Considered as a driver that has never had the chance to fulfil his potential, Nico Hulkenberg reflected on his rollercoaster Formula 1 career including a near-move to Ferrari.

The German had been successful in every series he raced in during his junior career but once he hit the top with Williams in 2010, it was a case of needing his talent to shine brighter than money as Pastor Maldonado took over his seat for 2011.

A year as a reserve then saw a race seat come his way at Force India in 2012 and perhaps his nearest miss for a podium in Brazil, a race he led for a while before colliding with Lewis Hamilton.

Sauber beckoned the following year before returning to the Silverstone outfit in 2014 and now he has what many consider his final chance to succeed with Renault after switching in 2017.

"n a way that is an achievement, to still be here and have survived, I think it does say something about me and the driver I am," Hulkenberg, who turned 31 on Sunday told Motorsport.com.

"At the same time that sounds a bit sh*t also. And boring, you know? I want more. But we know that you need to have the right timing, you need to be in the right car in the right moment. That’s why I am here now. My career is not done.

"I have a very good team partner with Renault now, and obviously we have a target together and a vision, that we're fighting hard for and working for."

The problem now facing Nico is the pending arrival of Daniel Ricciardo in 2019, a driver many consider one of the finest on the grid and the man that will take over from the 'Hulk' in leading the French manufacturer in their bid to return to the top.

It could have all turned out so differently, however, as the most experienced driver without a podium finish to his name almost replaced Felipe Massa at Ferrari in 2014.

"It seemed, you know, serious. It seemed close," he remembers. "There were negotiations, there were contracts flowing about, being sent between lawyers, but it doesn't matter now.

"At the end it didn't happen, and yeah, the rest is history."

Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul has suggested introducing more standard parts to Formula 1 engines could help the FIA in enforcing the regulations.

This season, the topic of engine legality has been in the spotlight as Ferrari introduced a new battery concept which some believe has allowed them to store and deploy greater levels of electrical energy in the ERS than is permitted.

There has also been a long-running question over oil burning as fuel to improve performance, although this has largely been contained through tighter restrictions and testing.

Even so, the idea of having more standard parts in the power unit was suggested as part of an overhaul in 2021 which would make the engines cheaper, simpler and noisier and Abiteboul believes such a move would have other positives.

"I don't want to create a debate here, but I think we need to think how we can help the FIA, regarding the enforceability of the regulations," the Renault chief told Autosport, clearly sparking a debate.

"I really believe that the complexity of the engine is such that I would not want to have myself to police it. So I think we need to figure that out.

"I really believe that some elements of standardisation are not just useful but absolutely necessary if we want to retain some confidence between all the participants."

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It was such a suggestion, along with the financial impact of changing the engines, which led to quit threats from Ferrari and Mercedes, although in recent weeks the consensus has been that possibly only a few tweaks will be made to the current formula.

Even so, Abiteboul admitted that despite the FIA's efforts there have been ways discovered to circumnavigate some regulations.

"I think that, frankly, if we wanted to cheat on the current engine, we would know how to do it, and that's an issue," said the Frenchman.

"We are a very large corporation and we would never do such a thing like that, we can't afford the reputation risk.

"I'm not saying that anyone is cheating, but I think it'd be good to get rid of all the speculation, by doing some local and targeted standardisation, and we've put forward some proposals in relation to that."

Marcus Ericsson believes his Sauber team does have the potential to finish as the lead midfield outfit on the grid next season.

2018 has seen quite a renaissance for the Swiss squad as a closer partnership with Ferrari has seen the now class-leading engine in the back of their car and a technical alliance with Alfa Romeo has also worked dividends.

In the flurry of races before the summer break, the team was often seen challenging inside the top 10, albeit mostly through Ericsson's teammate Charles Leclerc. Looking forward though, the Swede only sees a continuation of the upward trend.

"As a team, you need to always aim high and I think with the rate of progress we made this year, I think for sure it has to be our target to be in the top of the midfield come next year," he told Crash.net.

"We have to see but I feel that’s not unrealistic."

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Despite a rocky few years financially, Sauber has previously been known as one of the top midfield squads on the grid and has been known to punch above its weight with the 2012 season perfect proof.

