Sergio Perez believes his superior pace in races made him better than Esteban Ocon during their time at Force India.

The Mexican came out on top in the Drivers' Championship by 13 points in both seasons that the pair raced with the now renamed Racing Point F1 squad.

During the 2018 campaign, Ocon out-qualified Perez 16-5 with an average difference of almost half a second but, four more retirements, including a disqualification in Austin, plus Checo's third place in Baku swung the battle in his favour.

“I think in qualifying he probably had the upper hand although the gap between us in qualifying is less than a tenth," Perez was quoted by PlanetF1.

“He was more often in front in qualifying than myself, but I think the gap [between us] in the race is much bigger than qualifying.

“In the race I thought I did the bigger difference, always on the pace, the pace was a bit stronger in the race.

“We were very close again but I think he was just a little bit better in qualifying and I was quite a bit better in the race.”

Also Read:

• Perez admits Ocon relationship was 'never great' at Force India
• Perez talks up Stroll potential, plays down favouritism fears

The pair had an often fractious partnership over the two years with a number of comings together resulting in the introduction of team orders on two occasions.

In 2019, however, Ocon will be gone and is being replaced by Lance Stroll following his father's takeover of the team this past summer and the Canadian believes he will have a lot to show after a tough year with Williams.

“All in all I do believe I’m a more complete driver today than I was a year ago,” Stroll claimed. “I just haven’t been able to demonstrate that due to the package.

“I’ve learned so much with another season under my belt of Formula 1, time with the engineers, expanding my knowledge of F1, the tyres, racing, qualifying. Just with seat time, you learn so much and that’s far from done.

“I just turned 20 years old and I still believe I’m very far from reaching my full potential. Every year I try to keep chipping away at it," he added.

“Over the winter this year I’m going to reflect and work on my weaknesses and build on my strengths.”

Formula 2 champion George Russell believes he is "ready for the challenge" of Formula 1 as he steps up with Willims next year.

The young Briton joins the grid having achieved the same record as Charles Leclerc of winning both GP3 and F2 at the first attempt but, like the Monegasque, will be racing at a team where expectations are a lot lower.

Indeed, Williams is in a bit of crisis after finishing bottom of the Constructors' standings in 2018 and face a tough task in trying to reclaim a solid midfield position in 2019.

Russell though is confident of what he can achieve.

“I’ve come off the back of two amazing years and I’m ready for the challenge,” he said. “Obviously I’m a rookie and I’m not going to go out there and do anything stupid, but I feel like this is my time and I’m ready to do the business.

“It’s a huge step up, not only in the speed aspect, from F2 to F1. There’s so much extra coming with it. You’re in the eyes of millions of viewers.

“I’ve gone from working with 30 team members in Formula 2 to 750 with Williams. There’s much more pressure on the driver’s shoulders than just driving the car.”

Also Read:

• Russell wants to work with Kubica to push Williams forward in 2019
• Russell sets midfield goal for Williams in 2019

Russell has been preparing by working closely with Williams since signing the deal to replace Lance Stroll but he has also had the bonus of Mercedes' help as part of their young driver program.

“I’ve been in a very fortunate position in the last two years, being part of Mercedes and having the opportunity to be in the debriefs and the meetings alongside Lewis [Hamilton],” he admitted.

“It’s very surreal to be honest. The past couple of years, since joining the Mercedes programme, have been a step-by-step process.

“It almost felt like a natural step to get this opportunity [in F1]. This is everything I’ve dreamed of.”

Mark Webber has pointed to Renault's request for financial changes in Formula 1 to once again raise concerns over Daniel Ricciardo's move for 2019.

The Australian clearly isn't convinced by his countryman's decision to leave the Milton Keynes outfit after five seasons and join the French manufacturer which is looking to rekindle their success after relaunching their works team in 2016.

Indeed, while Ricciardo claims that it was a move he had to make for his career, Webber maintains that most expected him to remain at Red Bull for another year at least.

"I think we're all a bit concerned about it [his move to Renault]," he was quoted by F1i.com.

"The people in the industry would have liked him to [stay]. I'm still reasonably close to Red Bull, I've had the odd dinner with Daniel, he knows where my position is on this – it hasn't changed.

"I would have loved him to stay at Red Bull."

