Williams deputy boss Claire Williams is supporting technical director Paddy Lowe, admitting the team is somewhat relying on him to turn around their current problems.

When the Briton made the move from Mercedes in March last year, his arrival was seen as the start of good times for the Grove-based team with his vast knowledge and experience from working with championship-winning teams.

However, trying to change philosophy with the 2018 chassis, the situation has gotten much worse with Williams currently bottom of the Constructors' Championship and with little hope of making progress.

The departures of chief designer Ed Wood and aerodynamicist Dirk de Beer haven't helped either but the daughter of team founder Sir Frank insists Lowe is not going anywhere.

"Paddy is our CTO [Chief Technical Officer] and I back him 100%," Claire told Formula1.com. "Paddy is a triple world championship-winning technical director. He’s inherited a team with some issues and weaknesses and it’s his responsibility to fix these issues as our CTO.

"Giving someone a short time to do that and expect miracles is naïve. He needs more time to fix these issues. At the end of the day, we’re all relying on Paddy and his team of engineers. It’s those guys who make the car go faster.

"We need to make sure we give them everything we can resources-wise to do what they can to give us a good race car. I trust Paddy and his team will deliver."

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• Williams in talks to expand Mercedes partnership
• Mercedes eyeing 2019 Williams seat for youngster Russell

Though some progress has been made in recent races, Lowe himself admits 2018 is likely now a write-off for Williams.

"We’ve done a lot of very good work, but when you go and look at the numbers, we’ve probably stood still relative to our competitors," he said

"We’re not going to give up, but if we’re realistic, the idea of getting back towards the front of the midfield at this stage in this season is maybe not going to happen.

"So naturally, which happens anyway, a lot more focus moves to the following year."

Pierre Gasly believes he can make a successful transition from Toro Rosso to Red Bull should he get the nod over the Carlos Sainz to replace Daniel Ricciardo.

The Frenchman has impressed on several occasions in his first full season, scoring three top-six finishes in Bahrain, Monaco and Hungary and achieving a best of fourth in the desert.

Following the surprise exit of the Australian and potential for disharmony should Sainz join Max Verstappen, many consider Gasly as the man that could well be called upon to keep the peace.

"Yes, I would like that but I'm not thinking about it too much," Gasly told Spain's Marca about a possible promotion.

"I am happy with my season so far at Toro Rosso, I'm happy to be here. At the moment, nothing is decided, I think.

"It's a similar situation to Carlos. We're both waiting to see what happens."

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• Gasly hopes P6 in Budapest a reminder to top teams of his talent

A possible concern for Gasly is his promotion could bare some similarities to the rise of Daniil Kvyat in 2015 as a young driver with plenty of potential but was possibly rushed into a top seat and paid the price.

"No. If I'm fast, I'll have my chance," the 22-year-old said. "I need to focus, make sure I'm fast and the rest will come.

"It depends how you see things. Look at Red Bull and all the drivers who did not reach the first team, or look at Verstappen, Vettel, Ricciardo and the others who were successful."

Ultimately, Gasly won't be too disheartened if he has to wait a year or two for the opportunity many expect him to one day have.

"It's my first season in F1 and I'm 22, so I am happy to stay at Toro Rosso if they need me. But of course, I want to fight for the championship as soon as possible," he added.

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner believes Williams and Force India, the Mercedes customer teams, have little to complain about now that Ferrari has emerged as the engine leader.

In the stretch of races prior to the summer break, the American squad and Sauber both enjoyed a strong run of performance, regularly filling at least three of the final four places in the top 10 after the top three teams.

Much of that is due to the gains of the Ferrari power unit which has surpassed the German manufacturer as the most powerful on the grid.

"Mercedes customers shouldn’t complain because they had a very good engine the last four years," Steiner told Motorsport.com.

"The first years of these regulations, if you didn’t have a Mercedes engine, you were nowhere. Now Ferrari has overtaken them and everybody having a Ferrari engine are critiqued – ‘Oh, you’ve got the good engine’.

"Yeah, we have. So did you the last four years and you didn’t take advantage of it. So what can I do? I’m very happy. If the other ones are unhappy, I cannot help them."

Renault's Nick Chester also admitted the company have been surprised by just how much performance Maranello has been able to extract with their second engine this year with some estimates between 30-40 horsepower.

"It just seems to be more power unit output," he told Crash.net. "Their straight line speeds are very strong while running a sensible rear wing on the car. So they do seem to just have good power.

“It does give us a concern. We are obviously in a pretty tight fight, so we have brought stuff all the way up to the shutdown.”

