Toro Rosso technical director James Key expects the controversial halo cockpit device to look more appealing to Formula 1 fans when integrated and adapted into the 2018 car designs.

Many are not looking forward to seeing the new structure, created to reduce the chances of a driver being struck by debris, fitted to the new cars, with descriptions ranging from "clumsy" to Lewis Hamilton declaring last year's Abu Dhabi GP as the last race with good looking cars.

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However, now part of the car rather than just a basic add-on and with space for designers to make it more efficient, Key claims the visual concerns should be less.

"I think with the aero bits on it then it will look slightly more Formula 1 let's say than the frames we saw before," he told Racer.

"My gut feeling is it's something we'll just get used to. There will be talk and all sorts of opinions I'm sure -- all of them no doubt valid -- but I think ultimately it's just something we'll get used to, and we'll get back to worrying about the racing pretty quickly."

McLaren offered the first example of the types of aerodynamic additions teams could fit at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi last year.

Questions over the future of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza are once again being shed as the fabled circuit in Milan looks toward their centenary in four years time.

There were fears the 2016 event could be the last with the contract expiring and organisers unable to meet the fee demanded by then CEO Bernie Ecclestone and claims that the former San Marino Grand Prix venue at Imola had agreed on a deal.

Eventually, the matter was resolved and a new three-year extension with Monza was awarded but now there are fresh concerns the 'Temple of Speed' may not be able to fulfil it.

"If conditions do not change, we can no longer guarantee the future of the Grand Prix at Monza," Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the head of Italy's ACI motorsport body told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"For the 100-year anniversary in 2022, it's only right that the circuit must be adapted," he added, suggesting the financial requirement to upgrade Monza while hosting F1 is not doable.

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Damiani also offered an insight into the first meeting between Liberty Media and all 21 race promoters, who gathered in London for talks on the future vision of the F1 owners for race events .

"What I notice is a general suffering," he claimed. "On the part of Liberty, it is because a monstrous investment has been made and now there must be a return.

"And also on the side of the teams, who have even higher costs, and us as organizers who are strangled [there must be a return]."

Sergey Sirotkin created a "universal feeling" among those at Williams he was the man to replace Felipe Massa with his performance at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, technical chief Paddy Lowe has claimed.

The Russian's participation at Yas Marina wasn't particularly highly thought of amid the noise surrounding Robert Kubica and speculation a 2018 deal was close to being agreed, however, that changed when he went faster than the Pole as the two completed identical tests.

Concerns over how suited the former Grand Prix would be to the Pirelli tyres and the much talked about sponsorship Sirotkin brought also swayed the decision in his favour but ultimately, it was his potential which won the argument.

“What was obvious was how calm Sergey was in this moment when he realised he needed to perform,” Lowe said at a Williams-SMP Racing joint event in Moscow last weekend.

“From the first few laps that he did in the car, you could feel the atmosphere in the garage, the engineers were impressed with his times, his feedback, with his precision and he made no mistakes.

"It really was a universal feeling among the engineers that this was the guy we needed in the car."

Speaking at the same event, SMP Racing boss Dmitry Samorukov admitted he and the 22-year-old had worked towards the event in Abu Dhabi and the Williams seat believing it was their best chance at an F1 promotion.

“It's definitely not just that Sergey showed up, set a good time, they spotted him and now he has the seat," he claimed.

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And now with the youngest line-up in F1, with Sirotkin and Lance Stroll a combined 41 years old, Lowe believes the former F2 driver is a long-term project.

“We’re very excited about what Sergey can do this year, and even in the many years ahead," the Briton stated.

Lowe has since suggested, however, Kubica, who is now the reserve and developmental driver, could get a chance at a seat in 2019 and that Williams will continue to assess him. 

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff had an amusing response after he and Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber were pictured with Sebastian Vettel having conversations at the ski resort of Kitzbuhel.

Last year there were murmurings the four-time world champion could be considering a move to the German manufacturer as he was in the final year of his contract at Ferrari. His future, at least through 2020, was confirmed, however, with a new three-year deal at the Scuderia announced in August.

Nevertheless, with Lewis Hamilton out of contract at the end of this year - though expected to sign a new deal - and Valtteri Bottas currently renewing season-by-season, the Austrian admitted being seen with Vettel will likely raise suspicion.

