Hamilton relishes F1 challenge from young crop of drivers

Five-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has a twostep plan for keeping the new generation of talented drivers behind him next season: match their youthful hunger and outwit them with the experience that comes with age.

The 33-year-old Hamilton wrapped up this year's title at the Mexican Grand Prix two weeks ago and is already looking forward to the renewed challenge he will face in 2019 from a crop of young drivers who will only get better.

Hamilton, who became the youngest F1 champion when he won his first title at the age of 23 in 2008, says he sees a bit of himself in 21-year-old Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's 22year-old Pierre Gasly.

"These are two young rising stars that are already showing incredible potential," Hamilton said after he arrived in Sao Paulo for this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

He later added 21-year-old Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to the shortlist as well.

"I welcome the competition," he said. "Naturally I do see a little bit of myself in them. At their age I had the same kind of eye of the tiger. Now it is a little different for me, I am one of the older drivers. But I feel like I still have that hunger they are coming in with."

Hamilton also has the experience of spending a decade at the pinnacle of the sport, and he thinks that could help him stay at the top for a bit longer.

"Perhaps there are things that I will be able to bring to the table and that they won't," he said.

Interlagos will host the penultimate race of the F1 season this weekend. Hamilton called the Brazilian track "one of the trickiest of the season" and "an Achilles heel."

Hamilton won the Brazilian race in 2016 and lifted his first F1 title in Sao Paulo 10 years ago, finishing fourth after a dramatic overtake on the last lap.

"The first year here was quite difficult, but it has been improving over time," he said.

While Hamilton has already clinched the individual title, his Mercedes team is still fighting with Ferrari for the constructor's championship — meaning the Briton will not be able to relax just yet.

"We still have two races to go and a championship at stake," he said.

Hanoi GP set to join Formula One circuit in 2020

A Grand Prix in Hanoi will be added to the Formula One calendar in 2020 as part of the sport's expansion in Asia.

F1 chairman Chase Carey and Nguyen Duc Chung, the Mayor of Hanoi, made the announcement on Wednesday.

A 5.556-kilometer circuit will be constructed near the national stadium using a combination of existing infrastructure and roads to be built in a new residential area on the edge of the city center.

"The race track in Hanoi is unique in the world with half of it being on existing streets and the other half to be built," Chung said.

"The length and turns of this track will bring a lot of excitement. According to designers, it will be the most exciting track in the world."

Chung said the GP would be funded by private enterprise headed by Vingroup, the country's largest private conglomerate.

"Hosting Formula 1 races in Hanoi will open us many opportunities for business, tourist development (and) advertise the image of Vietnam and image of Hanoi to the world," Chung said. "And at the same time create new a playing ground and experiences for people of all walks of life."

Formula One has 21 races listed on a tentative calendar for 2019.

The 2018 season has two races to go, in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi. Carey came into F1 intent on expansion and another event in Asia is a major part of the strategy.

"The energy of this country is incredible. The city of Hanoi I think is increasingly one that's capturing the world's imagination," he said. "Asia is clearly very important overall to our future.

"It's really the driving engine of the world's future, so as we look to grow this sport in Asia, we want to be in a country we really think it's going to be the engine of growth, the engine of excitement, so we think Vietnam really captures people's interests."

The race in Vietnam will join other stops in the Asia-Pacific region that include Japan, China, Singapore, and Australia. F1 had a regular stop in Malaysia from 1999-2017 and also had brief forays into India and South Korea.