Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul admits the emphasis is on reliability over performance with the initial 2018 engine which will start the new season.

Last year, the French manufacturer struggled to fix the problems with their overhauled design and in fact faced a shortage of parts in the final races following a spate of failures across the three teams which used them.

With the number of elements restricted even further for 2018, though the team at Viry are confident they have made progress during the winter, Abiteboul conceded it was not worth jeopardising the whole year early on.

“We have decided voluntarily to make some compromises for engine number one in order to make sure that we have got the right platform,” he told Autosport.

“If you come to the first race and you start to have reliability problems, then that is not just that race – it compromises the whole season. You cannot afford to do that."

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Given the power deficit of recent years, to hear the Renault unit won't be at its maximum potential could concern their two customers, McLaren and Red Bull, with the latter particularly desperate to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari for the title this year.

As Abiteboul explained, however: “It is about setting the right baseline and building a plan for the season – trying, in particular, to synchronise development at the factory with the introduction of new engines because we are very limited.

“The fewer engines you have the more rigid you need to be in the implementation of performance. So the focus is very much on reliability.”

Lewis Hamilton admits he expects his relationship with Sebastian Vettel to worsen should Mercedes and Ferrari fight for the Formula 1 title again this season.

Last year saw the two most successful drivers of this generation go head-to-head for the first time and mostly, there was a respect between the pair but for a few flashpoints, most notably the wheel-banging incident in Baku.

With another tight battle anticipated in 2018, there is the potential for more controversy particularly should they remain close in the final stretch and the Briton accepts that could cause more tension.

“You would have to expect that it could be worse,” Hamilton was quoted in the Express. “Always expect the worst and hopefully it will be better.

“Hopefully, if I am performing at my best, then there will be issues because Ferrari will be upset about it.”

The four-time world champion insisted that he would not play "mind games" with his fellow four-time world champion despite questioning his mental strength at times last year.

"I just drive faster," he declared.

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This season there is the added ingredients of a Red Bull team desperate to return to championship success with two drivers equally hungry and maybe even Fernando Alonso putting himself back in the frame should McLaren really get it right with their new car.

Force India has become the final Formula 1 team to offer a first look at their 2018 car, revealing the VJM11 ahead of Day 1 of testing in Barcelona.

Speculation has been swirling around the Silverstone-based team in recent weeks with rumours of a name change for this season and talks taking place with Rich Energy, a British energy drinks company, over a possible takeover.

The team has denied the second claim, although for the launch no team branding was present on team gear or in the garage hinting there is still movement going on behind the scenes.

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On Monday, however, all that was put to one side with the unveiling of the second 'pink panther' which hopes to build on the great success on the track having finished fourth in the constructors' championship each of the past two years.

The VJM11 will face a much stiffer task in repeating the success of its predecessor with Renault, McLaren, Williams and Toro Rosso all hoping to make strong progress in the midfield.

That puts more pressure on the highly talented line-up of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to perform and avoid the tensions which flared up on several occasions in 2017, despite both scoring points at 16 of the 20 races.

Nico Hulkenberg believes Renault can enter a fight with McLaren to finish 'best of the rest' behind the top three during the 2018 Formula 1 season.

The two teams are expected to emerge from the midfield and become the nearest challengers to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull but the main question is whether they can close the large gap those teams had over the rest last year or whether they'll be in a group behind them.

This season, both will also be powered by the same engine, after McLaren dropped Honda for the French manufacturer at the end of 2017 which for the German makes them prime competition.

"The top three will continue to be at the front. Then I hope it is us and McLaren," Hulkenberg was quoted by PlanetF1.com.

"If we manage to reduce the gap to the top teams to half then we will have done a good job. We'd automatically make a good move up the field so we'd have a chance to become fourth."

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Renault bosses have claimed this will be the last rebuilding year at the works team before expecting to challenge more strongly for wins and possibly the title certainly by 2020.

That means battling McLaren and particularly Red Bull remains an aspiration, for Nico, however, he thinks enough of the structure is already in place and progress has been made to compete.

"The team has been together for a while now and this is starting to pay off, it should help us improve," the 31-year-old said.

"We have worked diligently on all fronts and take a good step in performance and reliability and we are much better prepared than last year."

Fernando Alonso claims there is no valid argument against the introduction of Halo in Formula 1, as the cockpit protection device continues to divide opinion.

The implementation of the new frontal structure has been the biggest headache for designers due to the incredible loads Halo is required to withstand and also the aerodynamic impact in a key area of the car.

Many are still refusing to accept it is now part of F1, however, due to aesthetics and the belief it has altered the sport's DNA but the Spaniard insists none of those complaints are legitimate.

“This is a device that’s a safety device, it’s head protection for the drivers, so there should not be any debate on that, as long as it’s a safety device," he told Sky Sports.

“Yeah, aesthetics aren’t the best at the moment but in the future, I’m sure that the sport and the teams will find a way to make it a little bit nicer."

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The former two-time world champion also agreed with the notion that any backlash will soon die out as everyone within F1 adjusts.

“Yeah, I’m sure of that,” he stated.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has also given Halo the thumbs up, speaking at the launch of the SF71H on Thursday.

“During the seat fit it was okay,” said the German. “It was actually less intrusive than I thought. So I’m looking forward to getting out on the track. I’m pretty sure that everyone will get used to it.”

Romain Grosjean expects to establish a "pretty good idea" of where Haas will be fighting at the start of the new Formula 1 season after the upcoming pre-season tests.

On Friday, the Frenchman took the new VF-18 for its first laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in a shakedown/ filming day ahead of the first four days of action with all 10 teams present, which begin on Monday.

The American team head into the new year as an unknown quantity with hopes they can now push forward and become a strong midfield challenger in their third season but also some predictions they may get left behind.

