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Formula 2 champion and Ferrari junior Charles Leclerc is set to be signed as a Sauber driver for 2018 in the coming weeks, according to a report by respected Swiss journalist Roger Benoit.

The Monegasque has been linked to the Hinwil team for several months now following his remarkable year in F2 which saw him claim the title last month in Jerez. It also comes as Ferrari seek to use Sauber as a developmental platform for their best Academy drivers after renewing their engine partnership in June.

More recently, Leclerc has been participating in Friday Practice 1 sessions with Sauber, performing solidly, and was seen with his manager Nicolas Todt in Mexico after agreeing no talks would take place until he had wrapped up the F2 title.

It now appears he will replace Pascal Wehrlein, who joined after the demise of Manor at the start of the year. As a member of the Mercedes program, though maybe not for much longer, the German was always likely to be a temporary addition at Sauber.

But his exit seems to be more due to the association with teammate Marcus Ericsson and team owners Longbow Finance, who don't want the Swede to be dropped.

"I have no news yet on this side," Wehrlein said on his future last weekend in Mexico. "But there are some discussions going on for next year and I hope we can fix something soon."

The insistence on maintaining Ericsson could also see Ferrari third driver Antonio Giovinazzi miss out on a race seat, with Haas reportedly unwilling to change their line-up to accommodate the Italian in 2018.

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The FIA and Liberty Media have revealed the proposed changes to be made to the current Formula 1 engines in 2021, after a meeting between all the requisite parties in Paris on Tuesday.

Talks have been taking places for much of the year between the governing body, new F1 bosses and manufacturers both current and potential aimed at shaping the future power unit regulations in the sport as criticism continues of the current formula introduced in 2014.

Indeed, the focus of the changes has been on addressing the issues highlighted with the current engines, namely the cost and complexity for teams and suppliers as well as increasing the appeal to fans who have been turned off by the lack of sound and a number of engine-related penalties drivers face.

That has had to be mixed, however, with maintaining a technological relevance that will make F1 attractive to major carmakers, which is why the basic 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid formula will remain in 2021.

Several notable changes have been made, however, with the rev limit of the V6 engine increased from 15,000rpm back to the 18,000rpm limit used in the V8 era, this should signal a noticeable increase in the sound of the engine, though the deeper tone will remain.

In the hybrid ERS, the heat recovery system, known as the MGU-H will be removed. This will make the engines simpler and will be very welcome to the likes of Renault and Honda who have particularly struggled with this part of the power unit.

This also signals a return to the pre-2014 setup of an ICE with an MGU-K, formerly KERS, which will be more powerful than that used between 2009 and 2013.

As with KERS, the new hybrid system will see the driver control the deployment of energy but now comes with the option of saving energy over several laps to then use in attack or defence against a car around them.

A single turbo, energy store and control electronics remain unchanged but limits on the number of fuels and regulation of fuel mixture are set to be discussed following the oil burning controversy this year.

To save costs, design parameters are to be introduced to limit development and also work against extreme concepts in design and/ or how they run along with a greater focus on better integrating of the engines and transmission into the chassis to allow teams to "plug and play", as the FIA put it, to overcome the lengthy current process of changing an engine.

These ideas will now be discussed and further developed with the relevant parties before being ratified and made official but it will be interesting to see how the manufacturers considering an entry into the sport, the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin and Cosworth will respond.

Offering his view, the Managing Director of Motorsport at the Formula One Group, Ross Brawn declared this the first step in shaping a better F1 and one that sees everyone working to the same goal.

“The 2021 power unit is an example of the future way the FIA as regulators, F1 as Commercial Right Holders, the teams and the manufacturers as stakeholders will work together for the common good of the sport," he claimed.

"The proposal presented today was the outcome of a series of meetings which took place during 2017 with the current teams participating in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the manufacturers who showed their interest to be part of the pinnacle of motorsport.

"Also, we’ve carefully listened to what the fans think about the current PU and what they would like to see in the near future with the objective to define a set of regulations which will provide a powertrain that is simpler, cheaper and noisier and will create the conditions to facilitate new manufacturers to enter F1 as powertrain suppliers and to reach a more levelled field in the sport.

"The new F1 has the target to be the world’s leading global sports competition married to state of the art technology. To excite, engage, and awe fans of all ages but to do so in a sustainable manner. We believe that the future power unit will achieve this.”

