Lewis Hamilton rebuffed suggestions the 2023 season will be his final year in Formula One and is adamant he will be at Mercedes next season.

The seven-time champion is in the final year of his contract with the team, who are expected to be off the pace of rivals Red Bull in the hunt for the championship.

Speculation that Hamilton will walk away from the sport has persisted ever since a controversial conclusion to the 2021 season, when Max Verstappen pipped him to the title in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton returned to the grid for 2022, although Mercedes struggled and lost their constructors' championship crown to Red Bull, and is set for a 17th season in F1 in 2023.

The Brit is not set for a swansong, as he hit back at claims from former F1 drivers Jenson Button and Damon Hill that he will retire following the campaign.

"It is ultimately people creating rumours without facts, and it is never helpful. You would have thought that they [Hill and Button] would both know me by now," he told reporters ahead of the opening race of the season in Bahrain.

"I have been with Mercedes since I was 13, and last year we had a difficult year, but I am still here, and whether or not we have a difficult year this year, I will still be here.

"I am a fighter, and we fight as a team. I love the challenge of finding solutions and I still believe I am able to put the car in places that perhaps others are not able to. I love that challenge.

"Of course, I wish we started the season with a great car, but it is the journey that really counts."

Negotiations over a new contract for Hamilton are continuing, with the 38-year-old confident an agreement will be reached.

"There is no hold-up with our contract. I have always been very, very relaxed and I don't feel like I have to get it done right this second. I am in a very fortunate position," he added.

"It will get done when we are ready. I have a great relationship with Toto and with Mercedes and we fully support each other.

"I am really excited about the future together and really proud of the work we are doing, on and off the track and the potential of new things that we can do moving forward.

"We will get there, unless something catastrophic happens between me and Toto [team principal Wolff] and we get in the [boxing] ring, but other than that we are good."

Lance Stroll has been passed fit to race at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix after recovering from a wrist injury that threatened to derail Aston Martin's plans for the season opener.

Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich was put on standby after Stroll hurt his wrist in a freak cycling accident and had to miss pre-season testing.

There had even been speculation of a Sebastian Vettel comeback, after team principal Mike Krack initially refused to rule out the possibility of the German coming out of retirement.

However, that idea was knocked on the head eventually, and now Drugovich can stand down, too, with Canadian Stroll cleared to take part after undergoing surgery.

The team announced Stroll's involvement in a statement on their website, with the 24-year-old driver saying: "It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the pre-season test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running. However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I felt it was best to focus on recovery so that I would be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.

"It was an unfortunate accident – I fell from my bike when my tyre caught a hole in the ground – but thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly. Since then, I've been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.

"Now I'm ready to get my head down and concentrate on racing this weekend – something I'm really looking forward to."

Stroll will be entering his seventh season in Formula One and hoping for a first top-10 finish in the drivers' championship. He finished 15th overall last year, three places behind then team-mate Vettel.

Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso will be Stroll's team-mate in the new campaign, having switched from Alpine.

Formula One returns this weekend with Red Bull clearly the team to beat after a dominant 2022 season.

Max Verstappen won his second straight drivers' championship but in far more comfortable fashion than the previous year when the most dramatic of finales saw Lewis Hamilton pipped.

And unlike in 2021, it was a double celebration for Red Bull as the team also took the constructors' title after a run of Mercedes triumphs.

But Red Bull's commanding campaign did not start as strongly as it finished, and hope of a repeat will encourage the chasing pack at this week's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Red Bull pair Verstappen and Sergio Perez were both forced to retire at this event a year ago, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc controlled proceedings with pole position, the fastest lap and a race win.

Unfortunately for the Scuderia, it was not a sign of things to come.

Verstappen was back on the top step of the podium at the next race and soon disappeared into the distance.

That initial result was nothing out of the ordinary as Red Bull have only once won the first race in the calendar, back in 2011 when they took the first two.

Those slow starts clearly do not hamper Red Bull across the rest of the season, although they will hope to avoid a similar early setback this time and have both Verstappen and Perez off to a fast start.

