Fritz Enzinger, the new man in charge of Volkswagen's motorsport program, has been coy on his plans for the future of the company, as speculation of a possible Formula 1 return with Porsche continues.

The German brand pulled out of the World Endurance Championship last year as part of a reshuffle in its motorsport activities, which will see Porsche join the Formula E grid in 2019, the same time as F1 champions Mercedes.

However, it is understood Porsche has been developing a separate hybrid engine for racing activities and was involved in the discussions last year to shape F1 engine rules from 2021 onwards.

Confirming Enzinger in his new role, a VW statement revealed he will be "assessing the current portfolio of works commitments and customers' sports programs in all disciplines and their long-term orientation.

"The objective will be to align the programs in such a way that they reflect the individual positioning of the VW Group brands and allow each brand to demonstrate its individual strengths," he continued.

"[This will include] organising the use of highly efficient internal combustion engines, hybrid solutions and pure electric powertrains in motorsports."

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Enzinger's promotion does seem to increase the chances of a future F1 return, as his predecessor Wolfgang Duerheimer was against such a move citing the high costs and concerns over leadership in the sport, though his comments came prior to Liberty Media's takeover.

Other brands are also weighing up the potential with Aston Martin starting initial work on a concept engine and also considering a partnership with Cosworth, who have acknowledged their interest in the new engine regulations too.

Former Formula 1 driver turned pundit Mark Webber believes fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo needs to concentrate on beating Max Verstappen in the first half of 2018 if he wants to maximise his options for next year.

This season will be crucial for the Australian, who is out of contract at Red Bull at the end of it, and the five-time Grand Prix winner has already made it clear he will not be rushing to make what he sees as the most important decision of his racing career.

With seats both at Mercedes and Ferrari potentially up for grabs, Webber believes Ricciardo's best chance to put himself in contention at those two teams is to be ahead of perhaps the most highly-rated talent on the grid.

“I think the best thing he can do is beat Max,” he told Fox Sports Australia. "He knows and he’s going to do his best to do that.

“If he wants to try and have a crack at that for five-six months, then look at the options.”

Though Kimi Raikkonen is in the twilight of his career at Ferrari, the most likely alternative for Ricciardo seems to be Mercedes, where Valtteri Bottas is only contracted for this season and is under pressure to perform after falling away slightly in the second half of 2017.

“There’s an obvious link — they’re both out of contract, he’s a top-flight driver and there’s a chance for a switch," Webber continued.

“I don’t think Mercedes will be rushing to make a decision either, they’re going to keep a good eye on Valtteri and see how he’s performing, probably until Canada.”

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The internal situation at Red Bull will be another deciding factor the 28-year-old has to consider, with four seasons of failing to close the gap to the front and the ever-growing presence of Verstappen alongside.

But the Dutchman is also wary of the lack of competitiveness in recent years, though expects to get an indication of where the team stand with the RB14 soon after stepping behind the wheel.

"You can understand if a car is good or not already on the first day of testing," Max claimed. "But this is not the goal.

"The most important thing is to get reliability in testing so you can determine the driving characteristics of the new car."

The door would be open for Lewis Hamilton to return to McLaren if a new deal with Mercedes was not to be agreed, executive director Zak Brown has claimed.

The four-time world champion is entering the final year of his current contract with the German manufacturer, which he left McLaren for at the end of 2012, and is expected to sign an extension with motorsport boss Toto Wolff believing it was a "matter of time".

However, inevitably the more time that passes without a new deal being signed will mean more speculation over whether Hamilton could call it quits or potentially head back to the team which nurtured him from a young age.

"Lewis has history here," Brown was quoted by the Daily Mail. "He is an unbelievable driver. There isn't a team in the pitlane that would not be interested in having Lewis drive for them, us included.

"I say 'hi' occasionally and he is very friendly with the shareholders."

The chances of a return are very small, perhaps even nil for several reasons, with Hamilton previously claiming he would end his career at Mercedes and there would the small matter of who he would replace with Stoffel Vandoorne starting to show his potential and Fernando Alonso signing a new multi-year deal last year.

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The 33-year-old has also ruled out ever partnering with the Spaniard ever again even though their relationship has come a long way since the infamous spat at McLaren in 2007 but Brown thinks Alonso would team up again.

"I think Fernando would race anybody," the American said. "I have never had a single conversation with him about anything other than himself."

Ultimately, though the McLaren chief accepts the ball would be in Hamilton's court over whether he would want to end his career where it started.

"I am going to guess Lewis is contemplating how much longer he wants to go on. I don't think it would be money or the quality of the team that is delaying him," he claimed.

"He might be wanting to see how this year goes. There is no rush. Mercedes are not going to sell the seat from underneath him."

Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul has claimed the thought of another major overhaul in the engine regulations in 2021 would be "frightening".

