Red Bull drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, are confident their friendship could survive even while battling each other for the Formula 1 championship.

Last year it was expected the duo would be part of the fight with new regulations seemingly suiting the team's strengths, instead, they were tied by frustration as competitively Red Bull were third-fastest and reliability problems led to both retiring in roughly a third of the races.

Strong progress towards the end of the season has raised hopes for a much better 2018, however, and Ricciardo, who is in the last year of his current contract with the team, only sees the potential dilemma as a positive.

"I hope so," the Australian said of their relationship. "We said at the start of 2017 it would be a good problem to have if we're both fighting at the front and having some battles. If it's ultimately deciding a world title we would happily run with that challenge. So, yeah, we'll see."

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The pair have battled each other on track before, notably in Malaysia in 2016 and on that occasion, many noticed the fairer way in which Verstappen duelled with his teammate compared to maybe Sebastian Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen.

And the young Dutchman believes that would be the approach he would take into a season-long fight with Ricciardo.

"For sure when you fight for the world championship it will get a bit more tense, I think, on the track," he conceded. "At the end of the day, you always come back to where you respect each other.

"You have to accept if one guy is faster than the other and when somebody has a good race we can really say to each other 'well done' and 'you really deserved that'. I think that's also very important."

Force India has suggested team orders invoked during the second half of last season will be dropped for the start of 2018 with COO Otmar Szafnauer believing both drivers "know how to behave".

In the midst of their best year ever in Formula 1, finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship with their highest points total, tensions between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon threatened to derail their momentum on several occasions, with the pair colliding three times in Baku and twice in Belgium.

The latter led to action from team bosses with the two drivers unable to race each other until the end of the season even after reaching their goal of retaining P4 in the standings but now it seems they will be let off the leash once again.

"The drivers have got a better understanding and have matured enough so that they know and we know how to behave," Szafnauer told Autosport. "So next year it should be a lot better."

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What surprised the American, however, was the external response to their decision with many critical of both their initial lack of action during moments such as in Canada but then unhappy when one of the more interesting sub-stories of the season was quashed.

"At the time I thought we could lose out because the drivers were often coming together and we were losing out on points," he said, explaining the reasons for invoking team orders.

"In Baku, we lost something like 33 points and at that point, it was so early in the season that I didn't know or could predict we would be fourth.

"Now if you look back you could say we struck the balance at the right point as we let them race and then after Spa, we said 'let's not'."

Former Renault Team Principal Flavio Briatore says he is "very sorry" after being told Robert Kubica's attempted comeback to Formula 1 with Williams will end in failure.

The Pole has been working towards what was once considered an impossible return to the grid, seven years after a horrific rally crash left him with severe injuries. Limitations continue in his right arm but that didn't stop the 32-year-old from initially with Renault before focusing on the seat formerly held by Felipe Massa.

Though yet to be confirmed, F2 driver Sergey Sirotkin is now expected to line-up alongside Lance Stroll in 2018 and Briatore claims the deal is already done.

"I have talked to Nico Rosberg [Kubica's co-manager] several times and know that everything has been tried, but the Russian has an enormous budget," he told Austria's Speed Week. "We're talking about 20 million and Kubica could muster between 7-10 million.

"I'm very sorry that Kubica did not manage to convince Williams."

While former world champion Jacques Villeneuve admits he isn't surprised money has been the most influential factor, the Italian laid some of the blame at the feet of F1 bosses who will now miss out on the publicity and interest Kubica's attempted comeback brought.

"If Robert had returned to F1, it would have been a major success for the sport," he said. "I find it very strange that the F1 leadership did not lend him a helping hand."

Former Head of Honda's Formula 1 operation, Yusuke Hasegawa believes the limit of just three engines for the 2018 season only benefits Mercedes and Ferrari while also making the sport less attractive to other manufacturers.

Last season, when the number allowed was four, Honda's problematic engine led to McLaren having to take grid drops from as early as round four in Russia but would make some progress throughout the year with only three engine-related retirements in the final 10 races.

With still plenty of work to be done to catch up with their rivals, Hasegawa admits the efforts have had to be on trying and minimise the grid penalties which seem almost inevitable at some stage, rather than looking at closing at the performance gap.

