Daniel Ricciardo does believe former teammate Max Verstappen is set for "greatness" in Formula 1.

The Australian left Red Bull at the end of 2018 to join Renault but enjoyed a strong relationship with the Dutchman even if resulted were heavily in Max's favour towards the end of their near three-year stint together.

Having seen first-hand Verstappen's immense talent and potential, Ricciardo now thinks it needs just one final ingredient before he starts achieving real success.

"For sure there’s a lot of potential for greatness for Max. I think it’s all about the trajectory. He keeps improving, he was quick from day one, but I’m convinced he’s got quicker than his first win with Red Bull," he told RaceFans.

"I’m sure he’ll keep improving but it’s probably going to be more of a scenario/situation in terms of if he’s going to be with a car that’s capable of winning. That’s probably what’s going to dictate what levels of greatness he’s able to achieve."

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Both Ricciardo and Verstappen have scored victories - 12 in total - with Red Bull, but using the Renault engine, the team was never able to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari consistently.

Now with Honda, expectations are increasing that could offer the boost needed to fight for the championship but if that isn't the case...

"Obviously, if that goes through a course where it’s not happening then you might get the frustrated version [of Max]," Ricciardo continued. "But as far as obviously his ability and that goes, he’s obviously very talented."

As for a final reflection on their partnership, the 29-year-old concluded: "I’ve enjoyed the challenge with him and the rivalry, I think we’ve both grown as drivers. It’s been beneficial to both our careers."

Former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello has advised Charles Leclerc on how best to cope with the pressure of racing for the Scuderia.

At just 21, the Monegasque will become the youngest man to drive for the Italian team in half a century when he lines up on the grid in Melbourne on March 16.

He also arrives with a weight of expectation after following up his Formula 2 success with a strong rookie season at Sauber, including stand-out performances in Baku, Sochi and Brazil.

“I’m super excited for him [Leclerc], he’s one of those young guys who really made his way through [impressively]," Barrichello told Autosport.

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Having partnered Michael Schumacher during his championship winning years and with nine wins of his own at Ferrari, the Brazilian veteran is very well placed to help Leclerc understand what awaits him in 2019.

“To get into Ferrari [and be successful], the only thing you need is to be really good in your head. Talent, we know he has," Rubens said.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for [teammate] Seb[astian Vettel].”

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff has credited Michael Schumacher as a "founding father" of Mercedes' current era of success on his 50th birthday.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion came out of retirement at the start of 2010 as the German manufacturer bought the Brawn GP team and together with Ross Brawn the pair helped rebuild the Brackley-based operation.

Though Schumacher would retire again at the end of 2012, Wolff is sure the success Mercedes has had with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg since the hybrid era started in 2014 wouldn't have been possible without Michael's input.

"Michael is one of the founding fathers of the success we have had in the last five years," the Austrian declared. "There is no other driver like him and his vast experience contributed tremendously in the development of our team.

"He played a crucial role when we rejoined F1 and was one of the people who laid the foundation for our future success. We're extremely grateful for everything he did for us."

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Wolff then went on to talk about his own experience with Schumacher, recalling the first time they met.

"I remember when I first met Michael back in 2012, it was on a flight from Zürich to Singapore," he said. "He was sitting next to me and asked me if I was up for a game of backgammon.

"I think that I'm a decent backgammon player, but he absolutely crushed me in the first two rounds because I was so star-struck.

"Once I was over that, my game improved, and we ended up playing and talking for the entire flight.

"We had a really good and honest conversation and when we landed it felt like I had known him for much longer than I actually did."

Widely considered as the greatest driver of all time, the Mercedes boss believes Schumacher's legacy in F1 goes far beyond just his remarkable achievements.

"Michael has had a tremendous impact on Formula 1," he stated. "Not only did he set an incredible record - a record that is yet to be beaten - but he also shaped and changed the sport forever.

"As a driver, Michael took F1 to a whole new level with his attention to detail and his technical knowledge.

"He did everything with great determination, from his engineering debriefs to his physical training, and was always searching for new ways to improve his on-track performance."

Sauber's 'spiral' of positive events last year were key in attracting Kimi Raikkonen to join for 2019, says team boss Fred Vasseur.

The Finn surprised everyone by announcing a move back to the Swiss outfit mere minutes after it was confirmed Charles Leclerc would be replacing him at Ferrari this season.

