Sebastian Vettel has conceded both he and Ferrari have areas to work on over the winter after seeing another championship bid fall short in 2018.

The German was expected to have a season-long battle with Lewis Hamilton and was even considered the favourite at the summer break with the Scuderia appearing to have the performance advantage.

As it was, the Mercedes driver maintained the momentum, which began with victory after Vettel's crash at Hockenheim, to comfortably secure the title by 88 points, his biggest margin in any of his five championships to date.

“I don’t think I ever had any problems raising my hand if I made a mistake,” Seb, who won his last race at Spa was quoted by RaceFans in reflection. 

“Knowing as well, as a racing driver, how quickly things can go wrong, how things could have gone differently this year, I think I have to review a couple of things.

“Certainly, here and there, looking back I haven’t been at the top of my game so I look at myself first. I think I can be better than I was at times this year.

“Having said that though, I think we also had a lot of races where we got everything out of the car and the package and I felt that I did everything I could but that’s how it goes, that’s sometimes why you love racing and sometimes why you hate racing.

"For now I need a bit of time just to shut things down.”

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Ferrari also faltered though, with an upgrade package brought to the Singapore Grand Prix proving a step back in performance when the team undid those changes in Austin and won the race with Kimi Raikkonen.

“It’s a big operation, so a lot of small things need to come together but I think everybody’s there,” Vettel continued. “We’ve mentioned it many times.

“Obviously we lost our path a little bit halfway through the year where things didn’t come together. I think we’ve understood what went wrong, we obviously try to do a better job in the future, that was one key thing.

“On the other hand I think we had a lot of lessons, it was a tough year in general. I think the team is strong and the team has potential but surely it was a lot of things that happened inside the team.

“[The death of chairman Sergio Marchionne in July] obviously had an impact and was tough”, he added.

“I think it’s up to us to look into every single detail and make sure we come out as a stronger group, enabling us to build a stronger package for next year and for the future.”

Toro Rosso has confirmed the final seat on the 2019 Formula 1 grid with F2 driver Alexander Albon joining alongside Daniil Kvyat.

The British-Thai driver emerged as a late option to replace Brendon Hartley and his situation was complicated having agreed a two-year deal with Nissan in Formula E starting from Season 5.

Indeed, the 22-year-old was named on the official entry list just a few weeks ago, but a deal has been struck with Red Bull's Helmut Marko, paving the way for Albon to make the step up to F1.

“It’s such an amazing feeling to know that I’m in Formula 1 next year,” he said.

“Throughout my single-seater career, I went through a few ups and downs. I was dropped by Red Bull in 2012, so from then I knew my road to F1 was going to be a lot harder.

“I worked really hard and tried to impress every time I got in the car and I have to say a big thank you to Red Bull and Dr Marko for believing in me and giving me a second chance.

“I’ve always been motorsport mad and since I first got in a car it’s been my dream to be in F1. To be given this opportunity is just incredible.”

I really don’t think there are words to describe how excited and proud I am to be driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2019. It was an uphill battle to be on the grid this year and to be given the opportunity to be in F1 is surreal! (1 of 2) pic.twitter.com/dxMqpwxuv6

— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) November 26, 2018

Albon will join another young driver getting another chance with Toro Rosso in Kvyat, with the Russian set for his third stint at the Faenza-based squad.

“Alexander had an impressive F2 season in 2018,” added team boss Franz Tost.

“He won four races and finished the championship third. The way he is able to overtake many of his rivals in the races shows that he is ready and matured to race in F1.

“Scuderia Toro Rosso is very much looking forward to 2019, as with Daniil and Alex we have two young, very strong and competitive drivers.”

Albon joins F2 champion George Russell and runner-up Lando Norris in making the jump, meaning the top three from the feeder series in 2018 have all earned their big chance.

Pirelli will be reducing the number of compounds in its range as well as other changes for 2019, motorsport boss Mario Isola has confirmed.

This season, the Italian supplier produced seven different slick tyres ranging from the Superhard to the Hypersoft, next year, however, only five are expected to be used with the Superhard, which was never used, and the Supersoft dropped.

