F1Minute - Bitesize Formula One News

Valtteri Bottas converted his pole position into a race victory relatively comfortably, in a final race of the season that was resoundedly disliked as being dull by almost everyone. Lewis Hamilton, who finished second so obviously has some grounds for dissatisfaction, said of Yas Marina: "It's a great, great track but unfortunately it doesn't suit the cars very well."

There was disappointment for Red Bull, as Daniel Ricciardo failed to see the chequered flag, retiring from fourth place with a hydraulic issue. Toro Rosso were also left dejected after losing sixth place in the championship to Renault at the final hurdle - Carlos Sainz retired from the race, but Nico Hülkenberg did just enough in sixth place to help his team beat their rivals.

Felipe Massa finished tenth, picking up a final point on his final race, and he celebrated the result by completing so many donuts on the track that the car disappeared. In the end, though, it was Bottas, Hamilton and Vettel that took to the podium to spray the final champagne of the season.

See more on Mercedes finish season with 1-2 as Bottas takes victory

Valtteri Bottas was the fastest driver in Q3 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, with the Finnish driver securing pole position for the final race of the season. Lewis Hamilton was just a tenth of a second behind him, leaving the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers to split the second and third row of the grids between them.

Nico Hülkenberg, both Force India drivers and Felipe Massa rounded out the top ten. Fernando Alonso just missed the cut for the top ten shoot-out and had to settle for 11th place. Further back, both the Toro Rosso drivers struggled for pace and dropped out in Q1, with Brendon Hartley the slowest driver in the field. He had an engine penalty lined up anyway, though.

The poor qualifying result puts the pressure on Toro Rosso, however, in one of the only championship battles left - unless they get a good result in the race, they'll drop behind Renault and lose their sixth place in the standings.

See more on Bottas scoops pole position for final round of 2017

Ahead of the final race of 2017 in Abu Dhabi, Pirelli launched their lineup of tyres for the 2018 season, including two new compounds and extending the range from five to seven levels of hard and softness. The tyres are all one step softer than what we've seen this year, but there's a new superhard tyre that is orange. The hard tyre turns blue, or ice blue, as they call it.

Then come four compounds that we are very familiar with: white mediums, yellow softs, red supersofts and purple ultrasofts. Finally, there's a new pink compound called hypersoft - which was chosen by fans polled by the Italian manufacturer.

Pirelli boss Mario Isola says: "We realised that, under the unique circumstances of this year, some of our 2017 compounds were perhaps conservative: the tyres we have created for 2018 address this, in line with the objective of having around two pit stops at most races."

See more on Pirelli reveal rainbow of tyres for 2018

After testing out a rotating selection of drivers for the past few race weekends, Toro Rosso have hit upon a pairing they like - the current form of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly. The duo have been signed for 2018, with both set for their first full season in the sport.

Team principal Franz Tost said: "During this last part of the year they've shown that they're ready for Formula 1, getting to grips with the car quickly, showing good performances and always demonstrating to be prepared for the challenge. We have been truly impressed by both their steep learning curves."

Gasly added thanks to his friends, family and supporters and said: "I'm really excited and super motivated to give it my all in Abu Dhabi and the whole of next year! I just can't wait!" And Hartley was still processing the information: "It's amazing. It's very satisfying to have converted an opportunity that came as a surprise into a 2018 F1 drive, I couldn't be happier!"

See more on Toro Rosso confirm Hartley and Gasly for full 2018 season

Valtteri Bottas' pole position lasted only moments as Sebastian Vettel swept past the Mercedes to take the lead into the first corner. There was chaos in the opening laps, as Romain Grosjean picked up a puncture and punted himself and Ocon off track. Daniel Ricciardo spun, dropping him down the field, after he'd made a good start trying to recover from a low grid position.

After an early safety car period to sort through the mess, Hamilton was calmly making his way through the field, providing much of the entertainment. He eventually wound up fourth at the chequered flag after starting last on the grid. Vettel won the race, with Bottas behind and Kimi Räikkönen rounding out the podium.

The Red Bull pair were down on pace, Verstappen very vocal throughout about his inability to keep up and overtake. Ricciardo recovered to sixth, with Massa taking an emotional seventh on his final home race in F1.

See more on Vettel wins in Brazil, as Hamilton rises to fourth

Lewis Hamilton's qualifying session came to an abrupt and early end when he crashed heavily into the tyre barriers just four minutes into Q1. The red flags came out whilst the car and the driver were recovered - he was fine - and then the action continued. The two Saubers, Stroll and Gasly were out in that first session. Brendon Hartley got his Toro Rosso through to Q2 but didn't participate in that session.

Esteban Ocon just missed out on the top ten, finishing 11th whilst Force India teammate Pérez got through to Q3 and finished in sixth place. The two Haas drivers and Stoffel Vandoorne dropped out in Q2.

Out front, it was a battle between Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas for pole position, and although Vettel held provisional pole for much of Q3, Bottas snatched P1 right at the very last moment. Behind them, Fernando Alonso did a great job to finish seventh, which will be sixth when Daniel Ricciardo has his engine penalties applied. The two Renaults tucked up behind Alonso, whilst Massa rounded out the top ten in front of his home crowd.

