Carlos Sainz is setting his McLaren ambitions much further forward than the initial two years that he has signed for as he hopes to lead the British team back to the top in Formula 1.

Following Fernando Alonso's announcement early last week that he will leave the sport at the end of 2018, his fellow countryman was quickly confirmed as his replacement, choosing Woking over Milton Keynes and Red Bull.

"I think it's the right place for me at the right time," Sainz was quoted by F1i.com. "The team is being rebuilt and everything is focused on getting back to the front.

"I have a contract for two years, but the intention is to stay longer and achieve successes together."

While it was thought that decision would see him leave the driver stable at the Austrian energy drinks giant, the 23-year-old has hinted the door is still left open for a future move.

"I can only be grateful to Red Bull for giving me the opportunity to reach Formula 1 and drive for different teams," he said. The fact that I didn't end with a Red Bull seat does not mean that it will never happen."

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There had been suggestions before the McLaren move was announced that former Toro Rosso teammate Max Verstappen was blocking his promotion to the senior team, based on the fraught relationship they had in 2015, early 2016.

"I don't know where that comes from, because Max is one of the drivers I have the best relationship within the paddock," Sainz told Dutch publication Formule 1. "He would never do that."

Outspoken former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes a decision to promote Charles Leclerc to Ferrari in 2019 would only "end in tears".

A series of strong performances with Sauber during his rookie season had many believing a switch to the Scuderia was a done deal for next season in place of Kimi Raikkonen.

Since the shock death of chairman Sergio Marchionne, however, indications have pointed towards the Finn staying on for at least one more year with an announcement expected around Monza.

For Villeneuve, that would be the only sensible call by the Italian team based on the performance of the 39-year-old this season.

"He's third in the championship, he's often quicker than Vettel, when he's not he's what, a tenth behind? He's paramount in the development of the car. The whole team works fantastically well now," he told F1's official 'Beyond the Grid' podcast.

"Put a young cub next to Vettel. What will Vettel do? He'll try to eat him alive and either he will destroy the young cub, or it'll end in tears and the whole team will end up going slower within two years, so that's not constructive."

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The Canadian also pointed to the occasional mistakes the 20-year-old continues to make, claiming Ferrari should wait until he is more the finished article.

"It would be great for Leclerc, it would be amazing for him, but it would be two years of Ferrari preparing him," he said..

"Ferrari is like Mercedes, it's not a team to prepare drivers. It's a top team. Top teams, they buy and they pay the drivers as when they're at their best and when they want them.

"That's why you have junior teams to prepare them."

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is adamant Honda will be ahead of Renault in the engine stakes when the senior team join Toro Rosso as a partner in 2019.

The performance gains made by the Japanese manufacturer was one reason why the Milton Keynes outfit opted to take what many consider the more risky option of changing supplier after 12 years with Renault.

Another was a loss of confidence in their long-time supplier to produce a product that could compete with Mercedes and Ferrari on a regular basis.

"I'm sure we'll be ahead of Renault next year," Marko told Red Bull-owned Servus TV this week.

"Renault doesn't have the current engine package under control. They don't have the performance at the level of Mercedes or Ferrari and it also hangs on the reliability.

"We have lost faith in Renault," he continued. "The promise of Renault that we would be competitive hasn't happened. That's why we took pleasure in the alternative that was offered to us."

Something else Red Bull has regularly touted in their justification is the increased size of the operation at Honda and the increased potential as a result.

"With Honda, we have a partner who is fully committed, has the human and technical resources, and sees us as the number one team," he claimed.

"Honda will spend a lot more effort next year. They have a development centre in Sakura that nobody else can match."

Also Read:

• Marko: Ricciardo's call to reveal Red Bull future "strange"
• Coulthard: No negatives to Red Bull-Honda partnership
• Verstappen unconcerned by high Honda component usage at Toro Rosso
• Toro Rosso sure Honda will power Red Bull to victories in 2019

The memories of the company's failed return with McLaren continue to cloud some people's view of Red Bull's decision though, but there again the Austrian is unconcerned.

"We have a different approach with Honda than McLaren," he said.

"They more or less dictated to Honda what the engine should look like, we simply said that they should build the best engine available and then we try somehow to accommodate it in the chassis. We discuss everything together.

"[Honda] have realized that they have made mistakes. There was a change of staff and they got advice from experts," he added.

"This year's form of Toro Rosso clearly shows that things are going up."

Newly announced Red Bull driver for 2019 Pierre Gasly is expecting a strong relationship with Max Verstappen when he steps up alongside the Dutchman next year.

The Frenchman was confirmed as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo late on Monday, with the growing influence of Verstappen considered one of the reasons why he made the bold move to switch to Renault.

Even so, Gasly has is looking forward to rekindling his on-track battles with the 20-year-old and building on their current friendship.

“Being teammates and mates with Max next season is really cool because we get on really well and we’ve known each other for a really long time,” he told the Red Bull website.

“We used to race against each other in karting in 2010 as a junior, so we’ve already raced together, but not for the same team. We’ve actually had a couple of close battles, sometimes good for me, sometimes not so good, but we really enjoyed that time.

