F1 Paddock News.

Korean Grand Prix, Paddock News.

Marussia confirmed this morning that Jules Bianchi will remain at the team in the new season. The 23 year old Frenchman has enjoyed a successful rookie year in 2013 and has impressed up and down the paddock. “I am very happy to be able to confirm that I will stay with the Marussia F1 Team in 2014, I couldn't have wished for a more supportive environment in which to make my F1 debut and from the very beginning I have always felt completely at home with the team.” There is no news yet on his teammate for 2014.

Lewis Hamilton has admitted the Red Bull's are out of reach and said Ferrari are his main focus this weekend. In the press conference on Thursday the Mercedes driver said, “I anticipate a strong weekend, and whether or not we can keep up the Red Bulls we’ll see, but my target is to get these guys in red.”

Hamilton admitted he was flummoxed by the speed of the Red Bull saying “That’s the true pace of their car, Perhaps they have a lot more in the bag than we get to see. If you look at their onboards, he (Sebastian Vettel) is on the power full throttle at least twenty metres before everyone else, which is a huge advantage. There’s nothing we can really do, we are always asking for more rear downforce.”

The weather could well play a major factor in the weekend's proceedings with a typhoon heading towards South Korea. The Yonhap news agency said typhoon Fitow is expected to strike on Sunday and it very likely to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the Yeongam circuit. It would not be the first time for rain to interrupt the Korean Grand Prix, the inaugural race in 2010 had a delayed start followed by a red flag doe to the rain.

Reigning GP2 Champion Davide Valsecchi says he is “ready” to step up to the Lotus F1 team in 2014. The 26 year old is a brilliant driver and has been involved in the Lotus team for some time. He told Italy's Autosprint, “My role requires me to be ready”. Kimi Raikkonen struggled in the last race and ahead of this weekends race he said, “We will have to see how it is when I get out on track on Friday.” The Finn didn't rule out missing this weekend's race due to back problems in Singapore, Valsecchi will be standing by should he be needed.

The future of the Korean Grand Prix is looking more uncertain as they are attempting to negotiate a better deal for themselves. The race organisers admitted on Wednesday that it was 50/50 as there are doubts over the long term viability of the Yeongam race. Race officials say they are open to the possibility of a night race in order to remain part of Formula 1. This weekend's race is the fourth to be held in Korea, it has not been the most popular of races with the fans or teams. They have made no secret of the fact the races have made a significant financial loss. In my own opinion, I don't think F1 will return to Korea for the foreseeable future.

You can follow this weekend's Korean Grand Prix Live online at Driving For Pleasure with our full coverage. I'll be reporting throughout the weekend on all the action. Follow me on Twitter @TomWilkinsonF1 for all the latest news.