While returning to the heights of occasional podiums may still be some way off though, Ericsson does think the opportunity is there.

"I think the potential in this team is massive," he said. "If you go to the factory the facilities are great and the wind tunnel is great.

"It’s just a different thing altogether to go to the race weekends compared to the last few seasons because the last two seasons I knew we needed a big crash, we needed the weather to turn around completely.

"Now we go into a race weekend knowing that if we do everything right we will be there and fight for points on a Sunday.

"It’s such a nice feeling and it is so motivating as well for me and for the team to know that going into every weekend. Also, you can see back in the factory as well how much people are motivated and happy to be back fighting."

Approaching two years after making his Formula 1 debut, Esteban Ocon believes it is only "a matter of time" before he drives for Mercedes despite his current position being a little less certain.

The Frenchman replaced Rio Haryanto at Manor from the Belgian Grand Prix in 2016, switching to Force India the following year and has since become known for what some have dubbed his 'Oconsistency'.

As the current lead driver in the German manufacturer's young driver program, it would be anticipated he is first in line for a promotion when either Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas depart and that feeling is also apparent in the 21-year-old.

"The bosses have plans for me that are 'not yet'," he told Motorsport.com of his Mercedes future. "It's not the plan for now.

"I think they want me to have more experience before I jump in that car. I knew that already. I have targets I have to respect.

"At the moment they are happy with the job I'm doing. It's just a matter of time, I think."

In the immediate term, the situation is also a little more complex for Ocon as the sale of Force India to a consortium headed by Lawrence Stroll makes it almost certain that son Lance will be joining from Williams.

The question is whether it will be he or Sergio Perez that is dropped, with the possibility of joining Renault ended after Daniel Ricciardo made his surprise announcement.

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• Villeneuve: Stroll should leave Williams for Force India at Spa
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Replacing the Canadian at the Grove-based outfit could be an option, as it also Mercedes-powered, but also a loan move to McLaren can't be ruled out alongside Carlos Sainz.

Regardless, Ocon is comfortable everything is under control.

"My future will be sorted out soon," he suggested. "I'm not worried at all.

"Mercedes is doing a great job with my management since I joined them, they always put me in the best sporting position for me. I don't have to be worried, it's all going to be okay.

"If I stay here or go somewhere else, I don't know. But I will have a great position for sure next year."

This season, Esteban has been the better driver for the most part with six top 10's but sits a single point behind Perez, who scored a podium in Baku.

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button believes his ex-teammate at McLaren, Fernando Alonso, has "made the right decision" to leave the grid at the end of 2018.

The pair were back racing against each other this past weekend in the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone, with the Spaniard winning his third race in a row for Toyota alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima only to be disqualified as the car failed post-race scrutineering.

Even so, Button, who retired himself after a one-off return at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix and had previously called on Alonso to "do something else", fully backs the 37-year-old's quest to race elsewhere.

"I said to him he’s finally made the right decision. He’s woken up and smelled the coffee, as we say," he said on Sunday.

"It’s always down to the individual when they choose to leave F1. He’s done the same thing as what I chose to do, leave but leave it open for one year after to go back.

"I think that’s the right option to do. But if the McLaren’s quick and it’s winning races, he’ll be back in F1."

Button, who has also been racing in Japan's Super GT series with Honda alongside his WEC duties with LMP1 team SMP Racing, also heaped praise on Alonso as he reflected on their two seasons together at McLaren.

"Discussing his retirement means nothing, it’s more his career, it’s been exceptional. To win two world championships and be close on a couple of other times, there aren’t many people who get to do that," he said.

"We were teammates, so I know exactly the strengths and weaknesses for Fernando. It was really, really enjoyable racing with Fernando and against him as a teammate.

"My toughest teammate, really enjoyed it though. My late father always respected Fernando, and that’s always a good judge of character. He used to get on very well with my father as well, Fernando.

"It's really nice to race with him."

Also Read:

• Alonso: "Poor" and "predictable" F1 is why I decided to leave
• Carlos Sainz ready to lead McLaren from 2019, Alonso claims
• Massa: Alonso "on same level" as Schumacher but had one key fault

The 38-year-old also used his own post-F1 activities as proof that the name Fernando Alonso will still be on a racetrack somewhere for many years yet.