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Newly crowned Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton believes he will have to improve further as a driver to counter the growing threat from Max Verstappen in the coming seasons.

As the Briton was making his way back through the pack to an eventual ninth-place finish that would earn him his fourth title, the 20-year-old was cruising to his third F1 win having bullied his way past Sebastian Vettel at the start in Mexico.

Verstappen's victory was also his second in four races, having passed Hamilton before going on to take the chequered flag in Malaysia, and with Red Bull continuing to close the performance, the 32-year-old admits the Dutchman is perhaps even more of a threat than Vettel in the seasons to come.

"I want to be better next year," he was quoted by Autosport. "The challenge is going to be even bigger from Ferrari and Red Bull next year.

"Formula 1 doesn't sleep. It doesn't stand still. There is always someone there waiting to take my position and I've got Max sitting there waiting to take it.

"I've got to raise the game another level in order to stay ahead of him and that motivates me. There's my motivation already for next year."

Not only is Hamilton motivated, he is also incredibly excited at the potential Verstappen has and at the prospect of a three-way battle including Vettel for the championship as he revealed the rush he got from the run to the first corner in Mexico.

"Max is an exceptional driver," Hamilton said. "He drove fantastically and to see his racecraft at the start of the race was awesome. I was looking forward to having a battle with him and it is great to see Red Bull up there again.

"I hope they have a better engine next year and they are more in the fight, I think it would be great for the sport. You have a potential world champion in Max and he is only going to get stronger with age because he is a lot of raw talent.

"He has a long way to go but these wins are only adding to his great potential and I am looking forward to battling with that.

"Going down that straight three-abreast with two of the greatest drivers I have come across was...oh my God. I was so excited for the race."

Another big name Hamilton wants back in the title picture is former teammate Fernando Alonso, who is hoping a change to Renault engines for McLaren in 2018 can catapult them the front in 2018 and enjoyed an intense battle in the closing laps at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

“Just wait until this guy (Alonso) gets a good engine,” Hamilton told Reuters on Sunday, "I really hope for McLaren, which has a special place in my heart, that next year is a better year for them.

“I hope they have a stronger engine and a stronger car. Fernando’s a tough cookie and I enjoyed the little battle that I had with him and I hope that we get to have many more like that,”

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Daniel Ricciardo admits his Red Bull team couldn't explain what he called the "fundamental" problem with his Renault power unit which caused him to retire for the second straight weekend in Mexico.

The Australian had a torrid Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez which began with his power unit from Saturday being changed after concerns it would not last the race, resulting in a grid penalty which dropped him to the back of the grid.

His new engine would last just six laps, however, before the Red Bull driver had to pull into the pits with an MGU-H failure, becoming the first of four drivers using the French manufacturer's engine not to make the finish.

“Certainly something fundamental [is] going on,” Ricciardo claimed afterwards. "We've been coming to Mexico the past few years so there shouldn't be any surprises - I know the altitude and temperatures have been hard to stay on top of this weekend.

"I don't know if it's this year's spec of engine, which is struggling up here - obviously it is, but why we're not sure."

On the fact problems struck a number of drivers using the same engine, he added: "It's been a pretty grim weekend for a few of us, it's a shame to be out early again. I guess it's a bit of what Max [Verstappen] experienced early in the year - it's not so fun."

Ironically, it would be his teammate who went on to win the race in Mexico by some 20 seconds over the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, but, despite a good start, there would be very little for Ricciardo to cheer about and also leaves him in limbo heading into the next race.

"Obviously the weekend's turned to crap," he said in summary. "I did what I could at the start - it was pretty close, there was a bit going on - but I made quick progress. I told Helmut [Marko] this morning that I'd get up to seventh by the end of the first lap. I was a couple of laps off I think, but we got close.

"We put the new unit in, but something went wrong. Not really sure what it was or where that puts us for Brazil," he claimed on whether he'll take yet another penalty at Interlagos.

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Daniel Ricciardo believes his options away from Red Bull for 2019 have been improved following Max Verstappen's decision to extend his contract with the Austrian drinks giant until 2020.

