CEO Zak Brown has identified his next area of overhaul within the McLaren organisation, opening up and simplifying the operating structure.

A poor run of form led to a major change in attitude at the British team, with racing director Eric Boullier stepping down before the Silverstone Grand Prix and being replaced by Gil de Ferran in the highest profile change as well as other promotions at Woking.

More new faces are expected in the coming weeks, but now it is the structure built up by Ron Dennis and Martin Whitmarsh that has always been regarded as one of the most professional on the grid, that Brown believes is holding the team back today.

"The structure is not allowing certain individuals to be as entrepreneurial as I would like them to be," the American told Motorsport.com.

"I think it has not enabled them to make decisions quickly enough. I think sometimes there is an appropriate time for a decision by committee, and then I think there's also times when there should be decisions by individuals.

"At times our decision-making process and the speed with which we make decisions gets gridlocked. So that needs to be changed, and I think our biggest issue has been structural and organizational."

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McLaren often became known, along with Ferrari, for being too safe and sticking to their traditional practices and not pushing boundaries as far as other teams, such as Red Bull since 2009 and more recently Mercedes.

That is something Brown now wants to open up, to try and get the most from the team of people he insists are more than capable of producing a great car.

"There is great talent that we need to unleash that in the current environment has not been able to blossom, and then also bringing in people from the outside that have other experiences to help contribute to shaping a quicker, faster organization," he said.

"My job leading the F1 team is to ultimately put that pace into the organisation, give the direction, get the right leadership in place and get on with getting back to where I think everyone in this room recognises McLaren should be."

Fernando Alonso has expressed his opposition to possible plans which would see the current Formula 1 points system extended to either 15th or even 20th place.

The topic of points has always been debated with previously the top six, then the top eight and now the top ten finishers all scoring, with the gaps between each position also changing several times.

With three teams dominating and others struggle to score at all, the idea to expand has gained traction, with Liberty Media reportedly considering the idea.

Alonso disagrees, however, believing it should remain an achievement for some to aspire to, remembering one of the famous examples in recent history.

“The leading drivers always get points and so it can be a great moment if you get 2 points,” he told Germany’s Sport.de.

“I remember when Jules [Bianchi] was ninth in Monaco [in 2014] and scored points, which was a miracle and a great moment for the sport.”

The same can be said for when Pascal Wehrlein matched Bianchi's feat of scoring for Marussia, when it became Manor in 2016, finishing 10th in Austria.

In previous years the battle for the final positions in the championship has been more competitive than the front, with Sauber famously scoring in Brazil later that year, to deprive Manor 10th in the Constructors' and ultimately led to their collapse.

Formula 1 teams may well be forced to change their mirror designs from the Singapore Grand Prix as the FIA will lay out new guidelines next week in Hungary.

The topic of mirrors has been back on the agenda in recent months following Ferrari's decision to mount them from the Halo cockpit device from the Spanish Grand Prix, with a first concept banned before being altered in Monaco.

Now Mercedes has also introduced their own controversial design, which has seen a secondary element included for stability but also aerodynamic benefit, however, that has been deemed acceptable by the governing body.

The impact of all this has now been questions regarding the main purpose of the mirror, rearward visibility, with Sebastian Vettel penalised after qualifying in Austria for blocking Carlos Sainz and later admitting he couldn't see the Spaniard.

That is why the FIA is set to intervene and. according to Motorsport.com., put forward new rules regarding mirror location in Hungary with sidepods, rear wing designs and even the high rake, with the rear much higher than the front, all reportedly hampering driver vision.

It is unknown exactly what impact the changes will mean for the current designs and the implementation of the rules regarding supports, however, the meeting in Budapest is set to be as much a discussion as it is a presentation.

Ex-Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Williams is "dead" as a team and has pinned the blame purely on deputy boss Claire Williams.

The Canadian, who won his title with the Grove-based team in 1997, has been a vocal critic of their recent decisions, starting with the arrival of Lance Stroll in 2017 and subsequently taking on Sergey Sirotkin this year, accusing the leadership of focusing purely on money.

This season has seen the situation at Williams only get worse as a flawed car has left them at the back of the grid and even a new rear wing introduced last weekend at Silverstone had unintended consequences, with both drivers spinning off in qualifying.

Asked about the future of his former team by Motorsport-Total.com, the current pundit for Sky Italia was unceremonious in declaring there wasn't one.

“No, the team is dead," Villeneuve claimed. “I do not see anything… There is simply no management.”

Identifying where the problems started, Jacques was clear it came from the decision of founder Sir Frank Williams when he handed over control to his daughter Claire.

“There was an alternative back then: either an heir – or an heir – and they chose Claire instead of [her brother] Jonathan," he said. “A big mistake, you just have to look where the team is today.

“When it comes to a team like that you first have to look at the top of the pyramid, the fish starts to stink on the head," Villeneuve added.

“They are completely blind when it’s all about realising where the team stands. You have to admit you’ve messed up, I do not see how the team is going to get out of it, I just do not see it.”

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The arrival of former Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe in 2017 was thought to be the start of a turnaround for Williams, however, even he admits he hasn't experienced anything like the current situation at Grove.

