Sergey Sirotkin has had to reject a far-fetched theory put forward by former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who suggested Robert Kubica is sabotaging Williams.

The Canadian has often expressed his displeasure at the Pole's attempted comeback, though did appear on his side at the start of the year when criticising the British team for putting money first when choosing Sirotkin for the seat alongside Lance Stroll.

After both drivers struggled for pace in Australia though, with Stroll claiming he could not race the 2018 car, Villeneuve claimed the problems could stem from Kubica, who is the development driver, misdirecting the team to make the car suit him.

"Robert is the driver who will most develop the car, and it's possible he will consciously make it difficult to drive for the other drivers," he told Sky Italy.

"His dream is to race the car, not to be the third driver, and so I do not underestimate this point. In his situation I would do exactly the same."

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• Sirotkin sees no tension with Kubica over Williams seat
• Kubica satisfied with recent progress despite missing out on F1 drive

The Russian driver, who retired in Melbourne due to a plastic bag in his brake duct, cast doubt on the idea though, believing the 33-year-old would not be so selfish.

"Technically it's possible," he told Sport FM. "But I know Robert and he's a good guy, so just as a person he would not do it.

"Plus, in your work, you are trying to improve the car, not just improve it for yourself. So even if he wanted to, I think physically it would not be so easy.

"The team will think 10 times about why the car needs this or that change to give an improvement in performance," Sirotkin added.

Fernando Alonso believes McLaren has the ability to compete with Formula 1's 'big three' teams "in the coming races" after a solid start to the season in Australia.

The British team was anticipated to make a significant jump in performance this season after dropping Honda engines for Renault but a troubled two weeks of testing and a failure to get a car into Q3 in Melbourne did raise questions.

They would be answered in the race though as the double world champion used a mid-race Virtual Safety Car and Haas' problems to finish fifth ahead of Max Verstappen's Red Bull, a result Alonso claims can become more common.

"Definitely it's going to be better and better, there's a lot of potential in the car still to unlock," he said ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

"I think right now they're still clearly ahead of us, they're in that exclusive group of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. But McLaren is willing to enter that group and I think in the next couple of races hopefully we forget the middle group and we look forward to [joining] that privileged three top teams.

"There is potential in the car, I cannot see any reason why we should not be there in the next coming races."

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• Alonso satisfied with recovery to fifth in Melbourne

The main niggle McLaren has faced is overcoming cooling problems as they look to push the limit on aerodynamics but Alonso is unconcerned, seeing it as part of the integration process with Renault.

"We cannot forget that we decide to switch engines very late in the season so we had to redesign some of the parts that we already made at the rear end of the car," Alonso said.

"I think the integration between McLaren and Renault still not at 100 percent, and in the next coming races we'll see more and more potential."

Formula 1's most iconic circuit around the streets of Monte Carlo could be altered thanks to a new development project off the coast, according to ruler Prince Albert II.

The twisty layout which passes through Casino Square and rounds the Loews hairpin among other key landmarks has largely been unaltered since the first Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 but for the configuration of the seafront chicane and the building of the Swimming Pool.

However, a new development currently under construction, which will reclaim 15 acres of land from the sea around Portier and is set for completion in 2025, could be later incorporated into the F1 circuit.

"We always look, every once in a while, at different possibilities of extending the track, and certainly something to think about is that we are building the new land extension," he said speaking with Forbes.

"There are no plans or anything yet, it is just in the back of all of our minds — people in the Automobile Club but also in the government — that there could be [changes].

"I am not saying that it will happen necessarily, but at some point, we are going to put our minds together and say, how can we not only improve this but how can we make it a little more exciting by maybe changing the course slightly?"

Quite how changing one of the most famous and challenging street circuits in the history of motorsport would be received is another matter likely to be considered, but with some also querying Monaco's place in modern F1, Prince Albert II is confident it remains the 'jewel in the crown'.

"It is such a part of the history of the sport that I can’t envisage an F1 season without the Monaco Grand Prix," he said.

"When you talk to all the partners of F1 and they tell you this is one of the venues where we don’t hesitate to bring our customers, that has got to mean something. It is unique for most people."

For this year, Monaco also welcomes its first home driver since Olivier Beretta in 1994 as Charles Leclerc will compete for Sauber. 

FIA race director Charlie Whiting has rejected the need to investigate two hotly debated topics in Formula 1 currently, Mercedes' "party mode" and Haas' relationship with Ferrari.

After the opening weekend of the new season in Australia just over a week ago, Red Bull chiefs called for the governing body to curb the engine advantage the world champions currently have, particularly in qualifying where the "party mode" allowed Lewis Hamilton to take pole by two-thirds of a second.

However, asked if their request had any merit, Whiting claimed there were no grounds on which the FIA could intervene.