Also Read:

• Ricciardo: Taking Renault to the 'next level' is main aim in 2019
• Renault: 2019 goals dependent on Red Bull/Honda partnership

Uncertainty mid-summer of Red Bull-Honda's potential was thought to be a major factor in Ricciardo's decision and many, including Webber, do expect next year to be a building year for that relationship.

"But by 2020, I think they could be a very special outfit to be with again," he claimed. "To get the results that Red Bull are going to get next year is going to be challenging for him [Ricciardo] to say the least.

"Renault wants budget caps, headcount caps, they want all sort of decreases in salaries across the board to get the parity of the sport up there.

"I think when you've just arrived there as a driver, and you have a team that's giving that sort of position, that's a concern."

Lewis Hamilton will likely remain in Formula 1 for two more years at least after his current contract expires, veteran paddock figure Tony Jardine believes.

The Briton is currently signed up with Mercedes until the end of 2020 after agreeing a new deal earlier this year and, after claiming his fifth world title this season, now has Michael Schumacher's seven championships and 91 wins in his sights.

However, given the well-known off-track interests Hamilton has and the rise of new talent like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, retirement has often been thought of as a likely possibility in the not too distant future.

“I personally think that he’s one of the guys that as he gets older, he gets better," Jardine told the Express in disagreement.

"I just think at 35 [in 2020], that’s still absolutely fine [to continue]. You have to look at Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell, they were up into 38, 39. Mansell [was] 40.

The former ITV pundit also points to one of Hamilton's mantras to dispell any thoughts of him losing the passion for F1.

“I still think he will be absolutely in his prime and his quote for me was, ‘I was born to race and win’. That’s what he does,” he claimed.

“No matter how much he loves his fashion and his music and all those other things, I think it would be a big chunk out of his life.

“So, in these two years, if things go really well, I can see him signing for another two after that.”

Also Read:

• Coulthard predicts Hamilton will retire after 2020
• Ecclestone: F1 needs Hamilton 'more than ever'
• Hamilton on matching Schumacher records: "We'll see"

Another key factor will be the new regulations that Liberty Media are currently negotiating with teams, aimed at improving the racing spectacle in F1.

One thing that Jardine doesn't think is in Lewis' future is racing away from F1 ala Fernando Alonso.

“It’s easy to say, but trying to look into the old, big crystal ball and work it out, I just can’t see him going off and stopping,” Jardine said.

“And I certainly can’t see him going off, as much as he loves America, I certainly can’t see him going off and doing IndyCar or NASCAR or anything like that because they’re just not on the same level as Formula 1.

“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport worldwide.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is sad that Lewis Hamilton's success is being overlooked by fans during his Formula 1 career.

For all that he has achieved, the Briton remains a very divisive figure for his lifestyle and his comments, including a recent uproar after comparing his hometown of Stevenage to "slums".

As a result, Wolff believes that distracts from Hamilton's on-track achievements which are putting him on course to be one of the greatest ever in history.

"Not everybody recognizes a great career, a great sportsman or greatness overall while it's happening. There is a lot of negativity and envy whilst it happens," the Austrian told Reuters.

"It's only being recognized once a career has ended as having been really great and I don't know why that is. We are extremely privileged in following a career of maybe the greatest racing driver of all time.

"Obviously Michael [Schumacher] has set the records and was unbelievable but Lewis is on a similar trajectory," he claimed.

"Also with Michael, it was only recognized after he retired and even more when tragedy struck and I think it's a pity.

"We are live spectators, live witnesses of a great racing driver at the peak of his abilities."

Also Read:

• Hamilton 'the best since Senna' over a single lap
• Verstappen: F1 success 'a lot easier' for Hamilton at Mercedes
• Alonso considers Hamilton amid top five greatest F1 champions

The Mercedes chief thinks the negative reaction is more of a European thing compared to American where he suggests Hamilton "inspires".

But Toto wouldn't want Lewis to change because he believes that is what makes him who he is.

"I am certainly biased because I have an emotional attachment to Lewis, for me the greatest sportsperson that is still competing in Britain," he declared.

"Everybody wants to be recognized, particularly in their own country and in order to achieve the success he has, you need to be sensitive.

"He is that exceptional sports personality also because he polarizes and I think at the end of the day, he's thinking that he'd rather polarize than be just in the middle and boring.

"He stays true to himself and his values and that is the most important thing."