The Australian will have to decide if he wants to continue with the team he joined back in 2014 as his contract at the Milton Keynes outfit comes to an end next year but, for a while, his teammate too was believed to be the subject of interest by both Mercedes and Ferrari amid frustration over the lack of performance and reliability at Red Bull this season.

That changed, however, prior to the US Grand Prix when the 20-year-old determined his future for the next three seasons but whereas some saw that as prioritising the Dutchman over Ricciardo, the 28-year-old instead sees greater opportunity to choose where he wants to race.

“I don’t think it has hurt me in any way, if anything it has made my position a bit stronger. I am sure if Max was on the radar at Ferrari or Mercedes that has removed an opponent in a way,” he said in Mexico.

“Red Bull have expressed they want to keep us as a pairing so it certainly has not hurt me. I can be patient for now and see. I have the start of next season on my side in terms I can see where we are at as well and then play it out. I am not going to pull the trigger on anything early. I can take my time.”

The argument team boss Christian Horner has used to try and keep his current line-up is the risk of becoming a 'number two' driver either to Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel but Ricciardo downplays that idea believing it is up to the driver to prove to his team that they deserve to be on equal terms.

“I kind of feel that the performances will always speak for themselves,” the five-time Grand Prix winner said. “It is a bit like if, using Valtteri or Kimi as an example, they are only now helping out Lewis and Seb because they were not strong enough in the championship to be doing anything.

“For sure if Valtteri was ahead of Lewis, Valtteri would not be helping Lewis. If that was the case, performance would speak higher.”

Recently, Ricciardo also spoke of a desire to test himself against Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, having already paired up with Vettel and Verstappen, the newly crowned four-time world champion admitted he too would be open to having the 'Honey Badger' as a teammate.

“Daniel is a fantastic driver, it would be a privilege to race against him,” he told Motorsport.com in response. “He’s a great character, he always brings a lot of positivity within his team.

“I think it’s interesting, I think it’s cool, I take the compliment that people say they [want to race against me]. I don’t truly necessarily believe that people want to be up alongside me because that is not always necessarily the best thing for an individual. But in some cases, it could be a really good thing because it can help you grow.

“You look at Daniel, he’s got a great driver in his teammate [Max Verstappen] and to be honest, he has got to really work to outperform him first," he added. “You’ve always got to beat the person you’re with first before you can look at competing against someone else and beating them, that’s just my personal opinion.”

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Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff has admitted the "relief is huge" within the Brackley team after Lewis Hamilton's fourth Formula 1 championship in Mexico also secured four consecutive double championship triumphs for the German manufacturer.

A ninth place for the Briton was sufficient on Sunday as contact caused by Sebastian Vettel in the opening few corners dropped both drivers to the back of the field after pit-stops for repairs.

But needing at least a second place to have any chance of continuing the battle to Brazil, the Ferrari driver could only manage fourth ensuring Hamilton added the Drivers' title to the Constructors' crown Mercedes won a week earlier in Austin.

"The relief is huge,” Wolff said. “During the race, you have mixed feelings, it's bittersweet because you're not where you should be. You could lose it and then it drags to Sao Paulo. It's a big relief now."

The Austrian was also critical of the actions of Vettel which saw him puncture the right-rear tyre on Hamilton's car while also damage his front wing. Indeed, he claims only the circumstances of the contact didn't result in the 30-year-old being penalised.

“I hated every bit of that race. It was really bad and too long and I think we were rattled after the beginning, after the crash," he claimed. "The championship is at stake and I think in normal conditions there would have been a penalty but it's the final race and the [title] decider."

Wolff also claimed it backed up Mercedes' approach of not backing off and assuming the championship was won.

"You have this massive gap in points and people say 'it's done' but it's not. It's motor racing and then you have this incident and Sebastian could have won and we could have not finished,” he said.

"Max knew there was so much at stake for the other two. For Lewis and Sebastian it's extremely difficult because you have to win the race and if you bail out of everything then it's not what we are here for.”

Now that the job is done, however, Toto can reflect on what his team has done and, doing just that, he believes the changes in the rules and competition made 2017 the most difficult of the four championship winning years.

“It was certainly, for the team, it was the hardest because we had quite some ups and downs, new car, new tyres and to accept that this is the reality now and to progress was very difficult for the team, it really took the maximum out of us,” he explained.

