F1 Gossip: Mick Schumacher ‘needs time’ to be F1 great

– Sebastian Vettel has backed new Ferrari junior Mick Schumacher to be an F1 star of the future, though he has urged people to “give him time” (Sky Sports)

– The rebranded Racing Point F1 squad is set to announce a major new sponsorship deal with online sports betting company SportPesa for 2019 (RaceFans)

– McLaren says its iconic papaya orange colour scheme will feature once more on its 2019 F1 car – the MCL34 – to build on the “equity of the brand colours which have been synonymous with success across Formula 1, Indy 500 and the Can-Am series” (McLaren F1) 

– Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche has written an open letter to the British people about the ongoing Brexit situation (The Times)

– Kevin Magnussen has won ‘Racing Driver of the Year’ at The Danish Motorsport Awards for the third successive year. (Haas F1, Twitter)

– Valtteri Bottas has been getting his first taste of World Rally machinery ahead of his competitive debut at this weekend’s Arctic Lapland Rally. (Twitter) 

– FRIDAY’S GOSSIP: RICCIARDO EXPLAINS WHY HE LEFT RED BULL
– SCHUMACHER CONFIRMED AT FERRARI F1 DRIVER ACADEMY
– WHY LECLERC WILL MAKE OR BREAK VETTEL’s F1 TENURE

This young Finnish #F1 star, @ValtteriBottas really has a steep learning curve in rallying! First tests with a proper #WRC and it goes very well! I enjoy co-driving him #ArcticLaplandRally @MSportLtd @RalliSM @OfficialWRC #flyingfinn pic.twitter.com/fEdVBvA02N

— Timo Rautiainen (@RautiainenTimo) January 21, 2019