Charles the chief threat

If Red Bull are to be beaten again this week, last year's victor Leclerc appears the man most likely to profit. In the past six races in Bahrain, he is the only man to secure pole twice. A third would make this his favourite event.

Meanwhile, podiums for both Leclerc and team-mate Carlos Sainz would make Ferrari the first team to tally 800 in F1.

But Leclerc has been guarded on the merits of his SF-23 car, telling F1's Beyond the Grid podcast: "Sometimes I've had a car that feels good, and until you see the lap time, you're like, 'okay, this feels pretty good'. And then you have a very bad surprise watching the lap time. Sometimes it is the other way."

All eyes on Lewis

The driver of most interest this weekend might be the man who finished the season sixth last year. Lewis Hamilton vanished from contention, and while Mercedes' issues were the key factor, he also trailed new team-mate George Russell.

At the very least, Hamilton will expect to fight back and beat Russell this year.

Only in Abu Dhabi (10 points) and Great Britain (zero points) has Russell won fewer points than his 12 in four editions of the Bahrain GP, so the opportunity is there for Hamilton to forge an early lead.

Red Bull will not be selling its second Formula One team AlphaTauri, team principal Franz Tost confirmed.

Reports Germany over the weekend suggested Red Bull's senior management was considering the sale of the team or a relocation from their current base in Faenza, Italy to Milton Keynes, England.

However, a sale has been ruled out in a statement issued by Tost on Wednesday.

"I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff [Red Bull's CEO of corporate projects and new investments], who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future," he said.

"All these rumours have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year."

Red Bull has owned AlphaTauri – previously known as Toro Rosso – since 2006 and serves as a steppingstone to the senior team for younger drivers.

Speculation of changes across the F1 grid are ever present, with Audi set to take over naming rights of Sauber next season before becoming an official factory team in 2026.

Porsche are also looking to join their sister company the same year, while American motorsport giants Andretti have confirmed their desire to enter F1.

Aston Martin closed the door on a Sebastian Vettel comeback by revealing Felipe Drugovich is the driver they have put on standby for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Formula 2 champion Drugovich will step up from his role as a reserve driver if Lance Stroll is unfit to take part in the March 3-5 race weekend. Stroll sustained a wrist injury while cycling, causing him to miss pre-season testing.

Team principal Mike Krack initially refused to rule out the possibility of Vettel returning to the cockpit, despite the German great retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

Vettel, who won four world titles and enjoyed a 16-season Formula One career, has stayed in touch with Krack since hanging up his racing helmet.

Krack declined to say whether Vettel had expressed an interest in a possible one-off return, which would have seen him team up with fellow former world champion Fernando Alonso.

Yet confirmation the 35-year-old would not be involved came on Sunday, with 22-year-old Brazilian Drugovich in line for a possible F1 race debut.

In a statement on Twitter, Aston Martin said: "The team will continue to give Lance every chance to race, pending recovery from his injury. Should he not be fit to compete, then Felipe will drive the AMR23 alongside Fernando."

Aston Martin chief Mike Krack refused to rule out the possibility of Sebastian Vettel coming out of retirement for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season after winning four world championships over a 15-year Formula One career.

But after Lance Stroll sustained a wrist injury while cycling, causing him to miss pre-season testing, there are rumours of Vettel stepping in to deputise at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix next week.

While team principal Krack said "plan A" was for Stroll to be fit enough to drive at next weekend's race, he did not close the door to Vettel making a shock return.

"Plan B we will speak about next week," Krack said. "I have had a couple of phone calls with Sebastian but this was also [the case] last year and will continue in the future.

"First our plan is to have Lance in the car and then we continue to see. You can ask me five times; we have not made a final decision."

Asked whether Vettel had shown an interest in returning, Krack stated: "I will not tell you.

"Don't forget one thing – he had a very thorough plan in mind for his retirement and this is something you have to respect.

"Let's see what happens."

Lewis Hamilton will be eager to put pressure on Mercedes team-mate George Russell and the rest of the grid as soon as the 2023 Formula One season begins.

