Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has hailed Lewis Hamilton as "astonishing" after his first season working with the Briton and helping him to a fourth Formula 1 world title.

Allison made the move to the German manufacturer at the start of the season, returning to the paddock after leaving Ferrari by mutual consent last year following the tragic loss of his wife, and cited the opportunity to work alongside Hamilton as one of the reasons he wanted to join.

A compliment, given the number of champions Allison has previously teamed up with, including Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, something which also makes him an ideal person to assess the individual qualities of each driver.

"He's got, as you can imagine, far more in common with the other great champions than things that are different," he told Autosport of the 32-year-old. "His hunger to win, even after being on the right end of nearly all the records in the sport, is just astonishing.

"The most remarkable thing about him is just his raw, raw speed. You don't get all those pole positions without being a pretty special controller of the car. I think I'm very lucky to work with a whole bunch of very good people, but his ability on a Saturday is second to none and he rarely drops the ball on race day having put it on pole on Saturday."

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This season would see Hamilton surpass Schumacher as the driver with the most poles in F1 history, now with 72, but it wasn't just his approach in the good times which impressed Allison.

"When we screw up, and we have done on a number of occasions this year - most notably the headrest incident in Baku - he's been completely and utterly calm and reasonable about it, even though the points swing created by an event like that is big," he commented.

"Similarly, when we were forced to ask him to take a gearbox penalty in Austria, same deal -- it just didn't faze his approach to the weekend. Those are nice things when a driver's like that."

Despite calling time on their partnership after three years, McLaren has left the door open to working with Honda again in the future with Executive Director Zak Brown claiming "never say never".

The rebirth of one of the most dominant collaborations in Formula 1 history in 2015 was meant to signal the start of the British team's return to the top after failing to win a championship since 2008, with one of the founders of the current team Ron Dennis believing McLaren couldn't be successful as a customer.

Instead, with the Honda project a year or more behind their engine rivals, it has been a struggle to catch up and be competitive with the new man in charge Brown pulling the plug after three years.

Despite that decision, the American insists not all bridges have been burned with the Japanese manufacturer and, with changes to the engines expected for 2021, another future project can't be ruled out.

"Oh of course, absolutely. They’re a great company, we’ve won a few world championships with them, they know what they’re doing," he said to Sky Sports on whether he'd work with Honda again. "For a variety of reasons, we kind of didn’t get it right this time but we’ve maintained a good relationship, so definitely never say never in this sport."

Towards the end of the season, there were signs Honda could be getting their engine back on track, with Fernando Alonso scoring points in the final three races.That was after the agreement to split, however, with the McLaren boss suggesting the outlook remained bleak.

"Ultimately we knew we were in trouble in testing in Barcelona, we worked really hard for six months to try and find some solutions that give us some confidence that we would be much more competitive in 2018 and ultimately, after trying many different things, many different ways, all of which were reported on, we felt that we couldn’t get there,"  he explained.

"Three years is a long time in Formula 1 so we needed to change directions to get our team back on top. The decision we made is one we believe is the right one for McLaren. We are grateful to Honda, the relationship still is strong and we wouldn’t rule out racing with them again.

"We wish them the best but we needed to make some tough decisions to do what’s in our best interest."

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Now though, the focus is on a new chapter which sees the great British team work with Renault for the first time in their history and expectations are high that it can signal a return to winning ways.

"We’re going to try really hard! They’re going to like how the car will look like, we’ll have new partners on board and we think we’ll have a competitive race car,"  Brown replied when asked what fans can expect in 2018.

"I think we’ll see Fernando and Stoffel racing each other hard, and that will be exciting as long as they don’t touch each other or take each other off! Hopefully we’re fighting for podiums, I hope that’s the top step.

"It’s going to be very difficult, Mercedes and Ferrari and Red Bull are awesome teams that have significant budgets. We’re going to chase them hard, and hopefully spray some champagne at the end of the day!"

This year also saw the return of the traditional orange livery McLaren were famous for in their early years but changes could be afoot for next season.