“We really respect each other a lot as drivers, but also as friends, so I’m really excited to join him in the team with him. As we have a strong friendship it will be only a positive for the team.”

The 22-year-old also revealed the story of what happened upon receiving the news of his promotion for next season.

“When Helmut started the call with me I was in my underwear,” he smiled. “When the call ended I ran around the house shouting to my mates and they all jumped in the pool straight away!

“There was so much excitement and I was so happy about it because it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. There were a lot of emotions as well and I was just so shocked. I didn’t really know what I was saying to my mates, so I jumped in the pool and celebrated with my mates and family.

“It was even more special to be there with them as we only really get to spend one week a year together. We try to see each other every year, but of course, with the Formula 1 calendar, it’s difficult to see them.

“So to get the news during that week when I was with them was even better. They’ve supported me every weekend from my karting days and as I was moving up through the series. Celebrating with them, they were just super happy for me as well, so it was a great moment.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has thrown his support behind Sebastian Vettel for the remainder of the Formula 1 title battle.

Few people in the paddock know the 31-year-old better than the Briton, who watched his rise with Toro Rosso in 2007-08 and then helped guide him to four consecutive world titles between 2010-13.

However, Horner believes the Vettel we see today is much different to the one he used to work with, pointing to how he has matured in his three years with Ferrari.

"He’s a much more rounded driver," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"He was still very young when he won those four world championships. Having a few character-building years at Ferrari have made him more rounded.

"He’s very good under pressure. He’s very much a rock within that team. If he gets a sniff of a chance after the summer break, he’ll be very difficult to beat."

Also Read:

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Vettel's first team boss in F1 was Mario Theissen, when he deputised for Robert Kubica at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, and the former BMW Sauber chief admitted he too noted how different Sebastian was when he attended the German Grand Prix last month.

"What I see this year, as opposed to the years before, he is much more composed when reflecting on a situation, especially after a bad result," he told Formula1.com.

"It is something you have to learn during your career, that you can’t control everything. Sometimes you get an unexpected win, sometimes you come to a race track, you’re sure you will dominate the weekend and you go home with zero points.

"That’s what happened to him at Hockenheim," he added.

"In the years before, if you look at younger drivers, they are devastated in such situations. It looks to me that Sebastian has overcome this period. He takes it as it comes, he understands he can’t control it. The best thing you can do is tick it off and focus on the next one."

Sergio Perez believes he is the front-runner to be retained by Force India in 2019 in the wake of the team's takeover by a consortium backed by Lawrence Stroll.

The Mexican was the man who filed the claim which put the Silverstone-based squad into administration, saying it was done to save the team in the face of a looming winding-up order which would have seen the team shut down.

But now, while the team's future is secure, the likely arrival of Stroll's son Lance from Williams means Checo or Esteban Ocon is set to get the boot for next season if not sooner.

The Mercedes links to the team would have potentially put the Frenchman in a good position, however, it is the Mexican who insists the ball is now in the new owners' court.

"It's a matter of days or weeks. The contract is there, it's just the position of the team that must be clarified," Perez told Fox.

"The team is coming from a complex situation, but fortunately the 400 workers are all safe with a good investment that guarantees stability."

The 28-year-old has previously made his position clear that he considers Force India his best choice, this despite almost making a move to Renault for 2017 before he himself backed out of a deal done by his backers.

"When you have no chance at Ferrari or Mercedes, I think Force India is a very interesting option," he stated.

"I do not regret not signing with Renault, because in the last two years I was best of the rest. As a team, we were in front of Renault in the constructors' championship."

Also Read:

• Ocon has faith in Mercedes to find solution for 2019
• Villeneuve: Stroll should leave Williams for Force India at Spa

What is frustrating Perez though, is the inability for a good team to break out of the midfield and challenge the dominance of the current top three teams.

"The difference in budget these days, going into a new generation of cars, is tremendous," he told Motorsport.com "You cannot compete. The last four or five years it was simply two categories in Formula 1.

"I've never heard before, that people were talking about "yeah, I won the race", when you are best of the rest, or 'I'm leading the championship' if you are best of the rest.

"That shouldn't be the way. That is damaging the sport a lot."

He does see some of that changing under the leadership of Liberty Media, however.

"I really hope for the benefit of the sport that in 2021 you have five teams fighting for victories every race," said the eight-time podium sitter.

"That will be a dream come true. As a fan, I'd like to see that."

The Formula 1 grid may only consist of 18 cars this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix as the fallout from Force India's takeover continues.

After entering administration four weeks ago, the Silverstone-based team was sold to a consortium backed by Lawrence Stroll, father of Williams driver Lance.

However, it has now emerged that the Canadian only has the keys to the F1 operation and not the holding company which owns the entry to the current world championship.

To obtain that would require consent from the creditors linked to former owners Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy, however, that has reportedly not been obtained with RaceFans claiming only the assets of the team were sold with Stroll needing to set up a new company.

If that is the case then the team would be prohibited from taking to the track at Spa-Francorchamps and would also lose out on any prize money unless a unanimous agreement was reached with the other nine F1 teams.