"I want to be happy with the car and I want to be able to know where we can improve," Grosjean said, outlining his goals for pre-season.

"Even though testing is always a little unclear, you never know what people are doing with fuel loads and tyres and so on, we generally have a pretty good idea of where we are."

Considering what would be a good performance target for Haas, he added: "Ideally, within a second of the fastest car on the track."

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Team principal Guenther Steiner doesn't seem so concerned about the lap times that will be set in the coming weeks in Spain, instead focusing on racking up the miles, but does expect the team to be heading into 2018 with a stronger foundation.

"We’ve now got more people working back at the factory that can analyze data. Before, this was an area where we were perhaps a little weak," he explained.

"We’re growing. We’re always getting better and to get better you need time. With having more people, we can do more to get prepared for the first race."

Sergey Sirotkin has played down any thoughts of tension between himself and Robert Kubica after beating the Pole to the second seat at Williams for 2018.

Though many believe his greater financial backing was a decisive factor, the young Russian put in an impressive performance with the British team at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi last November, outpacing the former Grand Prix winner.

In doing so, it prevented what was a much hoped for return for Kubica, seven years after a rally crash as thought to have ended his Formula 1 career, but the 22-year-old doesn't think that will result in any hard feelings.

"I don't think so, and I think that's a sign of my great respect for him. He's an experienced person," he said in an interview with Motorsport.com.

"I understand his position, I truly respect him, he's achieved so much, but we're not here to be these good kids yielding and giving way to each other."

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Kubica has been kept on by Williams as reserve and development driver for 2018 and maintains his goal of once again lining up on the grid in F1, so for Sirotkin he doesn't have any guilt of beating the 33-year-old.

"To be honest, we've many times touched upon that subject – painful for some, not so for others - but you saw it, myself and Robert, we're talking here," the former F2 driver stated.

"It's every man for himself and he understands it just as well. It happened the way it happened and I think we've got a normal relationship."

A "very optimistic" Fernando Alonso has set the target of challenging for the Formula 1 title in 2018 after completing the first shakedown of his new McLaren on Friday.

Following an online launch early doors, the Spaniard and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne put the first laps on the papaya-coloured MCL33 at the Navarra circuit in Spain before heading off for the start of pre-season testing, which begins in Barcelona on Monday.

After what appeared to be a smooth day back behind the wheel, Alonso talked up expectations, suggesting the "good times are coming back" at the British team.

“It’s an important moment for McLaren," he continued, talking to Sky Sports. "After a couple of years of not fighting for the championship, it’s time to come back to that position."

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Given the massive deficit between the Woking-based outfit and the front, it would require an awful lot for a simple change from Honda engines to Renault for this year to be in contention but the former double world champion sees no reason not to aspire.

"In winter testing we need to make sure we optimise this package but so far I’m very happy and very optimistic," he said. "I think the team did an amazing job the last couple of months.

“It’s difficult to say right now [how competitive we will be] because nobody knows where everyone is. I hope McLaren will be in the fight.

"Mercedes and Hamilton, because they are the world champions right now, they have to start as favourites," Fernando admitted, "but hopefully McLaren can be right there.”

Carlos Sainz has insisted his focus remains solely on doing a good job with Renault ahead of what is likely to be a crucial year for the second generation racer.

The Spaniard joined the Enstone team on loan from the Red Bull stable as part of the deal which saw McLaren take on Renault engines for 2018 and his former team Toro Rosso switch to Honda.

That means it is still the Austrian energy drinks giant which has a large say over his future and, with Daniel Ricciardo's future uncertain, Sainz remains the lead candidate to replace him should the Australian go elsewhere.

For now, however, the 23-year-old is not letting that possibility distract him.

"In this situation, my head is always on the present. My future at the moment is the least of my concerns," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"I know if I have a good year, a lot of opportunities will come, so it is better to focus on the present than ahead. So I will focus on my best for Renault because this is what they deserve."

Also Read:

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• Marko worried Renault could hold Red Bull back again in 2018

On Saturday, the French manufacturer completed a shakedown of the new R.S.18 in Barcelona after admitting the car shown during their launch was not representative of the actual design.

Renault and Sainz are expecting the new car to continue the upward trend from last year when the moved from near the back in 2016 to arguably the fourth fastest in the pecking order by the end of 2017.

"It is always difficult but I think the team has progressed during the winter," Carlos claimed. "I don’t know how much, but I am convinced the team has done great steps to move forward this year.

"We now depend on the others and to know how they have done, but we’re convinced we’ve made a step forward."

Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, has issued a new technical directive aimed at ensuring parity between manufacturer works teams and their engine customers.

While it is always to be expected the teams which develop their own power units or have a technical partnership with a manufacturer will have an advantage over those who pay and plug in, F1's rule makers have addressed concerns customer teams were being deliberately held back.

Under Appendix 4 of the sporting regulations, it is written that all engines supplied must be identical in terms of hardware but now this new directive addresses the use of special engine modes, such as in qualifying.

"Appendix 4 and the dossier system ensure that all power units supplied by one manufacturer are identical in all respects, but we have good reason to believe that this may not be the case," the FIA claimed in the directive quoted by Motorsport.com.

"Whilst the dossiers for each team may be identical it would appear that some are being operated in a different way to others being supplied by the same manufacturer.

"It is therefore our view that all power units supplied by one manufacturer should be identical, not only in terms of the dossier for each team being the same, but we also feel they should be operated in an identical way."

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This means software, i.e. the engine modes, and fuel and oils used in the works team of, for instance, the Mercedes, must be the same as those inside the Force India and Williams.

The only time this is not the case is when a customer has elected to use an older specification engine, as Ferrari did with Toro Rosso and Sauber in 2016 and 2017 respectively.