Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest news regarding Formula 1 on Thursday, January 7.

Thursday morning's Formula 1 news roundup

Mercedes 'slowed itself down' in Abu Dhabi

Mercedes was "half a second slower than normal" as the 2020 season came to an end in Abu Dhabi last month.

That is the claim of a Red Bull-Honda source, even though team boss Christian Horner heralded Max Verstappen's dominant victory as a potential turning point ahead of a title bid in 2021.

However, f1-insider.com correspondent Ralf Bach claims that Mercedes' engine was turned down by up to 50 horsepower in Abu Dhabi, with the world champions citing reliability concerns.

"At Red Bull, they believe that Mercedes didn't have to sacrifice horsepower, but that they wanted to. GPS data from both Red Bull and Honda is said to prove that," he said.

The report also claims that Mercedes tested the new 2021 floor in Abu Dhabi which reduces downforce, while Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he lost a full 4kg of body weight after his coronavirus infection.

"All of this made Mercedes half a second slower than normal per lap," the Red Bull source said.

"They wanted to make us feel safe in order to strike again during the first tests and then put all opponents in a collective state of shock at the start of the season. They do that every year, actually," the source added.

Fascinatingly, top Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko also believes Mercedes voluntarily sand-bagged at the 2020 season finale.

"I know that Mercedes slowed itself down," he said. "I said that to the euphoric English people on the team.

"We will therefore not slow down in our development but continue to develop as if we have to catch up."

Mazepin 'not friends' with teammate Schumacher

Nikita Mazepin has kicked off his relationship with new Haas teammate Mick Schumacher by insisting the rookies are "not friends".

Schumacher, who has also been signed by the American team for 2021, said recently that he knows the controversial Russian from their karting days.

"He was very nice and there was a healthy respect between us as teammates," said the German. "Then we lost touch with each other a bit and of course we have both changed since then."

Mazepin, also 21, told Russian broadcaster Match TV this week: "We are not friends. At most we are old acquaintances as we raced together in karts."

Although Mazepin has attracted widespread negative attention since his signing by Haas after a social media incident, it is Schumacher who enters the 2021 season with the higher profile.

When asked about F1 legend Michael Schumacher's son, Mazepin answered: "I honestly don't care about his name.

"Because of the name he will have more power, but also more pressure. But when I lower the visor, I don't think about these things anyway," he added.

More news from Formula 1:

McLaren 'not inferior' to works teams - Ricciardo
McLaren is "in no way inferior" to Formula 1's fully manufacturer-backed teams, Daniel Ricciardo insists. Read more.

Alpine planning 'half new' car for 2021
As Renault transitions to Alpine for 2021, technical director Pat Fry says the team will be able to roll out a "half new" car for the forthcoming world championship. Read more.

'Things starting to change' at Williams - boss
"Things are starting to change" at Williams ahead of the 2021 season. Read more.