Efforts are underway to secure their participation this weekend and beyond, but another sign of the changing times comes with F1i.com revealing that personnel were seen removing the 'Sahara Force India' logos from transport trucks and other equipment in the Belgium paddock.

As the battle to decide who will race alongside Carlos Sainz at McLaren heats up, Lando Norris is to get the opportunity to drive for the British team in Practice 1 at the Belgian GP on Friday.

It will mark the current Formula 2 racer's first outing at a Grand Prix weekend and he will be directly alongside the man who's seat he wants, Stoffel Vandoorne as he replaces the outgoing Fernando Alonso.

While that may bring speculation of McLaren conducting a direct comparison, Sporting Director Gil de Ferran explained that was not the case.

"This is not only part of his ongoing development, but also the evaluation and performance evolution of the car," he said.

"We’ll be taking a strategic view race-by-race at where else this might be beneficial for us over the coming Grands Prix.

"Spa-Francorchamps has a well-deserved reputation as a racers’ circuit due to its historic significance and popularity among the drivers.

"We’ll be head down and pushing hard as usual to aim for points for both cars in front of our Belgian fans at Stoffel’s home race."

Norris isn't the only competition Vandoorne is facing with Esteban Ocon appearing the most likely of the two Force India drivers to face the axe to accommodate Lance Stroll with McLaren believed to be interested in the Frenchman.

Even so, the 26-year-old is looking forward to returning home and hopes to build on a strong performance in Budapest that was ultimately ended by a gearbox problem.

"Although the DNF was hugely disappointing in Hungary, I had a much more positive feeling in the car and my main objective is to carry this momentum forward to Spa and these back-to-back races.

"Spa is also my favourite track – as it is for many other drivers – and I’ve raced there all through my junior career, so it feels like a second home for me and I hope we can put on a good show for the Belgian fans."

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has described the phone call and the situation which led to Daniel Ricciardo choosing Renault for 2019 as "strange".

At the final race before the summer break in Hungary, the strong expectation was that the Australian was on the brink of re-signing for at least one more year with the Anglo-Austrian team after Mercedes had confirmed an unchanged line-up a week earlier in Germany.

Less than a week into the holidays, however, the situation had changed and Ricciardo surprised everyone with the news he had signed a two-year deal with the French manufacturer.

“I can not understand the change,” Marko told Red Bull-owned Servus TV. “That was a very strange story.

"The negotiations were difficult. On the Wednesday before the Austrian Grand Prix, I sat with him for two hours and we agreed terms. In Hungary, he said to both me and Mr. Mateschitz that everything fits, he will sign on Tuesday at the test. He did not do that.

“On Thursday afternoon I got a call. He had sort of a strange voice and I told him 'Get to the point! We are adults'. Then he said: 'I'm going to Renault'."

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• Horner: Ricciardo didn't want to play a 'support role' to Verstappen at Red Bull

The 29-year-old has identified the need for a fresh challenge as the main reason for his decision, although more may well come out this weekend in Belgium.

For the Austrian though, he thinks two key factors proved critical.

"I can only assume that he does not believe in the Honda project and that Renault offered him a very high amount. But I think 'shoeys' will be hard for him in the near future!" he claimed.

"He was a total of 10 years with Red Bull since his time as junior driver, he probably needed a change of scene. I can understand if he thinks the neighbour's grass is greener.

“On the other hand, it is a pity too. He is certainly one of the strongest drivers in the field. His overtaking manoeuvres were just great.

“The others sometimes don't even notice they've been overtaken. In qualifying, he has not done as well as Max [Verstappen], however.”

Pierre Gasly says his ambition now is "rewarding the faith" shown by Red Bull after he was confirmed alongside Max Verstappen for 2019 on Monday.

The Frenchman had become the obvious choice to replace the Renault-bound Daniel Ricciardo next season after fellow stablemate Carlos Sainz opted to head to McLaren, claiming the seat that will be vacated by Fernando Alonso.

It marks a rapid rise for the 2016 GP2 champion, who only made his debut just under a year ago at the Malaysian Grand Prix, however, with three top six finishes so far this season, including a fourth in Bahrain, the 22-year-old has caught the attention of his bosses.

"Since Pierre first stepped into a Formula 1 seat with Scuderia Toro Rosso less than a year ago he has proved the undoubted talent that Red Bull has nurtured since his early career," commented his soon-to-be team boss Christian Horner

"His stellar performances this year at the Honda-powered team, in only his first full season in F1, have only enhanced his reputation as one of the most exciting young drivers in motorsport and we look forward to Pierre bringing his speed, skill and attitude to the team in 2019."

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As is the case for all junior drivers, Gasly described reaching the main Red Bull team as his "goal" when he joined the program in 2013 band to achieved it marked "another step forward in my ambition to win Grands Prix and compete for world championships".

"I’m a really competitive guy and when I do something it’s always to fight for the best and top positions," he continued

"As hugely exciting a moment as this is, I am fully aware of the challenge this special opportunity offers me and the expectations that faces any driver at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

"I’m looking forward to rewarding the faith that [Red Bull owner] Dietrich Mateschitz, Christian Horner and [advisor] Dr Helmut Marko have placed in me."