"He’s still going to be racing until he’s 95 years old. He races more than me, he’s at the karting school in Spain all the time, driving, teaching. He’s obviously racing in WEC.

"I think next year he’ll still have a busy schedule. You can’t stop a racing driver racing. I thought I could stop, but I can’t," he admitted.

Fernando Alonso has slammed the "poor" and "predictable" state of the current Formula 1 product as why he has decided to leave McLaren at the end of 2018.

This week, the Spaniard announced he would be calling time on his career after 17 years, though hasn't ruled out a future return, with fellow countryman Carlos Sainz confirmed as his replacement at the British team.

Speaking ahead of his participation at the Silverstone 6 Hours with Toyota in the WEC, which has been his extra-curricular activity this season away from the F1 grid, the 37-year-old admits a lack of action was influential in his decision.

"The action on track is not the one I dreamed of when I joined F1, or when I was in different series or the action on track that I experienced in other years," he explained.

"I stopped because the action on track in my opinion I feel is very poor. In fact, what we talk about more in F1, is off track.

"We talk about polemics. We talk about radio messages. We talk about all these things, and when we talk so many times about those things, it is a bad sign."

Also, with such a big gap currently between the top three teams and the rest, the double world champion sees little chance of that changing.

"When I was in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011, I was not winning [many] races in those years. But it was difficult to predict what could happen in Spa and Monza," Alonso claimed.

"Now, we can write down what is going to happen at Spa and Monza. We can put the first 15 positions with maybe one or two mistakes. So how predictable everything became is tough."

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The former Renault & Ferrari driver suggested he felt sorry for the good young drivers of today who were mired in mediocre teams unable to see a path to the front but believes now he personally can enjoy whatever he decides to do.

"I think the door open is more because I think I am driving at the best level of my career now," he said. "And why to close doors if anything could happen in the future?

"I am still young. I am not 45 years old. I feel strong and I am doing this year 27 races, so my thinking is to stop and that is why I stop. But who knows? That is the reason why.

The almost certain next step is expected to be a season of IndyCar possibly still with McLaren as he looks to win the Indianapolis 500 and become just the second driver in history to win motorsport's 'Triple Crown'.

While there might be nine races to go, Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has revealed all development on the 2018 car has already come to an end.

The American squad admitted they made a mistake last season in switching focus to this year too soon, however, the reward has been good with the car the fastest of the midfield before the summer break.

But being quite a small operation compared to most around them and also operating on a tighter budget too, however, Steiner explained that the risk of potentially dropping back is outweighed by getting a head start on the VF-19.

"We started the 2019 car a few weeks ago and there’s no point in developing the 2018 car any longer because if you do continue development, by the time you manufacture the parts, it’s near the end of the season," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"The gains are too small to use the parts in only two or three races. We do have a few more parts coming, but that’s it for the development of the 2018 car."

As for why Haas are confident of avoiding a repeat of 12 months ago when a lack of development left them near the back of the grid by Abu Dhabi...

"We’ve learned to produce upgrades, bring them to the car, and have them working," he claimed. "This is a step that we have achieved in 2018 that we did not have in 2017."

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Next year does see a more significant change in regulations with bigger but simpler wings and a shift in the positioning of the bargeboards, but meeting those alterations haven't had a major impact on planning.

"Maybe we switched a few sessions before because if we were only making an evolution of the 2018 car for next year, with the same regulations, you could use whatever you learned this year for next year’s car.," Steiner explained.

"By changing regulations you need to start a little more fresh. So, you have to focus a little bit before and you cannot use what you developed for the 2018 car on the 2019 car."

Reigning Formula E world champion Jean-Eric Vergne has revealed an approach by a Formula 1 team over a possible return in 2019.

The Frenchman came up short during his first stint with Toro Rosso as then-teammate Daniel Ricciardo got the promotion to Red Bull in 2014 with Vergne then dropped for Carlos Sainz at the end of that year.

A brief spell as a Ferrari development driver ensued before he found his current calling competing in both the WEC and Formula E where he recently beat Sam Bird to become the Season 4 champion.

