Ecclestone wants Rosberg to beat Hamilton

With Lewis Hamilton being outpaced by Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, on day one of the British Grand Prix weekend, the German has an unlikely fan in Bernie Ecclestone who hopes he can continue to take the fight to the reigning world champion

"It is up to Nico to save this championship," the F1 supremo told the Times newspaper. "We need him to keep things alive."

So maybe Ecclestone will be hoping Hamilton's 'rock star' lifestyle will help too, as many have been questioning whether the world champion's full focus is on F1.

"I get energy from all these things that I do. It doesn't take energy from me," Hamilton insisted, when asked about the criticism.

"My 20s went by really quick and I'm trying to make sure I do as much as I can, within my limits, in terms of energy and training and while performing. As long as I keep it balanced, why not?" he added.