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• Mercedes keen to match Ferrari power but wary of possible failures
• Verstappen: Non-works team status leaves Red Bull "two races behind" rivals

Steiner also addressed the topic of engine regulations for the future, with the possibility of keeping the current units now appearing likely as no new manufacturers appear ready to enter.

For the Italian, he believed the important angle for customer teams is to ensure the cost of buying was guaranteed and equal regardless of where it came from.

“What I would like to have is a cost cap on the money we have to pay the engine manufacturer, that that is set and then they can do what they want," he claimed.

"If they want to make an engine out of gold, then we get it for set price, feel free to do so.

"That is more because we don’t have the expertise to get involved, V6 one turbo or two turbos, MGU-H, as long as we are sure that there is a supply and the cost of the supply is controlled whatever money we can agree on, we are happy.

"We don’t want to get involved with one or two turbos because, for me, we don’t produce one."

Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve wants Lance Stroll to move from Williams to Force India as soon as the Belgian Grand Prix.

Last week, the news that the Canadian's father Lawrence has backed a takeover of the Silverstone-based team instantly led many to assume he'll be making the same move, likely at the end of the season.

However, with Stroll Sr. in control now, the outspoken pundit for Sky Italia sees no reason to wait that long.

"Lance should finish the season at Force India. He should not wait. He should drive in Belgium at the end of the month," he told Le Journal de Montreal.

"The car is better and he would be able to get a head start on next year, and improve his driving style with Force India's engineers."

Of course, to do that, would mean having to oust either Sergio Perez or Esteban Ocon from their current seat.

"Anything can be done in F1," Villeneuve insisted. "We've seen it in the past. Contracts can be bought. Driver changes during the season are doable."

Certainly, the opportunity to move up the grid from a Williams team that sits bottom of the Constructors' Championship with just four points, all of which Stroll earned in Baku, would be very welcome for the frustrated from European F3 champion.

“This sport is a love-hate relationship and you have to have pride in the difficult times,” Lance recently told Motorsport.com.

“You have to reflect on the past and know that there were good times, and [believe there are] good times ahead.

“You have to ride the rollercoaster. That’s what F1 is. This sport changes all the time and it’s just about being there and waiting for your moment to shine.”

Also Read:

• Sergio Perez to consider options but wants Force India stay
• Force India COO was wary team would follow Caterham, HRT & Manor
• Williams in talks to expand Mercedes partnership

As for the team with which he won his world title, Villeneuve maintains a position he took earlier this summer that Williams is on its death bed.

"The loss not only of Lawrence but also the sponsor (Martini) is probably the final nail in the coffin," he stated.

"They'll then lose a lot of TV rights because they'll be at the bottom of the championship. Even pay drivers won't want to spend money there."

At Force India though, he predicts things will be very different for the Strolls.

"The organisation is better than Williams. They only stopped developing this year because they can't afford it," Jacques said.

"Lawrence has always made brands grow. It's one of his strengths. He couldn't do it at Williams because he was not the owner, but his influence will be greater at Force India.

"He will help them. Force India remained a racing team, unlike Williams," he added.

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey hasn't ruled out making contracts similar to that made for the Miami Grand Prix with other races in the future.

Though the street race in Florida has been pushed back until 2020 in the face of local opposition, the potential deal between Liberty Media and promoter Stephen Ross is still creating a lot of buzz with his counterparts at other Grands Prix.

The model being considered is a break away from the typical model of a straight fee to the commercial rights holder with both parties taking on risk by looking to optimise revenue from other sources, whether it be corporate or sponsorship.

Unsurprisingly, that has struck a chord with races that have been struggling financially for years, such as the British and German Grand Prix's, who see the Miami model as a possible alternative the multi-million sums they currently have to pay.

"Realistically every race is unique," said Carey in a conference call with investors after revealing another disappointing quarter of financial results.

"I think each one we’d look at in the specific terms. I think people don’t realise that frequently these events have a lot more moving parts than just a fee, there are hospitality components, sponsorship components, other components around it.

"But you look at each on their merits. What are the direct economic benefits and certainties? We’re not afraid of risk, if we believe there’s an upside to the risk. We obviously can afford that."

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• F1 should reduce the calendar and makes races "compete", says Renault chief
• Brawn "sure" of solution to keep Silverstone GP on F1 calendar
• Hockenheim boss tells Liberty not to chase money or "we're out"

Carey has looked to forge a closer relationship with race promoters including the first-ever collective meeting to share ideas on how to improve the experience each race provides, however, he insists the idea of sharing the costs is not going to become the norm.

"We're not going to turn the model upside down, but if the returns justify the risks, I think we’d look at it," he continued.

"We’d look at that conservatively, so we’d want to be comfortable, and again I think we’re not looking to transform our model, but we’d look at each one based on the unique characteristics of that event."

