Hamilton won't accept any crew changes for 2017

Lewis Hamilton will be telling Mercedes that he wants to race next season with the same team crew which surrounded him in 2016, with no changes or reshuffles in the works.

Last winter, Mercedes decided to apply some permutations between the crews of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, with the purpose of avoiding excessive complicities on either side of the garage as well as helping the personal development of specific members of the team.

Questioned on the scheme earlier this year, Hamilton said he did not understand the initiative. He now hopes that Mercedes will leave his 2016 line-up unchanged for next season.

"Next year I'll speak to Toto [Wolff] and say 'look, I don't want my guys being changed'," Hamilton told Channel 4.

"I want to keep all my engineers, there's not a single person that needs to leave. All my mechanics, there's not a single person that needs to leave.

"There's at least one thing that they changed into the year which they didn't do on the other side which needs to change, and I don't know why they did that.

Hamilton also reiterated his motivation in retaking the world title which he lost to Rosberg this year.

"Let's go racing. I'm committed, hopefully they're committed to me, I'm now their only world champion so hopefully they respect and appreciate that and the commitment that I'll put into next year."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.