INTERVIEW BY JONATHAN SPENCER: Lewis Hamilton heads into the new season as big favourite to claim his seventh world title and draw level with legend Michael Schumacher.

The Chinese Grand Prix could be rescheduled for November as part of a two-day event sandwiched in between the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi races after the original race was postponed.

Sebastian Vettel has fallen ill on the opening day of Formula One testing after posing for group pictures on the starting grid with the other drivers. The four-time champion was due to test Ferrari's new SF1000.

The British Formula One driver, who shared the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award with Lionel Messi on Monday, has been linked with a switch from Mercedes to Ferrari.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN BARCELONA: Lewis Hamilton is making Mercedes wait to open contract talks, though he revealed that 'freedom' will be a central demand when negotiations finally start.

Mercedes' reinvention of the steering wheel has been banned just a day after it broke cover. Not that Lewis Hamilton and his boffins will mind because it won't be outlawed until 2021.

JONATHAN SPENCER IN SALZBURG: When we rocked up to the iconic Hangar-7 in a Red Bull themed double-decker party bus, we knew we were in for one special night.

INTERVIEW BY NATHAN SALT: Jenson Button has warned Charles Leclerc that his honeymoon at Ferrari is over and he must now put up a fight with Lewis Hamilton for the title.

The Chinese Grand Prix, which was scheduled for April, has already been cancelled amid growing fears about the virus but F1 chief Chase Carey has announced it is 'all systems go' for Melbourne.

The Dutch driver, heading into his seventh season in Formula One, lost control and spun around, going off the track at turn five. He was unharmed in Thursday morning's session in Barcelona.

It has been reported that Hamilton could pocket around £60million from a new deal with Mercedes but he and Wolff both claimed that they have not yet spoken about figures.

Lewis Hamilton's decision to get out of the car saw a red flag deployed on the session so that the car and the British driver could be retrieved and taken back to the Mercedes garage before action resumed.

Lewis Hamilton has said he needs to figure out his next 'five to 10-year plan' before signing a new contract with Mercedes. Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren back in 2013.

Formula One's most prominent woman, Claire Williams, has criticised the sport's 'disgraceful 19th Century' accusation that her becoming a mother has caused her team's decline.

WILL JEANES IN MARRAKESH: Felipe Massa says the future of gas-guzzling Formula One is under threat due to the climate emergency.

Red Bull's No 1 driver Max Verstappen, who is expected to seriously test Lewis Hamilton's dominance going forward, starred heavily during the documentary that premiered last month.

The seven teams, which includes Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren, are concerned that that FIA's probe does not identify whether Ferrari bent the rules.

JONATHAN MCEVOY: Seven Formula One teams have threatened to take Ferrari and the governing body, the FIA, to court for hushing up a potentially illegal Ferrari engine.

On Wednesday, seven of Formula One's 10 teams published a joint statement expressing surprise and shock at the FIA's confidential agreement with Ferrari.

His comments came as the FIA admitted on Thursday they were not convinced last year's Ferrari was always legal, but took no further action because it was too complex to prove.

Nico Rosberg has backed one of Formula One's crop of exciting youngsters to make a breakthrough this season and seize the Formula One title.

Mercedes have reinvented the wheel - for now. Their new DAS system took onlookers by surprise when cockpit cameras showed Lewis Hamilton tugging on his steering wheel.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN MELBOURNE: Lando Norris lef for Melbourne without a care, other than to avoid company. Nothing to do with coronavirus, it is just that he insists on isolating himself.

Here are all the major changes that have happened over the winter ahead of the 2020 Formula One campaign which begins on Sunday with the Australian Grand Prix.

Italy is currently on on lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus, with the country's prime minister Giuseppe Conte ordering 60 million citizens not to travel or even socialise in coming days.

EXCLUSIVE BY JONATHAN MCEVOY IN MELBOURNE: Todt has told Formula One's teams he took the decision to strike a settlement with his old team over their allegedly illegal engine.

Pre-season testing has left us with more questions than answers as the new F1 campaign prepares to get underway at the Australian GP. Here are the 10 biggest talking points for the new season.

It is understood that the team member reported symptoms associated with the disease in the Albert Park paddock on Wednesday morning.

FIA president Jean Todt accused the seven teams angered by their investigation into Ferrari's suspect engine of making 'false, injurious and defamatory' allegations.

Hamilton said it was 'shocking' that the Australian Grand Prix could go ahead amid the threat of the coronavirus and suggested organisers had put financial concerns ahead of people's health.

JONATHAN McEVOY IN MELBOURNE: The season-opening race has been abandoned here in the early hours of Friday morning after a McLaren mechanic was diagnosed with coronavirus.

F1 confirmed the next two races, in Bahrain and Vietnam, are off, meaning the first four races of the season will not take place as planned after April's Chinese Grand Prix was earlier postponed.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY JONATHAN MCEVOY: Bernie Ecclestone does not believe Lewis Hamilton should move to Ferrari and he is happy to reel off why. Ecclestone is enjoying a burger in a regular haunt.

After Sunday's season-opener in Melbourne was called off, the FIA and the sport's owners Liberty Media are seeking a new timetable including the key Grand Prix in Monaco.

Formula One boss Chase Carey has issued a public apology for the last-minute cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix. It was called off 90 minutes before first practice.

Many drivers are out of contract at the end of the season, including Vettel and his former Red Bull team-mate, and Renault fear Ricciardo could leave for Ferrari if they fail to make significant progress.

Formula One bosses on Wednesday took the first step to save the sport from financial meltdown by bringing forward the summer break from August to now.

The three latest races to be called off take the grand total of postponed events to seven, with Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam, China, Holland, Spain and Monaco all now falling foul of the virus.

EXCLUSIVE BY JONATHAN MCEVOY: Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes was cast into doubt when his boss Toto Wolff was absent from a heated conference call intended to save F1.

Formula One will run a series of virtual races, with some current drivers taking part, to replace a string of grands prix postponed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Silverstone bosses have promised fans a full refund if the British Grand Prix on July 19 is called off. The first seven races of the F1 season have been cancelled over coronavirus pandemic.

Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has warned the public they must self-isolate in order to reduce the threat of the coronavirus.

Liberty Media announced they would aim for up to 18 rounds, crammed into the back half of the year. Sportsmail understands the championship could even be extended into 2021.

Max Verstappen admitted he is focused on winning the Formula One Championship this year with Red Bull and believes he now has the experience to do so. 

Daniel Ricciardo reveals he is still benefitting from a good training regime despite coronavirus disrupting plans for the 2020 Formula One calendar. 

McLaren now have all their employees home from Australia after a period in quarantine following a positive test at the cancelled season-opener in Melbourne.

The boss of the British Grand Prix has told Formula One's owners that he needs to know by the middle of next month whether the showpiece event is going ahead on July 19.

EXCLUSIVE: Bernie Ecclestone is locked down at his coffee farm in Brazil. At 490 acres it is literally the size of Monaco, and, with coronavirus lurking, staff living on site go out a couple at a time to shop.

Eight rounds have been postponed, and more look likely to follow with countries in lockdown, but F1 bosses have said they hope to get back on track some time in the European summer.

Formula One have banned teams from developing their cars in line for the 2022 season when a revamp of rules and regulations are set to kickstart a new era for the sport.