Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. 
 
The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 
 
&quot;We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons,&quot; Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. 
 
&quot;Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team&#39;s success in that time.&quot; 
 
Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons.&nbsp;Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year.&nbsp;Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. 
 
The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car.&nbsp;The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose &quot;team orders&quot; on their drivers. 
 
(Reuters)

Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grands prix for the team, including five this year

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. "We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons," Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. "Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team's success in that time." Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons. Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year. Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car. The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose "team orders" on their drivers. (Reuters)

Nico Rosberg signs deal to stay at Mercedes until 2018

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan&#39;s first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday&#39;s final session before qualifying. 
 
The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. 
 
Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. 
 
Force India&#39;s Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. 
 
Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. 
 
The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg&#39;s Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian&#39;s 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. 
 
Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas&#39;s Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. 
 
Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren&#39;s Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. 
 
&quot;If they don&#39;t want to drive, they don&#39;t have to,&quot; said the 85-year-old. &quot;It&#39;s up to them. This is the circuit. If they don&#39;t like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people &#39;go and have a look and see if he&#39;s got a brake on the car&#39;. It&#39;s up to him how quick he is.&quot; 
(Reuters) 
 
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Has the fastest time on Saturday, and was fastest in both practice sessions on Friday

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan's first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday's final session before qualifying. The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian's 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas's Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren's Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. "If they don't want to drive, they don't have to," said the 85-year-old. "It's up to them. This is the circuit. If they don't like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people 'go and have a look and see if he's got a brake on the car'. It's up to him how quick he is." (Reuters)

Hamilton completes practice sweep in Baku

Formula One takes a step into the unknown this weekend with its first grand prix in Azerbaijan, but, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes the race will take him back to familiar, successful territory. 
 
A win in Baku would not only complete a hat-trick of victories for the Briton but would also see him overtake Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings for the first time this year. 
 
After winning the last two races in Monaco and Montreal, while championship leader Rosberg finished off the podium, Hamilton slashed the gap between them from 43 points to nine. 
 
If Hamilton makes it three in a row by winning a race billed as the &#39;European Grand Prix&#39;, Rosberg must finish second to avoid falling behind his rival, who has beaten him to the championship for the last two years. 
 
&quot;We need to try to keep on a roll if possible,&quot; Hamilton said after winning in Canada on Sunday for the fifth time. &quot;Onwards and upwards, hopefully.&quot; 
 
Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season as well as the last three of 2015, needs to hit back in Baku. 
 
He won last season&#39;s &#39;new&#39; race, the Mexican Grand Prix that was returning for the first time since 1992, but Hamilton had just won his third title and taken his foot off the gas. 
 
&quot;Canada unfortunately didn&#39;t work out as planned. But that&#39;s how things go when you&#39;re pushing the limits and I&#39;m not going to change my approach or start backing down,&quot; said Rosberg after making a quick getaway from Montreal. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m in this championship battle to win it, not to settle for second best.&quot; 
 
While the spotlight remains on the fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers, who have clashed on the opening lap twice in the last three races, the champions are no longer in a battle of their own. 
 
Ferrari and Red Bull have closed the performance gap and could be a real threat in Baku where the circuit has long straight and tight turns around the old city, a UNESCO world heritage site. 
 
&quot;The speed of both the Ferrari and Red Bull is pretty much where we are now,&quot; commented Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel made a lightning start in Canada and finished second. 
 
&quot;We are seeing the convergence of performance between teams that naturally comes with stable regulations, and that has made the competition tougher than ever.&quot; 
 
Formula One teams began setting up on Tuesday for a race that, despite campaigners calling for the sport to take a stance on human rights issues, has created a buzz throughout the paddock. 
 
&quot;It looks spectacular when you see what they have built up in downtown Baku, going through the old city,&quot; said Ferrari&#39;s track operations head Jock Clear. 
 
&quot;It looks a very exciting circuit. The stuff we&rsquo;ve done on simulators and the photographs we&rsquo;ve seen, it looks like it&rsquo;s going to be a great place to race. I think both drivers are really up for that kind of street circuit.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Formula One takes a step into the unknown this weekend with its first grand prix in Azerbaijan, but, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes the race will take him back to familiar, successful territory. A win in Baku would not only complete a hat-trick of victories for the Briton but would also see him overtake Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the standings for the first time this year. After winning the last two races in Monaco and Montreal, while championship leader Rosberg finished off the podium, Hamilton slashed the gap between them from 43 points to nine. If Hamilton makes it three in a row by winning a race billed as the 'European Grand Prix', Rosberg must finish second to avoid falling behind his rival, who has beaten him to the championship for the last two years. "We need to try to keep on a roll if possible," Hamilton said after winning in Canada on Sunday for the fifth time. "Onwards and upwards, hopefully." Rosberg, winner of the first four races of the season as well as the last three of 2015, needs to hit back in Baku. He won last season's 'new' race, the Mexican Grand Prix that was returning for the first time since 1992, but Hamilton had just won his third title and taken his foot off the gas. "Canada unfortunately didn't work out as planned. But that's how things go when you're pushing the limits and I'm not going to change my approach or start backing down," said Rosberg after making a quick getaway from Montreal. "I'm in this championship battle to win it, not to settle for second best." While the spotlight remains on the fierce duel between the two Mercedes drivers, who have clashed on the opening lap twice in the last three races, the champions are no longer in a battle of their own. Ferrari and Red Bull have closed the performance gap and could be a real threat in Baku where the circuit has long straight and tight turns around the old city, a UNESCO world heritage site. "The speed of both the Ferrari and Red Bull is pretty much where we are now," commented Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel made a lightning start in Canada and finished second. "We are seeing the convergence of performance between teams that naturally comes with stable regulations, and that has made the competition tougher than ever." Formula One teams began setting up on Tuesday for a race that, despite campaigners calling for the sport to take a stance on human rights issues, has created a buzz throughout the paddock. "It looks spectacular when you see what they have built up in downtown Baku, going through the old city," said Ferrari's track operations head Jock Clear. "It looks a very exciting circuit. The stuff we’ve done on simulators and the photographs we’ve seen, it looks like it’s going to be a great place to race. I think both drivers are really up for that kind of street circuit." (Reuters)

Hamilton hoping for a hat-trick in Baku

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Nico Rosberg signs deal to stay at Mercedes until 2018

Hamilton completes practice sweep in Baku

Hamilton hoping for a hat-trick in Baku