Formula 1 commercial chief Sean Bratches has revealed a five-point plan to help revive interest in the sport put together following research conducted with a number of keen fans from across the world.

Recently, Liberty Media completed their first year as owners of F1, having agreed a multi-billion dollar takeover from CVC in September 2016, and as that year has progressed the new leadership including Bratches, CEO Chase Carey and motorsport director Ross Brawn have been addressing a number of areas where the product had lagged behind under Bernie Ecclestone.

Much of their attention is on shaping the sport from 2021, with radical changes unlikely before the end of the current Concorde Agreement which expires in three years time. However, this new guideline is perhaps the clearest path they have set out going forward.

"We went to four continents, we talked to 10 avid fans, in each continent, for seven hours over two days," Bratches revealed, claiming this approach has "never been done in F1".

"Our mission statement as a company came out of this - to 'unleash the greatest racing spectacle on the planet'," he added. "I think I've credited an excellent edit of senior executives with a wealth of experience to take this commercial side of the business and allow F1 to punch where its weight class is.

"I think it's been under punching to date."

The five "north stars", as he put it, have all been given names with Bratches offering insight into what each one means.

"'Revel in the Racing' is all about creating a better competition on the grid, right now there are no Leicester City's in F1," he said, referring to the team which surprisingly won the Premier League in 2016. "The back of the grid is way too far behind the front of the grid. It's not a meritocracy.

"Through costs caps, reapportionment of revenue, or governance, we're actually going to create a better spectacle, a better racing environment, a competitive one, for fans."

The second 'star' is named 'Breaking Borders' which Bratches hopes will lift the "cloak of exclusivity" that has existed in the sport for quite some time and allow fans to get closer to the racing or as he put it "touch and play at certain levels".

'Putting the Spectacular Back into the Spectacle' refers to the improvement of the show for the fans whether it be on track through better racing, better attractions and opportunities at the track or the 'F1 Live' street demonstrations which first started in London prior to the British Grand Prix and, from next year, will see the new 2017 cars included following an easing of the limit on show cars by the FIA.

'Taste the Oil' will be about improving fans knowledge of the "extraordinary" technology in F1, something which they hope to make simpler with the new engines coming in 2021, and finally "Feel the Blood Boil' is set to focus on emphasising the incredible abilities of the "gladiators" that step behind the wheel at every race.

While the idea may appear a little weird to some, the five categories do cover many of the main issues many have had with F1 for quite some time plus they will also go a long way towards introducing new fans and casual fans into the nuances which only avid fans will understand.

If done correctly, this could be a major boost for F1 and is another interesting insight into how Liberty want to use the modern tools available that were so discarded under the old regime.

The two title contending teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, have stuck to their respective strengths with tyre choices for this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

Italian supplier Pirelli has gone slightly more aggressive with the compounds available compared to last year with the Supersoft tyre brought to this race for the first time and the Hard ditched for the remainder of the season after much criticism in its only outing back in Spain.

The tropical temperatures combined with the fast, sweeping layout make Sepang one of the hardest circuits of the year on the tyres and therefore Pirelli is anticipating a two-stop race for most.

Two years ago, tyres were a major factor as Sebastian Vettel was able to beat the two Mercedes in a straight fight and claim his first win for the Scuderia and that memory will give the German hope he can bounce back from the disappointment of Singapore almost two weeks ago.

The slight difference now is the use of three compounds plus the clear pace advantage the Brackley team has had on harder tyres compared to Ferrari which they hope will give them the edge this weekend. 

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have gone among the most conservative in their allocation as a result, with just seven sets of the red-marked Supersofts compared to nine for the Italian team and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.

Hamilton, along with Romain Grosjean and Pascal Wehrlein, has the most Softs of anyone with five, while his teammate has opted for two sets of the Mediums compared to just one for the Briton.

Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have three sets of Softs and one Medium to make up their total of 13, with Daniel Ricciardo the odd-one-out in the top six with eight Supersofts, four Softs and a single Medium.

Force India and Toro Rosso have also followed the Australian with both drivers while rivals Williams have matched McLaren with the most aggressive strategy of 10 Supersofts, two Softs and one Medium.