Silverstone attracted the biggest single Formula 1 Grand Prix crowd of 2018 as the sport saw strong attendance growth this past season.

Figures released by Liberty Media reveal 340,000 people attended the rare sun-kissed weekend at the British Grand Prix with roughly 140,500 turning up on race day itself.

With the event's future currently uncertain beyond next year, this news will certainly be a strong argument for the BRDC who are trying to negotiate a deal.

Mexico wasn't far behind with just under 335,000 passionate fans heading to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez over the three days with 135,400 packing the grandstands on Sunday.

Though the return of Germany meant F1 had one more race than 2017, Liberty say total attendance figures over the 21 rounds rose 7.8% year-on-year with almost 4.1m fans going through the gates.

"With nearly 200,000 spectators at each Grand Prix, and more than 80,000 packing the grandstands for Sunday's races across the season [on average], it demonstrates that these big numbers compare favourably with other major sporting events, thus confirming a trend for growth," said F1 commercial director Sean Bratches.

"The whole show of a Grand Prix weekend - the Formula 1 race, all the support series and the activities around the track - constitutes a great experience for the fans, as the attendance and research figures confirm.

"We strongly believe that Formula 1 has great potential which still hasn't been fully exploited and we are fully committed to improving the fan experience in the future."

In total, seven races saw crowds of over 200,000 for the who weekend including some surprise venues like Australia, Singapore and Hungary.

In terms of most improved, Azerbaijan led the way as the race on Baku's streets becomes a fan favourite, with Austria, Bahrain, Montreal, Suzuka and Budapest not far behind.

Antonio Giovinazzi insists his focus will not be trying to repeat the heroics of Charles Leclerc at Sauber next season.

In his rookie year, the Monegasque lead the Swiss team to something of a revival as he and teammate Marcus Ericsson scored more points in 2018 than Sauber had achieved since 2014.

While his announcement was made later, Giovinazzi will essentially be replacing Leclerc in the seat reserved for a Ferrari junior and looking ahead, believes he faces a much different challenge than the 21-year-old did.

"To be honest I didn’t speak much with him about this jump," said the Italian. "I want to think about myself and don’t [try to] repeat the results Charles did this year or improve on his result.

"My target is just to do the best from my side and see. I will also have a different teammate from Charles, so everything will look different.

"I hope the car will be faster from Race 1 and we can start to push already from Melbourne," he continued. "It will be quite tough for the first races because beside me is a world champion with a lot of years in F1.

"From my side, I need to do just my job and improve myself race by race and then we’ll see at the end of the year if we did a good job or not."

Also Read:

• Giovinazzi expecting a 'tough' start alongside Raikkonen at Sauber
• Leclerc: Sauber looking strong for 2019 based on recent performance

That teammate will be Kimi Raikkonen, who swiftly signed for Sauber on a two-year deal after learning of Ferrari's decision to promote Leclerc for next year.

And together, Giovinazzi is confident that the Hinwil-based squad can continue their upward trend which saw them as regular top 10 contenders with Haas, Force India and Renault for much of the year.

"I see a lot of high motivation in the team from mechanics and engineers for next year as well," Antonio noted. "So this is looking good for me for next year, so we will try and improve also the result again.

"The target for sure is to be best of the rest but it’s a really high target."

Losing Kimi Raikkonen from the battle at the front of the grid is a "blow for all" in Formula 1, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

The Finn has given up his seat at Ferrari to Charles Leclerc for 2019 but will remain on the grid after signing a two-year deal at Sauber, the team he began his career with in 2001.

While that means the ever popular 'Iceman' will be remaining in the sport, Wolff thinks just the fact he'll be competing further down the order is a disappointment.

“I think it changes a lot for F1 that Kimi is not in Ferrari anymore in a car that is able to win races,” he said in an interview quoted by PlanetF1.

“He is a formidable character. He is one of the very few people in this day and age, with social media and the ego getting out of control, that stays true to himself.

“He has his values and stays true to his values, and he is authentic. That is what the fans love. So Kimi not in a Ferrari is a blow for all of us."

Also Read:

• Raikkonen surprised by Ferrari/Sauber similarities during Abu Dhabi test
• Raikkonen draws Lotus comparison ahead of 2019 Sauber move

He did concede, however, it is a relief Raikkonen isn't retiring completely, which, at 39, many drivers in his situation would have probably decided to do.

