Assen is much more ready to welcome Formula 1 back to Holland than former venue Zandvoort, circuit boss Arjan Bos has claimed as the country looks to return to the calendar or the first time in over three decades.

The Dutch Grand Prix is high on the list of priority races for F1 bosses with the emergence of Max Verstappen since 2015 leading to a huge boom in interest in his homeland. Many European races now contain one predominantly orange area of fans backing the 20-year-old and the Belgian race at Spa has seen record attendances as a result.

Commercial Director Sean Bratches has held talks with officials in Amsterdam and Rotterdam over a potential street race but both have turned the idea down, leaving the historic circuit at Zandvoort and the host of Moto GP's Dutch round at Assen as the most likely options.

"We are almost 100 percent ready for F1," Bos told De Telegraaf newspaper, citing a positive report by the FIA into the racetrack's suitability.

"Of course, I wish Zandvoort every success, and I think it's admirable how (owner) Bernhard van Oranje is sticking his neck out but Assen is well beyond Zandvoort."

Van Oranje has previously said a feasibility study is being conducted into whether the circuit could be renovated to meet the safety standards required to host F1 and hoped a race in 2020 could be achievable.

Renault Managing Director Cyril Abiteboul has revealed the French manufacturer found gains in engine performance well beyond what they could have expected during the 2017 season.

The Viry-based operation went with a significantly different design with their power unit for this year as they look to close the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, however, despite seeing improvements couldn't use it to its optimum potential as reliability proved a major weakness.

Problems blighted all three of the teams using the engine and left their most important customer Red Bull, unable to compete in qualifying, though did later have competitive race pace, winning in Malaysia and Mexico.

Early on, Renault decided not to introduce a major upgrade, instead focusing on smaller but more regular updates and that allowed them to far exceed an initial target of three-tenths of a second lap time gain.

"That was a goal we set for ourselves, but actually in the course of the season we unlocked different ways to manage the engine and to extract [extra] performance," Abiteboul told Motorsport.com.

"The engine itself, between the end of last season to the end of this season, has improved more or less close to one second - when we use it to the full potential, which is not something we would do permanently - which is simply huge.

"It was not without some impact on reliability, which clearly has been the big negative of the season, but clearly what we've done on the engine from a performance perspective is something that we would never have dreamt of, frankly. It's more than what we thought we'd be able to achieve."

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From a works team perspective, it was alsoa year of great progress, as the continued rebuilding of the team at Enstone allowed for the strong development of the RS17 which ended the season battling with Force India for 'best of the rest'.

"On the chassis side, I think it's also very clear we had a very decent chassis from Silverstone onwards, which is a credit to the team that is really taking good shape now," Abiteboul added.

"If you look at the pace of the car since Silverstone we had a car that was more or less fourth in terms of potential performance, which was not something we could always see because of the issues.

"Clearly, having the fourth quickest car on the grid is something we can be very proud of - if we look at where we were last year and also the way we started this season."

The inability to convert that strong pace into more points was a problem this year as they just scraped sixth in the Constructors' Championship, but optimism remains high that the lessons learnt and progress made is putting Renault on the path to future success.

"The team is continuing to grow, in terms of quantity but also in terms of quality - with people that made the headlines but also lower-profile people, which are impacting positively our structure," Abiteboul claimed.

"We are line with the plans in terms of investment, in terms of recruitment, in terms of organisation change, in terms also of sponsorship acquisition, so, all in all, I think 2017 has been a positive year."

Mercedes would not be against the introduction of a budget cap into Formula 1 if it could be regulated properly and works for everyone, according to Motorsport boss Toto Wolff.

The issue of the sport's financial structure going forward has somewhat faded into the background in recent weeks following the strong reaction to a draft proposal for changes to the engines for 2021, however, it is likely to provide the biggest area of disagreement between the top teams and F1 bosses.

Liberty made it clear upon their arrival that the current inequality across the grid could not continue with the unfair distribution of revenue and additional bonuses but, as the Austrian hinted, has done very little to try and address it so far.    

"That's the elephant in the room," Wolff told ESPN. "That's the most important topic after 2020, it is clear that we need to find a structure that works for everybody as some of the smaller teams struggle on the income side."

Revenue distribution is just a small part of the conversation with budget caps and other restrictions also being considered and the Mercedes boss insists he is as open to change as anyone.