The move is part of Pirelli's effort to improve strategic options after most races saw one-stop strategies with drivers simply running a slower pace to conserve the rubber.

“We had the Soft, Supersoft and Ultrasoft, they were too close,” said Isola. “So the Super no [longer] exists.

There will also be an overhaul of the naming system Pirelli use with the three tyres used at each race simply titled soft, medium and hard while the compounds will now get numbers, so the hardest available will be 'one' with the softest becoming number 'five'.

“The compounds we are developing for next year have already a slightly bigger delta [performance gap] compared to this year,” Isola revealed. "The Soft tyre, now known as ‘three’, is unchanged.

“The Hard and the Medium performance is a bit better [than in 2018] because this year nobody was going to use the Hard because they believed it is not at the right level of performance.

"So we decided to move the Medium a bit closer to the Soft and the Hard is a bit closer to the Medium.”

At the other end of the spectrum, the compound known as the Hypersoft this season is also being overhauled for 2019.

“The Hypersoft is a new compound for next year with the same performance of the current Hypersoft because it’s in the right position, but we worked a bit more on the mechanical resistance of the compound in order to reduce the graining. That means that you keep the performance a bit longer.”

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Starting on Tuesday, the 10 F1 teams will get a chance to run the new Pirelli compounds in a two-day test in Abu Dhabi, gathering crucial data as they develop their 2019 cars and also providing information for the supplier.

Time is quite tight though, with the allocations for the Australian Grand Prix next March having to be given to the FIA by December 6th.

“With this range of compounds we cover all the 21 races for next year but it’s important that selection is the right one," Isola said.

"So one/two/three, two/three/four, two/three/five, we have different possibilities. Obviously, all this is something that we can start planning when we have the result from the test.

“The result of the test is useful because the cars will have a lot of sensors to give us more data because they can compare 2018 to 2019 and we have all the range available.

"We have a lot of numbers, we have to analyse the numbers and come back by December 6th with a sensible proposal for next year.”

Fernando Alonso has revealed the post-race formation with Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel was spontaneous after meeting them on the in-lap.

The top two from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix completed some donuts for the crowd when the Spaniard, who finished 11th, caught up with them.

From that point, the three most successful drivers in recent history with 11 championships between them ran side-by-side before more donuts on the start/finish line much to the delight of everyone.

“The whole weekend has been amazing and the in-lap was not planned,” Alonso said. “I saw them doing donuts at Turn 8 and then I saw one car on the left and one car on the right and they kept going like this until the finish line.

“It was a nice touch by them, so thank you Sebastian and thank you Lewis.

“They are both great champions and I feel very privileged to race with them; it was a great race to be fighting with the Haas drivers to the very end.”

It was a fine moment to bring to a pause a remarkable 17-year career with two world titles and 32 wins on a weekend which Alonso admits was by far his busiest ever.

“I had really no time in the weekend,” he smiled. “The morning has been the busiest morning ever in a Grand Prix.

“I tried to sit down and check my telephone and after 30 seconds, [press officer] Silvia [Hoffer-Frangipane] was coming or someone from the team knocked on the door and I had to say hello to a new person!

“It has been very, very busy, so I think I need two or three days to check and realize all the things that I lived this weekend. It will always be in my heart.”

Also Read:

• Verstappen sad to never have major on-track duel with Alonso
• Alonso 'surprised' by amount of fanfare and tributes during final F1 weekend

Though the questions continue as to whether Alonso may return in 2020, he was asked how he wants to be remembered if Abu Dhabi really was his F1 farewell as a driver.

"As a fighter, as a guy that never gives up," he replied. "I’ve been driving very good cars, I’ve been driving slower cars but with the same motivation, the same ambition and the same love for racing.

"I race every week of my life. Sometimes it’s here in this paddock, some other weekends it’s on a go-kart track, some others in sports cars, if not in the video games. I’m a full-time race driver.

"That’s probably the way I hope people will think about me in the future."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has revealed he and other bosses had concerns over Daniel Ricciardo's ability to overtake when considering him for promotion in 2013.

With Mark Webber retiring, the Milton Keynes-based squad had three options on the table to replace, Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and interestingly Kimi Raikkonen, who had worked with the company previously while rallying.