All the current Formula 1 manufacturers have voiced concerns over the plan released last year which was aimed at cheaper, simpler and louder units in three years time by increasing revs and removing the MGU-H.

Ferrari and Mercedes have both put their future participation in the sport up for question, citing an unhappiness at the direction the changes would take F1 in but it is financial and sporting reasons which the French company are concerned about.

"We would like to avoid almost starting from scratch again," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"If I look at the investment that has been made in the engine and the time that it is taking to get to a situation where the engine is not a handicap anymore for chassis people, frankly starting from scratch again is quite frightening."

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While those inside F1 are unhappy, potential newcomers have welcomed the proposals with Aston Martin and Cosworth considering a partnership and Porsche previously another name mentioned. 

Considering how the talks will continue, Abiteboul is confident that eventually, a solution will be found to suit all sides. The Frenchman did send a warning shot to F1 bosses, however, that the future structure of the sport must be made clearer.

"I feel everyone is willing to have constructive dialogue and get very quickly to a solution," he said. "Having said that, we are not going to commit to a new engine without knowing what F1 will look like in 2021." 

Owners of the Kyalami race circuit in South Africa admit they could only consider bringing Formula 1 back to the continent if Liberty Media showed serious interest in doing so.

The racetrack last hosted a Grand Prix in 1993 but in 2014 underwent significant redevelopment in a bid to bring it up to modern safety standards, albeit still just shy of attaining the necessary level to host F1.

But with South Africa still considered the most likely African country to welcome the sport back to the continent, despite new locations such as the street circuit in Marakkesh, Kyalami acknowledges, as the nation's best-known circuit, there is a certain expectation on them.

“Kyalami would welcome F1 at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit again,” circuit spokesperson Christo Kruger told F1 Fanatic. “We think there’s a heritage that we would like to see back again. I also think the African continent deserves an actual F1 race again."

However: “The prohibitive costs of hosting F1 is really the bugbear. It’s just not financially feasible in the current structure to host F1.”

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That's not to say Kyalami is completely ruling out the possibility of a future race, given the new F1 bosses who are keen to expand the calendar and open new markets.

“Kyalami remains there as a facility and we are prepared to enter into negotiations and discussions to upgrade or to change the actual circuit to what is palatable for F1 racing," Kruger said.

“It’s an FIA Grade 2 track at the moment, we will upgrade to Grade 1 but there needs to be a commitment in terms of a long-term future for F1 in South Africa. Although we do not have the financial wherewithal to be the promoter of an F1 race.”

2018 Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin has strongly retorted claims he is another 'pay driver' in Formula 1 after landing the seat alongside Lance Stroll.

The Russian was an unexpected choice for several reasons, including an understanding the Grove-based team had to have at least one driver over 25 due to their title sponsor Martini and the fact he beat a former Grand Prix winner in Robert Kubica to earn to drive.

In the weeks before he was confirmed, many, including Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve, pointed to the extra sponsorship Sirotkin receives from the Putin-linked SMP Bank, around $15 million, and claimed that was the main reason for Williams' decision.

"I do not pay attention to names like 'pay driver'," the former F2 driver and Renault reserve responded, talking Russian radio Sport FM.

"People write things but where do they get the information from? If you know something and can confirm it with facts, then please do."

Williams has already insisted it was Sirotkin's performance at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi which was most influential and, with the youngest line-up on the grid for 2018, claim they have a long-term "investment' in both drivers.

Fernando Alonso believes overcoming the problems during the troubled Honda partnership had one positive in creating a "united" McLaren.

The Woking-based outfit endured two of their worst seasons in history in 2015 and 2017 finishing ninth in the constructors' championship each time with last year's disappointment resulting in the ending of their collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer.

Returning to McLaren after eight years on the high expectations of success based on the history of the team and Honda, though it ended badly, the double world champion admits the atmosphere inside hasn't been stronger.

The last three years we all changed here in the team," he was quoted by F1i.com. "We all had some tough moments, we learned things, hard lessons sometimes because we had some painful retirements.

"The biggest thing I learned in the last three years was the speed of the team," Alonso continued. "They never give up. They were very united, very constructive, working flat out to bring even half a tenth for the next race even if we were fighting for 16th.

"That spirit in the team was remarkable, its something that I will keep for the long term, the team now is ready to perform at the best."

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Now with Renault engines from 2018 onwards, there are much greater hopes of a turnaround in performance with podiums and maybe a first win since 2012 being considered a target.

"We are quite optimistic, we know what Red Bull is doing with the Renault power unit," the 36-year-old said. "They are maybe not the fastest in qualifying but they are quite fast in the race.

"They’ve been on a couple of podiums, they won two or three races. With those kinds of results I think we will be very happy, if we are in the fight and if we can taste the champagne again."