With a large performance difference between the compounds likely due to the high-speed corners and several key traction zones, should the Supersoft prove durable Ferrari could well be in the box seats, however, if degradation makes the Soft the ideal tyre, Mercedes could take another major step towards retaining their titles.

Full tyre choices can be seen below:

Fernando Alonso believes McLaren will discover whether their consistent claims of having a chassis capable of fighting at the front of the Formula 1 grid are true or false when they switch to Renault engines from 2018.

The Spaniard is still not confirmed as a driver for the British team next season, although is widely expected to sign a new extension to his contract which expires at the end of the year, and he is fuelling that likelihood by talking up McLaren's chances since confirming the change in supplier.

Now with a power unit that has won races in back of a Red Bull, and the Milton Keynes outfit as an excellent bar at which to aim at, the double world champion believes the onus is now on the Woking team to prove Honda was the sole reason for their lack of competitiveness.

"Next year will be a good test," Alonso told Sky Sports F1. "The same engine as Red Bull will be the truth to see whether the chassis is good or not.

"For the last three years, we have been the only team with the Honda engine so it's been hard to compare. But the engineers do simulations on everything and we believe we have a good car."

Racing director Eric Boullier echoed his driver's claim, telling the official F1 website: "Today we know that we have a decent chassis, which would allow us to be in the top three again with an equal level engine."

The Frenchman also revealed, however, that the talks with Renault and the deal that had to be agreed with Red Bull for them to allow Honda to continue with Toro Rosso, had led to a minor delay in 2018 preparation.

"Two weeks is recoverable, it won't be any compromise next year," said Boullier. "Of course, we don't have the same experience as some of the customers, so we have to discover the package but, I think we can trust our engineers to do a very good job and two weeks are recoverable."

Related stories:

• Alonso hopes to avoid repeat of Turn 1 Singapore clash at Sepang
• Marko confident of Honda capabilities ahead of Toro Rosso switch
• McLaren expect regular podiums from 2018

The end of the Honda partnership has led to the Japanese manufacturer altering their approach in terms of engine development for the remainder of this season, after expediating the introduction of new updates and building towards the 'Spec 4' engine since Belgium.

Instead, from now, the supplier will only fully implement the full upgrade when they feel it is ready to do so.

“One of the points is we want to minimise the engine upgrades for the rest of the season, but that is because we’d like to get the maximum results within this year,” said Honda’s F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa.

“Previously we just prioritised the performance improvement because any improvement is continuing for next year, so we didn’t need to hesitate to introduce upgrades, but now we won’t be working together with Stoffel and Fernando next year, that means we want to concentrate on this year’s results for McLaren.

“I prefer to score more points this year, I’d like to contribute to this team, most of all."

Considering when that one major upgrade, which would then result in grid penalties, would come, he added: “That could maybe be in Malaysia, Suzuka or the US.

“From that point of view we will try and avoid the penalty in Suzuka obviously, and the US could be a very good potential circuit for us based on the last years' results. Malaysia could be a chance but it’s too soon to say. It will be difficult so I cannot confirm.”

Fernando Alonso is hoping to banish the memory of being involved in the first corner collision between Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris in Singapore, as he heads to Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was as high as third after sweeping around the outside of the field going into the Turn 1 after a great start in the wet conditions but the aftermath of the initial contact between the Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen would see the Finn unable to avoid a second impact with Verstappen which would also wipe out the McLaren.

The incident was Alonso's second Turn 1 crash of the year with the first also involving the Dutchman as the pair were 'torpedoed' by Daniil Kvyat in Austria, but what hurt more was the genuine chance of a podium the double world champion felt could have slipped away. 

Nevertheless, he is hoping to make amends for that disappointment, saying in his preview ahead of Sepang: “After Singapore, I’m already eager to get back into the car and hopefully make it further than the first corner in Malaysia!

“Of course, what happened was disappointing and it’s difficult to hide your frustration when you’re the victim of someone else’s incident. I felt we had the potential to be really competitive – one of our only opportunities of the year – and it’s a shame we couldn’t bring home the points to prove it, but these things happen.”

The 36-year-old may be somewhat tempting fate with the long hairpin Turn 1 in Malaysia known to produce a few collisions at the start, just ask Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg about last year. 

