McLaren driver Fernando Alonso and Racing Director Eric Boullier are undeterred by the spate of Renault engine problems that have impacted the French manufacturer and their customer teams in the final races of the season.

A number of failures have impacted the six Renault-powered cars with four failing to the finish in Mexico alone. So bad has been the reliability that they had to be turned down in Brazil and there is a concern any more failures could end a season early for whoever it impacts with a lack of spare parts available.

Watching all this has been McLaren, who are ditching Honda at the end of the year due to their lack of performance and reliability this season to join up with Renault in the hope of returning to the front of the grid.

Asked whether the problems have led to any concerns for 2018, Fernando Alonso replied: "No, not really. Renault is definitely one of the best engines out there and in the last 10 or 12 years, it has been the most successful engine company in F1.

"So I have zero doubts [about 2018]."

Boullier agreed, pointing to how most failures have come at Toro Rosso who, after two more last Friday in Brazil, got into a verbal spat with Renault over the quality of their engines, but did acknowledge their performance was still far from perfect.

"It's mainly affecting one team, there are no worries [about 2018]," he reassured. "They [Renault] are not on top of their game in the same way Mercedes is, but I think they have sorted out most of the issues.

"There's a big step to make, but they know that."

Fernando Alonso has made it clear the sense of optimism inside McLaren looking ahead to 2018 can't ignore the fact this season has been "very bad" for the British team.

2017 saw the Woking-based outfit finally reach the end of their patience with engine partner Honda as significant flaws with a new design concept introduced left the Japanese manufacturer struggling to simply complete a race let alone be competitive.

As the wait for improvements continued, frustrations reached new highs and in September it was announced the two parties would split at the end of the year, with Honda joining Toro Rosso and Renault stepping in at McLaren.

This has all happened as the Spaniard has also spent this year considering his own future, with the aspiration of a third F1 title and match Graham Hill in winning the Triple Crown. Hopes of improvement led to Alonso electing to stay on at McLaren for next season but he insists the memories of this year won't be forgotten.

"It was very bad. It was not a good season,” Alonso declared. “I think if we look back when we launched the car in cLaren in February, new regulations, four months to work on the engines to power a little bit what we had in 2016, the hopes for this season were much different.

“For myself and for the team, now to be ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, to use 12 engines until now or something like that, it cannot be a good season for anyone in the team."

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As the season has continued, fixes to the problems and gains in performance have come from Honda, allowing Alonso to score his first consecutive points finishes of the season in Mexico and Brazil, but ultimately, the focus inside McLaren has already changed.

“Despite the progress that is noticeable with what we did with the car, the optimism for next year is we all believe inside the team that it will be a fantastic 2018 season. We have that mood now in the team.”

Force India is hoping to develop an Ocon-style relationship with GP3 champion George Russell by offering him the reserve driver role for 2018 after being impressed by the young Briton in his first outing with the Silverstone outfit last weekend in Brazil.

The Mercedes junior drove in Practice 1 alongside Esteban Ocon at Interlagos, finishing within half a second of the Frenchman in just his second time in an F1 car after driving for the world champion's in Hungary back in August.

Seeing the potential in the 19-year-old both in his ability and in being a good stepping stone for Russell to enter F1, Deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley wants that commitment to begin as a third driver next season.

“I don’t see any reason why [he can't],” he said to Motorsport.com. “The main thing is to make sure the availability is there longer term. It’s not a short-term thing.

“It’s a win-win for Mercedes and ourselves, the same thing happened with Esteban. They happen to have a driver that is under contract and it fits in with our programme and it fits in with theirs. That is not always the case.

“We’ve been very lucky with both Esteban and now possibly George, his performance at the weekend was excellent, he settled in very nicely,” Fernley added. “We can learn quite a bit from that [running] and it’s not just that but the simulator programmes as well.

“What he does in the simulator translates onto the track and we can make the comparisons across the board. He hasn’t spent a huge amount of time in the simulator, but enough for us to be able to get a good picture of him."

With that good first impression, however, comes additional expectation ahead of is next appearance for Force India in Practice again in a week's time at Yas Marina.

