Valtteri Bottas is hoping to use the experience he has gathered from his first year with Mercedes to produce stronger results in 2018, after seeing his season slip since the summer break.

For much of the 2017 season, the Finn was one of the star performers keeping teammate Lewis Hamilton on his toes and claiming his first two poles and wins in Formula 1, the latter coming in Russia and Austria.

They earned him an extension of his initial contract for next year but as the championship battle has progressed, Bottas has fallen back a bit, struggling to get within half a second of the newly crowned world champion in qualifying and finishing some 20 seconds behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in second last time out in Mexico.

Much of that has been put down to the difficulties Mercedes have had optimising the performance of the W08 but the 28-year-old admits he has come up short of his own expectations.

"I’m personally expecting much better," said Bottas in an interview with The Flying Lap. "I’ve learned massively this year from the whole team, from Lewis and from my own struggles.

"I believe if I work hard during the winter, analyse everything and start the new season with a team I know and with a car that I know much better because I didn’t know it at all this season, I’m expecting much more."

Some of his woes have likely come with the team backing Hamilton in his title battle with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel, with the Briton admitting development was done to suit his style but Bottas admitted he has been struck by how much his teammate works with his Mercedes team.

"He works hard, he spends a lot of time with the guys, at the race weekends, visits the factory quite a bit," the former Williams driver said.

"I didn’t know him as a person at all really, it was only what I’ve seen from the outside. This year, I’ve learned he’s a very nice guy, just a normal human being, as the rest of us.

"[He has] good manners, good respect and doesn’t play any games."

Three-time Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen admits winning races in dominant fashion would be preferable to doing so after a close battle with his rivals.

The Dutchman has claimed two comprehensive victories this season in Malaysia and Mexico which involved passing a rival in the early laps before going to establish a comfortable margin which he would carry until the chequered flag.

Though those wins were not particularly exciting both for the fans and even the 20-year-old, who occasionally pumped in fastest laps to keep himself amused during the last race, he suggests those kinds of wins with little competition bring more satisfaction.

"This is winning - and I think this is the most beautiful way of doing it," Verstappen was quoted by Autosport. "Of course, overtaking is fun, but in recent years I've never been in a position that I could control races.

"This is what I did in karting, actually, and in the end, this is what you want to do. Overtaking is definitely nice, but to me, it's not something that's necessary.

"Ultimately you want to win races like [Lewis] Hamilton and eventually win a championship."

On his Mexico win, where he would pass Sebastian Vettel in the early corners before going on to win almost 20 seconds from the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, the Red Bull driver says this is the blueprint that he wants to repeat regularly.

"This is certainly one of my favourite ones of course, because you not only won the race, you also controlled it, without any pressure from behind," he said. "I hope that we will be in the same position next year. From the very first race."

His vision is very different to the new and now four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who has always made it clear he lives for the fight in F1 and wants to go wheel-to-wheel with his rivals.

Last week too, he claimed the rising threat from Verstappen would provide his motivation to keep improving as a driver and over the weekend in Las Vegas, Max was asked about those comments.

“Well, he has to. Absolutely,” he told The Drive smiling. “That’s nothing bad against Lewis, but when you win three, four World titles, your sharpness kind of disappears.

"So I think at one point if you have a real challenge again from someone, you have to raise your game because you’re not really used to fighting it out every single race for victories or podiums, which I’ve been doing for the last three years.

“I’ve never been in his position, so I’m really determined to get there. I’m really fired up to achieve that.”

Perhaps the two most polarising drivers on the grid today, Verstappen thinks Hamilton still has something to prove as his Mercedes has given him a healthy advantage.

“I mean, a lot about it is the whole package, he has been in the best car for three years now, so that helps a lot," he said. "That doesn’t take anything away from Lewis because he’s a very talented driver. He’s naturally gifted.

“That’s the difference compared to his teammates, for example, that’s why he’s winning the championships. He’s better than everyone around him.

“Hopefully, next year we will have at least a similar package so I can take up the challenge, but we have to wait and see.”

Supersoft tyres are set to dominate any dry running that takes place at Interlagos as all the Formula 1 teams have gone aggressive with their selections for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hot temperatures and an abrasive surface at the fabled Sao Paulo circuit can often make for high degradation, particularly as more often than not rain tends to wash away any rubber laid on the tarmac.