That is the view of Hamilton's former team-mate Jenson Button after a 2022 campaign where Mercedes surprisingly finished third in the constructors' championship, 244 points behind winners Red Bull.

Hamilton was sixth in the drivers' standings, two places and 35 points behind Russell in the latter's first season with the team.

Russell recorded the only Mercedes win of the season in the penultimate race in Sao Paulo, though Hamilton also produced a strong finish that included a run of three consecutive second-place berths.

After a rare campaign where the seven-time world champion finished behind his team-mate in the championship and went the whole campaign without a race win, Button is expecting a fast start.

"I think he'll start this year flat out," former world champion Button told Sky Sports about Hamilton.

"He's going to be on it from the word go.

"I look forward to seeing that - it's going to put a lot of pressure on George Russell, but I think it's a good pairing and I look forward to that fight.

"Mercedes have given him a winning car for so many years.

"Last year they obviously didn't, but the car did win a race, so you'd say at the end of the year, they were strong.

"And I think Lewis was on it. His performances were very consistent through mid to end of season, very, very quick."

The new season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5.

Ahead of the campaign at the team's car launch last week, Hamilton, 38, insisted he expects to sign a new deal, with his current contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Team boss Toto Wolff reiterated that confidence, but Button warned that situation could change if Mercedes produce a car that is uncompetitive once more.

Button added: "It's something we all go through at some point in our career and it's a reason a lot of people retire – because they're not in a winning car any more.

"That's why I left. You can deal with the pressure you put yourself under and the calendar if you're in a winning car. 

"When you're not, it's like, 'you know what, I've had enough, I want to get out'."

Lance Stroll will miss Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain after the Aston Martin driver was involved in a minor accident while cycling in Spain.

The Canadian's team revealed on Monday that he had sustained injuries that will prevent him from getting behind the wheel this week.

Stroll will be assessed on a daily basis and the 24-year-old is expected to make a quick recovery.

The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged a week on Sunday.

Stroll said: "I've had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season.

"I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible."

Aston Martin stated: "The team wishes Lance a speedy recovery and looks forward to his usual energy and commitment within the team."

Zinedine Zidane is targeting a return to football coaching before the start of next season, the former Real Madrid boss has confirmed.

In the meantime he has accepted a role as an ambassador for the Formula One team Alpine, but Zidane stressed the flirtation with four wheels will not prevent him returning to his first love.

The 50-year-old ended his second stint in charge of Madrid after the 2020-21 season and has not coached since.

It appeared he had his heart set on taking over from Didier Deschamps as France boss, but that option was ruled out when Deschamps signed up to stay until the 2026 World Cup.

Zidane won the Champions League three times and triumphed twice in LaLiga during his time as boss of Madrid, making him an attractive potential recruit for any team with lofty ambitions.

The former Madrid and Juventus midfielder, a Ballon d'Or and World Cup winner in his playing days, has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain. However, he has previously cast doubt on whether, as a man with Marseille roots, he would be prepared to take that job.

He says any return to football could happen "very quickly" and has seemingly not excluded the possibility of finding a new team before this campaign ends.

Speaking to newspaper Le Figaro, Zidane made it clear teaming up with Alpine did not shackle him to motorsport, as the F1 team would gladly let him resume his football career.

"It's part of our deal. If I have to commit tomorrow, that won't prevent me from continuing to work with the team," Zidane said.

"Resuming remains my desire. Today, I have time and I don't know how long it will last. I have time now, maybe until June, but it can also go very quickly."

Zinedine Zidane has partnered with Formula One team Alpine as a brand ambassador for their equal opportunities programmes.

The announcement was made at the French team's 2023 car launch in London on Thursday, where their new A523 car was unveiled.

Former Juventus, Real Madrid and France midfielder Zidane, who also managed Madrid for two spells, was pictured visiting the Alpine garage at last season's Monaco Grand Prix.

"I am very happy to be here today and happy to be part of the Alpine team," Zidane said. "I had the opportunity to meet Laurent [Rossi, Alpine's CEO] with the whole team for a Grand Prix.

