Double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso believes Robert Kubica was the best of his generation before his near-fatal rally crash in early 2011.

The Polish driver has been back in the spotlight in recent weeks after completing his first test in an F1 car with Renault prior to the Canadian Grand Prix. Combine that with speculation over the future of the struggling Jolyon Palmer and hopes are being raised over a once thought impossible comeback.

During that time Alonso, of whom Kubica replaced at Renault in 2010, welcomed the prospect and claimed the now 32-year-old was "the best", the McLaren driver was then asked to elaborate on that belief.

“I think because he won all the smaller categories,” he said. “When the go-karts were the same, when the smaller categories, you run with the same single-seater, with the same car, he was beating all the generation that are winning now. So I think he's the best. “I would be happy to see him back in Formula 1 but I don't know exactly the situation, I only read that he did the test, but I also read that Renault

“I would be happy to see him back in Formula 1 but I don't know exactly the situation, I only read that he did the test, but I also read that Renault is not considering him for next year. So I guess it's not that close that he will come back.”

Kubica had always been earmarked as a future world champion when he first started in F1 in 2006 and his breakthrough moment came with victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

In the years following his accident, which left him with severe injuries to his right arm and limited movement, the Pole has competed in the World Rally Championship before returning to track racing at a Renault Sport Trophy event at Spa last year and subsequent tests in an LMP2 WEC car and GP3 machine earlier in 2017.

Alonso also revealed he remains in contact with Kubica, commenting: “I do speak sometimes but not as often as we could do.“After the test, for example, we didn't so I don't know exactly how it went.”

“After the test, for example, we didn't so I don't know exactly how it went.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has described Valtteri Bottas' recovery to finish second at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a "miracle".

The Finn was last and a lap down on much of the field on Lap 2 of last Sunday's race in Baku but as Safety Cars and problems for those ahead intervened, he was able to come back through the field and would out-drag Lance Stroll to cross the finish line just a tenth of a second ahead of the Williams.

Though that result would be somewhat overshadowed by the incident between team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel post-race, the Austrian certainly took note.

“His race was amazing," he told the official F1 website. 

“His start – especially Turn 2 was unfortunate – he simply bounced off the kerbs and fell far behind, and we knew that his only chance to get into the game again was a Safety Car.

“But coming from so far behind and finishing in P2 was a miracle of the sport – equal to Daniel’s [Ricciardo] performance starting from P10 and finishing first and Lance on the podium – it was one of those races where anything could happen – and it did.

“The unpredictability of the result was simply marvellous!” the Austrian added.

For Bottas, he also believes it can further help his chances of remaining with Mercedes in 2018 and beyond, with the 27-year-old only signed for a single year with the Brackley-based team.

“Of course, I just want to do good races and want to show and be on the level of the drivers that in this team should be,” he said.

“I hope [Baku’s race] was a good example, and we managed to get up and recover as a team, but yeah like Toto said, no rush, it’s still a bit early and there’s no panic or anything.

“I feel okay with the situation because as I said on Thursday I’ve been in this situation always in my career that nothing’s been clear until August/ September, so that’s okay.”

It's all about finding the right "compromise" for both Red Bull drivers as they look ahead to the company's home race, the Austrian Grand Prix.

The energy drinks giant hasn't had the greatest success since Formula 1 returned to the historic Red Bull Ring in 2014, with Max Verstappen's second place last year the only podium they have achieved in Spielberg.

This year they head home after claiming an unexpected victory on the streets of Baku via Daniel Ricciardo, adding to the optimism this year's race could be their most competitive yet.

The problem, as has been the case every year, is the modern day nine-corner layout of the original Osterriechring doesn't particularly suit Red Bull with a strong engine needed down the three long straights, particularly on the uphill drag to Turn 2.

“At any kind of power circuit like Austria you want to be smooth and get good exits in order to give yourself the best chance on the long straights,” Ricciardo, who turned 28 on Saturday, commented.

“The compromise is always the aero package. In the middle to the end of the lap, you want more downforce because the corners are quite fast but more downforce means you are slower on the straights, so the key is to find a good balance throughout the lap.

“I really enjoy the track and the only downside is that I wish it was a bit longer. I wish it had a few more corners, but the corners that do exist are great fun.”