"Now everyone will write 'Vettel to Mercedes'!" he joked talking to the Kolner Express about the meeting.

Wolff would clarify the situation which led to the two men being together, adding: "We are neighbours in Switzerland and friends and we just speak normally."

Other high-profile names also spotted at the World Cup skiing event held in Austria included Mercedes non-executive chairman and triple F1 champion Niki Lauda, Bernie Ecclestone and former McLaren and Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger.

Sauber team principal Fred Vasseur is wary the introduction of a budget cap could leave Formula 1 open to "ridicule" without a flawless method of monitoring.

Reducing the inequality between the top teams and those at the back is one of the main aims of owners Liberty Media, whether it be through evening up the distribution of revenue and/ or a budget cap.

Such a move would benefit the likes of Sauber, who have a budget 10 times less that of the top three, Vasseur even admitted the gap would be smaller, but fears the potential for finances could become too dominant in the F1 conversation.

"We could go with financial monitoring, but I am a bit scared about this," the former Renault boss told Motorsport.com. On paper, it could work but then you have to see how we are able to monitor it during the season to avoid being in a situation that we have in the news or on websites that Ferrari or Mercedes spent 10 Euros more than is allowed.

"Something like that, for the show and the image of F1, would be a worst-case scenario because at this stage – for the fans – the bad side of F1 is that it has become a matter of budgets and if all together we are only talking about budgets, it would be a nightmare."

Instead, the Frenchman believes F1 should concentrate on reducing the competitive advantage a team gets from high levels of spending.

"If you want to have a cost cap at $150 million, then it will not affect Force India, it will not affect us, and it will not affect a majority of the teams," he said, with that figure the speculated amount being suggested.

"The best way would be to do it through regulation: limiting the necessary budget to be a good performant through regulation.

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"Mercedes will always be able to spend much more than us, which is fine, but at least you have to give the opportunity for the small teams to be in a position to fight for podiums," he added.

"If you want a good teaser at the start of the race, then it is that [Esteban] Ocon or [Sergio] Perez could be on a podium at every race if they do a good job.

"At the moment you have two Mercedes, two Ferraris and two Red Bulls, and that is a bit boring."

Reigning European Formula 3 champion and now McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris admits he doesn't "dwell" on comparisons between himself and Lewis Hamilton.

The two drivers both made came through with the British team, albeit Norris has only been associated for just over a year after earning his place by winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC young driver of the year award in 2016, completing two test outings in Hungary and Abu Dhabi last year.

He would also win the F3 title at his first attempt and believes he must do the same, just as Hamilton did, as he steps up to F2 with Carlin, which he will do alongside his third driver duties with the Woking-based outfit.

Despite the similarities between himself and the four-time world champion, the 17-year-old admits: "It gives me a bit of motivation, but not a huge amount.

"It’s good maybe to think you’re along the same path and he made it to F1. Apart from that, I don’t really try to think and dwell on what everyone else says."

This weekend Norris will also compete in his first endurance race, teaming up with Fernando Alonso in a United Autosports entry at the Daytona 24 Hours. Commenting on his decision to pursue a career in racing, he insists it is as much about passion as it is ability.

"I’m only really doing it because I really enjoy it," he said. "It’s not like I don’t enjoy it and I’m just good at it, therefore I can hopefully make a career out of it. I enjoy doing it and that’s why I want to do it."

While he is tipped to become a star of the future, Lando also admits he has nothing set in stone just yet.

"I just try to focus on what I’m doing, make the most of working with the team, doing the best I can and hopefully winning, which then makes it even more fun to go out and do," he concluded.

Valtteri Bottas has only "one target" in mind for the 2018 Formula One season and believes he is a much stronger position to achieve it in his second year with Mercedes.

The Finn is one of the drivers under pressure to perform this year, with the Brackley-based team only awarding a one-year extension to his contract and a number of rivals keen to make their case to replace him.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff upped the ante suggesting the former Williams driver had "no excuse" not to challenge teammate Lewis Hamilton after a tricky second half of 2017, though ended with a victory in Abu Dhabi.

"[It is] a new season full of opportunities and my aim is to take those opportunities this year," he said speaking on the official Mercedes website. "I have one target, everyone knows what it is. I have learned massively in my five years in F1, especially in 2017, so I have high targets."

