REUTERS - The novelty of a vast number of different race winners will wear off and Formula One must avoid being too random to keep fans glued to the action, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn said on Wednesday.

"For F1, we must make sure that the random factor is not too strong," Brawn said on the Autosport website (www.autosport.com).

Seven different drivers won the first seven races of this year's championship, the first time that had occurred.

Brawn hopes the second half of the season will be less unpredictable.

"I think there have been some...elements of this year that have been exciting, but I actually think that (the excitement) will fade after a while if it stays too random," Brawn said.

"What we cannot have in motorsport is a randomness where you don't know who is going to win, and that you could work really hard to improve the car but your car doesn't suit the conditions and you are not competitive. That is not where we want to be."

Where Britain's Lewis Hamilton wants to be has reportedly been made clearer after he told his McLaren boss that he is keen to sign a new contract.

The 27-year-old is in the last year of his deal but speculation has been widespread linking him with a shift to another Formula One team, possibly Red Bull.

But McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh has indicated Hamilton will not be leaving anytime soon.

"If Lewis wants to stay in the team, which he has told me he does, then he should do. And if we want to keep him, then we should do," Whitmarsh said.

"Lewis and I have spoken two or three times at length... our conversations have been about how we are going to beat the other teams, and how we are going to try and win races."

The Formula One championship resumes at Spa in Belgium on Aug 31.

(Writing by Tom Bartlett; Editing by Alison Wildey)