"It's very tough," he said of the engine restrictions to Racer. "I don't think it's reasonable from a technical point of view, it's too difficult."

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A side effect of the limit on engines is manufacturers also have fewer opportunities to introduce upgrades which in turn, the ex-Honda boss agrees, means those with more performance can keep their advantage for longer.

"With three engines, it means we only have two chances to introduce a new engine," he explained. "Reducing cost is important, but F1 is a technical challenge – unless we can prove something better, there is no meaning to stay in F1."

Mercedes, on the other hand, insist performance will continue to be pushed to the limit despite the restrictions and that development will be in line with looking to improve the lifespan of engine parts.

"We will be busy understanding how we can continue to get more mileage out of the engines, more mileage out of the electric hybrid systems, so that we can get through next year's championship with the prescribed number of units and deliver the level of performance we all know the engine is capable of," Chief Engineer Phil Prew told Autosport.

Long-time Formula CEO Bernie Ecclestone believes Ferrari's threat to quit the sport after 2020 should be taken more seriously due to the interests of Chairman Sergio Marchionne.

The future of the most famous team on the grid is less certain with the warning issued following the revealing of proposals for changes to the engine in 2021, changes Marchionne claims go against the DNA of F1.

Given the Scuderia's history of such threats, some are brushing it off as mere talk, however, Ecclestone isn't so sure due to the different views of the current Chairman compared to predecessor Luca di Montezemolo.

"Motorsport was Luca’s life," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "Sergio can live without F1, he is only interested in the business.

"The most important thing for him is that he can offer the shareholders a good business result and if Marchionne does not like the path F1 takes, then he will stop."

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Another argument used against Ferrari leaving is that doing so would significantly hurt the brand that the Maranello-based company has built up thanks to their success and history in F1.

"I’m afraid Ferrari could live without F1," Ecclestone responded, "not the other way around."

Daniel Ricciardo remains confident his decision to play the long game over his Formula 1 future won't backfire should results fall short of expectations.

The Australian is likely to be one of the main stories of 2018 as he enters the final year of his Red Bull contract. He has made it clear he is prepared to move elsewhere should the Milton Keynes outfit again fail to deliver a title contending car.

With that, however, comes the pressure of ensuring he remains an attractive option to the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes, both of whom also have seats available for 2019, but the five-time Grand Prix winner believes he can thrive in that situation.

"Yeah, I’m aware as well that there’s always a risk," Ricciardo told Racer. "But that’s where I’ve obviously got confidence in my approach and what I’m going to do and I’ve got confidence that I will be performing."

• Ricciardo wants Mercedes, Ferrari to approach him over 2019 seat
• Ricciardo, Marko positive as 2018 Red Bull ahead of schedule
• Red Bull insist they "won't wait forever" for Ricciardo

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has made it clear the seat alongside Max Verstappen is more than open for the 28-year-old until 2020, but the goal is simple for Ricciardo, who has admitted his decision is perhaps the most important in his racing career.

"I want to be world champion before I’ve got grey hair," he stated.

Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff has upped the pressure on Valtteri Bottas for the 2018 Formula 1 season, claiming there is "no excuse" for him not to challenge teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The Finn made a strong start alongside the Briton last year following his late move from Williams but would tail off in the second half as a combination of struggles with car setup and simply being unable to keep up with Hamilton took off some of the shine.

He would hit back strongly in the closing races finishing second in Brazil and winning in Abu Dhabi, however, on just a one-year deal and with names like Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon being linked to his seat, producing those results more often is now a requirement from the Mercedes hierarchy.

"That's what he has to do," Wolff told ESPN. "If he can step up and challenge Lewis he has his place among the greatest drivers in F1, if he doesn't he's going to know it and there is no excuse."

The Austrian has a long history with Bottas, having been a part of his management team for much of his career as well as being a shareholder in Williams before switching to Mercedes, therefore, he has confidence the 28-year-old will respond.

"He is a Finn with a strong never-give-up mentality," he said. "Valtteri will improve his weaknesses and continue to work on his strengths. I expect him to come back strong with all the learning he has done during the season.

"I have no doubt we will see a better Valtteri in 2018."