"Some things you get right. Some things, if I looked back, I could do differently," Lowe stated.

"But that's the nature of life, you face challenges and you learn from them. And, you hope that builds your experience to do a better job next time."

The power difference between Honda and Ferrari is harming Toro Rosso's chances against Sauber in the Constructors' Championship, according to Pierre Gasly.

Currently, the junior Red Bull team sits three points ahead of the Swiss team in eighth in the standings but it is the latter which has the greater momentum thanks to five top 10's in the past seven races for Charles Leclerc.

It would have very likely been six but for a loose wheel after the Monegasque's pit-stop at Silverstone while on the contrary, Gasly has not scored since Monaco, four races ago, although was unfortunate to not keep 10th in Britain after a post-race penalty.

“Sauber is really fast, so I think it will be really, really difficult to keep them behind with the pace we have because they have a strong package,” the Frenchman said last week.

“In terms of chassis we are still ahead of them but in terms of engine and power unite package that they get from Ferrari, they just make a huge difference with that.”

Now the Italian marque is seen as the benchmark in terms of engine performance, overtaking Mercedes, and that is limiting Toro Rosso's opportunities to challenge for points as Honda, despite improving, still lag behind.

“We need to make sure that when there are opportunities like Bahrain and Monaco we are there to score points,” Gasly, who has scored 18 of the team's 19 points this season, added.

“In normal conditions at the moment, we don’t have the package and speed to fight there.

“Haas is really fast and Sauber is really fast with the Ferrari engine. We saw Force India is doing well and Renault has a really strong package between the chassis and the power unit.”

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Also noticing the difference within the Hinwil squad since the closer relationship with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo tie-up is Marcus Ericsson, with the Swede has been an ever-present since 2015.

"Just coming from the financial side first of all, now the financial platform is a lot stronger, and everything builds from there," he said.

"We’ve brought in some great people on the team, and people in the team have grown motivation with everything that’s going forward.

"Now we’re in a completely different world to 12 months ago and it’s great to see."

The introduction of a second American Formula 1 race in Miami could well spell danger to the current United States GP in Austin, according to organiser Bobby Epstein.

His event at the Circuit of the Americas has been seen as a big positive for the revival of the sport in the country since it began in 2012, however, despite the growing popularity it hasn't stopped the trend of falling attendances in recent years.

Now faced with the possibility of a rival race in Florida, Epstein admits in the first few years at least, the likelihood of splitting the fanbase between the two could actually work against the vision of F1 owners Liberty Media.

"I think in the long term it can be good but there is a risk," he told Motorsport.com. "There is clearly a risk to diluting the product before the fan base has increased.

"But when the long-term goal is to increase the fan base, it is a chicken or egg scenario. Which comes first? In the early years, it remains to be seen if that is a positive for us.

"The first year, you haven’t increased the fan base but you’ve increased the options, so it will be tough at first. We will see how it impacts us."

The key, the Austin promoter believes, is the effectiveness and quickness of promotion to attracting Americans to F1.

"There are hundreds of millions of people in North American so my mindset is to be optimistic," he explained.

"I’m certainly a little apprehensive, but very optimistic that it is a race against time as to whether or not you can build the fan base before the pain of splitting up the fans takes its toll.

"We want it to happen and we want it to happen fast. And I think we share that with Liberty."

Many questions still hang over the proposed race in Miami, however, with an initial layout having to be redrawn after opposition and further unhappiness by residents in the other areas threatens to derail the proposal.

A deadline this week for a deal with Liberty has come and past without any progress and Andres Althabe, president of the Biscayne Neighborhoods Association, has laid out what would be required to get their approval.

"We are now waiting for the contract that the City Manager will present to the City Commission, but if we don't have a clear understanding of the benefits that the race will bring to the City of Miami, we will consider opposing the City Commission approving the contract," he told Forbes.

Nico Hulkenberg believes the recent resurgence of the Haas team makes them the genuine threat for fourth in the Constructors' Championship going forward.

The German's Renault team has been the most consistent performer of the midfield pack so far in 2018 with just one race where neither driver failed to score, that coming in Austria.

As a result, they hold the prestigious 'best of the rest' position behind the top three teams with 70 points, 19 ahead of the American squad in fifth with only a further three points back to McLaren in seventh.

Hulkenberg's former team Force India is in between in sixth, but of the three teams, it has been the recent gains of Haas, with the fourth fastest car in Austria and Britain, that has caught the eye.

"I think its shifted around with Haas coming through more and McLaren seem to have lost out a little bit. We take them seriously because they are fast," he told Crash.net.

The main reason for their performance is thought to be their close relationship with Ferrari, something Fernando Alonso alluded to over the Silverstone weekend, but results haven't always matched their promise mostly through their own mistakes.

"How they got there doesn’t really play a role for me, they are strong at the moment and we just have to deal with it," Hulkenberg claimed. referring to the Ferrari link.

"They fulfilled their potential [in Austria], whereas before they’ve really missed out.

"The momentum sometimes swings around, but at the end of the day they have a strong car and a good package."

The 30-year-old is hoping he can keep the French manufacturer ahead though, as he looks ahead to his first home race in two years this weekend at Hockenheim.