The 28-year-old is also expecting a boost from a full winter with the Anglo-German team, which means the W09 being developed will hopefully better suit his requirements.

"This year I have been able to follow that process [whereas] last year I joined and the car was ready," he commented.

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After the strong end to last season, some are concerned Mercedes could increase their level of domination in 2018 after being conservative with their first design under the current regulations.

Bottas, however, is not so keen to be predicting the pecking order.

"There are always unknowns in F1 and mainly related to performance," he stated. "For us as a team, we want to stay at the top but I am sure there are many teams that are willing to beat us.

"Our will to stay at the top is hopefully bigger," Valtteri concluded.

Ford would consider returning to Formula 1 for the first time since 2004 if budgets were reduced, according to their motorsport boss Mark Rushbrook.

The American company pulled out of the sport after selling the Jaguar team, which they ran under the British brand, to Red Bull and selling engine producer Cosworth, which they had worked with on several iconic road cars.

However, though insisting the current environment was not suitable for entry, Rushbrook admits Ford is monitoring the direction the sport takes.

"Hybrid power will be relevant for a long time for Ford," he told Autocar last week. "So I’d never say never to F1, especially if it introduces budgets."

Another former Ford brand Aston Martin is already strongly considering becoming an engine supplier from 2021, potentially in a partnership with Cosworth and Red Bull, with owners Liberty Media keen to simplify and cheapen the current units.

They too have pointed to costs as the main factor in their decision but the Ford chief admits even a budget cap has potential flaws.

"Cost reduction in F1 is all relative. If you cap in one area, [manufacturers] will spend in another," he claimed.

Currently, the iconic automotive name has successful motorsport programs in the WEC with the modern version of the GT and in Rallying.

Force India will rename their team for the 2018 Formula 1 season with the announcement coming on the day they launch their VJM11, it has been confirmed.

The Silverstone-based outfit has been looking to change their name for several months now over concerns the current inclusion of 'India' could be restricting the potential pool of sponsorship.

Last November, the companies 'Force One' and 'Force Formula One Team' were registered in the UK and the latter is thought to be more likely to avoid confusion with Formula One, but a spokesperson was tight-lipped when asked by Motor Sport Magazine.

"We'll rename the team when we launch the car, but we have no set date for a rename or car launch just yet," was the response as Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claimed it would be in Barcelona on February 25th.

On the track, Force India know they face a tough battle to retain their fourth place in the constructors' championship with two teams in-particular set to move up.

“Both Renault and McLaren look quite handy,” deputy team boss Bob Fernley told Autosport recently. “They are a significant threat and we need to take it seriously.

"We need to do quite a bit of work ourselves to make sure that we accommodate that and there will be no quarter given for those three cars."

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The biggest factor against them, however, is the massive budget deficit between them and effectively two manufacturer teams.

“It’ll always be difficult to compete against the bigger budgets, but saying that, we’ve done it for two years in a row so there’s no reason why we can’t do it for a third,” Fernley concluded.

Four-time Champ Car champion and former Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Bourdais believes Formula 1 lives in a "little bubble" which makes it impossible for drivers racing in America to get noticed.

The Frenchman's comments follow a strong reaction to Haas team boss Guenther Steiner's claim that no current IndyCar drivers are ready to compete in F1, drawing criticism from the likes of Mario Andretti and Gil de Ferran.

Adding his view, Bourdais, who was notably teammate to Sebastian Vettel at the junior Red Bull team in 2008 and replaced by Jaime Alguersuari midway through 2009, talked about the difficulties he faced in making it to the F1 grid.

“It took me three championships in the U.S and the Formula 3000 championship to finally get an opportunity," he was quoted by Crash.net. "There is just no consideration. They are in their little bubble on their own island.

“I completely understand that the American drivers take it personally because it’s not fair, but since when is F1 fair? It’s never been fair."

IndyCar is included on the current list of series in which the top finishers in the championship are given points towards the 40 which are required to obtain an F1 superlicence, suggesting the path is not impossible and Bourdais did admit the lack of successful transitions haven't helped.

"I really didn’t help the Americans because I failed," he said. "So, you see the way people can perceive Indy car drivers. [Alex] Zanardi was before me and stuff like that, and it didn’t turn into a fairytale."