Fernando enjoyed a strong race at Sepang 12 months ago as he started and finished seventh, though repeating that this year would be tough, he hopes the setup challenges allow McLaren to find a good compromise.

“The configuration will work less in our favour, but of course we will still fight for everything," he said. "There are six races left and we are still putting all our energy in finishing every race in the best possible position we can.

“Sepang will be more difficult for us in terms of set-up since the straights require good straight-line speed and power, but this track is a mixture of a lot of different characteristics, so we’ll see how much we can make up on the slower-speed corners.

“The 2017 cars will definitely be faster through there, which will surely be fun to experience, and I hope we can avoid any drama and have a solid race.”

Related stories:

• McLaren targeting regular podiums from 2018
• McLaren boss open to budget caps, fewer team bonuses in F1
• Alonso to commit to one series in 2018, preferably F1

One concern that has been appeased was regarding the condition of his Honda engine after the big collision in just over a week ago.

“Regarding Fernando’s Singapore power unit, we were concerned that it may have been irreparably damaged but fortunately after a thorough check back at the Sakura factory we can confirm it is okay to be re-used," F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa said.

A consortium is hoping to make Copenhagen the home of Formula 1 in the Nordic countries from 2020, as they push forward plans for a Danish Grand Prix street race.

Despite the raft of drivers that have come from Finland, a Swede in Marcus Ericsson and a Dane in Kevin Magnussen, Scandinavia has not seen an F1 race since Sweden in 1978 with fans having to travel to other races in Europe whether in Germany, Belgium or Hungary.

However, as new owners Liberty Media look to expand the current schedule, Helge Sander, former Danish Minister of Science, Technology and Development, and Lars Seier Christensen, ex-owner of former Lotus sponsor Saxo Bank are reportedly heading a group looking at addressing one of the key missed opportunities on the F1 map.

The consortium, which is believed to have the backing of several key Danish authorities, including the royal family, have made contact with the Formula One Group, led by CEO Chase Carey with first meetings taking place in Singapore.

"We have had some very positive meetings with Formula One Management and my feeling is that they would love to have a Grand Prix in Copenhagen," said Sander to Motorsport.com.

A street circuit in the centre of the city has been put forward and was done in conjunction with former F1 driver and father to Kevin, Jan Magnussen as well as F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke.

A major issue new races have had in recent years is attracting and maintaining interest, with even successful races like Singapore and Austin seeing drops in attendance after strong first years, but Christensen is adamant that would not be an issue with a Danish Grand Prix.

"We will have no problems selling tickets for a Grand Prix in Copenhagen,” he said. "For the Nordic countries and also for the north of Germany, Copenhagen will be the ‘local’ F1 circuit."

There would still be challenges, however, as he admitted: "We’ll need both public and private investors for a project of this magnitude."

Haas F1 still believe they can compete with Renault and Toro Rosso for seventh in the Constructors' Championship despite ending their development of the VF17 for the remainder of this season.

The American team dropped to eighth after the last race in Singapore, as Jolyon Palmer's sixth place was enough to see Renault move ahead, while Carlos Sainz's fourth position saw them pull away further in sixth in the standings.

Both Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen had looked set for points in the high-attrition race around Marina Bay before a late engine issue forced Magnussen to retire, but team principal Guenther Steiner wasn't too put as expectations had been low going into the weekend.

“Singapore was one of the worst tracks for us, including Hungary,” he claimed. “We knew we’d be weak on those tracks, and we were. We got away with two points, so we got away better than we expected to. Hopefully, at the other tracks, we won’t be this far behind the midfield."

Given the pace Renault has shown in recent races and now a young talent in Pierre Gasly teaming up with Carlos Sainz at the junior Red Bull team for at least the next two races, opportunities to claw back the lost points seem limited, particularly as Haas has fallen back in overall pace in recent races, Steiner isn't giving up, however.

“In the midfield, anything and everything can happen. It’s up and down all the time. Regardless, we’ll work hard to achieve seventh,” he said.

Related stories:

• Hulkenberg praises "better than expected" Renault progress
• Haas "half-happy" with points in Singapore

The decision to end work on the 2017 car will only hamper Haas' chances further with Renault particularly expected to continue improving, but the Italian-born team boss explained the reason for the team's approach.