Looking forward, the Liberty chief remains very upbeat about the future of the F1 calendar, teasing a few newcomers.

"We’re already turning our energies to the 2020 calendar, and we’re particularly excited about a number of opportunities to add new events that we believe will really capture fans’ imagination and be widely supported.

"In fact, we are actively discussing opportunities on four continents. A potential race in Miami is one of those."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes the risk of playing a "support role" in the rise of Max Verstappen was a key factor in Daniel Ricciardo's decision to leave.

The Australian surprised the Formula 1 world when it was confirmed he would be departing Milton Keynes and will head down the road to Enstone to join Renault in 2019 and beyond.

Red Bull's decision to end their 12-year partnership with the French manufacturer and team up with Honda was one reason many gave, but increasingly, the role of Verstappen in Ricciardo's thinking is being considered.

"The competition between he and Max is very intense. Max is growing stronger and stronger and I think Daniel’s just decided that the timing is right for him to check out and try something else," he told the Beyond the Grid F1 podcast.

"He sees Max growing and growing in terms of speed and strength and he doesn’t want to play a support role, I guess, for want of better words.

"Not that they’re in any way treated in any way different. I can’t but feel that was perhaps a large part of Daniel’s decision-making."

Having seen the 29-year-old develop, the Briton admits he has doubts as to whether his potential will be fulfilled by taking the risk on the current midfield team.

"I could understand if it was to Ferrari or Mercedes, but it’s an enormous risk at his stage in his career," Horner said.

"I guess in his mind he’s felt that after five years he feels he needs a new challenge, a new prospectus.

"I think that obviously he’s chosen to join the Renault team, that he feels they’re in the ascendancy.

"He knows the Renault product very well from all the time that he’s spent with us and I can’t help but feel that he wants to be a leading role perhaps in a smaller environment."

Also Read:

• Red Bull boss Horner thought Ricciardo was "joking" with exit call
• Nico Hulkenberg aware of huge "challenge" he faces alongside Ricciardo
• Toro Rosso sure Honda will power Red Bull to victories in 2019

The news was more surprising as all indications and even public comments had suggested a renewal with Red Bull was all-but-certain with the company caving to the Honey Badger's demands.

"We gave Daniel everything he wanted and asked for and it still wasn’t enough," Horner claimed.

"We were even prepared to do a one-year agreement so he was available to Ferrari or Mercedes should they come knocking in 12 months’ time.

"It wasn’t about money or status, commitment or duration. I think he felt 'I need to take something else on in this stage of my career'. It might be an inspired choice, it might be one that he regrets."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has revealed the infamous 'Multi-21' incident at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix was a result of Sebastian Vettel seeking revenge on then-teammate Mark Webber.

Cruising to a 1-2 finish at Sepang, the order was given for the two drivers to maintain position with 10 laps to go with the Australian (car No.2) ahead of the German (car No.1), however, the latter would ignore the instruction and went on to pass Webber after a close fight to take the win.

Ever since many have assumed it was simply a case of Vettel showing a ruthless side by ignoring a team order and asserting himself as the lead driver, now though, Horner admits it dates back to another moment of confrontation between the duo.

"Sebastian was fighting Alonso for the championship and Mark squeezed him up against the pit wall in Brazil in the championship decider," he told Formula 1's "Beyond the Grid" podcast, referring to 2012.

"That ultimately resulted in (Vettel) getting turned around by Bruno Senna. Sebastian was hugely angry about that. There was a hangover of that that led into Malaysia. Literally two races later, split by about four months.

"So then you’ve got a situation where Mark’s in the car ahead, Sebastian on new tyres in the car behind. The tyres were pretty fragile, we’re telling them ‘right, hold position’ and Sebastian thought ‘f*** you.’"

It wasn't until the next race in China that Vettel revealed exactly why he decided to ignore the order, with Horner saying it was "one hundred percent" about payback for the perceived injustice at Interlagos.

Incredibly though, the Briton then revealed the whole saga led to a very interesting conversation in the most unlikely of places.

"I’d been invited to a lunch hosted by The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh," he said. "I expected there to be about 200 people at, and there turned out to be 10 of us there.

"I had this bizarre situation of having to deal with the drivers, and then go to lunch with the Queen and Prince Philip and explain to her what a ‘Multi-21’ was and why our Australian driver was particularly grumpy with our German driver!

"I had that conversation over lunch with the Queen! She seemed to show great interest in it and likened it to horse racing and Prince Philip was incredibly interested as well because he was enquiring whether we could have a look at one of his carriages (to make it go faster).

"It was a most bizarre situation."

Sergio Perez admits he wants to remain at Force India in 2019 but will consider his options at other teams.

