F1 Gossip: Hamilton contract latest and Honda’s engine plans

- Lewis Hamilton is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to stay with Mercedes until the end of the 2022 F1 season, but wants his winning bonus to be doubled. Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has set a 15 June deadline for talks to be concluded (Daily Mail) 

- Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed that Honda will hold off introducing its permitted engine upgrade for as long as possible in a bid to extract the most performance out of it. In contrast, rivals Mercedes and Ferrari moved onto fresh engines in Baku (Auto motor und Sport) 

- The Circuit of the Americas is open to hosting two F1 races this year to fill the void left by the cancellation of the Singapore Grand Prix (ESPN) 

- 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Max Verstappen and Red Bull deserved to keep their championship leads after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton’s “big mistake” (RaceFans) 

- Meanwhile, ex-Ferrari F1 driver Eddie Irvine believes Verstappen is “definitely the fastest driver” on the current grid, but reckons Hamilton is “still the top driver” (Betway, via MotorsportWeek) 

- Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon has revealed that discussions took place on two separate occasions about him potentially making a sensational switch to F1. Gordon said he held talks with Jaguar and Williams (F1.com)