Lewis Hamilton insists he and Mercedes remain "committed" to each other for the future despite having not yet signed a new contract beyond 2018.

Since the end of last season, it has always been claimed a two-year extension to the world champion's current deal was simply a matter of course, yet with an entire winter having now passed some are wondering what is causing the delay.

Messages remain firmly in the positive that the Briton's new contract will be in place before the first race in Australia next weekend and commenting at an event with main sponsor Petronas this week, Hamilton reiterated that position.

"Mercedes knows I’m committed to them, and they’ve expressed that they are committed to me," he said in Turin.

On the potential to get it done before Melbourne, the four-time champion added: “I hope so, but if not, don’t worry. It will happen.

“We are continuing to talk, obviously we have this year to focus on but it will for sure happen."

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A salary of £40 million each year in 2019 and 2020 has been reported but when asked what the sticking points were, the 33-year-old claimed it was ensuring the best agreement for both sides.

"Ultimately with contracts and partnerships you always want to work on how you can do better," he said. "How you can extract more from each other so that is what we are working on.

"I go to the factory every week and see what it is happening. There is no coincidence that we are world champions and we are number one.

"We are always wanting to move forward," he continued. "It is a new beginning for us this year. We want to win that championship again and there is one more to get."

Ferrari has taken a leaf out of Renault's playbook by signing FIA safety director Laurent Mekies [left] to their technical team, with his arrival set for September.

Last year, the French manufacturer caused an uproar among their fellow teams after taking on the then-technical director at the governing body Marcin Budkowsky with a compromise later reached which will see him join the Enstone outfit in April.

The reason why the employment of FIA officials is controversial is that rivals are concerned the secrets and knowledge of their cars could be passed on to the team who takes them on board, which is why Renault and Budkowsky agreed to an extended period of gardening leave before starting his new role.

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Those worries may be reduced as Mekies will be joining Ferrari in six months time and, as the FIA revealed: “Until his departure from the FIA at the end of June, Mekies will continue to act as the FIA safety director.

“However he will immediately cease all F1 duties and will no longer be involved in any F1 matter, stepping down from his role as a deputy F1 race director with immediate effect.”

In his new position which has not been named by the Italian team, all that is known is that Mekies will be reporting to the technical director Mattia Binotto.

Esteban Ocon has claimed he would jump at the first opportunity to rekindle his "very intense" junior series rivalry with Max Verstappen in Formula 1.

Both drivers are considered stars of the future with Verstappen already one of the biggest names in the sport after just three seasons but when the Dutchman first burst into the spotlight in European F3 in 2014 it was Ocon who beat him to the title that year.

As part of the Red Bull program, Max's rise has been more rapid but after getting his chance with Manor in 2016 before joining Force India last season, some see it as a matter of when not if Ocon joins Mercedes, with whom the Frenchman is already associated.

"Yeah, if there is a championship at the end of that fight I'd sign straight away, there's no problem there," Ocon told Autosport when asked if he wants to go toe-to-toe with Verstappen again.

"Charles [Leclerc], Max, those drivers are very, very strong. I've been racing with them since the very beginning," he added, with Leclerc Ferrari's hottest prospect and now in F1 with Sauber.

"I know how good they are and I'm sure we'll meet in the future again."

Also Read:

• Ocon must beat Perez in 2018 to prove development, says Mercedes boss
• Force India believes Ocon is on a similar level to Verstappen
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More specifically on his history with Verstappen, Ocon stated the two haven't always gotten along, though a strong respect for each other does seem to be in place.

"[We were] not friends at all. It was a very intense fight. It came out a bit too much at some point," he admitted.

"Now we have no problem at all, we speak well together and he is a cool guy. Back in the day it was very intense." 

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has slammed Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne claiming he can't "hold Formula 1 to ransom" over future rules.

The legendary Italian team is putting up a major front to the sport's owners Liberty Media, claiming they are wanting to protect the DNA of F1 as negotiations for a new Concorde Agreement take place, which will be implemented in 2021.

Last year, proposed changes to the engine in three years time led to Marchionne's threat to pull Ferrari out of F1 but Horner insists it should be the prerogative of Liberty and the FIA to enforce their role as the rule makers.

"It might be bad for us or Ferrari or Mercedes, but it's Liberty who must decide what they want F1 to be," Horner told Spanish publication El Confidencial.

"It's inevitable that there are going to be two battlefields but FOM and the FIA are going to make the rules and then it's up to the teams to decide if they want to be part of it or not."

Also Read:

• F1 needs to be "fair for all, including Ferrari", Brawn claims
• Ferrari and Mercedes "working as one" politically, says Red Bull boss
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Ferrari has also argued that Liberty, just one year into their time in charge, don't have the knowledge to make such important decisions over the future direction of F1.