"Ferrari put the level up a lot and then Red Bull came into the game as well, as a team you are always in a more comfortable situation when you know that it’s one of the two that’s going to win the championship and trying to manage the inter-team rivalry was not easy at times but far away from the struggles of this year.”

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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has admitted Carlos Sainz remains the "safety net" should Daniel Ricciardo decide not to renew his contract at the end of 2018.

The Spaniard recently joined Renault from Toro Rosso from the United States Grand Prix and will remain with the Enstone outfit next season as part of the engine deal which will see the French manufacturer supply McLaren and Honda switch to the junior Red Bull team.

He settled in very quickly at his new team too, finishing seventh in Austin, though would fall victim to an engine failure last weekend in Mexico, and his impact didn't go unnoticed with Renault advisor and four-time champion Alain Prost praising the 23-year-old.

"It's always a small risk that you take when you change a driver in the middle of the season, but in fact it was exactly what we wanted to have," the Frenchman told Motorsport.com.

"We had, unfortunately, a problem with Nico and we had Carlos to get points (in Austin). If you want to build something, you cannot have a big hole somewhere. It's not being rude with (former driver) Jolyon (Palmer), but we are constructors and we need to have everything not perfect, but better, and we know we have a lot to do still.

"We are not going to develop [the car] very much, so we want to have the two drivers doing more or less what they have done."

Well aware of the potential Sainz has, however, Red Bull is not willing to let him go and would want him to replace Ricciardo should the need arise.

"[Ricciardo leaving is] a possibility, but that’s why we’ve kept Sainz on loan, and that’s why we have options around us," Horner explained. "We have a safety net, but our number one objective is to retain the pairing we have."

Following Max Verstappen's decsion to sign an extension until 2020, which has caused some rumblings of favouritism within Red Bull, and with the seats available elsewhere, the Briton also acknowledges the Australian is at a vital part of his career.

"The next move that he makes at 28 years of age is a very important one for him, so of course he is going to take the time to make sure the decision is right for him," Horner said.

"He knows the intention very clearly, and I’ve discussed it with him, is that we want him within the team. If that takes another six months then so be it."

That could cause some unhappiness at Renault, as they continue to try and build a team capable of fighting for championships but Prost insists they were willing to accept that when agreeing to take on Sainz for next year.

"In this situation, we don't have all the keys, but the market is very open next year," he said "There is no reason why we should change, but because we don't have all in our hands, we have to wait a little bit.

"We are lucky to get Carlos because we wanted him, but we don't have him for the long term, so we have to be careful. For us, that's not a problem. We are in a period where we are building, so the timing is okay. We want to establish a strong relationship with him."

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Fernando Alonso has had a dig at Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel by suggesting the Briton had "no opponents" in 2017 which led to the "very easy" fourth world championship he scored on Sunday in Mexico.

It has been Vettel and the Spaniard's former team Ferrari that has been the closest challenger to Hamilton and Mercedes this season, but a series of decisive moments in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan ultimately proved the turning points which helped Lewis secure his third title in four years.

That failure to maintain the battle until the season finale in Abu Dhabi is what the double world champion seems to allude to when downplaying the significance of his former teammate's latest accomplishment.

"It was very easy this year, no opponents," Alonso said. "Last year he had Nico until the last race, fighting every single race. This year was too easy, Mercedes four races to the end Constructors' champion, Hamilton three races before the end Drivers' champion.

"Hopefully McLaren-Renault will change this easy time for them," he added, referring to the expectation of a much-improved year for the British team as they change engine supplier for 2018.  

After qualifying, the 36-year-old would suggest McLaren had "the best car" on the grid after setting a fastest middle sector of anyone in Q1, the only part of the Saturday session he would participate in.

In the race, it was about trying to move up from 18th on the grid following engine penalties and he would do so claiming 10th place, Alonso's third points result of the year.

"I think it was good - overall we start last, we finish in the points, which is a good target for us," he commented. "I think we had the speed all weekend, the car kept feeling very nice, very good handling, and good balance throughout the race.

"I think we lack a little bit of straight-line speed to attack or defend, so we were stuck behind the Sauber [of Marcus Ericsson] for half the race and then we could not pass [Kevin] Magnussen. We are also very vulnerable when we are in front of people."

In the closing laps, Alonso would be passed by a recovering Hamilton but he would put up a strong fight to the Mercedes going wheel-to-wheel several times.