"Well a little bit is going to depend on where we land with the sponsors," Brown added. "We’ve signed a few, we’ll start announcing in January but I think the car won’t look like it did this year."

McLaren Executive Director Zak Brown has backed the focus on bringing Formula 1 back to the fans by new owners Liberty Media, claiming they have been unfairly criticised by some in recent weeks.

The new bosses, led by CEO Chase Carey, stated they wanted to make each Grand Prix like a "SuperBowl" for the fans when they first arrived after completing their takeover at the start of the year and have proceeded to do that by expanding the experience at the racetrack and by embracing new media which Bernie Ecclestone was staunchly against.

Yet some, notably Mercedes and Ferrari, have suggested there is little value to what they have done so far, from the pre-race show in Austin to the recent revelation that the use of grid girls are now under review, and all it has done is reduce profits and therefore the revenue which is distributed to the teams.

Brown, who as an American with vast commercial experience, would be expected to understand Liberty's vision better than most, played down those concerns insisting they are on a path to success.

"I think they’re doing those things," he told Sky Sports. "They’re not even a year into it, I think they’ve had some unfair criticism by the teams. We’ve complained for so many years that there’s no investment in the sport. Now that they’re investing in the sport we’re complaining that they’re investing in the sport."

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Along with improving the F1 product, Liberty is tasking itself with vastly overhauling the business structure with the aim of leveling the playing field through budget caps and an equal distribution of revenue,  though the McLaren boss has backed those ideas, he does suggest increasing the fanbase would be the most important goal.

"I think if they stayed centred on focusing on the fans then everything else will take care of itself," he said. "The more fans we have, the more sponsors we’ll have, the more race teams we’ll have. So I think that’s the centre of gravity for us.

"Who consumes our sport and why do we go racing? It’s for the fans. That’s what they’re focusing on, they’re trying live events in London, a lot of digital, they’re giving the race teams a lot more freedom to engage with the fans at racetracks."

There's also been criticism of a perceived lack of urgency by Liberty to make changes but again Brown backed a step-by-step approach, while also calling for greater cooperation.

"I don’t think there’s a silver bullet, I think it’s doing a lot of little things right and moving the ball up the field and I think that’s exactly what they’re doing," he commented. "I think the teams need to support them, we need to be vocal as we are but maybe at times we need to be more constructive."

Carlos Sainz is sure the work done to settle in at Renault over the final four races will help him to hit the ground running in 2018, in what is looking like a crucial year for the Spaniard.

The second generation racing driver admitted becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of opportunity to progress when he was with Toro Rosso, even speaking of his desire to move on at the home race of Red Bull in Austria.

That earned him a stiff rebuke from bosses but he would ultimately get his wish at the United States Grand Prix after it was agreed he would join Renault for 2018 on loan before making the move early after Jolyon Palmer was dropped.

"I wanted to do a step up after my 2017 season and my step up arrived four races earlier than expected," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"To get to race with the team that I'm going to race in 2018, to get those four races, is obviously a challenge. A lot of effort [went] into that last four races but it has paid off and it will pay off in the future."

Whether his move to the Enstone team will be more than just 25 races likely depends on the future of Daniel Ricciardo, with Sainz the first option to replace the Australian should he decide not to renew his Red Bull contract.

Renault advisor and four-time F1 champion Alain Prost conceded having that uncertainty was something the team had to accept but agreed with the 23-year-old that it was positive to build the relationship early.

"[It's] very important for us," he said. "We are not in the position to be world champions yet. So we have to put step by step.

"We'll see what's going to happen next year with the market, as it's very open. We need to concentrate on the work with Carlos and Nico  [Hulkenberg]."

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The late move was part of another strong year for Sainz, with strong results in Monaco and Singapore before justifying Renault's decision to axe Palmer by scoring a seventh place in his first race for the team in Austin

"When there was a chance to score big points we have been the ones scoring big points," he stated. "Whenever the opportunity has presented itself, we've grabbed it.

