Motorsport boss Toto Wolff has appeared to close the door on any chance of Daniel Ricciardo joining Mercedes in 2019.

The Australian is out of contract at Red Bull at the end of the year and impressed massively with his victory last month at the Chinese GP, passing both Ferrari's and both Mercedes' on the way.

Recently, he has been rumoured to be in talks with the Scuderia but has previously made his wish clear to race alongside Lewis Hamilton, that desire though is seemingly falling on deaf ears at Brackley.

"We are not looking at drivers outside of Mercedes at the moment because, first of all, we need to give our support to our two guys, that’s the priority,” said Wolff late last week.

"It’s like if you’re happy with your wife, you don’t look elsewhere! We are with our two wives – or three [Force India driver and Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon] – and we are not looking at that."

His comments essentially seem to suggest that a new deal for Hamilton is likely despite constantly being delayed and also Valtteri Bottas remains firmly in the Austrian's good books following strong performances in the first four races.

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Having said that, Toto admits it is still too early to make a decision on whether any driver changes will be made.  

"Give us a few more races, start the European season properly, go to Canada and then the intense July, and I will have a better view," he added.

In addition to Ocon, Mercedes also has former Sauber driver and current reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein and F2 racer George Russell as alternatives, with the latter potentially set for a jump to F1 next year should he perform.

Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul is adamant Red Bull will have to decide this month if they want to remain customers with the French manufacturer in 2019.

Talks have formally begun between the advisor to the Austrian energy drinks giant, Helmut Marko, and Honda over a possible engine deal, having been suitably impressed with the progress they have made since working with junior team Toro Rosso at the beginning of this year.

The Milton Keynes outfit claim they will not be pushed around and will wait until the summer before making their final choice but Abiteboul claims the situation this time is very different compared to the late switch from Toro Rosso to McLaren for this season.

"We have to [stick to it]," Abiteboul told ESPN. "We have to for a very simple reason, which is that we need to order parts.

"The problem is that people tend to amalgamate what happened last year when we changed very late our customers, but we only swapped customers.

"So actually we decided to allocate, to deviate, engines that were produced for Toro Rosso and to make them available for McLaren, but the parts for those engines were already ordered.

"I have to order now, the longest lead time items for next year, so what do I do: three or two?"

According to the regulations, teams must specify to the FIA which engine supplier they intend to use the following season before May 15 and it is this deadline that Renault wants to apply to Red Bull.

"It's not that we want to be awkward -- there's no tactics -- but we simply must define the quantity," the Frenchman insisted.

"That's why it's in the sporting regulations, and what we discussed with the FIA regarding the obligation of supply from suppliers to the customer teams, we agreed on the deadline of May simply because that's the life of the project.

"Red Bull will have to cope with it."

FIA president Jean Todt and former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone are among a number of high-profile names questioned as part of a probe into the finances surrounding the Italian GP.

The race at the historic Monza circuit has been under threat in recent years with deals done to secure the short-term future of one of the sport's biggest events.

However, a report in Italy says an investigation has been underway since 2012 with upto 82 race insiders involved.

The allegations include money laundering through tax evasion by creating false invoices relating to driver sponsorship deals with Todt implicated in one such contract by overstating the money given to then-Marussia driver Jules Bianchi.

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Ecclestone and Todt's son Nicolas, who manages several drivers including Charles Leclerc, have been questioned by authorities according to La Repubblica.

Those investigating are also concerned other Grands Prix around Europe could be or have been involved in similar schemes over the same time period.

Former Formula 1 driver and chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, Alex Wurz, hopes tweak being made to the aero rules for 2019 will be a first step towards the end of DRS.

Last Monday, the FIA and Liberty Media got just enough support, albeit from only four teams, to put through changes that will see a wider, simpler front wing and a wider, deeper rear wing introduced in an effort to reduce the problem of dirty air preventing cars from running close together.

Though the alterations to the rear wing will actually enhance the effect of the DRS, a flap which opens to reduce drag and generate a higher top speed, to finally see attempts being made to allow closer racing pleases Wurz.

"It could be the starting point for a game-changer," the Austrian was quoted by F1i.com last week. "We are very happy that Liberty, with the FIA, have seen that we can’t continue going down the road of creating artificial overtaking with DRS.