While Raikkonen has claimed his love for driving is the reason for his decision, Vasseur believes the step forward Sauber took is what interested Kimi the most.

“We had Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Charles joining the team, we took [aerodynamicist] Jan Monchaux, Simone Resta [as technical director] and brought them into the factory," he said to Autosport.

“Each week we had good news, it’s like a spiral. The motivation is there, the mood is huge compared to last year, the team spirit.”

The partnership with Alfa, which also brought closer ties to Ferrari, was considered the main boost, helping the team to their best season since 2015, finishing eighth in the Constructors' championship with 48 points.

“For me, drivers are the same. Good engineers you can motivate with the salary but they love racing and they want to get results,” Vasseur continued.

“We’re in a much better position to recruit, to have top guys in every single department. I have the feeling that we’re really attractive as a project.

“Drivers are the same story. Kimi knows it will be difficult for us to better than P7 without an accident [for the top three teams].

“The motivation can come from somewhere else. The fact we’re improving, we’re growing up, we’re building something – I think it’s a huge feeling for all the team members, including drivers.”

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The Sauber chief is also confident the impact of the new additions to the team will be felt more in 2019, allowing them to be even more competitive in the midfield.

“We recruited a lot since last year to improve on every single part of the company and it’s paying off,” he said.

“When we started to work at the end of ’17, people joined at the beginning of ’18 and some of them were working on the ’18 car.

“Some of them switched directly to this year’s car. It’s the first results of this recruitment. I hope it will get more and more.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown insists the team will give Lando Norris time to settle in before assessing his performance.

The young Briton has enjoyed a rapid rise through the motorsport ranks winning in European Formula 3 in 2017 before finishing second to George Russell in F2 last year.

Having joined McLaren's young driver program in early 2017, Norris has now earned his opportunity in F1 but does face having to avoid the same fate as Stoffel Vandoorne who arrived as a highly-rated talent but failed to deliver.

"Formula 1 can be a pretty cruel environment," Brown warned speaking to The Sun newspaper.

"We need to manage expectations, not after three races and pass judgment, which we as a sport are pretty quick to do.

"He will definitely be given time to develop. It is a high-pressure environment and the first thing anyone does in F1 is compare you to your teammate."

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While Vandoorne had the challenge of Fernando Alonso alongside him, Norris faces perhaps a more attainable level against Carlos Sainz, a driver who is also highly-rated but is yet to get his big chance.

"We expect them to race each other hard, cleanly and, for sure, they need to get the measure of each other from time to time," the McLaren boss added.

Michael Schumacher's family have issued a statement to fans ahead of his 50th birthday which takes place on Thursday.

Last month marked the fifth anniversary since the German legend's skiing accident in Switzerland which left him with severe head injuries.

Since then, news of his condition has been kept a closely guarded secret but ahead of a new exhibition titled 'Michael 50' which opens this week, the family had a message for everyone.

"We want to remember and celebrate his victories, his records and his jubilation," the statement read.

"You can be sure that he is in the very best of hands and that we are doing everything humanly possible to help him.

"Please understand if we are following Michael's wishes and keeping such a sensitive subject as health, as it has always been, in privacy.

"At the same time, we say thank you very much for your friendship and wish you a healthy and happy year 2019."

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While there is some frustration from fans at the lack of information, those that remain close to Schumacher agree with the decision including Formula 1's current motorsport director Ross Brawn.

"I am constantly in touch with [Schumacher's wife] Corinna and I totally agree with their decision," said the former Ferrari technical chief.

"Michael has always been a very private person and that's been a guiding principle in his career, his life. His family always agreed with that choice."

In a positive step, FIA president Jean Todt also recently revealed he watched last year's Brazilian Grand Prix with Schumacher in his home.

Robert Kubica has admitted his level of competitiveness during 2019 will largely be dictated by his Williams car.

The Pole's comeback is one of the most anticipated stories of the coming year, as he does so over eight years after a horrific rally crash left him with a partially amputated right arm.

Still, considered equal to the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel during his first five-year stint, many are eager to see if Kubica still has what it takes in Formula 1.

"It's a difficult task and a very ambitious goal, but I think I'm well known for not taking on things that are light and easy," the 34-year-old was quoted by F1i.com.

"Whether it works or how close I am, much will depend on how I feel in the car and what the new car is like. How will it behave? This can greatly simplify or complicate the matter."