"We had a good exchange, and they had a project to give the opportunities to young people, to have their opportunities for all the young talent. I was interested in this project."

Two-time Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams was also confirmed to have teamed up with Alpine.

The team's programmes include Rac(H)er, aimed at promoting equal opportunities for men and women in racing, and Alpine CEO Rossi said: "Rac(H)er is key in our continuous quest for performance, to build the future of our industry by driving real change and creating equal and fair opportunities across a range of human talents."

Alpine finished fourth in the constructors' standings in 2022, 342 points behind Mercedes in third.

Lewis Hamilton could be Formula One's equivalent of Tom Brady by racing into his 40s, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, endured a disappointing 2022 campaign in which he failed to win a race during a season for the first time in his career.

At 38-years-old, Hamilton's contract is due to expire at the end of the 2023 season, but Wolff feels Hamilton could view the longevity of NFL star Brady as inspiration to continue racing beyond that deal.

Brady retired at the age of 45 this month, bringing an end to a stunning career that saw him win seven Super Bowl championships, with three of those coming after he turned 39.

Wolff believes Hamilton can follow Brady's example, telling reporters: "His age, 38, plays no role for this next contract.

"If you look at how well top athletes have pushed the boundaries - I'm thinking about Tom Brady, still throwing the ball at age 44, 45 - the age plays no role."

Wolff is confident Hamilton will pen a new deal soon, explaining: "In terms of the contractual situation, we have always found good solutions and for the other side, Mercedes are the place he wants to be.

"These things have never been contentious. Nothing is dragging on. The alignment is there. This will be a journey that will continue."

Hamilton echoed his principal's confidence on a fresh deal, and added his decision would not hinge on whether Mercedes can provide a car capable of competing against the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari in the new season.

"I am planning to stay a little bit longer," Hamilton said. "I don't feel like I need [the team] to prove [anything] to me. We have proved time and time again over the years that we have strength in depth. You don't lose that ability.

"We are continuing to try and improve our processes, there is the best harmony in the team I have seen these years.

"We have a real fresh group of engineers in the team. It is an exciting time and I don't plan on being anywhere else."

Hamilton also vowed to continue to be vocal on key issues in the face of the FIA's update to its International Sporting Code, in which Formula One drivers will be required to obtain prior written permission to make "political statements".

Hamilton has previously competed in a rainbow pride helmet in races in the Middle East, while he also wore a T-shirt at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix protesting against the death of American Breonna Taylor.

He says he will continue to make a stand on political issues despite the FIA's rule change, stating: "Nothing will stop me from speaking on the things I am passionate about.

"The sport has a responsibility to speak out and create awareness on important topics, particularly as we are travelling to different places. So nothing changes.

"It would be silly to say I would want to get penalty points for speaking out on things but I am still going to be speaking my mind."

Mercedes have revealed the new W14 car tasked with getting them back to the top of Formula One in the 2023 season, with Lewis Hamilton insisting it shows they "mean business".

The design is a return to a predominantly black car, with Mercedes using minimal paint in an effort to reduce weight.

Mercedes surprisingly finished third in the constructors' championship last season, 244 points behind winners Red Bull.

"We've redesigned, optimised, and innovated so many parts of the car and that is impressive," Hamilton said. "And I love the new livery. It says: 'we mean business'."

Hamilton finished the season sixth in the drivers' championship, behind team-mate George Russell (fourth), but the seven-time world champion sounded confident about the new car giving him a chance of challenging again this year.

"I love being part of a team that is working towards a common goal," he said. "I always believe I can get better. I always love that challenge, the physical and mental element, having to deep dive and extract more performance from yourself and the people around you.

"The car is always changing, there's always new tools, and I love that. I'm planning to stay here a little bit longer."

Team boss Toto Wolff is also confident Mercedes can challenge Red Bull and Ferrari again, though admitted they are "playing catch-up."

"Our hopes and expectations are always to be capable of fighting for a world championship," Wolff said. "However, our competitors were very strong last year, and we are playing catch-up.