"Whatever party mode is, I’ve not seen it written in any technical documents!" he told Motorsport.com.

"Put it like this. If Mercedes customers come to us and say, ‘We’ve asked for party mode and we’re not getting it,’ then we might have something to say about it."

The Briton also doubted banning a special power mode would have an impact anyway, adding: "There are all sorts of modes on these engines, and we know full well that they change at various times during the race."

On the second issue, several midfield teams including Force India and McLaren have called into question the legality of Haas' 2018 car, which some have called a "clone" of the 2017 car designed by technical partner Ferrari.

"We know exactly what’s going on between Haas and Ferrari," Whiting was quoted by F1i.com. "[It] is completely legal.

"Last year we had one team expressing some concerns but we have not seen anything that concerns us at the moment."

Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer remains sceptical, however, claiming: "I don’t know how it can be right for a team who has been in the sport for a couple of years with no resources to produce a car like this."

Carlos Sainz admits it is tougher than he expected not to be distracted by his unique status of being on-loan with Renault.

The Spaniard made the switch from Toro Rosso to the French manufacturer for the final four races of last year and the entirety of 2018 as part of the deal which saw the junior Red Bull team switch to Honda engines, allowing Renault to supply McLaren.

With the 23-year-old still a member of the stable at the Austrian energy drinks giant though, his future is still in the hands of Helmut Marko and potentially not at Enstone.

“I’ve not heard of many drivers who are on loan, it’s more of a football term,” Sainz told Motorsport.com. “It’s a bit of a strange situation, I’m a special case at the moment. That’s why I can’t let it get into my head.

“Who would have told me when I was at Toro Rosso that this year I would be at Renault? No-one. It is a very special situation.”

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• Sainz only focused on Renault ahead of crucial season

The biggest factor in deciding the second generation star's fate is Daniel Ricciardo, with Sainz first in line to step up to Red Bull should the Australian move elsewhere.

Asked how he was dealing with that distraction, Carlos replied: "I’m trying to impress myself, by that I mean I’m really looking forward to having a full season with a team. I’m going to keep it open, keep performing the way I’ve been doing.

“Things will sort out for themselves, normally if you perform well good things are coming."

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has defended the tough stance he took against Mark Webber during the team's championship-winning years with Sebastian Vettel.

The Austrian has become renowned for his cut-throat approach as the leader of the most successful young driver program in the last decade and is also one of the most outspoken figures in the Formula 1 paddock.

His rise in profile matched that of the first world champion Red Bull created, Vettel, and at the time many read Marko's comments and saw his influence coming to the detriment of the German's then-teammate.

“With Mark, it was a misinterpretation,” he told Formula1.com when reminded of comments made in 2012 which saw the relationship between the two collapse.

“I don’t set out to be unkind. I was asked why Vettel is champion and why Mark isn’t, so I tried to explain the difference and there were just some facts. I say what I believe."

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• Ricciardo wants to find the "perfect team" for 2019, says Webber
• Webber claims Red Bull program "not as intense" after Hartley return

Marko also rejected the perception that the Australian was a 'number two' to the current Ferrari driver, despite incidents such as at the British GP in 2010.

"All these circumstances were what I tried to express and the magazine thought that I was against Mark, which is not true," he said. "[Drivers] get the same treatment here with us.

"I didn’t think it should be taken to criticise Mark, but I said if he was able to keep his performance over the whole season, then he would have been the champion.

"It was always, ‘If he is in the right car, he will be a winner' and then came the right car, but unfortunately along came Vettel as well. Psychologically it must [have been] very, very hard for Mark," he added.

Now in 2018, another Australian is facing a similar predicament with Daniel Ricciardo considering his future alongside the rise of Max Verstappen.

With the 28-year-old taking the patient approach, former world champion Damon Hill has warned the same outcome as his countryman is not out of the equation.

"If you don’t know what your future is you can’t concentrate on the racing," the Briton told Speedcafe.com. "It is not the ideal situation, to have other things on your mind.

“It is a very tricky thing because in F1 you can find yourself high and dry in a blink of an eye, I should know. It is difficult. I think he could do no worse than go and speak to Mark Webber and get some advice."

Daniel Ricciardo has heeded warnings by some in the Formula 1 paddock admitting he doesn't want to "disrespect" Red Bull as he considers his future.

The Australian is out of contract after 2018 and has made it clear he wants to take his time with the Milton Keynes outfit having failed to challenge for the title since he joined in 2014 and the next deal he signs likely to take him through the prime of his career.

Some, including Lewis Hamilton with whom Ricciardo has admitted a desire a race alongside, have pointed out to the 28-year-old that he needs to not risk upsetting his current employer in the case he stays on for a few more years.