This week's news that the Silverstone-based squad has been bought by a consortium backed by Lawrence Stroll could have a negative impact on the Mexican, whose millions in sponsorship have been a vital source for income.

But with Lance Stroll likely to join from Williams and Mercedes potentially holding sway over the team retaining their junior driver Esteban Ocon, that could leave Perez without a seat.

"I'm lucky enough to have a couple of options," he said, with his backers usually the main influence in where the 28-year-old drives.

"Obviously we all want to be driving in the top two teams, Ferrari or Mercedes but it's very unlikely that I'll have an opportunity there for next year, so you have to look at what is the best option for your future where you can show your best talents."

Also Read:

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Possible alternatives include former team McLaren, with the futures of both Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso yet to be decided and possibly Williams with both seats there likely to go to the highest bidder.

Neither, however, have the appeal of Perez's current seat.

"The last two years, the best of the rest in the drivers' championship. I just want to see what's possible for next year, which teams have a vacancy, and then decide," he added.

"I will definitely wait to see what happens here because I believe this team has the most potential of anyone out there out of the top three teams."

Fernando Alonso has announced he will be not be racing in Formula 1 in 2019, bringing a 17-year career to an end, for now.

The Spaniard has become increasingly frustrated with the sport in recent years after leaving Ferrari for McLaren in 2015 at the start of what would be a disastrous three-year partnership with Honda.

This year, a switch to Renault engines was thought to be the catalyst to greater competitiveness, possibly even fighting with Red Bull towards the front, instead, an underperforming chassis has left the Woking-based squad still mired in the midfield with little optimism for a quick turnaround.

Unable to challenge for the elusive third F1 title, Alonso has focused his attention on another goal, becoming the second driver to win motorsport's Triple Crown of the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and Indianapolis 500.

With two wins around the Principality already to his name, the 37-year-old added Le Mans to his resume in June, as part of his participation with Toyota in the current WEC super-season, leaving just the famous oval race to conquer.

After posting an emotional video on Twitter looking back on his F1 career, Fernando further commented on his decision in a McLaren press release.

"After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it’s time for me to make a change and move on," he said.

"I have enjoyed every single minute of those incredible seasons and I cannot thank enough the people who have contributed to make them all so special.

"There are still several Grands Prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever.

"Let’s see what the future brings; new exciting challenges are around the corner. I’m having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures."

Also Read:

• Alonso "has to do something else" in 2019, says Button
• Formula 1 needs more drivers like Alonso, Ross Brawn claims

While it is goodbye from F1, it isn't likely to be goodbye from McLaren as the British team is expected to return full-time to IndyCar next year with Alonso as one of their pilots.

In his statement, the winner of 32 races with his last coming in Barcelona in 2013, Fernando also hinted he could make a comeback should the F1 team improve.

"I want to thank everyone at McLaren. My heart is with the team forever," he claimed.

"I know they will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy.

"I have built so many great relationships with many fantastic people at McLaren, and they have given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and race in other categories," he continued, "I feel I am a more complete driver now than ever."

While previously stating he would be considering his future over the summer break, Alonso concluded by admitting:  "I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. Nevertheless, I would like to sincerely thank Chase Carey and Liberty Media for the efforts made to change my mind and everyone who has contacted me during this time.

"Finally, I would also like to thank my former teams, teammates, competitors, colleagues, partners, journalists and everyone I have worked with in my F1 career. And, especially, my fans all over the world. I am quite sure our paths will cross again in the future."

Muchas gracias Fernando.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has hit back at claims Max Verstappen could influence the team's decision as to who replaces Daniel Ricciardo for 2019.

Following the Australian surprise news that he will join Renault, it was reported the Dutchman could veto the arrival of Carlos Sainz, the driver many see as first in line for a promotion to the senior team.

Given Ricciardo has also replaced the Spaniard at the French manufacturer, to see the 23-year-old go in the other direction would also make the most sense but given Sainz and Verstappen's history together at Toro Rosso, some have doubts.

“The rumours that point to the veto of Verstappen of Sainz, are bullsh*t," the straight-talking Austrian told Spain's El Confidencial. 

"Red Bull is the only one that decides on its driver pairing.”

Also Read:

• Ex-McLaren driver Pedro de la Rosa doesn't want Sainz to partner Alonso

As for Carlos, he does appear to have two options on the table, Red Bull or McLaren, potentially teaming up with his idol and mentor Fernando Alonso.

"I'm ready to beat anyone in the field," Sainz said in Hungary. "My racing spirit and my competitiveness and my self-confidence tell me that I can take over anyone.

"Probably Fernando would be the biggest ask that you could have on the grid, that's for sure. But yeah, I would feel ready for anything."