Formula 1 gossip: Hamilton, Wolff, Pirelli Friday, 7 August

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

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) 

Lewis Hamilton has shared a video on Instagram of his dog Coco learning how to swim

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

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


Mark Webber's pass on Fernando Alonso in Belgium 2011 has been voted Formula 1's best in the last five years. (Fox Sports)  
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) 
Honda has admitted it underestimated the difficulty of its return to formula one this year. (INAUTONEWS) 
The F1 teams cannot agree over where to test Pirelli's new 'super super-soft' tyre for 2016. (grandprix.com) 
Ferrari is facing penalties for using a fifth engine in 2015. (INAUTONEWS) 

Bernie Ecclestone has defended Carmen Jorda's F1 ambitions

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) 
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) 

Romain Grosjean bumped into tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at his local gym

Sauber's Marcus Ericsson believes he is not just making up the numbers in Formula 1 this year. (Autosport) 
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) 
Felipe Massa is confident the majority of tracks left on the 2015 calendar will suit Williams. (Sky Sports) 
 
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) 
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) 
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  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) 
Red Bull are confident they have regained the downforce they lost over the winter. (ESPN F1) 
Manor sporting director Graeme Lowdon is wary of the threat he expects Haas to pose next year. (Autosport)