"We are not against a cost cap as long as it can be policed in the right way and it has a sensible system of introduction," he claimed. "We are not going to cut our workforce by 30 percent from one year to another and we are not going to give up a performance advantage that we have lightly, so there needs to be something on the other side.

"These discussions have just started in a friendly way and again here we acknowledge that we might have different opinions, but at the end, for the sake of F1, we will find the right solutions."

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Despite that, Wolff has joined Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne is threatening to pull their respective teams out of F1 if the direction of the sport is not to their liking and it is a position he maintains even if he voices it differently.

"Sergio is pretty outspoken and straight and he comes to the point," Toto commented. "He says that he wouldn't accept certain things and it's his way of dealing with things -- and in principle, I share his opinion.

"I said in Abu Dhabi that we love F1, we are in here to stay, but it needs to have the right framework, governance framework, regulatory framework, it needs to be managed in the right way and we will voice our opinion if we think things are not going in the right direction."

Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne is expecting to see less emotion from his lead driver Sebastian Vettel next season, after split moment decisions severely impacted his championship hopes in 2017.

Known as a driver who runs on instinct and passion, from his exuberant celebrations to his moments of rage, it would be two such instances of the latter which let him down in his battle against Lewis Hamilton.

The most notable came in Baku when, after feeling he has been brake tested by the Briton awaiting a Safety Car restart, he pulled alongside the Mercedes and banged wheels earning a 10-second stop/ go penalty for dangerous driving, which would ultimately cost him the win.

Then in Singapore, a bold move to try and cut off Max Verstappen at the start led to a three-car crash including teammate Kimi Raikkonen and a first retirement of the year as Hamilton claimed an unlikely win.

Vettel has himself admitted a need to stay calm under pressure and it is that self-evaluation which Marchionne thinks will see him change his approach in 2018.

"Sebastian Vettel is a guy who studies a lot, studies himself and is committed, therefore, I think that we will see less of his emotional side," Marchionne said at Ferrari's annual Christmas lunch with the media.

"I think he has learned enough. Plus, there were plenty of opportunities for him to get annoyed, as he’s had a couple of rather difficult seasons, this year and the previous one."

The main positive for Ferrari is the return to the front, challenging for victories even if the championship was out of reach, and the Chairman believes it is now up to the drivers to get the job done. 

"I continue to maintain we have an obligation towards these drivers, to give them a car with which they can race the others," he said. "I think we gave them a great car in 2017 and so, from now on, it’s down to him."

The FIA has announced changes to the mandatory requirements for drivers looking to obtain a superlicence to compete in Formula 1 practice sessions from 2018.

Before, a driver simply had to complete a full race distance of 300km over two days in a representative F1 car with the governing body factoring in the knowledge of the sporting code and the level of performance shown in other single-seater categories.

Now, however, a minimum of six Formula 2 appearances or 25 superlicence points accumulated over three years are needed along with the criteria used prior to qualify for the practice-only superlicence.

To renew the licence the same 25 points over three years applies or a full season competing in F2 will be enough to fulfil the FIA's requirements along with a team briefing on the sporting regulations.

This is part of a push to force more drivers through the full motorsport ladder rather than making the large jumps that Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll made from European F3 to F1 at 17 and 18 years old respectively.

That category, along with WEC and Formula E, was downgraded in an altered superlicence points system which was tilted more heavily towards F2 with 40 points the minimum number needed over three years to obtain a race licence in F1.

Should the current system have been in place this year, Force India's Alfonso Celis Jr. would have been the only driver not permitted, Sean Gelael's F2 experience sufficient for his outings with Toro Rosso and George Russell's European F3 results creating enough superlicence points to run at Force India as his GP3 championship would not have counted.

Formula 1's Managing Director of Motorsport Ross Brawn is hoping to offer fans an insight into the research being done to try and improve the aerodynamics of F1 cars and enable better racing.

The study was one of the first tasks the former Mercedes and Ferrari man undertook in his role as part of the Formula One Group and has seen  him compile a group of engineers, led by former Williams head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville, to look for solutions at making the current designs less sensitive to turbulent air when closely following another car.

This work is particularly interesting after it was announced the changes introduced this year, with wider tyres and bodywork for more grip and downforce, led to a 49% drop in the number of overtakes, though some praised it as more authentic racing than in previous years.