"It’s very special to have the German Grand Prix back on the calendar," Nico said. "A home race is extremely motivating, as you carry that extra ounce of determination to do well in front of the home fans.

"I enjoy this track a lot, and this year with the increased downforce cars, it will be even more fun.

"We will be looking at our qualifying pace, as we know the midfield fight is getting close and we have to keep the upgrades coming and hard work in order to stay ahead of our rivals," he added.

"I’m looking forward to it, and I’ll be aiming for a positive result for the team and for the German fans."

Robert Kubica has revealed he and Ferrari had agreed to a deal which would have seen him replace Felipe Massa from the start of the 2012 season.

This year, the Polish driver has made a comeback of sorts to Formula 1 as the third and development driver at Williams, losing out on a race seat to Sergey Sirotkin, who would ironically replace the Brazilian.

That would come in the wake of a devastating rally crash just weeks before the start of the 2011 season, when he was still with Renault, an event the 33-year-old admits would have been his last

"The biggest thing was that that rally was actually going to be my last one, as the team I was going to drive for in 2012 wouldn’t have let me rally," he told the new F1 podcast.

Asked if it was the Scuderia, Kubica confirmed it was the "red team" and added: "I don’t know if Fernando [Alonso] knew. I would have been paid less than at Renault."

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In the months and years that followed, as the one-time Grand Prix winner adjusted to life with a partially amputated right arm and other injuries, he admits the knowledge of what was to come in his F1 career became a bigger regret.

"I haven’t become a Ferrari driver, but I came so close," said Kubica.

"My recovery was so hard that for the first 18 months, this didn’t hurt because I was concentrating on my injuries and recovery. The more time passes, the more difficult this became. There were hard moments where recovery and surgeries took 100 per cent of me, but I missed F1.

"Recovery was painful but it was not made more painful by knowing I should have been in the Ferrari. It’s more painful now."

Sebastian Vettel has opened up on why he is in many ways the polar opposite of Lewis Hamilton in terms of off-track social profile despite both being four-time Formula 1 world champions.

The German has always been one of the most interesting figures in the paddock during his career with his personality and success early in his career, however, during his championship winning years some fans turned on him for a perceived arrogance.

Switching to Ferrari in 2015, the early-career Vettel re-emerged often breaking the tense atmosphere between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during their rivalry with some kind of quip, privately though, the 31-year-old has always remained subdued with his wife and two children very rarely seen at races.

Asked about why his social status is so muted, with no Twitter or Instagram account, Vettel admits it's about keeping his two lives separate.

“Obviously F1 is a big part of my life but it is not the most important thing," he told The Guardian newspaper. "They are linked, but it is important there is a lot of time where it doesn’t define who I am.

“I don’t feel special because of what I do for a job. I am a lot of other things as well."

Compare to that Hamilton who is often seen at fashion shows and music events between races and does have that public profile that in years to come will go beyond just being known as an F1 driver.

It is for that, that former supremo considered the Briton a better world champion for the sport, despite his friendship with Vettel.

“I am a sportsman, not a celebrity," Sebastian continued. "So when I go somewhere and somebody recognises me I think they are interested in sport and not in how I do my hair, or which shoes I am wearing or that bollocks.”

On the track though, there is very little to choose between the two men, with Vettel currently holding an eight-point lead in the championship ahead of this weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

After his victory at Silverstone just over a week ago, the son of nearby Heppenheim considered what it would take to convert his lead into a fifth F1 title.

"I think we need to improve our car until the end of the year," he told Formula1.com. "I think our car is very good [but developing] will be key, because then you have something to fight [with]. And if you have something to fight [with], something to play with, then you can make it happen."

Mercedes has announced a shake-up to their technical team which sees engineering director Aldo Costa step back into an advisory role with the Brackley-based outfit.

In recent weeks, there has been criticism of the team but primarily those involved in strategy decisions, notably James Vowles, who publicly apologised to Lewis Hamilton over the radio after a mistake at the Austrian GP.

These changes are not believed to be linked to that, instead motorsport boss Toto Wolff insists it is part of the culture at the German manufacturer.

"This is a significant moment for our team and a great opportunity," said the Austrian.

"We have said many times that you cannot freeze a successful organisation; it is a dynamic structure and I am proud that we are able to hand the baton smoothly to the next generation of leaders inside the team."

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The changes include chief designer John Wood stepping up to lead the engineering operation, replacing Costa, with Wood directly reporting to technical director James Allison.

In addition, Mercedes performance director James Ellis will take a sabbatical with chief vehicle dynamicist Loic Serra moving into his position.

"Our drivers, anyone who is a fan of our team and, most of all, those of us lucky enough to work at Brackley and Brixworth, owe both Mark and Aldo a huge debt of gratitude," Allison commented, with Ellis and Costa both key in building Mercedes to their dominant position from 2014.

"Aldo and Mark signalled their intention to step down over a year ago and have continued to give heart and soul to the company.

"Mark and Aldo pass on an unrivalled technical legacy to worthy and well-prepared successors to whom they have set a magnificent example of top-drawer technical leadership."