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Certainly, hopes are Williams can make some progress after a terrible 2018 which saw the British team languish at the back of the grid all season with a flawed car which even Kubica struggled to understand.

"If a car does not perform as the driver expects, it is not even so much about the speed and the lap times, but the feeling that it gives that can hinder the driver," he noted.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes the close relationship between the team and Lewis Hamilton can be traced back to the end of 2016.

Tensions ran very high following the final race that year after Hamilton had ignored a team order to increase his pace in an effort to beat Nico Rosberg to the championship.

Some even wondered if the Briton might leave Mercedes with the German becoming champion, instead, it was Rosberg who retired leaving Hamilton to lead alongside Valtteri Bottas.

"With Lewis, we needed our time and in hindsight, how it was with how the 2016 season ended, it gave us the best roots to grow our relationship stronger," Wolff told Motorsport.com.

"Since then we have had mostly good moments and trust has built up. It is important for a racing driver, for myself and for the team that we can say that we trust each other and it is not lightly said."

Now the 33-year-old sits a five-time champion having won the two titles since and the memories of 2016 are long gone.

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His achievements are now also drawing comparisons to the all-time greats and offering his view, Wolff does puts Hamilton's success down to his life approach.

"I think that what is happening is that he constantly develops, there is no standstill," the Austrian claimed.

"He is improving in every area. He is improving on track, he is improving off track, and his partnership with Tommy Hilfiger is very successful. It is one of the best performing fashion collections from the Hilfiger brand.

"So he is building up a second pillar of activity that is more than a hobby already, and therefore that has added another building block to making him a complete sportsman.

"It makes him happy. It is like the Kimi [Raikkonen] thing: it is about being happy. And if you are happy then you perform well."

Michael Schumacher's former manager Willi Weber has revealed he tried to stop the German from returning to Formula 1 with Mercedes in 2010.

Having retired from Ferrari at the end of 2006, the seven-time champion remained close to the Italian team and even wanted to replace Felipe Massa after the Brazilian's horrific accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

With the taste for competition back, Schumacher joined Ross Brawn when the Briton's successful 2009 team was bought by the German manufacturer with the pair considered the builders of Mercedes' recent achievements.

Weber though wasn't convinced by the idea: "Not at all. I summoned him and said ‘please don’t do it. You can only lose’,” he told Germany's Abendzeitung newspaper and was quoted by PlanetF1.

“He was a seven time world champion with nothing to prove. But he really wanted to drive. I thought it’s fine that he drives, but it will be without me.”

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Weber, who was with Schumacher throughout his first stint in F1, maintains the disagreement didn't impact their long-standing relationship it was merely a case of him not having the same motivation.

“We still had a contract until 2014, but I just didn’t want to go around the world anymore," he explained. “I am a person who sees that everything in life has its time and what Michael and I did in almost 20 years, that was our F1 time.

“You cannot repeat that or bring the past back to life.

“We separated as friends and then spoke hundreds of times on the phone or together for coffee or dinner.”

Kevin Magnussen rates current Haas teammate Romain Grosjean ahead of world champion Jenson Button in pure speed.

The Dane partnered the Briton during his rookie season at McLaren in 2014 and was largely outclassed finishing 70 points behind before eventually being replaced by Fernando Alonso.

Still now, Magnussen is full of praise for Button, who retired from Formula 1 after the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.

"If you look at the whole package - human, chemistry, lap times and so on - Jenson is the best teammate I've had," Magnussen told BT Sport.

Even so: "There is no doubt that Romain is faster than Jenson. On one lap, Romain is exceptionally fast when it all goes well for him."

Grosjean is considered as one of the top midfield drivers but is known for bouts of inconsistency as was the case for the first half of 2018.

While the results on a Sunday were lacking for a while though, the Frenchman did still beat Magnussen in the qualifying battle.

"It would have meant more to me if I had won it," Kevin admitted. "Perhaps it means something if the big teams are looking at you, but I'm not advertising myself like that."

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Reflecting on Grosjean's improvement during the second half of the year, Magnussen puts it down to a better feeling with the Haas car as it was developed.

"Romain came back after a difficult period and it might have seemed like I took a step backwards, but that was not the case. He had just returned to his highest level," he explained.

"It is clear that with the update, Romain got a car that suited him very well. Overall it was better, but unlike Romain, I could drive the old one too.

"In fact I have a hard time understanding that it made such a big difference to Romain."