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier insists the team has no concerns about Fernando Alonso's busy 2018 schedule, as the Spaniard combines Formula 1 with WEC.

As well as the 21 races on this year's F1 calendar, the double world champion will have as many as five endurance rounds, including the program around the Le Mans 24 Hours, and testing with Toyota.

When the agreement was announced a week ago, McLaren was keen to stress that F1 would be his priority but Boullier revealed actually the 36-year-old had competed in events for the majority of weekends last year.

"Fernando is a professional sportsman who is able to prepare for this", the Frenchman told L'Equipe when asked about his 2018 schedule.

"Last year, Fernando raced on 34 weekends, competing under different names in karting and other series. It's what he likes to do."

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The McLaren chief also denied his interest to race elsewhere was a consequence of the Woking outfit's recent problems and actually believes it is a positive for Alonso to be regularly behind the wheel with testing in F1 now largely limited to simulators.

"We are in a sport where the driving is reduced more and more in order to lower costs," Boullier pointed out, "But the drivers understand that the more they drive, even if it is in other categories, the more they keep up the practice.

"As a boss, I like this argument. If you are constantly racing, you have less temptations and fewer distractions."

Meanwhile, current McLaren third driver Lando Norris, who recently competed alongside Alonso at the Rolex Daytona 24, has admitted his F1 career prospects likely depend on how much longer the 17-year veteran of the sport continues.

"I would say so, but I couldn't really say what they are thinking," he told Autosport. "I think they are happy with Stoffel [Vandoorne] and it is quite early in his career."

The young Briton also concedes, however, he isn't prepared to wait too long before considering options elsewhere.

"Obviously my aim is to be at McLaren, but if I can't get a drive here, then I have to look at other opportunities," he said.

"If they say 'We're not really going to have a drive [available] for three years' or something, then it is obvious that I am going to have to go elsewhere. But if it is just one year, I think I'll still stick with McLaren and deal with one year out."

Pirelli is hoping a broader range of tyres along with moving a step softer with this year's compounds will help create a better balance between increased overtaking while maintaining durability.

Last year, coinciding with the introduction of wider tyres and faster cars through higher downforce, the Italian supplier was more conservative with their products which resulted in mostly one-stop races and little drop off in performance.

While the drivers welcomed the ability to push harder for longer, it had a negative impact on the racing with those behind the wheel struggling to follow another car closely and produce an overtake.

"Increasing speed means that the ideal line becomes narrower, so we are trying to have a bit of a better situation in terms of overtaking with more degradation of the tyres," Isola told Racer.

“So cars on tyres with a different number of laps should create a differential in performance."

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This year, Pirelli has introduced a new hyper-soft compound for street circuits and venues with low grip or wear, with drivers praising the tyre when they tested it for the first time last year in Abu Dhabi.

As Isola continued, the move is part of finding the compromise which creates strategy options for engineers and adds another racing dynamic but doesn't return the racing back to the 'grandma' style of 2011-2016.

"We don’t want to go too much on the high side of degradation because then you make drivers unhappy because they want to push," he said, "Especially when they are attacking, when they are trying to overtake another car, if they lose performance too much it’s not good for them and it’s not good for the show.

“It’s a balance and a compromise that is very difficult to achieve, but we are working on compounds with a bit higher degradation, but thermal degradation, not surface overheating."

Formula 1 bosses and the FIA jointly announced the start of a new 'Grid Kids' initiative on Monday, following the controversial decision to end the use of grid girls last week.

While the debate over whether Liberty Media has made the right call continues, this replacement system will see all 21 Grand Prix promoters work with national motorsport associations to offer 20 young racers in karting or other series the opportunity to stand with the finest drivers in the world before the race.

The kids will be chosen by merit or lottery with their families also invited to enjoy the F1 experience from the paddock on each Sunday and it is hoped the program can offer inspiration to the F1 drivers of tomorrow.

“This will be an extraordinary moment for these youngsters: imagine, standing beside their heroes, watch as they prepare to race, the elite of the elite in motorsport, to be there, alongside them in those precious few minutes just before the start," commercial director Sean Bratches said on the official F1 website.

"An inspiration to keep driving, training and learning so that they can dream of one day being there themselves. What better way to inspire the next generation of F1 heroes.”

FIA president Jean Todt also talked up the potential of the program to increase interest in motorsport and create closer ties between F1 and the national associations.

“F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and the dream of every young racer competing in the junior series that make up the FIA’s single-seater pyramid, from karting all the way to F1," the Frenchman stated.

"We are delighted to bring that dream a little closer by giving the future champions of our sport the opportunity to stand alongside their heroes on the grid in the build-up to the race start.

"For the wider FIA, this is an excellent initiative that provides additional support to our member ASNs in their efforts to grow motorsport worldwide through a unique reward they can make available to youngsters participating in their national series.”