“He had never been to the track in Brazil and never driven the car before but we’re now taking him to Abu Dhabi where he’s done both, and that will be an interesting assessment for him," Fernley claimed.

“George is a very confident young man, self-assured, confident, charming, a bit Esteban like in many ways.”

Russell is responding to his growing stature and reputation too, proclaiming himself ready to make the jump straight into a race seat in F1.

"I've done a lot of F1 stuff with Mercedes, I've done a lot of simulator work with them. I feel I've been prepared well, and I won the GP3 championship this year," he stated.

"If you look at the facts the only options are Williams or Sauber [with seats available], but we'll see. One reason I really wanted to do this testing at the end of the year with Force India is that as we've seen in F1, anything can happen, and I want to be prepared.

"Let's say in January, if something happens, I can say I'm the guy to jump in, and I'm the guy ready to make the step."

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has voiced his opposition to the reduction in engine components permitted before penalties in 2018, claiming races should be about more "sprinting".

This season, the drivers have been limited to just four whole power units for the 20-race season with only a handful of drivers still within the boundaries with just one race left to go. From next year, however, that number will drop to three and some elements only two for what will be a 21-race calendar.

For the Mercedes driver, such limits go against what F1 racing should be about, particularly after enjoying a rare sprint race in Brazil this past weekend when the 32-year-old started from the pit-lane to finish fourth.

"Next year we're going to have three engines but I don't like the idea of going to three, that sucks," he declared. "Sprinting is what we are missing in F1, we should be able to push more. This is the first time I've pushed an engine like that. It was nice, normally you're managing it."

With the German manufacturer having comfortably the best reliability of the four suppliers this year, Hamilton does admit the new limits are possible to adhere to but would require much greater management.

"I always look after it (the engine) more than I need to," he said. "I often turn the engine down and they keep telling me to turn it up and I'm like 'No, no, I prefer it down and I'll figure out a way to catch up in another way’, but I guess that's just your fear of pushing it a little bit too much, like the engine blowing up in Malaysia last year, so those kind of things make me look after it even more.

"I just have to implement the same thing I have done this year then I should generally be able to make those three engines last. I think the team has done great and to be able to push the engine like it was today, it makes me think I don't like the idea of going to three engines."

The British driver also thinks the restrictions will have a detrimental impact on the spectacle for fans, who are already frustrated by the penalties caused by the limits, as teams will keep running to a minimum and drivers nurse their machinery.

"It was fun because I had that but I was coming from a different place," Hamilton said of his race in Brazil. "But if you look at the front guys they were managing and that is generally what we are doing at the front, so I don't think that's too exciting for people to watch.

"That's why people look at the most exciting races, particularly when it rains because you don't have those limitations. Races, where Max [Verstappen] has been coming through from the back or a driver has been, those have been the most exciting ones.

"So how do we provide that for the future? I'm not sure cutting down the engines is helping it in that direction."

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Another criticism Hamilton has is of the ever-increasing weight of today's F1 cars which will go up again in 2018 due to the introduction of the Halo cockpit protection.

"The fact that these days we've got 100kg, the car is going to be a bus next year, it's going to be so heavy it's going to be like a bleeding NASCAR,” he claimed.

“The braking distances get longer, the brakes are always on the limit and I know it sounds negative but as a racer who wants a fast, nimble car that I can attack every single lap, unfortunately, that's not what we generally have."

The FIA has confirmed the topic of security at race events will be discussed in the next meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in the wake of a number of incidents impacting team personnel during the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

Issues with crime around the race at Interlagos in Sao Paulo are not new but this year received extra attention after the Mercedes team were held at gunpoint leaving the circuit on Friday in an armed robbery.

That was proceeded by additional police and measures put in place to try and fend off further attacks but were unsuccessful as Williams, Sauber, the FIA and Pirelli were all caught up in attempted muggings over the rest of the weekend.

It would lead to the cancellation of a planned two-day tyre test between McLaren and Pirelli at Interlagos with third driver Lando Norris revealing he merely "had a bath" between arriving and leaving the country.