"Even if on occasions it has been tough to get points in the Toro Rosso or even the Renault, that's why I'm P9 in the championship. That's why I have many points, so I can be proud of where I was."

Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff has praised the progress made by young drivers Esteban Ocon and George Russell, as the German manufacturer looks to find a driver they think can be the "next Lewis Hamilton".

Young driver programs and academies have always been a path for talented upstarts to make their way up the motorsport ladder, the likes of Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton both made their way to Formula 1 this route, Massa with Ferrari and Hamilton with McLaren.

Red Bull has been the company with the clearest route from junior series all the way to the front on F1 in recent years and now McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Force India, Haas, Renault and more all have expanded their driver programs.

Though McLaren has taken chances on the likes of Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne, Red Bull has also arguably been the one team more willing to promote their talent on to the grid at a younger age, but Wolff doubts that will ever be the case at his team.

"Our target is to identify the next Lewis Hamilton and that is not an easy task because he's just on an incredible level," the Austrian told Autosport. "The decision that we have taken is that we want very fast and experienced drivers in the car, Mercedes is not the place where you learn, you need to be pretty complete when you join us.

"So far I am happy with the programme, how it is going and who knows maybe in two or three years we will have the next junior driver in a Mercedes who has made his way up from Formula 4, Formula Renault like George or Esteban did."

In Ocon and Russell, Mercedes has two young drivers already making substantial marks in their racing careers and with the current line-up of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas potentially not a long-term one, they do have something to aim for.

"Esteban has a seat in Force India and is somebody that is a hot asset in F1 as many teams have expressed interest," Wolff commented, "and George is just at the beginning of his F1 journey, he has achieved our joint goal which is to win the GP3 championship, now let's see how he goes in F2 next year.

"His testing [with Force India] was very good but it is very early as he needs to earn the right to be in an F1 car and this is when the serious business starts."

Also part of the Mercedes program is Pascal Wehrlein, who rose with the Silver Arrow by winning the DTM championship in 2015. An impressive rookie year in F1 at Manor seemingly had the German set as another future star but now that has all faded after a tough year at Sauber which has left him off the grid for 2018.

"Pascal is in a difficult position because there is not really an open spot for next year if Williams's door closes," the Mercedes boss admitted.

"He deserves to be in F1, he is a very good driver. On track his performance was exceptional, and for many other reasons that go much beyond the driving the doors haven't opened like we would have hoped but I think he has the potential of being a successful F1 driver."

Coming to a solution that works for everyone on the engine regulations for 2021 is "decisive" for Formula 1, according to Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost.

The issue picked up pace in the final few weeks of the season after the sport's owners Liberty Media and governing body, the FIA jointly revealed a first concept engine based on the conclusions of talks held between themselves and manufacturers, both current and potential, throughout the year.

Much to the surprise of F1 bosses especially, the ideas, including a removal of the MGU-H and a higher rev limit of the current V6 turbo, were met with backlash from those currently supplying engines to the teams.

"Well there is a proposal for a new power unit regulation, but Ferrari, Mercedes and others are not happy about this," Tost commented, with the two mentioned both threatening to quit.

"From their point of view, it is understandable because they don’t want to build another engine and give up their advantage. So it is now in the hands of the commercial rights holder and the FIA to find a good ‘midway’ or whatever to find stable rules."

Managing Director of Motorsport Ross Brawn has made it clear changes to the engine regulations introduced in 2014 are necessary despite the unrest caused and the Toro Rosso boss agrees, believing they have put the sport on a downward path.

"This is very decisive not only for the future of F1, but also for any possible manufacturer wanting to join F1. So a decision is important," the Austrian claimed. "I personally hope that the power units become much cheaper – and less complicated.

"The regulations we have now were made by engineers – they had their playground, but at a very high price, not only financially but also on the fan side. Had Ferrari not been able to close the gap to Mercedes this year and Mercedes had been way in front again, the interest of F1 fans would have dropped dramatically.

"Fans want to see interesting on-track fights and many different teams and drivers capable of winning races."