As for Verstappen, he also hopes the Red Bull Ring can end a current miserable spell of results having retired from four of the last six races, including the last two when running in or competing for the podium places.

Speaking about the race 12 months ago, which saw him inherit second after the two Mercedes collided on the last lap, he revealed: “Before the race, it was a bit unknown how the tyres would play out so I just tried to feel my way in and keep life in them.

“This allowed me to complete a one-stop strategy, which was always going to be a gamble, but in the end worked out really well.

“This year we have to make sure the car is working well in the corners in order to be up with the front-runners and then just try and be as competitive as possible on the straights, it’s always a bit of a compromise."

Along with the Belgian Grand Prix, last year also saw Austria become something of a home race for the 19-year-old and he expects plenty of support again in 2017.

“The fans at the Red Bull Ring are always extremely passionate and of course there was a big Dutch turn out last year which is always special for me to see, plenty of caravans and orange around the area."

Felipe Massa may well remain on the Formula 1 grid in 2018, with the Brazilian keeping his options open for next year.

The 2008 championship runner-up was meant to be enjoying retirement this year, making the announcement at last year's Italian Grand Prix and having emotional farewells in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, but the significant change in plans occurred with the Sao Paulista staying on at Williams to allow Valtteri Bottas to make the move to Mercedes.

Initially, it was thought this year would simply be a transition year before a longer-term replacement for the Finn was found, but Massa has continued to be an impressive performer scoring 20 points and was running strongly both in Canada and Baku before poor luck saw him eliminated at both races.

Speaking this week to the official F1 website, it seems those retirement plans could wait a little longer too when asked if he would consider staying on.

"Maybe, yes, I mentioned that some weeks ago, yes," Felipe said. "Things are going well. I feel very competitive, as I like the car that I am driving. I love the new rules. 

"For my driving style everything works very well – the only thing that has to be sorted out is the 'luck issue'! 

"So I don’t see any point not carrying on."

The 36-year-old is keen, however, to avoid simply making up the numbers with the thrill of battling for good results maintaining his current passion

"Having a team that I believe is correct for me. A team that can give me a competitive car – that can make me feel good. Then I stay on," he said, indicating what would keep him in F1. 

"I don't want to stay not being happy and not being competitive."

With the first 'silly season' murmurs starting to appear in what could be a very active driver market for 2018, Massa has admitted no talks have yet been held with any team including Williams.

"No I haven't," he said, "but I am not in a hurry. 

"I enjoy my situation race by race – and then the time will come to make the talking. I am sure it will not take long."

Under-pressure Briton Jolyon Palmer is hoping to rebound from his Baku nightmare, as Renault bring fixes for their ongoing power unit problems to the Austrian Grand Prix.

The former GP2 champion had a miserable weekend in Azerbaijan, crashing at Turn 8 on Friday before a fuel leak left the 26-year-old unable to take part in qualifying, then a misfire forced him to retire from the race on Sunday.

With growing speculation surrounding his future with the French manufacturer, albeit an increasing likelihood he will see out the rest of 2017, past form at the Red Bull Ring is giving Palmer reason for optimism.

“We will make sure we have a better one in Austria, the target is always the same: to bring home some points," he said.

“We started on the penultimate row last year but I managed to work my way up to 12th, beating my team-mate. I was quite happy with the race, we just needed a little bit of extra luck and I think we could have been in the points.

“It is a circuit I enjoy having raced there in GP2 in 2014 and then a Free Practice session in 2015. It was definitely one of my strongest races of last season, so it is important to build on the knowledge we have and my confidence at the track and work towards a positive result.

“We need to change our luck. I hope we can make it all stick heading into the final few rounds before the summer break – beginning here.”

Palmer was not the only driver hit by poor Renault reliability as team-mate Nico Hulkenberg had an issue in qualifying, while Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat and Red Bull's Max Verstappen both retired with mechanical issues too.

Engine chief Remi Raffin has now claimed his team at Viry-Chatillon in France have come up with solutions that will be introduced in Austria.

“What is clear is that we did have reliability issues on track,” he conceded reflecting on the weekend in Baku.

“Issues which we immediately addressed, but this should not detract from the clear progress which has been made.

“We have put in place new and better procedures to catch any issues before the cars take to the track and we’re working with great diligence in this area.