"In the continued spirit of positive collaboration with Formula 1, the Council will discuss the ways in which a more consistent and effective security procedure can be applied at all events of the FIA Formula One World Championship," a statement read on Wednesday.

“The findings will also be shared with other FIA championship organisers to maximise the positive impact this can have across all motorsport, security is a cooperative effort and the FIA will seek to work closely with Formula 1 and all its stakeholders to maintain a safe environment for everyone working at or visiting Formula 1 events.”

Since the race, there has been a debate over whether the Brazil round should be dropped if security can't be guaranteed but Liberty Media has claimed that will not happen for now as they too consider action to prevent such incidents from occurring.

Sao Paulo has a contract to host the Brazilian Grand Prix until 2020.

Formula 1's Managing Director of Motorsport, Ross Brawn has made it clear the current engines cannot go unchanged in 2021 after three of the four engine suppliers voiced opposition to the proposals unveiled several weeks ago.

Mercedes and Renault aired concerns over the financial impact the development of two engines during the next three years while Ferrari went further criticising the wider vision of F1 owners Liberty Media and threatened to quit if the bosses at Maranello didn't agree with the direction.

Brawn, however, is standing firm insisting the flaws of today's V6 turbo-hybrid are having a too bigger impact on the racing and the attractiveness to other manufacturers who would consider entering.

“The current engine is an incredible piece of engineering but it’s not a great racing engine,” the former Mercedes boss said to BBC Sport.

“It is very expensive, it doesn’t make any noise, it has componentry that in order to control the number of uses is creating grid penalties that make a farce of F1, there are big differentials of performance between the competitors and we are never going to get anyone else to come in and make engines.”

The changes put forward have received support from Red Bull boss Christian Horner, a long-time critic of the current engine, and potential suppliers such as Cosworth, Ilmor and Aston Martin have also voiced positive responses.

Horner would go on claiming the negative reaction from manufacturers was not significant as other motives were at play and also given they were involved in the talks which have taken place throughout 2017.

Brawn too was surprised but admitted perhaps their unhappiness as to how the proposals were put forward.

“Reflecting on it, maybe we could have presented it differently,” he claimed. “But I didn’t anticipate the response to be as strong as it was.

“We’ve had another meeting since then and I’ve made that comment. If that is the thing people are most upset about, then I apologise, but let’s not lose sight of what we are trying to do.

“If they were uncomfortable with the way it was presented, it wasn’t intended that way.”

The F1 veteran added room for negotiation does remain with a final agreement due next year but was adamant suggestions would have to be in the interest of the sport.

“If a manufacturer can demonstrate that there is a better way of doing it than what has been proposed – i.e. it is cheaper, it is more appealing to the fans, it is something that a new supplier could engage with; any of those factors – then why not?" he said.

“We are not wedded to specific solutions. We think with the expertise that we’ve got and the work we’ve done, these are the solutions that can work. If somebody suggests another solution that they think will achieve the same objective, we are not going to say no.”

Brawn also directly addressed the comments by his former team Ferrari, pointing to what he thinks is an acceptable grievance the Italian team and others can have.

“I recognise it is important to keep the identity of a Ferrari or a Mercedes engine. They need to be able to say: ‘That is our engine," he said.

“I don’t think we have crossed that boundary but now the proposal is on the table we need to meet with these people and understand what it is they are comfortable with and what they are not.

“All the manufacturers like a large chunk of the proposal; it is just not the same chunk.”

Triple Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner have offered differing views on the vision of new F1 owners Liberty Media as the political atmosphere inside the sport increases.

Since taking over from CVC and completing their buyout at the start of the year, replacing long-time CEO Bernie Ecclestone in the process, the American company has been implementing measures they feel are modernising F1, with greater interaction through social media and external events like F1 Live London prior to the British Grand Prix.

That is just the start, however, and behind the scenes the battle is heating up between the established manufacturers and new CEO Chase Carey and his team who want to make drastic changes to the structure that has existed for so long, introducing a budget cap for example and addressing the inequality in the revenue given to the teams, in essence taking away some of the power they had built up.