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Earlier this week, controversial former world champion Jacques Villeneuve described Bottas' performance as "embarrassing" and suggested Pascal Wehrlein would have been better, however, Wolff rejected the Canadian's opinion.

“We like working with Valtteri and with Lewis," he insisted. "The two fit well together. They have a good dynamic in the team and see no reason to change it."

Toto has claimed it would be better for Mercedes if there was a little more needle between Bottas and Hamilton, however, he doubts the former GP3 champion would resort to any Nico Rosberg-style mind games. 

"That's not at all Valtteri's style," he believes. "Valtteri wants to do it on the track in the best possible way, he wants is to be benchmarked against a four-time world champion. He's brutally honest with himself."

1997 Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve admits he isn't surpised by Felipe Massa's claim that money is speaking loudest as Williams decide who should replace the Brazilian for 2018.

Currently, F2 driver Sergey Sirotkin is believed to be the favourite as he offers much more financial sponsorship - from the SMP Bank linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin - than former Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica, who is looking to return to F1 seven years after a near-fatal rally crash ended his first career.

Williams put off making an announcement until January for further consideration, but Villeneuve, who won his title with the British team, agrees talent likely won't be too influential in that decision using the opportunity to once again slam fellow Canadian Lance Stroll.

"They (Williams) already sold their soul to the billions of Lawrence Stroll," he claimed. "Even Massa was faster than Lance, his podium in Baku does not convince me as it was pure luck."

On Wednesday, German publication Auto Bild reported that Sirotkin has indeed won the battle for the seat and a two-year deal is set to be confirmed, although former Swiss racer Marc Surer disagreed telling Bild am Sonntag: "You could actually toss a coin."

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Changing topic, the always outspoken Villeneuve also had very little positive to say about former Williams driver Valtteri Bottas and his first year at Mercedes.

"Bottas' performance was almost embarrassing," he thought. "He is a solid number two and no more. I would have chosen [Pascal] Wehrlein."

Talks between Formula 1 owners and the Nurburgring have begun over a possible return to the calendar in 2019, circuit CEO Mirco Markfort has revealed.

The legendary venue has not hosted the German Grand Prix since 2013 due to financial problems and, as a result, has left the race as a biannual event held at Hockenheim, with F1 due to return there this year.

However, with the Nurburgring now under new ownership, hopes are being raised that once again the track which has held races under various guises including the Luxembourg, European and German Grand Prix, can make another comeback.

"We really would appreciate having the F1 back at the Nurburgring in 2019," Markfort told Motorsport.com on Thursday.

"This will only be possible if we take meaningful economic surrounding conditions into consideration but we are able to confirm that there had been conversations with Liberty Media."

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Though there is a lot of competition for a place on the calendar, F1 CEO Chase Carey has made it clear maintaining the historical European core is important to the new leadership, with Germany a key priority.

"Germany is the largest and most prosperous country in western Europe with a great sports history," he told Die Welt last year.

"We would like to build on what we already have in Germany, and an event is obviously an important part of it. We need to see where and how we can make it happen."

Fernando Alonso has talked up the opportunity to race outside of Formula 1, claiming he will be a "better driver" following his upcoming appearance at the Daytona 24 Hours later this month.

The Spaniard is one of several F1-linked drivers using the endurance race as the first stop on their racing calendar in 2018 with Lance Stroll, Lando Norris, Paul di Resta all taking part, but the double world champion is the most significant as many see his outing as preparation for a run at the Le Mans 24 Hours later in the year.

"It’s a true pleasure to go back racing in the States, in front of the US fans. In less than a year, I will have competed in two legendary races, which makes me very proud," Alonso commented after also racing in the Indianapolis 500 last May.

"I have always wanted to challenge myself in other categories of motorsport, as this is what you need to become a better driver. Going out of my comfort zone by taking part in such an iconic race as the Daytona 24 Hours is just amazing."

The McLaren driver will be racing for United Autosports, with whom his F1 team boss Zak Brown is also associated, and his preparation for the event has only increased the 36-year-old's level of excitement.

"I just cannot wait to jump in the car and drive on the famous oval," Alonso said. "In the last couple of months, I have been spending time watching several Daytona 24 Hours, which made me even keener to go out there and try myself. It’s going to be fun!"