But with this year's rubber proving particularly durable at most circuits despite the much faster cars, tyre supplier Pirelli have gone one step softer than last year by bringing the red-striped compound.

Nine of the 20 drivers have all opted for what is the most conservative allocation made which consists of eight sets of the red-striped Supersoft compound with four sets of Soft and one Medium.

The rest either have simply swapped one or two sets of Soft for extra Supersofts with seven drivers taking nine and the two Williams' and two Renault's 10 sets of the second softest compound in the range.

At the front, the two Ferraris and Max Verstappen are among those with nine while the Mercedes' and Daniel Ricciardo have eight. All this could be largely irrelevant, however, should rain interfere which, according to early forecasts is likely on Friday and Saturday although a reduced chance for Sunday.

The full list of selections can be seen below:

Racing Director Eric Boullier is "100 percent" sure McLaren can join the battle between the top three teams when they switch to Renault engines in 2018.

The Woking outfit called time on their troubled partnership with Honda after three seasons following another year of woeful performance and reliability which has left McLaren ninth in the Constructors' Championship this season.

Though Renault has had their own problems too, the fact the engine is competitive and having success - winning three races this year - is giving the bosses reason for high optimism particularly as they make good progress with the chassis.

Red Bull will be the main measuring stick for McLaren using the exact same engine but their strength in aerodynamics will put great pressure on the design team to keep up or come up short off expectations.

That fact is not lost on Boullier, who also points to the minor changes coming at the rear and cockpit areas of the car next year as a reason to remain cautious.

"If it was the same regulations 100% then I would say yes," the Frenchman said on if McLaren will be at the front. "But obviously there will be some changes next year: no T-wing, no monkey seat, a lot of cleaning up at the back of the car which makes it a little bit harder - plus the halo, which obviously is a disaster in terms of aero. So there is a lot of work to do around this.

"I trust the team we have, and what they achieved in the last three years. There is no reason why they cannot keep doing it, building up and catching up"

On if he expects McLaren to be at least near the fight between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, however, he added: "Yes. 100%."

2017 European Formula 3 champion Lando Norris will replace Jenson Button as McLaren third driver from the 2018 season, the team confirmed on Monday.

The 17-year-old had been tipped for the role with the 2009 F1 champion stepping away from the sport completely, potentially competing a full season either in Japan's Super GT or a sportscar series in America next season.

Norris has enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks winning in British F4, Formula Renault and this year in European F3, the same series that has launched the likes of Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Max Verstappen to seats in F1.

Earlier this year, the Briton made his first appearance for McLaren, driving at the post-Grand Prix test in Hungary in August and commenting on his promotion admits this news is the icing on the cake after a remarkable 12 months.

"I’m so excited to be joining McLaren as test and reserve driver for 2018," he said. "The last 12 months have been an incredible journey for me – I’ve enjoyed every single minute – and this is just an amazing way to bring the year to an end.

"I’m really looking forward to helping the team, starting next week with the tyre test at Interlagos, and I will work harder than ever to learn and develop across the next year. I have two excellent teachers in Fernando and Stoffel, and I will do my best to help with the team’s efforts to get back to the front."

It is likely his reserve driver role will go alongside a year in F2, potentially teaming up with Mercedes junior and GP3 champion George Russell, but as of now, Norris admits nothing is yet sorted.

"I’m still working hard to finalise my own racing programme for 2018 – we’re close on a number of different fronts, but not quite there yet. I hope to be able to announce something shortly," he stated.

Norris first joined McLaren as a development driver after claiming the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award at the end of last year and Executive Director Zak Brown hailed the potential of a talent some are comparing to another former McLaren prodigy, Lewis Hamilton.

"Lando is an outstanding young talent. Today’s announcement is thoroughly deserved, and underlines the incredibly high regard in which we hold his abilities," the American said.

"Showing the speed and consistency needed to win the European F3 championship, he is undoubtedly carving himself a reputation as one of the very best up-and-coming single-seater drivers in the world.

"His summer test for McLaren was also remarkably impressive and was further proof that he is ready to step up and take on a role of this size, scope and responsibility. We are all extremely keen to help him achieve his goal of racing in Formula 1."

Force India will begin their evaluation of 2018-spec parts over the final two Grands Prix after achieving their pre-season goal of retaining their fourth place in the Constructors' Championship from last season.