“We decided a long time ago that we would start focusing full-time on the 2018 car in August, and we started partially on our 2018 car in March,” he revealed.

“You have to plan it well because it’s so complex, but everyone else is working on their 2018 car as well. If you were to develop something at this point for the current car and you put it into production, when it comes out it would be too late. If you develop something now, you won’t get it to the racetrack for this year.

“We still want to achieve seventh, or the best result we can. We haven’t given up.”

Formula 1 Managing Director Ross Brawn insists the championship is far from decided, even after Lewis Hamilton opened up a 28-point advantage last time out in Singapore.

Sebastian Vettel crashed out on the first lap at Marina Bay, effectively handing chief rival Hamilton a potentially a decisive victory.

Though there are just six races remaining for Vettel to claw back the deficit, starting with this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix, Brawn is sure the German will not go down without a fight.

"Absolutely," he told Auto Bild when asked if Vettel could catch up. "Mercedes has had a run and is doing a super job, but the world championship is not decided.

"Singapore was a typical start accident, but Vettel is a fighter who never gives up. If he manages it, it will be more than deserved."

Related stories:

• Vettel focused on championship recovery after Singapore crash
• Title rivals play to strengths with Sepang tyre choices

Vettel and Hamilton have been slugging it out since the season-opener in Melbourne, with Mercedes no longer a dominant force.

Brawn, who is on a mission to restore F1's 'wow' factor, says the scrap has been great for the sport.

"Three teams are fighting for victory, which is great," he said. "Of course, I recall my time with Michael and Ferrari very fondly, but domination is always bad for the sport.

"We now have real competition, Lewis against Sebastian, which attracts the fans again. We've already seen some records at some races and if next year we provide more website content, we will raise it to a higher level again."

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has claimed the team has not been disillusioned by the result they achieved in Singapore and have instead focused on the negatives from earlier that weekend.

The three-time defending world champions had been third quickest behind Ferrari and Red Bull throughout practice and qualifying but that all changed in the race when the start crash involving Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris wiped out three-quarters of Mercedes' competition.

Then, a gearbox problem for Daniel Ricciardo prevented the Australian from putting up an optimal fight to Lewis Hamilton, who had got ahead at the first corner and allowed the Briton to claim an unexpected victory.

“The result in Singapore came as a surprise for us all - and the danger of a result like that is to misjudge your own level of performance,” Wolff claimed in reflection.

“But within the team, our focus since finishing first and third has been on the painful moments of the Singapore weekend - why we struggled in the long runs on Friday and our lack of performance over one lap in qualifying - to learn as much as possible for the rest of the season.

“We have deepened our understanding of those problems and we will take that learning with us into the final races.”

The Singapore result also marked a significant shift in the championship as Hamilton stretched out the largest points gap seen so far in 2017, now 28 points clear of Sebastian Vettel with six races to go.

But even so, the Austrian sees little reason to relax or change any approaches knowing how quickly the situation can turn back against Mercedes.

“The last race was a strong reminder that sport always has the power to surprise and defy all predictions,” he said. “We have been on the receiving end of those bad moments before, and we know that they can happen as easily to us as anybody else.

Related articles:

• Hamilton claims being mistake-free is helping him in Vettel fight
• Wolff admits Ferrari sympathy over Singapore crash
• Vettel sure he is still in F1 title fight

“The result in Singapore doesn't change anything in terms of how we approach the final six races, beginning this weekend in Malaysia. We will need to be at the top of our game on every track if we want to maintain our lead in both championships to the end of the season.”

Looking ahead to Sepang, Mercedes are expected to be stronger but still the hot conditions and higher tyre wear are expected to create a scenario similar to Bahrain, where Vettel was able to win ahead of Hamilton.

Mercedes also hasn't won what is the home race for their main sponsor Petronas for two years with an engine failure costing Hamilton and gifting Ricciardo the win last year and Ferrari beating them in a straight fight in 2015.

“Our record in Malaysia in recent seasons has been mixed but the fundamental characteristics of the circuit, with its sweeping corners and long straights, should mean the car is well-suited to the circuit,” Toto said.

“The weather conditions are challenging for the cars, the tyres, the drivers and the team personnel and can often complicate the overall picture; good reliability will be crucial in every aspect of our operations.