Offering details into how the study has been carried out, Brawn revealed: "We've bought the geometry of the old Manor 2017 car because we wanted to have a generic model that we could use in CFD modelling to at least give us a basis. We know the Manor car is not a front-line F1 car but the geometry is there for the 2017 regulations and that's all working there.

"We have a model of two cars running together and we've carried out all the initial work. Now the season has finished, the teams are going to start giving us their 2017 cars to have more representative models to look at," he added.

"We've been putting in place the confidentiality agreements with the teams and they are going to start providing us with representative models to run in our CFD program. 

"I'd say the team of people we are putting together is about 75% complete, there's a couple more to join in the new year and that's all going very well. I'm quite excited about it and there's things that we'll be able to show you early next year that will demonstrate what we are trying to do."

What makes this different from past attempts at solving this long-standing F1 problem, including the Overtaking Working Group which came up with the 2009 rule changes, is this is the first time cars are being tested for aerodynamic efficiency in racing situations with more advanced technology.

"One of the interesting things for us is that we don't have the limitations on the CFD technology and capacity that the teams do with the regulations," Brawn explained "They have quite strict rules about how much CFD they can do and what type of processes they can use.

"We don't have that and it's slightly opened our eyes in a way as to where F1 is and where the world is -- and the world has overtaken F1 by a long way in terms of CFD. So the capacity we have and ability to do what we need to do is far in excess of any F1 team."

Toro Rosso is to build up the size of their team operation at Faenza as they look to use the new partnership with Honda to move up the grid in 2018 and beyond.

The junior Red Bull outfit will be the sole user of the Japanese manufacturer's engines next season, after agreeing a deal which allowed them to end their difficult partnership with McLaren after three seasons but remain on the Formula 1 grid.

Some have already questioned whether it was a smart decision given the risk of suffering the same problems the British team faced, but Team Principal Franz Tost has played down those concerns insisting the positives outweigh the negatives.

"First of all we must see next year's engine tested and then we can think about possible penalties," he told Motorsport.com, as even tighter restrictions come in for next year. "But it's far too early now.

"The reason we requested to work together with Honda is that we are convinced that the company has a lot of potential, it's a worldwide known car manufacturer with a fantastic motorsport history and we at Toro Rosso are proud to work together with such an exclusive partner.

"Now it's time to come up with activities and hopefully bring the complete operation from Toro Rosso's side as well as Honda's side to success."

As part of the deal, Toro Rosso will get a financial boost from working with Honda - just as McLaren did - however, Tost warns that alone will not see the team suddenly challenge higher up the grid than perhaps expected.

"A budget is one story, building up an infrastructure is another story," he stated. "All this takes time, and of course if we need to do something urgently on the R&D side we will push for this within our resources. However, we are bringing in some new people, because we have to do it.

"We had a completely different plan for 2018, we wanted to use the complete rear end from Red Bull Racing, or Red Bull Technology, which is not the case anymore because we have a different engine, and we have to bring in people to bring this project to a successful end but this is a normal process."

Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne has warned Formula 1 he is "not bluffing" with his threat to pull the Italian team out of the sport after 2020 amid disagreement over the future direction on engines.

At the end of October the Formula One Group and FIA jointly put forward proposals for simpler and cheaper power units to be introduced in 2021 but as part of that, there is a push for more standardisation of certain parts which Ferrari and Mercedes have come out staunchly against.

Given the history the Scuderia has of issuing such ultimatums and then not following through on them, some have scoffed at the latest one especially after the decision to bring back Alfa Romeo as the title sponsor of Sauber from next season.

However: "We are not bluffing and I would not try to test the theory," Marchionne told Italian media at their annual Christmas lunch.

"If they continue on the path of wanting to turn F1 into NASCAR, with cars all the same, there could be a divorce. If they decide to make us all the same we will go in three seconds but that's not what we want."

The NASCAR comparison is not a new one and CEO Chase Carey has insisted the new leadership has no such desire to recreate the American series but Ferrari's anger at the concept put forward was aimed more at one of their former employees.

"The thing that most annoys me is that there is an experienced man like Ross Brawn there who is looking for ways that go against the DNA of Formula 1," Marchionne said of the current Managing Director of Motorsport.

It has been suggested the quit threat was a way of trying to stamp their authority on what is going to be a crucial 12 months of negotiations with F1 bosses both on the engine issue and over the future financial structure with a budget cap mentioned as well as an equalising of the revenue distribution, something currently weighed strongly in Ferrari's favour.

