Max Verstappen has said the "tough" approach from his father Jos prepared him to deal with the pressure of Red Bull.

With Helmut Marko at the helm, the company became known for its cut-throat approach to young talent, with names like Sebastien Buemi, Jean-Eric Vergne and now Carlos Sainz not making the eventual jump to the senior team.

As for the Dutchman, he arrived at Toro Rosso at the start of 2015 and less than 25 races into his career he was at Red Bull, replacing Daniil Kvyat.

“All my life I worked together with my dad, and he is very tough too,” Max was quoted by PlanetF1. “Ultimately, that’s a good thing. It brought me to F1, of course with the support of Red Bull and Helmut.”

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Verstappen has had his own blips, however, none more so than the start of this past season when he was involved in incidents with Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo at three consecutive races and had other moments.

“You have to stay critical and that was necessary after those weekends in China and Monaco,” he admitted in reflection. “We talked about it. These things can happen but sometimes you need to go through it to become stronger.”

After the race in Monte Carlo, the 21-year-old would completely turn his year around with 10 podiums in 15 races and two wins, including his main highlight of 2018 in Austria.

“It was amazing, especially with so many Dutch fans there,” Verstappen smiled. “It was awesome to win with a Red Bull Racing car at the Red Bull Ring. It was unbelievable.

“I didn’t expect it the night before the race. The race panned out a bit like the 2016 one, only this time it was for the win.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits his focus is on Esteban Ocon's future in Formula 1 than signing Mick Schumacher.

The Austrian has made it clear previously that the son of seven-time world champion Michael is very much welcome to join the young driver program at the German manufacturer.

However, with a year or two yet before Schumacher Jr. realistically steps up to F1, as he prepares for F2 in 2019, Wolff has bigger concerns on his mind.

"He has won his F3 title with a Mercedes engine in the rear, but for now, you have to give him time to develop," he told Bild newspaper.

"In our junior program there is currently very little space. My priority is to find a seat for Esteban Ocon in F1 again in 2020."

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The Frenchman is facing a year off the grid having been dropped by Racing Point for Lance Stroll and will spend the next year as a reserve at the Brackley-based squad.

Recent speculation has also suggested Ocon's plight has pushed Schumacher towards favouring Ferrari's Academy over Mercedes, particularly having seen Charles Leclerc's rapid rise to a seat at the Scuderia for next season.

Sebastian Vettel has called on his Ferrari team to improve and take the "final step" towards producing a lasting championship bid in 2019.

Much like 2017, the four-time world champion led a strong challenge against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes for the first half of this past season only for errors and late issues with development to hand the Briton the title.

While Vettel himself came under fire for a series of mistakes, including first lap contact on three occasions and his infamous crash while leading at Hockenheim to name a few, he insists the Scuderia still lacked that final bit of performance.

“I think we need a stronger package,” he claimed. “We certainly had our moments this year when we had strong races but we also had races which weren’t very strong, we weren’t quick enough, so I think overall it’s the speed that decides and I think more often than not I think we’re lacking a little bit of speed.

“I think we’re working very hard and the motivation is there to do that final step that is still outstanding.”

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While much of the attention was on the 31-year-old, he also pointed to those within Maranello and the difference they too can make.

“What you look at in terms of when you look in qualifying or the race, then obviously we are the ones driving the car and we are alone driving the car,” he noted.

“When we cross the line you look at us first, but there’s a lot of people behind to make sure that you do cross the line and if they do their job really really well and work together then you have a high chance of finishing higher up.”

And looking forward to 2019, Vettel continued: “We know where we want to go: A lot of work ahead of us, a lot of lessons to be learned again this year.

“We had 21 races and in summary, we haven’t been strong enough this year to take the challenge until the last race, the last lap, so I think we need to look at ourselves.

“I think we have the people, we have the resources so it’s more getting the maximum out of our package, improving the work inside our team and making sure that we come up with a stronger package, a stronger team for the future.”

For next year Vettel also faces a threat from new teammate Charles Leclerc and a Red Bull team looking to finally make their own step forward with new engine supplier Honda.

Daniel Ricciardo claims he lost interest in comparing stats with teammate Max Verstappen as they didn't show the "true picture" of his year.

The Australian began 2018 very strongly with two victories in China and Monaco and was widely credited as one of the top drivers on the grid such was his level of performance.

His win in Monte Carlo would be the last great high of his year, however, with Verstappen out-qualifying him for 11 straight races until Mexico and scored 10 podiums while Ricciardo failed to achieve any.

"I am happy with how I've been this year and I certainly feel that the points and the qualifying tally don't show the true picture," Ricciardo, who ended the season 79 points behind his teammate, told Autosport.

"I don't want to take the credit away from Max because he is getting better each year and he's a top-level driver, but even on those days where he has out-qualified me, I've still been comfortable with that and most of the time I've understood why.

"Sometimes I've taken my hat off and said that it was just a bloody good lap, but there have been other times, where there have been some issues and I've had some little things which haven't quite gone my way."