This year has been the best ever season for the Silverstone outfit who have already surpassed what was their previous highest tally of points in a year from 2016. In fact, the top midfield team sit second to Mercedes with 15 double points finishes in the 18 races so far with Esteban Ocon in the top 10 at every race bar Monaco.

Now 99 points ahead of Williams in fifth, COO Otmar Szafnauer claims more risks will be taken in a bid to continue their strong form in the face of what they acknowledge will be stronger competition in 2018.

"It's a great achievement for the team [to finish fourth]," the American said. "Now [what we've] got to do is utilise the fact that we've done it to our advantage.

“"We've got to think differently in the next two races and do experiments. Do things differently that will help for next year. There are some components that we want to try and are a bit more risky so we can go ahead and try them. If we lose some time on a Friday, big deal.

“We will hopefully gain for next year at the expense of this year because the expense of this year is meaningless. But the gain for next year will be meaningful."

With the Teams' Championship situation now resolved, it is between Ocon and Sergio Perez for which driver will finish in the coveted seventh place in the Drivers' standings.

Currently it is the Mexican who sits nine points clear of the Frenchman but strictly enforced team orders, following the various incidents in Baku and Belgium, have allowed Ocon to close in.

Perez has been the most vocal to see the orders ended but Szafnauer may not be so ready, claiming: "It's better for the fans if they are allowed to race. But at the same time, car parts aren't cheap!"

Haas F1 owner, Gene Haas would "reconsider" his team's entry in Formula 1 after five years should they not make progress up from the lower part of the midfield.

The American outfit has had a solid second year on the grid with greater consistency but still suffering from problems typical of an operation without the experience of those around them.

Development has been weak, with the team admitting they switched focus to 2018 too early and their difficulties with braking and optimising tyre performance means they do struggle at certain circuits.

However, at the same time, there is little they can do about the progress made by much larger teams such as Renault and McLaren who have moved ahead as the year has gone on.

Currently, Haas sit eighth in the Constructors' Championship and given the ambitions Gene has, he is keen to see the fruits of his labour start to come in terms of better results.

“I think if after five years we are still way at the back and not where we want to be, then we would have to rethink whether we still want to be in F1,” he told AutoWeek.

“In the five years, there will be opportunities that will manifest themselves that we can take advantage of. Hopefully, one of those will be the one that catapults you to at least be mid-team competitive or a little bit better, and from there it is kind of like going up a ladder, one step at a time.."

Certainly, for teams like Haas, the plans of F1 owners Liberty Media to try and level the playing field are crucial to whether they can go on to achieve greater success and those won't come into full effect until the next commercial rights agreement due in 2021.

That is why Haas is prepared to be patient but he admits: “I would think that in 10 years, we should have the ability to win a race, and if we can’t, I guess we failed.”

Renault is hoping lessons learnt from this season can lead to a "strong step" forward as the Enstone outfit develops a "completely new" car for 2018.

The French manufacturer has made strong progress throughout the year, moving up from the back of the grid where they ended last year to regular top 10 contenders as they continue to rebuild their works team.

With the goal of once again competing for championships by 2020, their leadership has also been bolstered by the controversial appointment of former FIA Technical Director Marcin Budkowsky, who is currently slated to join at the beginning of next year.

But even before his vast knowledge can be used to further improve performance, Renault Technical Director Nick Chester admits the experience of a year with the current regulations is already proving key.

"We’re making strong progress at Enstone," he claimed. "[The 2018 chassis] is where our focus lies, it’s a completely new car despite a relatively low number of regulation changes.

"We’ve learnt a lot on the aerodynamic package and the balance of a car built to 2017 regulations and the car should represent a strong step forward."

The only major change to the cars for next season is the unpopular introduction of the Halo cockpit protection and highlighting how far progress already is on work for next year, Chester revealed first running with parts designed for the RS18 will be done next weekend.

"We’ll be doing some aero runs in practice in Brazil with a variety of aero instrumentation to help prepare the 2018 package," he said.

Another key area Renault must improve is with their engine as they continue to fall short of main rivals Mercedes and Ferrari both in power and reliability. Next year, there is also the additional pressure of supplying a McLaren team desperate for results after three tough years with Honda.