"I think that's disrespectful to Ross Brawn, one of the most successful engineers in F1 history," Horner said, referring to the former Mercedes and Ferrari man who is now managing director of motorsport.

"I think Liberty has a good understanding of the business and it's up to them to decide what's best."

Ultimately, Horner hopes a solution is found which suits all claiming it is "fantastic" to compete against Ferrari, however: "It's wrong to hold F1 to ransom in that way," he warned. 

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier has become the first Formula 1 figure to publicly slam Ferrari and the FIA over the Scuderia's signing of safety director Laurent Mekies.

On Wednesday it was confirmed Mekies would be leaving his current position at the end of June and joining the technical team at Maranello in September, a swoop similar to that Renault made for soon to be executive director Marcin Budkowsky.

What is mostly annoying the McLaren chief is the six-month period of absence from any F1 activities Mekies will serve before joining Ferrari breaks an agreement put in place after the French manufacturer agreed to delay Budkowsky's start date last year.

"We very unhappy with the FIA for losing yet another key employee to a racing team," Boullier told Motorsport.com on Thursday.

"Especially after it was agreed by all teams at the last Strategy Group meeting that no key technical FIA employees would be employed by a race team within 12 months of leaving the FIA.

"Ferrari went against the gentleman's agreement and the FIA has not enforced it."

The potential for FIA officials to pass on their knowledge of other car designs to a new employer is what causes the stern response from those teams who are particularly known to push the boundaries of both design and the rules.

It will be interesting to see if any fallout from Ferrari's decision to hire Mekies will continue in Australia next weekend.

Formula 1 governing body, the FIA, is to monitor Renault's controversial rear wing/ exhaust design which has been questioned by many rivals.

For 2018, there was a further clampdown on the effect of using the exhaust gases to generate downforce with the banning of monkey seats, a small wing located above the rain light which directed air to the rear wing and was particularly effective when the exhausts were moved to the same area in 2014.

Renault has still looked to exploit this philosophy, however, by angling their exhaust towards the rear wing and fitting the lower element with a heat-shield, a design race director Charlie Whiting has declared legal.

"I think it is absolutely minimal what they [Renault] will get from it," he told Motorsport.com explaining his position. "I don’t see any problem with it provided we are sure they are not operating their engine in a false mode – a mode that wouldn’t be normal."

Off-throttle blowing was something the French manufacturer mastered with Red Bull during their championship years and was another area targeted with greater regulation, but Whiting admits ending the concept completely is very difficult with the current design rules.

"With the wings becoming 150mm lower than they were in 2016, there was more benefit to be gained," he said. "Teams managed to build monkey seats, which we managed to get rid of by changing the bodywork regulations.

"But there was still a little window of opportunity," he added. "You know what teams are like: if you take one thing away they will try to get 10 percent of what they had, they will still do it."

Also Read:

• Verstappen: McLaren, Renault threat would look bad on Red Bull
• McLaren upbeat but "not 100%" ready for Melbourne
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Another issue Renault is dealing with ahead of the new season is cooling with the works team and McLaren overheating the rear bodywork during testing.

"If you look at the car and compare it to last year you'll see we've gone even greater lengths to try to squeeze all the componentry together," chief technical officer Bob Bell commented. "That makes it even harder to manage the thermal flows of the car.

"We pushed like hell to get the maximum aerodynamic performance from the car and that means squeezing everything closer together and giving ourselves more headache with thermal management."

Lewis Hamilton claims he is going into the 2018 Formula 1 season "stronger" than last year, as he targets a fifth world title and fourth in five years.

The Briton had a low-key testing, opting not to run as much as Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, yet showed his class by consistently being fast as he got to grips with the new Silver Arrow in Barcelona.

Earlier this week, Hamilton was at the team's base in Brackley as final preparations took place before making the trip to Melbourne for the season-opener and he admits there is just one thing on his mind.

“I will give it everything this season, title number five is the ultimate goal," the 33-year-old said. “Let’s go for it!"

Though some are unsure as to Ferrari's true pace after testing, Sebastian Vettel is expected to be the main challenger once again as he too seeks to move within two of Michael Schumacher's record of seven F1 titles.

Considering how he will approach the year ahead, Hamilton said on Sky Sports: “Nothing’s going to be different, we’re going to be going hard at it as we did last year.

“I cannot tell you what’s going to happen in terms of how strong the fight’s going to be, all I can tell you is I’m ready for whatever he [Vettel] has to throw at me. I’m stronger now than I was last year so that’s a good feeling.”

Also Read:

• Bottas doubts Mercedes has major advantage ahead of new season
• Hamilton's wish to keep Bottas as teammate is tactical, Palmer claims

As for the immediate start of the season in Australia though, Lewis' attention is on another team looking to knock him off his perch.