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While Verstappen flew high, Ricciardo's final two-thirds of 2018 were dogged by reliability problems and bad luck with six of his eight retirements coming post-Monaco.

That's why he admits he also stopped following the internal battle with the Dutchman and focused on himself.

"I think I got to a point, probably around the mid-season break, where I just didn't care about the stats anymore," the 2019 Renault driver claimed.

"I knew I was probably going to get done in qualifying this year, who cares? I may end up with fewer points, who cares?

"I just want to do what I can and if it works, it works and if it doesn't life goes on," Ricciardo added. "Of course, I did care, but it was just that I didn't want to put it on a pedestal.

"I already had so many other things on my mind. I didn't need to fill it with more expectations.

"If I did the best job I could: maybe I could beat him but if not, so be it and I'll live to fight another day."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has revealed a frantic effort to contact Lewis Hamilton after hearing of his Yamaha superbike test at Jerez.

The five-time Formula 1 champion spent his first weekend of the winter break at the Spanish circuit fulfilling his passion for motorbikes at a private event.

Normally, drivers would be expected to gain permission their employer given the risk of injury but it was clear by Wolff's reaction that Lewis kept it a secret.

"When the news spread, I tried to call him, in vain," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "So I called one of the three engineers who was with him.

"'Where are you?'. 'Er, um, we're on a track.' 'Are you turning all three on the motorbike, then?' 'Yes, but ... we're done ',” Toto said reciting the awkward conversation.

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Despite a fall, Hamilton emerged without any issues much to the relief of his boss.

"We all had a liberating laugh, but it is clear that for Christmas I will not give him a bike!" Wolff joked.

Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has revealed rivals called him "crazy" for taking on Honda engines in 2018.

The junior Red Bull team intervened to give the Japanese manufacturer an outlet when McLaren ended their tumultuous three-year partnership at the end of 2017.

Given the lack of performance or reliability that Honda had shown since returning in 2015, expectations certainly weren't high for the new alliance but for some, the fact it existed in the first place was enough of a surprise.

“Honda was a highlight for us. You remember what last year, at this stage, other teams said about Honda,” Tost recalled and was quoted by PlanetF1.

“I remember meeting some people here and they said ‘you must be totally crazy, we wish you all the best for next year’. I said ‘yes, we will have a good season, you will see, we will be in front of you’.

“They thought that maybe I am totally crazy, but I was convinced that Honda is the right decision to go with.”

His feeling would largely be proven right as Toro Rosso enjoyed a strong pre-season in Barcelona and would enjoy Honda's best result since returning with fourth in Bahrain via Pierre Gasly.

At the first meeting though, the Austrian admits the initial signals were a little worrying.

"I was shocked because they didn't know things which are related to the chassis or power unit," Tost claimed. "If you are coming together with a new partner, first you have to sit together to discuss to find out where we need to be concentrating.

"But it went very fast and very well because they were totally open and so were we from our side. We had very good cooperation and we have a very good business relationship," he concluded.

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Such was the improvements made over the year that now sister team Red Bull will join forces with Honda from 2019.

With performance now considered equal if not ahead of former supplier Renault, perhaps the one concern left is reliability after Toro Rosso used the most engines of anyone during this past season.

“It was clear for me that during the season we will not finish the season with three engines, but the last changes of the engines were more or less the wish from our side," the team boss explained.

“I see this season as a preparation for next year. This year was gone for us. Forget it.

“There was very close cooperation, and Honda could improve reliability as well as the performance.”

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Red Bull would consider leaving Formula 1 for Le Mans in 2021 and a project with title sponsor Aston Martin.

Over the past year or so, an overhaul of the regulations has been discussed between teams and owners Liberty Media as part of a new Concorde Agreement to come into effect in two years time.

Previously, Ferrari and Mercedes have both admitted they could leave if they don't agree with the new vision while Red Bull has been more supportive of the proposed changes.

Now though, advisor Helmut Marko has acknowledged nothing is off the table regarding the company's future.

"We have an agreement until 2020, [but] as long as there is no engine regulation and no Concorde Agreement, neither Red Bull nor Honda will make a decision [beyong that]," he told Autosport.

"However, we will certainly not become dependent again as we have been in the past, when we were begging others and statements and promises were not kept.

"Stopping is an option or doing something else, another racing series."

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Aston Martin had considered becoming an engine supplier in F1 from 2021 but changed their minds after the proposed changes were watered down. Instead, their main focus is now on the new hypercar regulations being introduced in the WEC from 2020.

Having partnered with the British brand to develop the Valkyrie model, which Marko described as a "sensational success", the Red Bull man didn't role out an expansion of their motorsport program regardless of what happens in F1.

"If there was a cost cap in Formula 1, we would have to cut people. We don't necessarily want that. We could then use them in such projects [as Le Mans]," he explained.

"It still looks like you can run in the WEC at a reasonable cost with the base of our Valkyrie.