“But it goes without saying that our target is to deliver a winning performance to mark the final Grand Prix at Sepang - and to build on the good momentum we have enjoyed since the summer break.”

The CEO of Toro Rosso sponsor Acronis, Serguei Beloussov, expects Daniil Kvyat to be back in the car from the United States Grand Prix in Austin after it was confirmed Pierre Gasly would replace him from Malaysia.

The Frenchman is being given his opportunity to prove he deserves a seat with the junior Red Bull team in 2018, likely replacing the Renault-bound Carlos Sainz but it has come at the expense of Kvyat, whom team boss Franz Tost suggested hadn't shown his best potential this year.

Though the length of time last year's GP2 champion would get in the car was unspecified in the announcement, Beloussov claimed it was only for the next two weekends.

"He is just out for two races while Gasly is tested. Sainz is still leaving, so next season is still open," he said.

It is known Gasly will likely miss the American race to compete in the Super Formula finale, where he has been racing this year and sits just half a point behind in the championship, it is the final three races after that which is currently unknown.

Igor Ermilin, president of the Russian automobile federation, also played down the significance of Kvyat's dropping telling the Tass news agency: "Given the move to Honda engines next year, they can afford to experiment with the drivers.

"So I think missing those two races will not affect Daniil or the team in any way. I don't think even they have decided what will happen next," he added.

On the Honda point, current F2 driver Nobuhara Matsushita has also been linked to Toro Rosso for 2018. However, the Japanese has a tough task in the final two rounds of the F1 support series to reach the required championship position needed to score enough points for a superlicence to race in F1.

As for Gasly, he admits he faces a major challenge of being thrown into F1 at two of the most difficult races of the year with the heat of Malaysia and the difficulty of Suzuka.

"It will be different to anything I've done before," he said. "I feel as ready as I can be, having had to be prepared for anything in my role as Red Bull Racing's third driver this year.

"The other drivers have been racing all season, so I will have a lot of things to get used to and learn about. It's a super challenge, and I can't wait for it to start."

On whether there were any nerves, the 21-year-old concluded: "I am not worried. I have worked hard to prepare for this and to get to Formula 1."

McLaren executive director Zak Brown has claimed he would be open to introducing a budget cap into Formula 1 as well as a reduced bonus payment system for certain teams.

Currently, a number of teams receive additional revenue from the commercial rights holder, now Liberty Media, on top of prize money and historical bonuses which are also only awarded to some outfits.

One of the first aspirations of Liberty, however, was to signal a goal of ending this culture by overhauling the distribution of revenue and trying to reduce the inequality between those spending $250m+, last year that being Mercedes and Ferrari, compared to less than $100m in the case of backmarkers Sauber.

Furthermore, the new leadership wants to see a reduction in costs for teams with a sensible limit put in place.

"Speaking for McLaren, we're a fan of budget caps," Brown was quoted by Autosport revealing what the team's position will be in future talks. "We think it's important as most other sports have it and it will equal the playing field.

"We recognise that means we're one of the four teams that get special payments, [and] that might mean some compromise - but we feel if the sport is healthier ultimately that will benefit all of us.

"We're a great racing team. There's lots of great racing teams and we want to race and have the same chance as everyone else."

Related articles:

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• Wolff: Engine costs no longer an excuse for small teams

The issue has divided teams for decades now with arguments over the RRA (Resource Restriction Agreement) leading to the disbanding of the F1 teams association known as FOTA in 2012.

Considering whether there would be broader support for his approach, Brown admitted it is unlikely to be shared by those teams at the top as they enjoy the power both competitively and politically it gives them.

"I think those that can afford to raise the budget levels they are at will do everything they can to maintain that because that gives them a competitive advantage," he claimed, "but it is a bit like having two extra players on the field in a football match.

"We need to get into a scenario where we are playing with somewhat the same sized bat."

He concluded by suggesting a budget cap was somewhat inevitable although did acknowledge it would require a lot of careful planning.

"I think there will be some sort of budget constraint/cap," he said. "I don't think it is a random number you put out there. I think you need to help the teams get down to a more manageable level.

"So I do think, unlike has ever been done in this sport, I think there will be some budget management put in place - whether it is a cap in certain areas. I do think budgets will come down which is long overdue."