Next year will see the junior Red Bull team work with a third different engine supplier in as many years after agreeing to work with Honda to allow McLaren's troubled partnership to come to an end after three years.

Though there is undoubtedly a risk with the switch, Tost claims he is delighted to be in a position that could see significant benefits if the Japanese manufacturer starts to perform well.

"I am very happy because we are their only partner in F1," he said. "I see it already with the design of the monocoque: we can come up with our own ideas and are not having to take what others have planned for themselves.

"That is a big advantage and because we are the only one, we’re sure will have enough power units and parts for the whole season! It is fantastic to be the ‘benchmark’ for an engine manufacturer."

Kimi Raikkonen believes improving the "small things" that hindered him this season will allow him to challenge for victories again in 2018, insisting he still has the motivation to succeed in Formula 1.

The 38-year-old Finn was the only driver of the top three teams not to register a win in 2017, coming closest in Monaco where, after claiming his first pole in nine years, he would lose out to teammate Sebastian Vettel in the race after superior strategy helped the German.

Nevertheless, it was still a disappointing year for the 2007 world champion as he finished 112 points behind Vettel in the Drivers' standings and 100 points behind countryman Valtteri Bottas, a stat that was crucial in Mercedes' comfortable retention of the Constructors' Championship.

But Raikkonen believes that gap exaggerates the actual performance difference he had this year.

"It has been very close with quite a few cars over the races," he was quoted by F1i.com. "It is small things that count over the race weekends. We need to be faster, more often, and put ourselves in a position and then hopefully some things will go a bit in our direction.

"If it will be easy, everybody could win but it is a lot of things. Small things."

The Ferrari driver was criticised twice during the year by company Chairman Sergio Marchionne, who called him a "laggard" following the Austrian Grand Prix but then praised him and rewarded him with a new contract for next year after a strong weekend in Hungary.

Considering what else he needs to improve, the 'Iceman' also pointed to problems he had at the start of the year with setup and hopes to find a better solution for 2018.

“We started the year a bit slowly,” Raikkonen admitted. "Not really where we should have been. It has been better since then but then we had too many DNF's and never really recovered from there.

“We had some good moments, but far from what we wanted if you take the whole year. We just need to put things correct for the first race - we have the speed but there are so many things that have to be absolutely right. If you don’t get things perfect, it will cost you a lot of points."

Undoubtedly, with the next generation of drivers coming through, the pressure is on the most experienced man on the grid to perform with speculation over his future likely to start, but he insists no-one should question his commitment to F1 and his desire to win.

“I wouldn’t be here or next year on the circuit [if] I didn’t have the hunger to win," he told Motorsport.tv's The Flying Lap programme. "So long as that is there, it’s the reason why I’ll give my best."

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has heaped praise on the mentality shown by Max Verstappen in what was a very tricky 2017 season in large parts for the Dutchman.

After making a major impact following his promotion to the senior team at last year's Spanish Grand Prix, a race he would win, this year was meant to be a continuation of the rapid rise towards the top and potentially even a first challenge at the championship.

However, the RB13 would fall well short of expectations as the third best and some way behind Mercedes and a resurgent Ferrari and then the 20-year-old's luck would desert him completely with seven retirements in the first 14 races due to mechanical problems as well as be taken out three separate times at the first corner.

As Red Bull made progress in the final six races, the star that lies within began to shine again too with Verstappen winning twice in three races in Sepang and Mexico with that confidence seeing what had looked like a fractious relationship with the team at one point restored with a new contract until 2020 announced in the United States.

"What has really impressed me this year is the way that he has dealt with some of the difficult moments," Horner commented. "There have been quite a few of those, particularly in the summer months."

What also made his ability to maintain focus and produce those late performances even more incredible, in the mind of the Red Bull boss, was this year really marked the first difficult year in Max's career anywhere.

"It is easy to forget it is only his fourth year of car racing," he admitted. "He has just grown in experience of racing in general. He has kept working hard at it, he has kept the hours up on the simulator every week.

"His application is first class and obviously, his ability is unquestionable. He has a great feel for the car, a great sensitivity to the limit of the car."