It was the Australian who got the nod and in his final race with Red Bull last weekend in Abu Dhabi, Horner looked back on that decision and the five seasons since, which saw Ricciardo take seven wins.

"Our biggest concern about Daniel wasn’t his pace it was we hadn’t seen him race wheel-to-wheel while he was in a Toro Rosso," he was quoted by GPFans.com.

“But ever since he got in a Red Bull Racing car he’s done nothing but overtake and arguably has become the best overtaker in the business. He’s driven some fantastic races for us.

“His personality has been a tremendous fit for the brand," he added. "His energy in that team has been hugely popular. The dynamic with him and Max [Verstappen], you’ve only got to at the mischief that they get up to. It’s been great.

“All we can do as that chapter closes is wish him the best of luck for the future and a new chapter opens with another young talent named Pierre Gasly.”

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• Ricciardo leaving Red Bull having been 'broken' by Verstappen
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While there has been some comments and speculation about if the rise of Verstappen led to Ricciardo's departure, Horner believes their partnership since May 2016 has been great for the team.

“It’s probably the best one I’ve ever had in my career in terms of dynamics between the two of them respect the way they have pushed each other or they both benefit along the way they operate himself within the team," the Briton stated.

"It’s been a very good rapport and they’ve both pushed each other to new levels.”

2019 Williams driver Robert Kubica has revealed the team is struggling with staffing problems following a torrid 2018.

The Grove-based squad endured their third-worst season in history scoring just seven points and finishing bottom of the Constructors' Championship, 26 points behind ninth-placed Toro Rosso.

Several key figures left earlier in the year and others, including head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley, are following, causing Williams more headaches as they look to rebuild.

“It’s not an easy period because many people are leaving and it’s difficult to find good employees when they see that the team does not have a fast car.,” Kubica was quoted by PlanetF1.

“Most people have a passion and want to work in the best teams.”

Such is the problem, relatively simple questions like who will be the Pole's race engineer next year remain unanswered, making settling into his new race driver role a little trickier.

“This was one of the main topics before signing the contract,” he added.

“I tried to find out this weekend so that I can work with this person in the tests because it’s already time to start working well.”

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In terms of car performance, Kubica wasn't committal but conceded expectations are low.

“I’ve been in the paddock too long to be concerned about a car that will only be on the track at the end of February because it will change nothing,” he said.

“In 2008, in BMW, we were missing four seconds in the tests but in two months we turned the situation around. Williams is in a different situation to that, there will not be such miracles.

"I approach next season very realistically. If we are in eighth or ninth place in Australia, it will be very good but it is not up to me to set such goals.”

Max Verstappen admits he still doesn't know what he'll be doing when he completes his two days of public service with the FIA.

The Dutchman was given the order as punishment for pushing Esteban Ocon in the weighing area after their collision during the Brazilian Grand Prix and has to fulfil it within six months.

“I honestly really don’t know,” he said when asked about it by Sky Sports. “We’ll discuss, between the team and the FIA, what we’re going to do.

“If I agree with it, it doesn’t really matter, does it? What can you do about it? I find it a bit harsh but yeah… We’ll find a solution.”

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Some have had fun making comparisons to community service with even Sky putting the idea of looking after Damon Hill's rubbish forward as a joke.

“I’m definitely not going to look silly," he replied. “I think anyway I’m already very hardly treated by that, so we’ll find something suitable because I’m not going to look like an idiot.”

Previously, drivers have taken part in FIA safety campaigns or worked with young racing drivers to try and act as role models so those are the kind of acts the FIA will likely be considering.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has maintained the correct procedure was followed in extracting Nico Hulkenberg following his crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The German was pitched into a barrel roll by Romain Grosjean on the exit of Turn 9 on the opening lap coming to a rest upside down against the barrier.

Though a small fire raised initial concerns, it was quickly put out but to the surprise of a few, Hulkenberg didn't get out until after the car had been turned back over, raising questions if the Halo had blocked his path.

"Quite clearly that's one of the sort of accidents the Halo was designed to help with," Whiting told Motorsport.com.