"A natural overtaking manoeuvre that is purely and visibly down to the driver’s skill is what creates the biggest emotions for fans and drivers," he claimed

"If we can follow each other closely we are more likely to have old-school, authentic overtaking and that’s what the drivers would love to see and why this rule change is such good news."

The changes are the result of research undertaken by managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn in coordination with several teams to look at ways to generate more wheel-to-wheel racing with a broader, more sweeping change to the cars set for 2021.

Some have wondered whether the decision to change the wings for next year was a knee-jerk reaction to the poor race in Australia and even Wurz was caught off-guard by them getting the go-ahead.

"I was a bit surprised it went through," he admitted. "This is a change which can reshuffle the performance order, therefore I thought the teams that are in power would stop it in their own interest.

"But if it goes through it is a success for everyone pulling in the same direction and looking at the big picture."

Former Williams and Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado has rejected comparisons some have made between himself and Max Verstappen in recent weeks.

The Venezuelan is something of a cult favourite among many with his reputation for being involved in incidents with other drivers, something the Red Bull driver has done himself in each of the last three races.

Making his return to racing this past weekend in the LMP2 category with DragonSpeed at the Spa 6 Hours in the WEC, the former Spanish Grand Prix winner supported the 20-year-old.

“Max is a fantastic driver, but he is still very young and so it’s normal that he’s still making mistakes,” Maldonado was quoted PlanetF1.

“He needs to accumulate experience, but comparing him with me is inappropriate.”

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Many were disappointed when Pastor left F1 after 2015, following the drying up of sponsorship from South American oil company PDVSA, and often call for his return usually when a team needing funds also needs a driver.

However, the man himself explained the situation is now very different.

“I do not have any sponsors or financial support from my country as was the case before,” said Maldonado. “The situation of my countrymen is difficult, but given the climate in Venezuela, it can only get better.”

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes' main rivals at Ferrari and Red Bull have it easier playing catch up than his team does at trying to remain on top.

This season has seen the German manufacturer's period of domination ended with just a single win over the first four races with a fortunate win for the current world champion in Baku making up for the disappointing loss in Australia.

However, at times, Mercedes have appeared to have the third best car on the grid but the Briton sees that as part of the relative progression made over the winter.

“I think the others have stepped up. We’ve made a step forward by they’ve made a bigger leap and all the other teams are a lot closer up. It’s always easier to catch up,” he claimed.

Now perhaps with the Brackley-based team in that position for the first time since 2013, Hamilton does remain confident Mercedes can adapt to their new reality.

That is what this team is usually always able to do,” the 34-year-old stated. 

"I believe we can battle it out with these guys. If we are able to pull through and deliver as we have in previous years, it will be the biggest achievement the team will have accomplished.”

The four-time champion is also facing a larger threat from within, with Valtteri Bottas unfortunate not to win the last two races and potentially being a little too conservative in Bahrain before that.

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This past weekend, Bottas was given the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini award and afterwards, would also comment on Mercedes' tougher competition in 2018.

“This is F1, it is competitive and when the regulations stay more or less the same, it is always going to get tighter,” he said. “There are three big teams now which we expected to be close.

“What we need to do is keep looking into the fine details, and learning even little bits, even one-hundredth of a second at a time.

“If we can find those regularly, from all the areas – especially from our weaknesses – that is going to bring us far.”

Looking ahead to this weekend's Spanish GP though, the Finn is also eager to use the frustration of his loss in Baku due to a puncture to respond.

“I always find that disappointment can be your best opportunity to be stronger if you take it the right way," he said.

“So I am planning to be even stronger next weekend and for the rest of the year.”

Renault has given Red Bull a little more time to consider who will supply their engines in 2019, despite an FIA deadline coming in one week.

By May 15, all Formula 1 teams must make clear to the governing body which manufacturer they will use for the following year unless an agreement is in place for a delay between the FIA and in this case Renault.

Last week, the managing director Cyril Abiteboul appeared to stand his ground on the subject, suggesting Red Bull would have to adhere to that deadline, despite the Milton Keynes outfit claiming they could wait until August.

Though the desire for that much time appears unlikely, the French brand has at least given their often critical customer some leeway.

“After twelve years together marked by many wins, we would be ready to continue with them,” Abiteboul told France's Auto-Hebdo.

“The number one issue is timing. We won’t be able to guarantee the availability of a Renault engine for 2019 beyond May 31. We were nice, we gave them two extra weeks.”