"The Mexican Grand Prix was particularly difficult with a number of unacceptable mechanical problems," the Frenchman declared, after four of the six Renault-powered cars retired. "We have the clear intention to take fast and strong measures but the particularities of Mexico accentuated our weaknesses.

"The performance of our engine has progressed a lot this year as the results in the race attest," he added in defence. The one bright spot for Renault in Mexico had been Max Verstappen strolling to victory.

"Clearly we have not been successful in balancing performance and reliability and we now have to find reliability, for both us and our customers, even if Max won magnificently in Mexico."

The reason for the problems was high altitude with next weekend's race in Brazil the second highest race above sea level. Compared to Mexico, however,  the challenge is much less with only 10 percent less air density compared to 22 percent at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"We’re not expecting too many dramas to control temperatures," Chester claimed. "It’s not a full downforce track like Monaco or Hungary, but there is a range of aero set-ups for us to try."

Former Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has claimed Ferrari would be more than willing to follow through on their recently issued threat to leave the sport should they feel regulation change hurt their chances of winning.

Last week, current owners Liberty Media led by Chase Carey co-announced proposals for changes to the engines for 2021 along with the FIA, following a series of talks that have taken place throughout the year.

While widely welcomed by many, three of the four engine suppliers have voiced concerns with Renault and Mercedes questioning the cost element of developing two engines over the next three years but Ferrari's response went further and was more broad as President Sergio Marchionne spoke of a dislike for the broader vision of Liberty to level the playing field.

“If they can’t win, they will put forward new regulations,” Ecclestone told the Independent newspaper, echoing similar recent comments in which he suggested efforts had been made to help Ferrari be competitive. “If the regulations come out where Ferrari think it is going to be a struggle and they can’t support the money, then they will leave."

On Tuesday, there will be a meeting of the Strategy Group, the main rule-setting body in F1 consisting of most teams, the FIA, Liberty and more. In that more ideas are set to be put forward, including a first draft budget cap in 2019 according to reports.

Ferrari insisted they would go into that meeting with an open mind to discuss, but Ecclestone again doubts the fabled Italian brand will like much of what it hears.

“They don’t want budget caps and all that,” he added. “They want to spend what they can afford to spend and I’ve always said the same thing, if people can’t spend they have to go.

“If there are then only three or four teams something would have to be done but until that actually happens nobody is going to do anything. All the teams that say they can’t afford it shouldn’t put an entry in.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is sure Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are more than capable to battle with world champion Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel should they produce a strong enough car in 2018.

Once again it has been a year of playing catch up for the Milton Keynes outfit following correlation issues in development which led to the RB13 chassis not matching up with expectations and a TAG Heuer-branded Renault engine which remains a little underpowered and less reliable than their main rivals.

Significant progress has been made, however, and that has allowed the Red Bull duo to enter the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari with Verstappen shining in particular with two wins in Malaysia and Mexico.

In fact, since the summer break, they have outscored the Scuderia showing they are once again a force to be reckoned with, now the key for Red Bull is to maintain that progress into next year.

"We have got regulation stability, so the lessons from RB13 will go into 14," Horner explained. "We are hopeful on the engine side that performance and reliability will improve and we have demonstrated we have a really competitive chassis since Hungary.

"If we can take these learnings into next year's car, we can start on a strong footing rather than the second or so we were off at the beginning of the year."

Further efforts to overcome early season problems are also being made with work on the 2018 car beginning a little earlier than in previous seasons.

"We are focusing on a slightly earlier release target, which only involves about five days," the Red Bull boss added. "But design is so concertinaed and production so tight, that that five days is actually pretty valuable in terms of being on the front rather than the back foot.

"Our intention is to turn up at the first test in the position to knock out 100 laps on the first day. That has to be the target."

If that can be done, then Horner is sure his two men behind the wheel will be more than ready to be part of what would be a very highly anticipated rivalry.

"I think in Max, in Daniel, in Seb, you have got some fantastic drivers there that are able to go wheel to wheel," he claimed, including the German who won his four titles at Red Bull.

"Max is only 20. I think if we can give him a competitive car, he absolutely is a champion in waiting. You can see in the great drivers that they stand out at big moments. Max is doing exactly that.

"I feel very confident in our drivers having the ability," he continued. "If we can give them the tools to go shoulder to shoulder with [Hamilton] and hopefully have a great fight, [it] will be great for the sport."