"I think Red Bull is the fastest at the moment, potentially," he claimed. "They have some sort of upgrade coming, of some magnitude, two-to-four tenths or something like that - that's what I heard."

Pirelli has released the tyre choices for the season-opening Australian GP with Mercedes opting for the most aggressive strategy of the top three teams.

The Italian supplier will take the Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft compounds to use on the streets of Albert Park, with the layout much different challenge from the test venue in Barcelona and not always a great barometer of the year to come.

2018 has also seen Pirelli alter their tye philosophy with each tyre a step softer to increase degradation and pit-stops with two-stop strategies the aim at each race.

During the pre-season though, the new rubber has still looked durable with most teams able to push for several laps, there have also been problems with blistering, however, with Mercedes particularly struggling on the softer compounds at the rear.

That makes their decision to take nine sets of the Ultrasoft quite interesting and certainly, they will be hoping the new tarmac and cooler conditions in Spain were the cause of the overheating.

There is a small diversion within the Brackley-based team with Lewis Hamilton taking three sets of Supersoft and a single Soft, while Valtteri Bottas has two sets of the alternative compounds.

Ferrari has been the most conservative of the frontrunners with just seven sets of the purple-striped tyres at their disposal with three of the other two compounds. Red Bull is the intermediary with an extra set of Ultras in place of a set of Softs.

Indeed, having eight sets of the fastest tyre is the most popular with 10 drivers choosing it. Only Charles Leclerc in that category has taken three Softs and two Supersofts as opposed to the other way round.

Here is the full allocation:

FIA president Jean Todt has criticised what could be considered the hypocrisy of Formula 1 over the introduction of Halo in 2018.

The controversial cockpit protection device was made mandatory for this season after the governing body forced it through on safety grounds last July and reactions to the new designs have been mixed.

However, Todt insists it was the drivers who instigated the push which ultimately led to Halo, following several high-profile deaths including Jules Bianchi, the first F1 driver to be killed by a crash since Ayrton Senna in 1994, and is disappointed at the lack of solidarity today.

“It is short memories," he told the official F1 website when asked about the negativity. “16 December 2015, I got a letter that was signed by [GPDA directors] Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Alex Wurz, urging us to decide for head protection for the drivers and I said, ‘We are there, also to listen.’

“So immediately we asked the technical people as a priority to see what they could come out with."

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After years of testing several solutions, the Halo was determined the most suitable for a broad spectrum of scenarios but it is also considered the least good-looking and has led to some to claim it changes F1's DNA.

“I must say I am so surprised, and you know I love F1 but I hate this part of F1," the former Ferrari team boss stated.

"You have people who don’t [keep] their word. For me, we are talking about the biggest asset in life: loyalty and [keeping] a word and having respect for what you have been undertaking.

“So we have respected that [drivers request] and some have forgotten that, but that is where we are.

“For me, the Halo is no problem and I would have hoped we would have had more support from everybody – the fans, the media – for something which is for safety," he added. "I mean, I’m amazed to hear some people say, ‘OK motor racing has to be dangerous, if [the worst] happens, it happens'."

Todt concluded by claiming the response Halo has generated in F1 is not repeated in other series where the device will be used.

"We’re not only talking about F1. In Formula E I did not hear one complaint, incidentally. Everybody is happy and saying, ‘Look what we’re going to do about it.’ I didn’t hear any complaints in F2, I didn’t hear any complaints in F3.”

Fernando Alonso has revealed he did consider retiring from Formula 1 after last season before ultimately re-signing with McLaren.

The Spaniard's future was one of the main talking points throughout 2017 as his contract was set to expire and the British team's partnership with Honda continued to fail.

An appearance at the Indianapolis 500 fuelled speculation the double world champion may race elsewhere but, after 15 years on the grid, Alonso admits he didn't want to leave in bad circumstances.

“I felt it was not the right time for me to step out,” he told F1 Racing magazine. “Not right now, not after these results, not with this feeling. I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

McLaren ditching Honda in favour of Renault engines for this season was also crucial and, though pre-season testing hasn't been great, the 36-year-old's confidence remains high.

“McLaren can jump from being ninth [in the constructors' championship] to being close to the top three, in the top five in every race possible, always in Q3 and fighting for a podium when we can,” he claimed.

Also Read:

• Alonso maintains prediction of McLaren race wins in 2018
• Honda troubles have led to a "united" McLaren, Alonso claims
• McLaren has no concerns about Alonso's F1/ WEC schedule

What has surprised many so far this year has been Honda's apparent significant improvement, using only one engine in the second test and running flawlessly but for an "anomaly" in the telemetry on the final afternoon.

“I have no problem with Honda,” Alonso told Spanish radio Onda Cero when asked about their performance with new partner Toro Rosso.

“They showed a good winter test and if they finish in the top five I’ll be glad, but I don’t think so. One test is not the same as 21 races with three engines.”