport must preserve its historic venues and Silverstone and Great Britain represent the cradle of this sport, its starting point back in 1950. Today, Formula 1 is a global sport, held on five continents, watched by an audience of over 500 million fans around the world and our aim is to grow this number by bringing the sport we love to new countries, while also maintaining its roots: Silverstone and the British Grand Prix are an integral part of that vision.”

Great Britain has played a vital role in the sport’s history and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Seven of the ten teams competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship are based in the UK, with motorsport being an important economic and technological contributor to the country.

British drivers have claimed more wins and world championships than any other nation, and this year Great Britain also has the largest number of drivers on the grid, with five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton joined by talented rookies Lando Norris and George Russell.

“Silverstone is one of the most iconic Grands Prix on the F1 calendar and with such a rich heritage it would have been disastrous for the sport and fans had we not managed to find a way forward,” said John Grant, Chairman of the BRDC.

“2020 will be the 70th anniversary of the first round of the World Championship which took place at Silverstone on 13th May 1950 and will make next year’s event all the more special. This is great news for the BRDC, Silverstone and Formula 1 - and for millions of British motor racing fans.”

Silverstone is often amongst the most exciting events of the year and draws a massive crowd, with over 680,000 attending over the past two years alone. Once again this year, the British Grand Prix is shaping up to be one of the key sports events in the UK, with the F1 action supported by the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Championships, and a whole host of other attractions for race goers, such as the 'Bond in Motion' exhibition.

“The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is rightly recognised as one of the highlights of both the F1 championship and the annual British sporting calendar," said Stuart Pringle, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited.

“This is thanks to our track being one of the greatest drivers’ circuits in the world but also the enormous passion for motor racing that exists in the loyal and knowledgeable fans that we have in this country. The prospect of not hosting a Grand Prix at Silverstone would have been devastating for everyone in the sport and I am delighted that we are here today, on the eve of what is sure to be a fantastic event, making this positive announcement about the future.”

.... UPDATE 2:26 pm EST: William Storey, Rich Energy’s CEO, responded to an email we sent asking if he could clarify what was going on. We’ll just let his response speak for itself:

Okay.

Williams has emerged in Silverstone with a new bargeboard package, as it seeks to reinvigorate a difficult Formula 1 season at its home grand prix.

Williams is closing in on a deal to extend its engine supply deal with Mercedes beyond the end of next year, deputy team principal Claire Williams has revealed.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams has rubbished talk of tension with Robert Kubica and dismissed rumours that he may not see out the season.

As well as Williams facing competitive struggles, which prompted the departure of technical chief Paddy Lowe, Kubica has struggled to match the impressive pace of teammate George Russell.

The disparity of performance helped fuel wild rumours that the two drivers were not getting equal equipment, and there has been more recent speculation that Kubica could be dropped after the summer break with Mercedes reserve Esteban Ocon being slotted in.

But speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, Williams said that while Kubica was 'frustrated' with what has happened this season, talk of any change in the driver line-up was wide of the mark.

She was also clear that, while the team had begun to think about what happen with its drivers in 2020, no decision had yet been made about what it will do.

"I find this speculation quite frustrating, because unless you actually know on the inside you don't know what is going on," said Williams about recent Kubica rumours.

"Our relationship with Robert is as strong as it was.

"He is getting his head down, doing what he needs to do and we're trying to do everything that we can to give him a better car so that he can perform at the level that he wants to.

"As far as I am concerned there are no frustrations certainly from our side.

"I am sure he has a level of frustration because he doesn't have the equipment that he would like at the moment.

"But we're only half way through the season, so it's a little early for us to start thinking about 2020 and a driver line-up for next year.

"Saying that, we have started to think about it, but we're in no position to be making any final decisions yet.

"And that probably won't come until the third quarter of this year. But there is no thought about replacing Robert at all during this season. Absolutely not."

Williams also said that ongoing suspicions that Russell's form was being helped by him getting better equipment were "crazy".

"There is absolutely no difference between George and Robert's cars," she added.

"We don't have the budget to create two different types of race cars, so this speculation is just crazy.

"We do everything to make sure that both George and Robert have the same equipment and the same test items as every weekend, so that we can to give them the best opportunity for Saturday and Sunday."