"Although Red Bull has never been to the 24 Hours, that's something we're thinking about. The main financial burden would be on Aston Martin, which is also clear because at Le Mans the manufacturer wins, but that would fit into our concept."

CEO Zak Brown claims he has a five-year plan to move McLaren back to the top in Formula 1.

The British team is enduring one of the worst periods of competitiveness in their history as a failed Honda partnership and problems internally have seen them fail to win a race since 2012.

A change to Renault engines in 2018 didn't bring the expected boost either and by the end of the year, McLaren was fighting with Williams at the back of the grid having struggled to develop their chassis.

Brown realised the scale of the situation back in the summer, however, instigating a number of changes including the ousting of Eric Boullier, and is now looking forward to a road of recovery.

“I have presented a five-year plan and within that plan, we think we have a journey to get back to winning races," he claims. "Then once you’re winning races, you’re competing for the championship."

The American does concede though that McLaren can't close the gap by themselves.

“I think it’s critical that Liberty makes changes to the sport because right now, the way the sport is going, it’s difficult for more than two or three teams to compete for the championship," he added.

“There are things that are out of our control, but hopefully we can influence that need to change."

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Another big change will be in their line-up for next year as Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris replace Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

While the Spaniard, joining from Renault, is expecting an improvement from McLaren in 2019, he admits those around them will remain tough to beat.

"Next year we should fear everyone," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"You think about [the improvement by] Sauber, Force India [Racing Point] with a bit more budget, what they could be capable of, Renault, what they are able to do.

"Haas, if they keep getting the amount of Ferrari parts that they are getting and Ferrari keeps dominating [engine development], they should be also very strong.

"McLaren has a whole new project and is wanting to invest and wanting to go back to P4 in the championship after a difficult year.

"[But when] you think about all these teams, you think anyone could lead the midfield battle next year."

Williams believes not even a tripling of their budget could have turned around the flaws with their 2018 car.

The British team ended this past season bottom of the Constructors' Championship with just seven points as an attempted change in design philosophy failed and left them at the back of the grid.

At the same time, there has been concerns raised about their financial future as sponsors have left and now prize money has reduced but even with more money, deputy team boss Claire Williams thinks the outcome would have probably been the same.

"I think the problems were related to the global car, if you like, we’ve had issues front to back,” she explained to Motorsport.com.

"So to try and make changes to bring performance to a car that was like that was always going to be difficult.

"We tried and we tried hard. It wasn’t through a lack of hard work, energy, motivation, I suppose it was just the flaws were too fundamental to rectify halfway through a season.

"I think even regardless of the amount of budget we could have thrown at it – we threw a lot of budget at it, even if we had tripled it I’m not convinced we would have changed its course."

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A number of changes have been made within the Grove operation as they look to avoid a repeat next year with both the chief designer and aerodynamicist among the departures as well as engineering chief Rob Smedley.

Even so, Williams doesn't expect the impact of the changes to be immediate, even if the flaws of the 2018 car are rectified.

"I think we have to be conscious of what we can achieve with the changes we’ve made," Claire continued.

"Changes are always a good thing, it resets a balance, but I think in order to make a significant difference you need those changes to bed in for a while.

"As I’ve said repeatedly you don’t go from P5 to P10 without quite a few things that have gone wrong in your organisation and we are in the slow process of resolving all of those issues.

"We have 650 people in our team but I think we are still resource-limited when it comes to people to fix the mass of problems that we have. We can’t tackle everything all in one go.

"So we, therefore, have to temper those expectations as to what we can achieve in 2019 based on the resources we have to fix everything."

Team bosses both at Red Bull and Haas are predicting a spreading out of the Formula 1 grid as a consequence of the rule changes coming for 2019.

New wings and other aerodynamic tweaks aimed are to be introduced with the goal of promoting closer racing after complaints about how hard it is to overtake with the current designs.

There has been scepticism by some as to how effective the changes will be in changing that and Red Bull's Christian Horner remains one of the most vocal critics.

“It’s a significant change. One thing affects another and obviously, it’s been a very costly change," PlanetF1 reported him as saying. “Would it affect the ability for the cars to follow closely? Maybe a little but not tangibly so.

“Inevitably somebody will get it right, some teams will get it wrong. If anything, more gaps between the teams [will occur]," he warned.

“The best way to achieve close grid is stability and then the teams will concertina and converge.”

The Briton then went on to blame Mercedes and Ferrari for supporting what he described as the "rushed" and "cherry-picked" changes which were surprisingly passed by the Strategy Group in May.

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As for Haas team boss Guenther Steiner, his main concern was that the midfield outfits, already struggling to close the performance gap to the top three teams, could now find doing so even harder at the start of a new development cycle.

"Absolutely, that risk [of the top teams retaining a big advantage] is always there," he told RaceFans.

"There are good people working at a high level and if they've got more resources so they should be doing better than the other ones, otherwise they're doing something wrong.

"So I think at the beginning [of the year] the gap should be bigger between the big ones and the smaller ones because they have so many more resources to get there. And because they have more resources, they get even quicker."