Talks are officially underway between Red Bull and Honda, with whom advisor Helmut Marko has been impressed by their progress since splitting with McLaren and teaming up with Toro Rosso at the start of the year.

Sebastian Vettel believes the contrast in results between himself and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen is covering up just how fast the Finn is.

Since becoming teammates in 2015, Vettel has won a total of 10 races to Raikkonen's none, double the number of podiums and far more than just the solitary pole that the 2007 champion scored in Monaco last year.

Many would put that down to the somewhat undeniable claim that the German is the clear number one at Ferrari, but the four-time champion is sure he doesn't always have things his way.

“If you look at the previous years, the image is a bit distorting. It wasn’t as one-sided as you might think if you look at the results,” he claimed.

“It’s been incredibly close this year so far. To be honest, most of the Fridays I think he had the upper hand so far.”

Indeed, it is true that at the past three races, Raikkonen could have been on pole for each had it not been for last-gasp efforts from Vettel or a mistake, as it was in Baku.

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His not-so-strong races often lead many to question why the Italian team continues with the 38-year-old but that criticism doesn't bother him.

“The end result matters. The rest doesn’t really count," he said. "The people that we work with know what’s happening and what’s not. I don’t really care if people think you are slow. I know what we are doing."

Each year it has now become common for speculation to swirl over the Finn's future, with Daniel Ricciardo currently being linked to a seat in 2019.

On that though, Kimi remains nonchalant.

“It’s been the same story every year since I can remember, maybe 15 years, every year I’m out," he claimed.

“I’ll do my stuff on my side. I enjoy the racing, that’s the only reason I’m here. The rest, we’ll see how it plays out.”

Williams has taken the rare step of protesting the stewards' decision to penalise Sergey Sirotkin for a collision at the start of the Azerbaijan GP.

The Russian driver was involved in two incidents within a few hundred metres during the opening lap in Baku after initially running into the back of Sergio Perez entering Turn 2, for which he was given a three-place grid drop for this weekend's Spanish GP, before colliding with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg on the run to Turn 3 which ultimately ended his race.

Under the regulations, teams are allowed to appeal decisions should new evidence be brought forward and on Tuesday, a teleconference between Williams officials and the FIA will take place to consider if such evidence is forthcoming.

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Also present will be representatives from McLaren with the protest citing Fernando Alonso's recovery back to the pits effectively on two wheels as well as several other incidents which took place during the race which the Grove team wish to be reviewed.

They include the coming together between Esteban Ocon and Kimi Raikkonen at Turn 3 on Lap 1 and the high-speed contact between Kevin Magnussen and Pierre Gasly on the main straight after the first Safety Car restart.

It is the sandwich between Alonso, Sirotkin and Hulkenberg as the Spaniard's actions en route back to the pits which are likely to be the focus of the protest with a decision on if the request for a review is valid expected soon.

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has claimed Romain Grosjean's crash during the Azerbaijan GP was so bad not even a rookie could be excused for doing it.

The Frenchman slid into the barrier while trying to warm up his tyres behind the Safety Car during last Sunday's race in Baku, eliminating him from sixth place which was one position behind eventual podium sitter Sergio Perez.

In an attempt to save his blushes, Grosjean claimed he accidentally changed a switch which altered the brake balance and led to the incident, but not many believe that instead, thinking he simply lost control with cold tyres.

Either way, to see another strong chance for points disappear in such fashion certainly didn't sit well with his team boss.

“You don’t expect from a rookie or anybody," Steiner claimed. “In the race we saw we started last and were P8 with Romain behind Perez. That was on speed because everybody had one stop so there was nothing.

“Sure the Safety Car comes out and we are in P6 all of a sudden but then we go home with nothing.”

His teammate Kevin Magnussen also failed to score having been penalised for pushing Pierre Gasly almost into the wall at around 190mph twice at the first Safety Car restart.

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All in all, it continues the American team's disappointing start of only having 11 points from four races while looking like genuine top 10 contenders throughout.

“I think we are not using the potential of the car to get in the points. We should be quite well up there because the car is performing very well," Steiner said.

“In the position like we are in we have got a good team, everything is good, we just need to get it together for one weekend, execute it well over the whole weekend and we will be fine.

“Just at the moment, it feels like we always let it slip. Then you always feel like you are running out of time but then again it’s only race four. I’m not saying its fantastic, we should have done better."