"I'm worried," Lauda, who is now the non-Executive Chairman at Mercedes, told Italian newspaper Gazzetto dello Sport last weekend. "It was right that the American owners needed time to understand what F1 is - but that is about to expire and what they think about the future is worrying me.

"The FIA, Chase Carey and (Motorsport Managing Director) Ross Brawn repeat that we need to level off the performance, but the DNA of F1 is the opposite. You are a fool if you think that to make Grands Prix more attractive you need to have a different winner every weekend. F1 is about competition.

"Developing cars is one of the important foundations, as well as the bravery of the drivers, instead, you want to penalise the best teams and protect the drivers as if they are babies - with the introduction of the Halo for example."

Another catalyst for the first significant confrontations was proposals put forward to change the engines which caused some discontent from Mercedes but more so Ferrari, who used the issue to issue a quit threat over the direction Liberty is wanting to take.

"I'm sure we will find a satisfactory compromise," Lauda began on the engine issue, "but the heart of the problem is something else.

"In the face of cost growth of some €70million from one year to the next, revenues have declined," he claimed, following figures released which pointed to the first reduction in revenue set to available teams in quite some time.

"But where do we want to go from here? There should be ideas for generating more money, but I do not see them. I heard from (Commerical Director) Sean Bratches, who would like to see the drivers accompanied by grid kids. Is imitating football having new ideas?

"It needs a more open project," the Austrian continued. "For example, the budget cap. It is logical and correct but it needs a three-year plan to realise it.

"We have employees, so what do we do with them? Do we just cast them off and throw them on the road? For now, Liberty has only announced that they want to introduce it, but they have not explained how they intend to realise it."

In response, Red Bull boss Horner suggested Lauda had been "unfair" in his criticism and praised Liberty and Brawn for taking their time and evaluating ideas rather than making changes "from the hip".

Seeing the very different management system Carey is putting in place, Horner believes that is putting F1 in a stronger position for the future.

"They've put a proper business structure behind it - which is, of course, going to incur a cost," he said to Autosport referring to the drop in margins, "but if you don't speculate and invest in the business, you're not going to accumulate.

"The world is moving on quickly and it's important that F1 put that structure in place. Red Bull does not have any issues with what they're doing, their approach and we're watching with interest to see what their plans are for 2021 onwards."

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has revealed both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton both attempted to join the Milton Keynes outfit during their period of success between 2010 and 2013.

Both drivers, at Ferrari and McLaren at the respective times, saw efforts to add to their championship tallies ended the Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel, in-particular Alonso, who took the German to a decider in 2010 and 2012.

There is more to the Spaniard's story too, as it is known Red Bull approached the 36-year-old as far back as 2008 when looking for a replacement for the retiring David Coulthard but, as a lower midfield team at the time, the then Renault driver declined.

“We got very close to signing Alonso. Helmut and I went to see his management at the end of 2008 for the '09 and '10 season and we offered him a two-year contract,” Horner said in an interview with Motor Sport Magazine. “He would only sign up for one year and we said Red Bull’s position was a two-year deal or nothing, and he wouldn’t commit to that.

“We thought he’d had a Ferrari contract very clearly for '09," he continued on why Red Bull thought he walked away. “What was weird about that was that Flavio [Briatore] was involved as well, but he was trying to get him for Renault, which he was managing at the time and in the end, he drove for Renault for 10 years.”

When the team, thanks to renowned designer Adrian Newey, became a race-winning operation in 2009 due to the significant change in regulations, the Red Bull chief revealed the double world champion saw the error in his judgement and looked to make it right.

“Halfway through '09, I had an approach to say ‘could he join mid-season?’ because they thought he could win the championship in the car,” Horner claimed.

“Then he had another conversation in the back of an Alfa Romeo at Spa airport several years later in ’11 or ’12, and again it never really…the most serious discussion was the first one and then it missed its chance.”

As for Hamilton, the Briton, Horner stated, was looking to Red Bull as he looked to move away from McLaren, the team he had been associated with since karting.

“We had a couple of chats. It never really gained significant momentum but he's obviously a driver we rate extremely highly,” he was quoted by the Express newspaper.