Amid all that, there will also be a championship to compete in and the Maranello outfit became the first to announce the launch date of their 2018 car, which will be online on February 22nd.

After making significant gains this year but failing to maintain a championship challenge, doing the latter is the prime aim and the Chairman has confidence in his team.

"Given where we started from last year, this season we have taken giant strides forward," he said. "Having said that, the second half of 2017 was…character building. We learned a lot over the past six months, trying to move forward and that’s the most important thing.

"From back in August of last year, when we overhauled the organisation, I totally believed that these guys, with Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal and Mattia Binotto heading up the technical side, would be capable of doing something amazing. We really believed we could do much more: but in 2017, we were unable to reach our objectives.

"That has also resulted in some changes to the organisation of the Gestione Sportiva. We can already see significant signs of change when it comes to the team’s production capacity. The important thing is to start 2018 with all this expertise and experience and to manage this organisation. I have no doubt that we will be competitive."

Sergio Perez has called on Force India to drop the team orders put in place during last season believing they could be a hurdle in what is expected to be an even more competitive midfield battle in 2018.

Despite managing their best ever season in Formula 1, a number of incidents between the Mexican and teammate Esteban Ocon forced the Silverstone-based outfit to prohibit their two drivers from racing each other out of fear they would collide again.

That meant Perez was often forced to sit behind the young Frenchman as he got the upper hand in qualifying towards the end of the year, however, with every point likely to be hard fought next season, the 27-year-old insists the team cannot play it safe.

"We have got to understand how difficult it is going to be next year," he told Motorsport.com. "We'll have the Renaults and McLarens pushing us hard so we need to push freely if we are to be in the fight.

"We also need to have a car that is competitive from the beginning, to be in the fight from the start and be in the fight for the season."

The seven-time podium sitter is also adamant he and Ocon have both learnt their lessons from the comings together in Baku and Spa, with the latter the trigger for the team orders being implemented.

"We hit a very low point on our relationship in Belgium but things have got a lot better since then," Perez claimed. "We're working professionally. We know we work for a team and we have to do the best for them, especially for next year.

"It's going to be a massive challenge, given the competition and threat from bigger teams which have struggled."

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Ultimately, though some results were compromised, the incidents didn't have a significant bearing on their final championship positions as Force India eased to a retention of the fourth place in the Constructors' standings, over 100 points clear of Williams, while Perez and Ocon finished seventh and eighth in the Drivers' separated by just 13 points.

One of the reasons for the flashpoints was the interesting dynamic the two had of the established name in Perez up against the up and coming talent in Ocon in his first full F1 season. Sergio has admitted to underestimating the 21-year-old but praised his performances. 

"Esteban came to F1 really well prepared with his experience in the previous categories and relationships with F1 teams," said the Mexican. "So that was good for us.

"Every driver's personality is different. Certainly, Esteban is someone who can be quick. He understands what he needs and that is important. He's been on it this year."

Daniel Ricciardo has claimed it will be up to Mercedes and/ or Ferrari to make the first approach over a possible seat in 2019, as he insists no contract decision will be taken before the start of next season.

The Australian's current contract with Red Bull expires at the end of next year and, after four years of falling short as well as the rising threat posed by teammate Max Verstappen, he is looking to secure himself a place where he can achieve his goal of becoming world champion in the prime of his career.

That's why, despite a warning the Milton Keynes outfit won't wait forever for his decision from Team Principal Christian Horner, who wants the 28-year-old to sign up until 2020, Ricciardo won't be putting any pen to paper anytime soon.

“I highly, highly doubt I will be signing any dotted lines over the next month,” he said. “Unless I get a ridiculous offer, but probably not even then because right now it is not about the offer it is about who is going to have the best car in 2019. So it is worth me just seeing how the start of the year goes.

"I don’t want to be too clever and think I will have every option possible, but I have enough time on my side to still sit it out a little bit."

The most obvious alternatives for Ricciardo are at the top two teams from last season and both have potential vacancies with Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen only on one-year deals for 2018,  however, the five-time Grand Prix winner is not wanting to make the first move in any talks.

“Talking to Red Bull is easy because I know them already but the other two, if they are interested they will need to make the approach," he claimed. "I don’t want to come across as desperate.

"I know is that there is not really any merit in me doing it now. I don’t think I will leave it late next year, for sure I’d want to know something earlier but I don’t need to do it in the winter from what I understand.”