Racing at the Silverstone 6 Hours, the 28-year-old was asked if a future F1 return was likely by Crash.net.

“It’s a possibility," he responded before disclosing that a team had approached him without naming.

Given his current stock, it may not be impossible to think Red Bull has considered their former driver for either team, replacing Daniel Ricciardo or Pierre Gasly, who is the favourite to step into the Australian's seat.

Then there's Haas or Sauber who could well have a seat going, depending on which one Charles Leclerc fills for next year.

"It’s funny how the world of motorsport changes!" Vergne continued. "Three years ago, I don’t think anybody would have called me from F1 and said: ‘Hey, do you have a contract for next season?'

“When you change your state of mind, when you change a little bit how you work, you see the results straight away. You see it in how people look at you and how they speak to you."

As for whether the starter of 58 Grands Prix would consider re-entering the F1 circus...

"If a good opportunity comes in Formula 1, I would consider it," Vergne confirmed. “It’s something that would interest me.

"To have another new, big challenge. This time, I think I have all the tools at my disposal to do a good job in F1.”

Regardless: “In my mind, I’m happy where I am,” he added. “I’m not bitter at all. I’m very happy with what I have. I think things happen for a reason.

"I’m not disappointed any more. I learned from my mistakes, I learned from the bad things that happened, and I’m actually thankful for what happened to me."

Fernando Alonso is confident his McLaren seat will be in good hands when Carlos Sainz replaces him next season.

The double world champion is set to head off to IndyCar next season among other places as he looks to add the Indianapolis 500 and complete the Triple Crown but it means for the first time since 2002, Formula 1 will be without the Spaniard.

In many ways, it feels very right that he should be passing his torch to Sainz, who idolised Alonso growing up and has been his apprentice for much of his career, therefore, despite his Red Bull links, Fernando is just as well versed on the 23-year-old's potential.

"Carlos has everything he needs to lead a project like McLaren that we hope will continue to improve by the end of the year," the 37-year-old said at WEC's Silverstone 6 Hours this past weekend.

"The problems with the car have been identified for some months now even though many of the solutions cannot be applied now because the 2018 design is done but I think in 2019 it could look completely different.

"I think it could be a better year and Carlos has the experience and ability to lead such a project. He is still young and has not been in F1 for many years, but he still has enough experience from Toro Rosso and Renault. That mix could work very well for McLaren."

Also Read:

• Alonso: "Poor" and "predictable" F1 is why I decided to leave

While Sainz is still focused on doing the best he can in his remaining nine races with Renault, he does admit some attention is already shifting towards being well prepared for McLaren next year.

"When it comes to Spa I will talk with him [Alonso] and will start having conversations with him about next year and how to approach the year," he said at an event at Assen in Holland.

"For sure he will let me know the people there and all that, he will give me good contacts."

Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner insists he has no problem with the increasing relationship between Sauber and Ferrari, one that threatens to become closer than their own.

This season, the Swiss team increased their technical collaboration with the Scuderia with the latest engines and a partnership with Alfa Romeo, a fellow Fiat brand, and that has allowed them to challenge further up the grid.

As for Haas, they were arguably the fastest midfield team before the summer break with their co-operation with Ferrari also on a technical level as they buy in as many parts as the regulations allow and Steiner is satisfied with their arrangements while ever the trend is upward.

“No. I mean, we’re progressing as well so I have no problem. Why would it?" he told RACER magazine.

“We’ve got a very good relationship with them [Ferrari]," he said. "It has worked now for four years, and we are very happy.

"They have no interest to make it worse because they are pretty happy with us."

Also Read:

• Alonso: Fighting Haas & Sauber like fighting "three Ferrari teams"

Earlier in the summer break, Steiner put both Haas and Sauber's improvement down to the improved Ferrari engine, suggesting their midfield rivals can't complain, particularly the Mercedes-powered ones.

And once again he took the opportunity to praise the work done at Maranello.

“I think they have done a great job,” the Italian said. “They put us in a good spot with their work.

"I always said we believe in them, they’re doing a good job and now they are ahead of Mercedes."