“He was desperate to drive for the team. In 2012, he wanted to come and drive for us, but there was no way we could accommodate him while Sebastian was with us, then before he signed for Mercedes he was very keen to drive for Red Bull for 2013.”

Ultimately, the Mercedes move would prove the right one as the German manufacturer became the dominant force from 2014 and has allowed Hamilton to win three more titles since, his most recent coming last month in Mexico.

Toro Rosso has announced their current line-up of Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley will continue with the Italian team in 2018, after impressing in their handful of appearances so far.

The two drivers replaced the partnership which began the season, with Gasly trading places with Daniil Kvyat from the Malaysian Grand Prix and Hartley coming in for Carlos Sainz at the United States Grand Prix after the Spaniard moved to Renault.

Neither are yet to score a point in the handful of races they have completed so far as the junior Red Bull team struggle for competitiveness at the end of the season but it is the potential in the duo that has led to their retention for a full season.

"We're really happy to have Pierre and Brendon confirmed so early by Red Bull as our drivers for 2018," said Team Principal Franz Tost. "During this last part of the year, they've shown that they're ready for F1, getting to grips with the car quickly, showing good performances and always demonstrating to be prepared for the challenge.

"We have been truly impressed by both their steep learning curves. As we know, F1 is something that not all drivers can adapt to this fast! Therefore, we're looking forward to having a full year with them; one where we can hopefully provide them with a good package which, combined with driver consistency, can surely put them in the best possible situation to deliver.

"I'm sure they will keep pushing hard and fight for strong results, together with the team."

For Gasly, his promotion was seen as overdue by some after winning the GP2 championship in 2016, the final year before it was rebranded F2, and now the 21-year-old is keen to use the confidence shown in him by Red Bull to produce the necessary results.

"I'm super happy to race for Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2018, for my first proper season in F1,” he declared. “I would like to thank all the people involved, who helped me get here: Red Bull, Toro Rosso, my family and all the ones who have supported me in the lower series.

"I'm really excited and super motivated to give it my all in Abu Dhabi and the whole of next year! I just can't wait!"

For Hartley, the announcement represents a final completion of his initial career goal which looked over after he was dropped from the Red Bull program in 2010. Since then, however,  the New Zealander maintained belief in himself going on to win the World Endurance Championship, a title he claimed for the second time with Porsche recently in Shanghai.

"[It’s] really amazing to be confirmed as an F1 driver for next year with Toro Rosso,” he said.  “It's very satisfying to have converted an opportunity that came as a surprise into a 2018 F1 drive, I couldn't be happier!

“I'd like to thank Red Bull and Toro Rosso for believing in me and giving me this second chance – dreams can come true. I'm now going to carry on working harder than ever in order to finish this busy end of the season on a high and start the new year as strong as possible... Bring it!"

Esteban Ocon admitted it was "frustrating" to see his 27-race finishing streak at the start of his Formula 1 career ended by a crash with Romain Grosjean on the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix this past weekend.

The Frenchman surpassed the previous record for most starts before a first retirement, set by Max Chilton in 2014 in Austin and before that hadn't failed to finish a single-seater race since his European F3 campaign in 2014, when he would beat Max Verstappen to the title.

Though acknowledging it was a streak which would not go on forever, the Force India concedes it was the way it happened which was the most disappointing. 

"I’m not happy to retire from the race. I knew this day would come at some stage, but I wasn’t expecting it to be today," he said. "It’s a shame because there was nothing I could do; Romain lost the car in Turn 6 and crashed into me.

"He made a mistake and I suffered from it, my front wheel rim was damaged so I couldn’t even drive back to the pits. It’s frustrating because the car was quick and we had the pace to be fighting up there with Checo (Sergio Perez). Days like this happen but I hope it will be another three years before it happens again."

It was also only the second race of 2017 when Ocon hadn't finished in the points, after being unable to come through the field after a crash in Monaco qualifying, and, as a result, likely means his teammate Perez will secure seventh place in the Drivers' standings with the gap at 11 points with just one race to go in Abu Dhabi.