"Sure, I may have more than one option and it's the first time and it's exciting and it's great - but I still want to go about it in the right way," Ricciardo told Autosport.

"I don't want to disrespect anyone or bag anyone. Maybe I do move on, but I'm not going to go and say 'it's because these guys are a bunch of this'.

"I think that's just me, I'm not that guy. I'll speak my mind if I feel like it's what I deserve or whatever, but I'll always remain respectful."

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• Vettel "wouldn't mind" Ricciardo reunion as teammates
• Ricciardo claims Red Bull had quickest car during Melbourne GP
• Bottas hopeful "disturbing" Mercedes contract talks won't drag

The five-time Grand Prix winner insists the competitiveness of Red Bull and the potential of the team will be the main driver in his decision, with the performance in Australia pointing to another year of close but not close enough.

But Ricciardo is prepared to be patient and get a better indication before putting pen to paper anywhere.

“I’m certainly going to take my time because I don’t feel like there’s a rush for anything,” he told Sky Sports.

“I don’t really see myself racing till my mid- or late-30s in F1. So more so I want to make the next period of my career work and make it right – I’m not just happy ticking over and being here.

“If I can get a good deal with the right team, if that is Red Bull or someone else, then I feel it’s worth waiting.”

Valtteri Bottas has reiterated his position that Mercedes face a "tough season" of competition from Ferrari and Red Bull despite the pace shown in Australia.

A dominant pole position and a comfortable lead for teammate Lewis Hamilton indicated a strong performance advantage for the Brackley-based team over its rivals at the start of the new season.

However, a Virtual Safety Car would allow Sebastian Vettel to pit and emerge ahead of the Briton taking the win, while a crash for Bottas in qualifying left him fighting through from 15th on the grid, eventually finishing eighth.

"It seems very close. Ferrari obviously won, they were first and third, but they also won here last year," the Finn said.

"I think it’s going to be a close season. We’re not miles ahead. I think Lewis really got everything right in Q3, maybe the other teams' drivers didn’t get everything perfect.

"So I think it’s going to be a big battle and it’s going to be a tough season."

Bottas also doubts the ease with which Hamilton was leading the two Ferraris before the mid-race switch was as comfortable as it appeared.

"I think that this year, the cars have more downforce, and with the way the aerodynamics work in the cars, it’s even more difficult to follow than last year, so the losses are bigger," he claimed.

The introduction of a Saturday qualifying race was among several changes to the Formula 1 weekend format put forward to teams by bosses in Australia, a report in Germany has claimed.

At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Liberty Media, the FIA and teams are set to meet with an updated set of proposals for engine and financial regulations for 2021 to be presented, however, though they are the most sensitive areas for negotiation, the management's overhaul is much broader.

Changes to the weekend format have often been touted and now we have a first indication of what it is CEO Chase Carey and the rest of the Formula One Group are thinking.

Also Read:

• Slower F1 cars acceptable with better racing, says Ricciardo
• Ferrari can't "hold F1 to ransom" by opposing changes, claims Red Bull boss

Auto Sport und Motor revealed on Monday that F1 bosses want to introduce an open scrutineering on Friday's, allowing fans to get close to the cars, before two one-hour practice sessions, half an hour shorter than currently.

The current third practice on a Saturday morning would be converted into a qualifying session for a 100km qualifying race in the afternoon which would then set the grid for the Grand Prix itself on Sunday.

That qualifying race would also see teams have a free and unlimited choice of tyres and current restrictions on fuel flow would also be lifted allowing drivers to push flat out.

These ideas remain just that for now and it is unknown if they would be changes introduced in 2019 or later in 2021, but with plenty on the agenda it will be interesting to see what reaction and feedback is given on all topics after the gathering at Sakhir this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel insists he saw nothing vicious about Lewis Hamilton's "joke" that he wanted to "wipe the smile" off his face after qualifying in Australia.

The two men had a brief back-and-forth in the press conference with the Ferrari driver shocked by how much performance the world champion found on his final lap to take pole by two-thirds of a second.

That initiated the pokey response from Hamilton but Vettel is sure there was nothing disrespectful meant by it.

"He said he was joking and I believe him," he was quoted by PlanetF1. "I think we are old enough, I don't think we need to go on that sort of level."

Come race day, of course, the German got his revenge by beating the Mercedes driver to the win thanks to a mid-race Virtual Safety Car but most are intrigued to see how the relationship between the two four-time champions evolves this season.

"It's fine as long as we joke with each other and I think even if we are very different persons, I think we share – all of us – a common passion and that makes us quite equal again," Vettel added.

"We love racing and we try to do our best, once we're in the car and beat all the others. I think in that regard, I don't see why we shouldn't get on with each other."