“For our customer teams, we saw a coincidence of issues. The Energy Store issue we have seen has been addressed and the new Energy Stores are to a different specification without this concern.

“With the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), the latest specification addresses the problems we’ve seen to date. In Austria, we have the latest versions of components and we should not see any repeats of previous woes.”

McLaren has merged their 'Automotive' and 'Technology Group' entities together to become the McLaren Group on the same day long-time CEO and co-founder of the current Formula 1 team Ron Dennis ended his association with the company.

The Woking-based organisation has expanded its business well beyond motorsport in recent years with the rapidly growing Automotive arm has seen the McLaren name return to GT racing and produce high-performance road vehicles such as the P1. Now it will come under the broader company umbrella that has developed products for all sort of industries from drugs to solar panels and more.

“Since I became a major investor in the business 33 years ago, I am exceptionally proud of what each of our extraordinary McLaren businesses have achieved, growing independently and entrepreneurially." Executive Committee Principal Mansour Ojjeh said in a statement.

"Now, as they have reached world-class scale and success, it is the right next step to unify the strategies and brands to create a stronger centre of Luxury Automotive, Racing and Technological excellence.

“In a matter of just seven short years, McLaren Automotive has established itself as one of the world’s leading creators of luxury sports and supercars. Its products are now routinely hailed as best-in-class.

"Mike Flewitt and his team have done, and are continuing to do a brilliant job, and the company’s recent announcement of a fourth consecutive year of profitability indicates a robust future. The new McLaren 720S, the first car to be launched under its Track22 business plan, is already sold out well into 2018 and there will be a lot more exciting cars where that came from.

“McLaren Applied Technologies continues to go from strength to strength. Partnering with companies that share our visionary determination to innovate, it is becoming profitable as well as pioneering ground-breaking technologies. And its scope for development is exciting. This is an area of our business in which we intend to invest, with a view to achieving consistent growth.”

It is just another in a number of significant changes made to the McLaren brand in the last six months, following the ousting of Ron Dennis as CEO late last year after a proposed full takeover of the company by the Briton was rejected.

Dennis has now sold his shares back to the McLaren Group, completing his exit from the company he merged his former Project 4 Racing team with, in 1980. In that time he secured 11 Drivers' Championships with some of greatest name in the sport's history from Niki Lauda to Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen to the last title coming with Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Though it was not the end that befitted the achievements Dennis has achieved with McLaren, upon the announcement of selling his shares, he was only thankful for what he had been able to accomplish.

“I am very pleased to have reached an agreement with my fellow McLaren shareholders. It represents a fitting end to my time at McLaren and will enable me to focus on my other interests," Ron said.

"I have always said that my 37 years at Woking should be considered as a chapter in the McLaren book, and I wish McLaren every success as it takes the story forward.

“Perhaps my greatest satisfaction is the Formula 1 team’s outstanding racing safety record, which is a tribute to the dedication and efforts of hundreds if not thousands of talented and conscientious employees whom I have had the privilege of leading.

“I wish McLaren well, and I send my greatest thanks and best wishes to my colleagues in all corners of its business, and at every level of seniority. Truly, they are the best of the best.

"And, well funded to succeed and grow, and led by an ambitious management team, McLaren is ideally poised to build on the successes that I am so proud to have contributed to during my time leading such a great British group of companies.”

Have we seen the last of Dennis in F1? Potentially the answer is no, as, though this link is speculative, the 70-year-old was believed to be working with a Chinese consortium when planning his buyout of McLaren. Now, there is a Chinese consortium looking to enter the sport potentially from 2019, are they the same people?

Giving his own view on what comes next, however, Dennis added: “Now that my time at McLaren has come to an end, I will be able to involve myself in a series of other programmes and activities, especially those focused on public service."

Jacques Villeneuve remains critical of fellow countryman and Formula 1 rookie Lance Stroll, slamming his post-Canadian Grand Prix test in Austin.

On Sunday in Baku, Stroll missed out on beating Max Verstappen to become the youngest podium scorer in history by just 11 days as he claimed third place, just missing second by a tenth of a second as Valtteri Bottas flew past over the line. That followed his first points finish two weeks prior, at his home race in Montreal, becoming the first Canadian since the 1997 world champion to achieve both feats.

