F1 Gossip: Hamilton responds to 'slums' comment criticism

- Lewis Hamilton has conceded he used the "wrong words" when he described his hometown of Stevenage as "slums" during his BBC Sports Personality of the Year award nomination speech, saying he "didn't mean anything by it" (BBC)

- Ferrari is reported to be in the running to announce an entry to the FIA World Endurance Championship's new Hypercar top-tier class for 2020, which would give it a chance to contend for overall honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (RACER)

- Charles Leclerc found his first few races in Formula 1 "intimidating" due to the large number of people he had to deal with, having experienced far less attention in junior categories (Motorsport Week)

- F1 managing director Ross Brawn feels Lewis Hamilton has found a "good equilibrium" in his life both on- and off-track that has allowed him to reach new levels of performance (Formula 1)

- Williams spent over $20 million for each point it scored in F1 this year, according to a report on how much teams spent through the 2018 season (racefans.net)

- Six more drivers have been added to the long-list for the W Series' selection process, taking the number of applicants up to 61 (Speedcafe)

- F1 has produced an animated spoof of some of the most memorable radio messages through the 2018 season (Top Gear)