Asked if that was him sending a warning shot ahead of next year, he claimed: "I think he knows, he knows. He knows also how strong the McLaren car [is] in the corners, he saw also today.

"I think next year hopefully we can give a little bit harder time to him."

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Lewis Hamilton believes the challenge of leading Mercedes in a season-long battle against Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari has made this year the hardest of all the seasons in which he has competed for the title.

On Sunday, the 32-year-old became the most successful British driver ever after claiming his fourth Formula 1 championship and third since 2014 after finishing ninth in Mexico.

But while he might have had closer battles than this season against the likes of Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, winning the 2017 title with two races to go, the amount of effort that has gone in is what particularly stands out to Hamilton.

“I definitely think this has been [the hardest]," he explained. "2007 was difficult (when Hamilton missed out on the title by a single point), 2008 was very tough. The following years have just been different.

"This year, being in a position to really lead the team and help drive, motivate and direct the car exactly where I want it to go in its development, alongside a great teammate and fighting against a great team in Ferrari with the highest decorated, or was the highest decorated driver in the sport -- we are now both -- was a massive challenge I was looking forward to."

Dealing with that challenge is what Hamilton also claims makes this year one of the most enjoyable, however, with the whole Brackley operation focusing on a single goal.

"It's great to have two teams fighting,” he stated. “You could see through practice [in Mexico], us all within a tenth, the top six or whatever. I think that's great, we need more of that. It pushes us all more to the limit, it pushes the cars more to the limit and that's ultimately what has got us excited for the sport.

"We've all loved that challenge. Every single individual in the team has really raised their game. You go to the factory and I'm like 'why are you still here at 7 pm or 8 pm?' Sometimes it's later. They are like 'I've got a championship to win'. That hasn't come so easy."

Vettel too has been reflecting on the journey his 2017 season took and, though he downplayed their significance at the time, has now admitted the two retirements in Singapore and Japan were the defining moments in making Hamilton's title win easier than it should have been.

“In the end, you have 20 races, we’ve had 18 so far,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of pointing fingers in one race but we had two races that we didn’t finish and Lewis won both of them. They were the most costly.

“It’s normal you have the feeling here and there that you could have got a bit more but it doesn’t change anything now.”

His defeat this year ends the stat the German held of winning every championship in F1 that he has led at some stage, nevertheless, he vows to continue pushing until the end of what is still an excellent year for Ferrari.

“We will try to finish the season the way the team deserves and the car deserves,” he said. “In Mexico, we’ve been quick. I’m pretty sure we’ll get a result and that is the target for the next two races."

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Sebastian Vettel was gracious in defeat towards Lewis Hamilton after the Briton wrapped up his fourth Formula 1 title at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday.

Light contact between the pair exiting Turn 3 at the start would see the two main championship contenders fall to the back at the end Lap 1 as they pitted for repairs, resulting in the awkward scenario of watching both having to fight back through the field.

A little less disadvantaged due to only a damaged front wing compared to a puncture on the Mercedes, Vettel would try to put himself back into a position to continue the fight on to Brazil but in the end, it was too much as could only manage fourth.

The pair would embrace back in the paddock in a show of respect but the German admitted it was still deflating to see his title hopes end even if his chances had become increasingly thin. 

"I'm down, obviously. It's tough to cross the line and realise that you're not in the fight anymore. That sums it up,” he said of his emotions. "The rest isn't that important, whatever happened today, the most important thing is it's Lewis's day - he was crowned world champion and he deserves that.

"I would have loved to go up on him but it's his day, it's his year. For us, obviously, we're left with whatever is left. Right now, it's disappointing."

The change in momentum following the summer break allied to two retirements in three races proved decisive in making Hamilton's championship triumph a little easier than was expected but overall the 30-year-old accepts the "best man" won.

"Next year will be a different story as we all start again, but right now, in these moments, you need to give credit to the best man and that is him this year,” he said. "Overall he was the better man and did the better job, simple as that."

Now tied with four titles apiece, it does raise of the prospect of the two most successful drivers of their generation battling it out for number five in 2018 and Vettel insists he won't give up.

"I don't fear him. I like racing with him," he said in a later interview with Sky Sports. "I would have liked a little bit more of that this year but overall, they were just the better bunch."

 

         

 

 

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