That's not to say his season was exemplary with a few moments when his judgement was lacking, particularly against his teammate on the first lap in Budapest and contact with Felipe Massa when trying to fight through from back at Monza.

"They were the only two mistakes he has made this year," said Horner. "There is a fine line between hero and villain. He is a risk taker, but not irresponsible risk, calculated risk and he has a fighting spirit within him which is exciting to watch."

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There was also controversy at the United States Grand Prix when he was given a post-race penalty for going off track and gaining advantage after passing Kimi Raikkonen on the final lap. At the time it caused a large debate but now Verstappen is past it.

“Of course, at first your initial reaction is something like: 'Why? It was a great move!'" he said on his official website. "But when you look at the rules, it was not correct. Nothing was by the book that whole weekend. Drivers were getting off track without being penalised for it.

"You always need to focus on the positives. It’s always nice to be on the podium but to finish fourth after having started 16th is still a great result. [The penalty] wasn’t as painful as most people thought it was.

"In the end, I made my peace with it. It was still a nice race and everyone enjoyed the excitement all the way down to the final lap."

Felipe Massa is satisfied with the achievements he managed during his 15-year career in Formula 1, claiming he "fulfilled all my dreams" in the sport.

The Brazilian announced his retirement from the sport at the end of 2017 after agreeing to stay on for one last season back in January at Williams, allowing Valtteri Bottas to make the move to Mercedes.

Another solid year would follow, leading the Grove team's challenge alongside rookie Lance Stroll, but a lack of development would set the team back mid-season meaning they finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

Reflecting on his career, which began at Sauber in 2002 and was most notable for his eight-year stint at Ferrari, partnering the likes of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, Massa insists he has no regrets.

"The only thing that was missing for me was a world title and I believe that I was the Brazilian driver who came closest to do that, from those who were not champions," he said, with his near-miss at his home race in 2008 one of the most memorable moments in F1 history.

"I have nothing to worry about, I'm an accomplished guy and that's the most important. I actually had a lot more than I imagined in my career, I fulfilled all my dreams."

Though ending his time in F1, Massa, who competed in 269 races with 11 wins and 41 podiums, has no intention of stopping racing and long being linked to a future seat in Formula E.

"I have some talks with some teams, with some people but everything is in the very beginning," he commented. "There is nothing that I can say that is close, but it will appear quickly."

What is known is he will take a role as the Head of the FIA's Commision of International Karting.

Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica's father have both suggested the power of financial backing is swaying Williams towards choosing Sergey Sirotkin to partner Lance Stroll for 2018.

The Russian has emerged as the favourite to replace Massa, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of last season, that comes after a strong showing at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi and the promise of around EUR15m in sponsorship.

If the F2 driver was to get the nod, it would be at the expense of Kubica who is looking to make what would be a welcome comeback to the grid seven years after his first stint was cut short by the terrible injuries he sustained in a rally crash in early 2011.

For the Brazilian, whoever Williams choose it will be for the money after effectively counting himself out of the seat by announcing his decision prior to his home race in Sao Paulo.

"The path of the team is financial, including Kubica, so it does not surprise me," he claimed of the Sirotkin speculation. "But I don't know what will happen, I'm not following the team now. My thoughts are in other things and what I'm doing from now, and it's not F1 anymore."

It was reported by Russian media that the 23-year-old could be announced as soon as today (Friday) but the Grove-based team has claimed no decision has yet been made with Kubica's father Artur claiming his son's management team are still pushing hard.

"We're still fighting to get Robert into Williams," he told Poland's Sportowe Fakty. "We hope that it is a good decision for us and if it is not made before Christmas, it means that at least the people at Williams are taking time to think.

"We are taking steps to convince them to believe in Robert."

He admits, however, a reported EUR7m difference between the backing the 32-year-old compared to Sirotkin could be crucial.

"Of course it is about what the driver will bring to the team. Sometimes, skills, experience and the potential of the driver are decisive, at others only the money counts," admitted Kubica senior