"Racing at the front requires resilience, teamwork, and determination. We face up to every challenge, we put the team first, and we will leave no stone unturned in the chase for every millisecond.

"This year, we are going all in to get back in front."

Wolff also admitted faults with last season's car, which led to focus on how the weight could be reduced to maximise performance.

"We were overweight last year," Wolff added. "This year we have tried to figure out where we can squeeze out every single gram. So now, history repeats itself."

The new season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5.

Charles Leclerc has high expectations for Ferrari in 2023 despite the difficulties of last year.

Leclerc won two of the first three Formula One races in 2022, but only managed one victory through the remainder of the campaign.

A number of dubious race management calls proved costly for Ferrari, who finished a distant second behind Red Bull in the constructor standings.

Ferrari replaced team principal Mattia Binotto with Frederic Vasseur, who last month outlined the team's title intent.

It is a sentiment echoed by Leclerc, who said: "The goal is to win, clearly. I am really looking forward to getting back in the car and trying to win that championship.

"Last year was a good step forward. We need to do just the same this year and hopefully get that championship.

"That is the target for the team and for me, too – get more wins, hopefully be more consistent from the first race to the last race.

"So far it is intense. You can feel the responsibility. But the most important is to be successful – we have to deliver. The most important is to win and the challenge is in front of us.

"When you are at Ferrari coming from 2022, you can't have another objective than to win.

"I don't want to stay it will be easy because Red Bull and Mercedes will have the same target and only one team and driver will win. But we need to have this kind of target.

"We need to bring the mindset to do a better job tomorrow than today and to be always trying to improve the system."

Leclerc was speaking as Ferrari unveiled their new car for the 2023 season, which starts in Bahrain next month.

Lando Norris hopes there will be a U-turn on plans for Formula One drivers to be prohibited from making personal, religious and political statements without consent from the FIA.

The FIA has been widely criticised following the governing body's decision to introduce new legislation underpinning the ban, which it says will be clarified through the issuing of new guidelines.

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali had an adverse reaction to the proposals, saying the sport will not "gag" drivers who wish to speak out on issues they believe in.

McLaren's Norris has become the latest in a string of drivers to hit out at the FIA's ban, saying: "We should be able to say what we want and what we believe in.

"I feel there has been quite a bit of pressure and enough said to make a little bit of a U-turn.

"The penalty [for speaking out] is not clear, but we are not in a school. We should not have to ask about everything and say, 'Can we do this, can we do that?'

"We are grown up enough to try and make smart decisions. Maybe sometimes people make silly decisions, but that happens in life. I hope and believe that enough drivers have said things now to push back a little bit."

Norris said he supports F1's existing approach, adding: "F1 has made things clear, what they think is acceptable and what we should be able to do as drivers, and that is what I stand by. 

"We need it. We are only trying to help people in the world and give advice and there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to do that."

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently announced he would take a step back from the day-to-day running of F1 after being involved in several controversies and conflicts.

McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown welcomed that decision, saying: "It has been a bit exciting over the winter, but things seem to have course-corrected."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is targeting a top-four finish in the 2023 Formula One season with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri taking up their two seats.

Piastri has replaced fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren, who launched their new MCL60 car at the team's factory in Woking on Monday.

McLaren finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship last year, with Norris gaining 122 of their 159 points. Rivals Alpine ranked fourth with 173 points.

The MCL60, named to mark 60 years since Bruce McLaren founded the team, is an evolution on last year's MCL36.

"I think it's fair to say that over the course of the season we would like to establish ourselves as part of the top four," said Stella, who has replaced Andreas Seidl.

"We know realistically with the top-three teams, this may mean potentially being the fourth best car over the course of the season.

"We are realistic in the very short term, there's good developments already in the pipeline that should land trackside very soon in the season and should allow us to take a decent step forward.

"We are not naive, we know that pretty much every team will be saying the same, 'we have good developments' and so on. Like I said, we also have more high level developments going on in the team."

Stella added that some of the car's potential may not be unlocked until the later in the season due to some areas of development not being realized until late in the process.