"It provides more space for the driver once the car is upside down. That was one of the things we wanted to make sure was still possible.

"We knew he was OK and there was nothing to worry about there, so the routine, under those circumstances, is to put the car back on its wheels, which has to be done carefully of course. Once back on its wheels he was able to get out by himself.

"It was very controlled from what I could see, and our medical delegate was more than happy with the way it was done. It all worked exactly as it should."

Also Read:

• Hulkenberg fine and not blaming Grosjean for scary Abu Dhabi crash

1996 world champion Damon Hill wasn't convinced, however, airing his concerns.

“When he was upside down he was not able to extricate himself,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.

“I’ve been upside down and with the roll hoop you could crawl out between the gap and the cockpit sides where there was enough room. I just don’t see that with the halo on. I think it’s a more difficult thing to do.

“He’s alright and protected but he can’t get out. So there may be a few questions about that one."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is hoping Valtteri Bottas can shake off a tough 2018, fearing the issues he faced have "damaged" him.

The Finn admitted he needs some time away from a Formula 1 track after another disappointing race in Abu Dhabi, dropping down to fifth mid-race having run second for a while.

It was also characteristic of a season that saw the 29-year-old fail to win a race after poor luck intervened early and left Bottas playing a 'wingman' role to teammate Lewis Hamiton.

"He was really good until Baku," Wolff told Channel 4. "I think he would have won the race there without the puncture and he would have been in the lead of the championship.

"After a long conservation, I believe that when you have no shot any more of the championship, and you know you need to give up, it kind of damages you mentally," the Austrian added.

"I hope it's not the case, he says not, he's a strong Finn and a warrior but now over the winter we have to pick him up again and get him back to a good place."

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• Bottas declares 2018 his 'worst season' as 2020 speculation swirls

Bottas will head into 2019 with a new voice in his ear and man in the garage as race engineer Tony Ross moves over to Mercedes' Formula E project ahead of their debut in Season 6.

“He’s had enough of you guys!" Wolff jibed to Crash.net revealing Ross will be the chief engineer in the new Formula E team.

"He’s going to dash off into a funny environment with only one race day and funky cities.

“Who replaces him, who, we’re discussing that. Give me a few weeks.”

Max Verstappen has admitted disappointment that he never got to enjoy a wheel-to-wheel battle with Fernando Alonso in equal cars.

Throughout his four-year career, the Dutchman has always had superior performance than the Spaniard whether at Toro Rosso or Red Bull due to a superior engine and/or chassis.

While the pair did have one notable fight for fifth in Australia, with Alonso coming out ahead, the rest of the time the pair has often seen Verstappen simply ease ahead with DRS as he comes through the field.

"It's a bit of a shame I never really raced against him," said the 21-year-old in Abu Dhabi. "Of course he was in F1 while I was there, but I never really had a fight with him because he's always been at the back because of the issues they had.

"That's one thing I regret. I've been racing against Seb, Lewis already, and that's been nice, but never with Fernando, who back in the day when I was watching TV he was always the one really fighting them as well.

"So, it's nice that I raced with him, but I never got to fight against him, which is a shame."

There is still the prospect of Alonso returning in the future, which many in the paddock are not ruling out, including Bernie Ecclestone who was in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.

"I have the feeling he will come back because F1 still needs him," the former F1 boss stated. "I don't care what the team is, although I doubt he can go back to Ferrari or will go back with McLaren.

"I know that if he had a winning car, he would never have left. He may have made wrong decisions when choosing his team, but that doesn't mean it wasn't sad to see him suffer in recent years."

Also Read:

• Alonso 'surprised' by amount of fanfare and tributes during final F1 weekend
• McLaren open to Alonso testing 2019 car

Alonso too is leaving the door open and made his feeling clear before the race.

"Even if I will try and I will drive different series, and I will try to race around the world, I think my life will always be with Formula 1. I will always be an F1 driver, or an ex-F1 driver," he said.

"My driving style, my philosophy on driving, my skills to drive a racing car will always be behind an F1 car. I love this sport. I fell in love at a very early age, looking at my icons and my idols.

"I’m happy that I will be around, maybe not driving the car but I will always be a Formula 1 fan."