Hamilton and Alonso happy to see old rival Kubica return
It was the first time since 1994, when Schumacher took his first title at Benetton, that the award had not gone to the same year's Formula One champion.
Gene, 30, has been employed in the same role with BMW-powered Williams for the past four years.
Lewis Hamilton's world championship defence got off to a flying start on Sunday with a crushing victory for Mercedes in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Formula One rivals succumbed to a farcical rash of reliability problems.
Statistics for Sunday's season-ending Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit.
Formula One's post-season shake-up took another spin on Tuesday with Williams announcing the departure of technical head Pat Symonds while Valtteri Bottas moved closer to Mercedes and Felipe Massa's retirement looked to be coming to an end.
The Formula One season starts in Australia on March 17 with new regulations, changed lineups, a trio of young rookies fresh from Formula Two and the comeback of Poland's Robert Kubica.
Bookmakers William Hill have the Briton as 15/8 favourite for the 2018 drivers championship, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel at 3/1 and Red Bull's Max Verstappen at 10/3.
Sergio Perez shook off the gear-box change penalty to claim his and Sahara Force India's second podium place of the season with a third-place finish at the European Grand Prix while Nico Hulkenberg took the ninth spot, in Baku, on Sunday.
Germany's Nico Hulkenberg will replace Racing Point driver Sergio Perez at this weekend's British Formula One Grand Prix after the Mexican was ruled out by a positive COVID-19 test result. Hulkenberg, a veteran of 177 Grands Prix, raced for the team when they were known as Force India. He competed for Renault last season.
IMAGES from the Belgian F1 Grand Prix
The wife of Mercedes motorsport head and Williams shareholder Toto will be driving the FW35 car on Friday in a young driver test that has been thrown open to race regulars as well to allow Pirelli to test tyres after controversial recent blowouts.
Pastor Maldonado grabbed an astonishing first Formula One victory on Sunday in a Spanish Grand Prix thriller that handed former champions Williams their first triumph in 132 races and nearly eight years.
Lewis Hamilton won in Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and took championship lead.
The British Formula One Grand Prix was halted and re-started on Sunday after a multi-car opening-lap collision left Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou's Alfa Romeo wedged on its side between the tyre barrier and catch fence.
Force India did not say who the other driver would be, but that is assumed to be Canadian Lance Stroll whose billionaire father Lawrence heads a consortium that now controls the Silverstone-based outfit.
Red Bull are among a number of team frustrated by their inability to keep up with Mercedes, who dominated Formula One last year and cruised to an easy victory in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas won a dramatic first race of the delayed Formula One season for champions Mercedes in Austria on Sunday
French driver Esteban Ocon will race for Force Indianext season after agreeing a multi-year deal, the Silverstone-based Formula One team said in a statement at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Thursday. Ocon replaces experienced German Nico Hulkenberg, who is moving to Renault, alongside Mexican Sergio Perez at a team co-owned by Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya and currently fourth in the championship. The 20-year-old is contracted long-term to Mercedes, Force India's engine provider, and made his debut this year with the lowly Manor team as a mid-season replacement for Indonesian Rio Haryanto.
Lewis Hamilton surpassed Ayrton Senna's career haul of 65 pole positions in Formula One as he edged Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas to secure top spot the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday.
Triple Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg as they fought for the lead.
Seven times world champion Michael Schumacher will start in 14th place after replacing his engine.
Hamilton has already won the title, his record-equalling seventh, but the Briton is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19.
Carlos Sainz put Ferrari on pole position for the US Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, with Red Bull's double World champion Max Verstappen joining the Spaniard on the front row.
The Thai's victory over his Ferrari rival gave Red Bull something to celebrate on a day that should have seen the return of Max Verstappen's home Dutch Grand Prix after a 35-year absence.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton managed to make the most of the adverse conditions to take pole position for Sunday's race.
Nico Rosberg stormed to his sixth pole position in a row and denied Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton a landmark 50th in Formula One's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday.
Sebastian Vettel has never been one for social media or had much time for esports but even the four-times world champion has shifted his stance, however slightly, under Formula One's coronavirus lockdown. Although the 32-year-old Ferrari driver is still not remotely tempted by Twitter or Instagram, he has acquired a gaming rig. Just how much the German uses it remains to be seen.
Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix will be the 1,000th race of the Formula One world championship since the first at Silverstone in 1950.
Max Verstappen took pole position on Saturday in a wet qualifying for a Canadian Grand Prix
The 28-year-old believes BAR, and not Williams, offer him the best chance of becoming Britain's next F1 champion.
Lewis Hamilton seized pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday in a damp qualifying session that saw both the Formula One world champion and his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg skid off on their final laps.
Ferrari carry burden of history and expectation as they unveil 2022 car.
Images from the Monaco F1 GP on Sunday.
Germany's Nico Rosberg won Formula One's showcase Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday, 30 years after his world champion father Keke triumphed on the streets of the Mediterranean principality.
John Button, father of 2009 world champion Jenson and a popular presence in the Formula One paddock, has died of a suspected heart attack aged 70.
Swiss racer Simona De Silvestro's hopes of becoming the first woman since 1976 to race in Formula One have suffered a setback with the Sauber team ending a testing deal due to her lack of funds.