Certainly, it has quietened some of the doubters, who have questioned the 18-year-old's ability since joining the British team at the start of the year, however, at a time when in-season testing with the current cars is limited, what hasn't sat well with Villeneuve is how Stroll was able to conduct a private test at the Circuit of the Americas in a 2014 Williams. 

“He did well [in Baku], but also he’s the only driver who tests between races,” the former driver for the Grove-based team told Motorsport.com. “That’s a little bit tough to swallow. Money has to have a limit, and that’s pushing it.

“But apart from that, it was the first race where he was not hanging on for dear life behind the steering wheel. He was actually relaxed behind the steering wheel, he was driving normal.

“Good, why would I criticise negatively that? But that doesn’t mean the beginning of the season was good.”

Lance himself brushed off Villeneuve's earlier comments claiming he was "always negative", but the 46-year-old stood by his most of his most stinging claims.

“I always said until Montreal that it was pathetic, and it was,” he said of Stroll's rookie year.

“But I always said he won in everything he did with work and the same thing would probably happen here, as long as they look at reality in the face.

“You have to admit when you are not good enough. That’s all. So I don’t know why people are getting so upset. You can’t go out and say ‘he’s amazing’ when he’s a second off the pace of Massa.”

Despite that, Villeneuve has praised last year's European F3 champion's ability to maximise opportunities in two tricky races.

“The points in Montreal helped him. He wasn’t quick in Montreal, but everybody broke down, he kept his nose clean, he got points, and that took a weight off his shoulders," he said.

"You could see it today. When everybody was banging into each other, he wasn’t, and his teammate broke down as well.

"Yes, he was lucky, but he was also quick, he didn’t do any stupid things, and he got on the podium. Nothing wrong with that."

Formula 1's managing director of motorsport, Ross Brawn, has played down the furore surrounding Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton believing it showed real passion albeit, a little over the limit.

Almost a week on after the Ferrari driver deliberately hit his main championship rival in Baku and the fallout isn't set to end anytime soon. Especially with a second investigation now being launched by the FIA on Monday.

However, commenting on that decision to potentially retrospectively punish the German, Brawn does not find another sanction necessary and is instead enjoying the positive side of the drama.

"Sebastian did something he shouldn't have done and got penalised for it," he said on Thursday.

"If we hadn't had a technical problem we would be sat here with Lewis having scored substantially more points than he did, so Lewis would have won the race and that would have resulted in a different complexion.

"It shouldn't have happened; it shows the passion of the guys fighting for the world championship. That's the passion we want to see,” Brawn added.

"Sebastian will reflect on what happened and learn from it. We want to see that passion in the future but perhaps not as raw as we saw in Baku."

Brawn was technical director at Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s era and is used to such scenarios with the seven-times world champion being involved in similar incidents, notably in 1994 and 1997.

When contemplating what Vettel did, he commented: "It wasn't pre-meditated that's for sure; it was a reaction to the huge amount of adrenalin and passion running through these guys' systems."

Even going forward he thinks once a final ruling has been made, the lasting effect will not be as dramatic as some claim.

"There's huge respect between them [Vettel and Hamilton] and that hasn't changed," he said. "There's a spike in that respect which will calm down.

"You don't have one incident which destroys everything before. It wasn't that severe of an event. Some fierce competition fought in the right way is what Formula 1 is about.

"Perhaps this will add a nice edge to the competition but we're not advocating one approach over the other.

"There was heat, several red hot moments and your perception of what's going on can sometimes get through. I don't believe Lewis did anything wrong and Sebastian misread the situation, which is understandable in the intensity of the battle they were having."

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton has highlighted the importance of Formula 1 having a British Grand Prix, as Silverstone bosses prepare to make a key decision on the race's future.

The Northamptonshire circuit, which hosted the first F1 race in 1950, currently has a contract until 2027, however, in that deal the fee for holding the event increases with a break clause available after 2019.

The decision on whether to activate that clause must be made before this year's British Grand Prix on July 16 and many do expect it will be triggered perhaps with an eye on securing a better deal with new F1 owners Liberty Media.

The uncertainty, however, has led Hamilton, who will look to win his home race for the fourth consecutive year in just over two weeks, to call on all parties to ensure the race remains on the calendar.