“He is in Sauber and it is shame that, with Fernando [Alonso] going completely, we are losing two unbelievable personalities in some way," he claimed. “Kimi and Ferrari as a combination were attractive.

“Kimi says he is coming to enjoy things with Sauber, but the Sauber proved to be a best of the rest car,” Wolff added, admitting he'll still be relatively competitive.

“It is also just 40 minutes away from home, so he is able to stay at home and I think with Fred [Vasseur as team boss] they have a racers group that is coming together and a strong relationship with Ferrari, so why would he not continue to do what he enjoys doing?

“We were too much driven about what should he do: should he leave F1 because it is not a winning car anymore?

“But we are all here to be happy and we are all here to enjoy ourselves, and if driving is something that he truly enjoys then he is right to follow his passion.”

Max Verstappen admits he doesn't have much interest in partnering either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel if he can avoid it.

The Dutchman hasn't had it easy at Red Bull alongside Daniel Ricciardo since 2016 but has gradually risen his profile within the team to a point where now he is the defacto lead driver after the Australian's decision to join Renault.

In 2017, however, concerns over Red Bull's competitiveness led to Mercedes talking to Verstappen about the possibility of a seat before instead, he committed to the Milton Keynes-based squad until the end of 2020.

“When I think of my own career, it is not convenient to sit next to Hamilton or Vettel right now. Although I would absolutely do it if I had no other choice," he told Holland's Formule1.com

“I believe that with Red Bull I can also become champion, as long as we have the right package together.”

A switch to Honda engines from 2019 has certainly raised expectations of a title challenge as has Verstappen's own performance which took a clear step forward during the past year.

Also Read:

• Verstappen still lacks Hamilton trait that was his 'winning weapon' in 2018
• Verstappen: F1 success 'a lot easier' for Hamilton at Mercedes
• Hamilton nor Vettel would accept Verstappen as their teammate

Indeed, the 21-year-old took another jab at Hamilton, stating that only his Mercedes car has allowed him to claim four championships in the past five seasons.

"I think Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo and I could just as easily be champion with such a car," he claimed.

“When I see onboard images, I think Mercedes has not even gone full throttle in many races.”

Renault Formula 1 chief Cyril Abiteboul has launched another attack at Red Bull, alleging they are "hiding the facts" of the Honda engine.

Even after their 12-year partnership has come to an end, the verbal back and forth between the two parties has continued, highlighting how poor the relationship was in the final seasons.

Abiteboul's main beef is the constant claims by Red Bull that Honda, their new engine supplier, is already ahead of the French manufacturer in the power stakes which he insists is not the case.

"Honda is still 20 kilowatts behind us," he told Spain's Marca. "I know what Red Bull says but they're hiding the facts and manipulating the data. I understand their communication strategy, but there are no facts.

"Eventually it will be seen that Honda is 20 kilowatts behind and that they have not moved from their current position."

Unsurprisingly, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko dismissed the Renault chief stating the proof will be in their relative performance in 2019.

"We do not need to discuss that because next year we will see what our position is," he said. "Mr Abiteboul will continue to daydream but next year it will be completely clear."

Also Read:

• Renault reporting a significant increase in engine power for 2019, McLaren claim
• Verstappen to get first taste of 2019 Red Bull-Honda in simulator this week
• Red Bull doubt Renault will ever catch Mercedes & Renault for one reason

Meanwhile, Honda's motorsport boss Masashi Yamamoto has admitted his company still have work to do to catch up as they look to meet their new partner's high expectations.

“Over the course of the year, we improved our PU in terms of performance and reliability, thanks to the huge efforts of our engineers and mechanics,” he said in reflection.

“We established a close and honest relationship [at Toro Rosso], built on mutual respect and that produced some strong performances, such as those in Bahrain, Hungary and our qualifying in Suzuka. For this, our sincere thanks go to the entire team.

“However, it was clear that our PU is still not at the same level as the very best in terms of performance and there is also room for improvement when it comes to reliability,” he noted.

“Next season, we will supply two teams for the first time since we returned to F1 in 2015. We must do better and, with that in mind, everyone involved in the project is working relentlessly to be in good shape for pre-season testing in February.

“As we prepare for our second year with Toro Rosso and our first with Red Bull Racing, our aim is to continue to make progress and move up the order.”