Lando Norris, following the announcement of his new contract on Wednesday:

“There were opportunities that I think we knew would be coming up in the future with various teams.

“This is a very strong message to put out [about] the faith we have in each other and how strongly I believe McLaren can recover still and get to the front in the next few years, even with those opportunities that could arise in one year, two years, three years’ time.

“There were little chats here and there but that’s all and nothing went far, As soon as something came up, that’s when I would then continue going to Andreas and have a little conversation about what our future holds and so on.

“There were little things, no point lying about it, there were little things here and there with other teams, but nothing that went far at all.”

Formula One has announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until 2036.

The contract extension is the longest of F1 owners’ Liberty Media’s five-year reign.

The Sakhir circuit joined the schedule in 2004 during Bernie Ecclestone’s rule, becoming the first F1 race in the Middle East.

The race was cancelled in 2011 amid civil unrest in the country but has been an ever-present on the calendar since.

For the second consecutive season, Bahrain will stage the first race of a record-breaking 23-round campaign, with Max Verstappen opening his championship defence in the Gulf Kingdom on March 20.

It’s a big day for McLaren, ahead of what they hope is another significant season for the team.

Under Zak Brown and Andreas Seidl, McLaren have made important steps forward in recent seasons and although they ultimately lose out to Ferrari in the battle for third last year, it was another campaign of progress.

Lando Norris secured four podium finishes, as well as his first pole position, while Daniel Ricciardo ended the team’s long wait for a Grand Prix win with victory in Monza.

It was McLaren’s first race win in 170 attempts, and Norris’ second-placed finish also ensured they were the only team to secure a one-two last season.

Ultimately though, McLaren want to return to championship contention. That was the big statement from Seidl as they announced Norris’ new contract this week.

Red Bull have confirmed software giant Oracle as their new title sponsor as they revealed their car for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

The new deal, announced to coincide with the launch of Red Bull’s 2022 car on Wednesday with which Max Verstappen hopes to defend his title, will see the team renamed Oracle Red Bull Racing.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit will also make greater use of Oracle’s cloud infrastructure to hone race strategy and engine development, including work on the team’s new 2026 power units, and help Red Bull drive greater fan engagement.

It will involve applying artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to groom its junior drivers and the setting up of gaming partnership Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, the team said in a statement.

Oracle’s scaled up partnership with Red Bull further boosts the profile of American companies in Formula One, which was acquired by U.S.-based Liberty Media in 2017.

Formula One staff must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 under new FIA rules.

The policy drawn up by the sport’s governing body will be written into the regulations for the new season and will apply to all drivers, teams, media and hospitality guests.

It is expected that no exemptions will be granted.

The sport hopes the rule will avoid a repeat of the Novak Djokovic fiasco which overshadowed the build-up to this month’s Australian Open.

All of the grid’s current drivers are understood to be vaccinated.

Lewis Hamilton will find it difficult to continue in Formula One if his Mercedes car is not competitive next season, according to two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.

Hamilton’s future in the sport remains in doubt following the controversial end to last season which saw the 37-year-old miss out on a record-breaking eighth world championship to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the year.

Mercedes will will unveil their new car next week ahead of the first round of pre-season testing.

It comes as Formula One prepares for the biggest overhaul in regulations since 2014 in an attempt to increase overtaking opportunities and reduce the gaps between the teams.

And Hakkinen believes there remains a lot of “question marks” surrounding Hamilton’s future in the sport, and the competitiveness of his car next season could be a factor in his decision.

The FIA must look to establish more “consistency” in race direction, Red Bull have urged ahead of the report on the events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The organisation are investigating the processes that saw Michael Masi controversially intervene in the final laps of the race at the Yas Marina Circuit, allowing Max Verstappen to launch a late overtake and take both race and world title victory from Lewis Hamilton.

The findings are expected to be presented at the Formula 1 Commission meeting on 14 February, and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley believe that these must provide some clarity, and be respected by teams.

George Russell’s race pace has been questioned by influential Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko as the British driver prepares for his first season at Mercedes.

The 23-year-old has joined the German team from Williams ahead of the 2022 season, replacing Valtteri Bottas.

Russell is yet to take a Grand Prix win, and has just one podium in Formula 1.

Marko, head of Red Bull’s driver development program, challenged Russell to live up to the confidence shown in him by Mercedes.

“Let’s see what Mr Russell will do at Mercedes and whether the praise he has received in advance is justified,” remarked Marko to Austrian outlet Autorevue. “I want to see that first.

“There’s no discussion in qualifying, he’s sensational there but if you look at his race speed, he wasn’t far ahead of [then Williams team-mate Nicholas] Latifi.”

Max Verstappen “doesn’t do bull***” and is “very direct” with his teammates, former Red Bull driver Alex Albon has revealed.

Verstappen and Albon raced together across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, before he was replaced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull last year.

The Dutchman went on to win his maiden Formula One world title last season and the 24-year-old will look to defend his championship alongside Perez this campaign.

Albon will be returning to Formula One this year after taking up a seat at Williams, and has lifted the lid on what it is like to work alongside the Red Bull driver.

“He’s very honest, Max doesn’t do bull****,” Albon told Formula One magazine of Verstappen. “He’s very direct. You could say that he is really Dutch!”

The FIA has said that it is aware of radio transmissions that appear to evidence suggestions that Michael Masi was influenced by Red Bull over race radio during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Race director Masi’s role in the season-ending race at Yas Marina Circuit has been heavily criticised since Max Verstappen was afforded the opportunity to pass title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in the United Arab Emirates.

Masi allowed lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to unlap themselves before allowing racing to restart, clearing the way for the Red Bull driver to pass the seven-time world champion on fresher tyres and claim his first world title.

The events are being investigated by the FIA, with a report due to be released ahead of the start of the 2022 season in Bahrain in March.

In audio from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is heard giving Masi apparent advice on the process of restarting the race.

In a statement given to the BBC, the FIA said: “We are aware of [the messages] and it is part of the investigation.”