"There has got to be something in Britain. It's the most important race of the year," the Mercedes driver said.

"In terms of what the points represent, it's the same as every race, but just being in the beautiful countryside and the support you get from the British fans, it's an amazing event that people love to come to."

New F1 CEO Chase Carey has previously signalled a race in the UK is crucial for the sport but hasn't gone as far as to say it should be at Silverstone, potentially opening the door to a future London Grand Prix which became more plausible after a law was passed meaning motorsport was permitted on the streets of Britain.

The thought of a race not on one of the country's historic circuits, however, whether it be Silverstone, Brands Hatch or Donington Park, is something else that concerns Hamilton.

"It's that important part of the British racing heritage and it's the place where we really get to showcase it," he said of Silverstone. "The UK is the home of motorsport and we've got such great and incredible heritage."

As is the case in any sport, the men responsible for enforcing the laws often get a hard time. That is certainly true in Formula 1 with the panel of FIA stewards regularly at the centre of attention, sometimes making decisions that can decide races and yes, championships.

For 2017 a slightly altered system was introduced whereby an incident was noted before decided if it should be investigated by the stewards. At the same time, there was a request for a little more leniency to be shown with the penalties given, compared to previous years. This came out of the belief that many penalties were given for minor incidents and this was actually discouraging drivers from making aggressive passes out of fear of making contact.

The question is, are the stewards still in control of the races, or has this leniency been taken to an extreme where, at some occasions, the drivers are forcing the stewards to make certain decisions?

Going back to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race that will be remembered for years; three cases took place, all of which had an impact on the action on track and one, which is still unresolved, you can guess which one that is!

The first came on a busy Friday that saw two incidents requiring a red flag at Turn 8. Sergio Perez and Jolyon Palmer both bit the wall and the Mexican, in particular, complained about the narrow corner and how it represented a challenge for the wider cars. On Friday evening, a decision was announced informing that changes will occur on Saturday at Turn 8, removing the high kerb. Was this the right decision and was it really help avoid crashes?

What makes the F1 driver an elite driver if they will not be up to such challenges? Why would the stewards decide to deprive the audience of watching the drivers cope with the challenge? Did it really help in the safety area, since the cars were then entering at higher speeds or was it just a matter of finding more grip on Saturday and Sunday?

Moving on to race day, the stewards deployed a Safety Car to clean the track of debris that was spread at that time from numerous incidents. During that period, Fernando Alonso was heard on the radio requesting a red flag claiming it was too dangerous with the speeds on the main straight, a few moments later, the red flag was shown.

Everyone agrees that safety is a priority and no one would enjoy seeing any driver being injured but aren’t the stewards supplied with all audio-visual and communication technologies to be able to make the perfect decisions? Do the stewards really need Alonso’s request to raise a red flag? Or was it another moment of compliance to drivers’ will?

Finally, the main incident on Sunday that is yet to be over is the now infamous Sebastian Vettel/ Lewis Hamilton collision. The race leaders at that point and championship leaders as well were involved in a chaotic moment awaiting the race restart, Vettel collided with Hamilton from behind after, according to the German, Hamilton brake tested him.

With the known character of Vettel and his emotional approach to his racing life, the four-time world champion came alongside the Mercedes driver and intentionally collided with Hamilton wheel to wheel.

The stewards investigated the incident and Vettel was given a 10-second stop and go penalty, the second harshest available with a black flag disqualification the next biggest available. 

Hamilton would later describe this as insufficient as a problem with the three-time champion's headrest would actually see the Briton finish behind the championship leader. This was because his time lost in the pits was equivalent if not more than that Vettel lost as a result of his penalty.

Three points were also added to Vettel's super-license, put him just three short of a guaranteed race ban, now, though, the FIA has announced a second investigation into what occurred to decide whether additional penalties are to be added with a possible race exclusion being discussed.

There has been so much media scrutiny that is this decision purely a sporting one? Let's not forget too, if a more severe sanction is given, a race ban or more, it could prevent the audience from watching one of the best title battles in years, is that good for F1?

The stewards have always been referees to look up to and always had their decisions decided with no interference from anyone, let us hope the above is just a misinterpreted events by the viewers and the stewards will help in controlling one of the best F1 seasons in the best way possible.