See more on Bottas takes third pole position as Hamilton crashes out of Brazil qualifying

Felipe Massa has talked of his disappointment and sadness that his home country has failed to deliver a safe environment for the F1 paddock to race in, after several high profile incidents for teams leaving the circuit. Lewis Hamilton revealed that part of the Mercedes crew were held up at gunpoint, with shots fired, in an armed robbery, with Williams and FIA officials also in the convoy of cars.

Organisers of the Brazilian Grand Prix made efforts to increase security, but Sauber's Ruth Buscombe shared news of another incident, saying: "Be careful leaving the circuit even with added security. Just got hit by one car trying to make us stop with another ahead."

Massa said: "It is a great sadness, not only for people who came and were there, but also for those who hear this and are Brazilian. In the future, we can change this." Criminal activity has been a problem at the event for many years, with Jenson Button most famously escaping unharmed from an armed attack in 2010. Hamilton said he hoped things would improve because "it's an awesome place."

See more on Paddock personnel hit by Brazil crime wave

Toro Rosso have really been struggling over the last few races, suffering power unit problems that have cost them running time and more importantly race finishes. Both drivers are due to have grid penalties again this weekend, and it has sparked a war of words between Toro Rosso and their engine provider Renault.

Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul told the media he was concerned about the set up of the engine within the Toro Rosso car, claiming there are "no coincidences in this sport." Incensed, Toro Rosso released a full page statement saying: "The last race in Mexico saw only two cars out of six finish the race, highlighting the poor reliability. We mustn't forget they are fighting with Toro Rosso for a better position in the Constructors' championship."

It was no surprise, therefore, to see Abiteboul having an intense discussion with Red Bull chief Helmut Marko in the Brazil paddock, and it seems both teams are looking closely at their contracts for the final two races of the season.

See more on Toro Rosso and Renault row over engine reliability

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were in a class of their own during Friday practice in Brazil, battling each other for the top spot and leaving the rest of the field in their wake. Hamilton dominated both sessions in the end, but they finished the day just four hundredths of a second apart.

Toro Rosso endured a difficult day, particularly in first practice. Pierre Gasly completed five laps, whilst Brendon Hartley couldn't set a lap time due to an engine issue and only did two installation laps before returning to the garage. In the afternoon, the team got more laps under their belt but knew they'd be taking engine related penalties for qualifying tomorrow.

Meanwhile, GP3 champion George Russell made his F1 debut with Force India in the morning session, and did a respectable job, finishing 12th. Giovinazzi was in the Haas but not until the afternoon, replacing Kevin Magnussen for FP2 and finishing the session last overall.

See more on Mercedes dominate Friday practice in Brazil

Massa announced his F1 retirement at the end of 2016 but was recalled to Williams after they needed an experienced driver at the last minute. Fast forward one year, and with the Williams team fifth in the championship standings, they're looking forward to the 2018 season and their driver lineup. That won't include Felipe Massa, as the Brazilian driver has announced his second retirement from the sport.

He said: "As you know, last year I decided to announce my retirement from Formula One, but because of Williams' request, I decided to do another season. But this time will be my last races in Formula One, so I'd like to say thank you very much to my family, my friends, my sponsors and my fans, you guys support me a lot."

He mentioned moving on to other racing categories next year, although of course nothing has been confirmed as yet. Meanwhile, Williams are considering their 2018 selection, with Robert Kubica still in the mix as well as current driver Lance Stroll, ex-Renault man Jolyon Palmer and Toro Rosso racer Daniil Kvyat.

See more on Felipe Massa confirms second retirement from Formula One

The pressure was all on Sebastian Vettel's shoulders going into this race, the title fight in his hands. Earning pole position was the best he could do on Saturday, but unfortunately it was all for nothing. In the first two corners, he, Verstappen and Hamilton ran alongside each other, jostling, bumping wheels, so that eventually Max moved into the lead, whilst Hamilton and Vettel dropped back with a puncture and front wing damage respectively.

They had to fight back through the field, with Vettel more successful at this than Hamilton, but his fourth place finish wasn't enough to stop Hamilton securing the championship, despite only finishing eighth. Huge celebrations all round, even though it was Verstappen who actually won the race. Bottas was second, and Räikkönen took the final step on the podium.

Verstappen finally had some luck, as four of the six Renault powered cars retired with power unit problems. Ericsson also pulled his Sauber into the garage on fire, capping off a dramatic weekend of incidents from start to finish.

See more on First lap drama in Mexico gives Verstappen victory, but Hamilton the title

After several close practice sessions, we were expecting a tight fight for pole position ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. It was exactly that, with Max Verstappen looking supreme and set for his first pole in Formula One, until Sebastian Vettel swept past and snatched P1 by just 0.086 seconds.

Behind them, Hamilton and Bottas beat Kimi Räikkönen, whilst Daniel Ricciardo was down on pace in seventh behind the Force India of Esteban Ocon. The two Renault drivers and Sergio Pérez rounded out the top ten, with Williams just missing out.

Toro Rosso endured a difficult day, with Pierre Gasly having an engine issue in final practice that continued into qualifying and stopped him participating. Brendon Hartley managed to get into Q2 but also suffered an engine malfunction that stopped his run. McLaren got both their drivers into Q2 but opted not to run as they both have engine penalties to take, whilst Sauber and Haas were disappointed to drop out early in Q3.

See more on Vettel snatches Mexico pole from Verstappen with Hamilton behind

The first practice session in Mexico featured a lot of Friday drivers, including Giovinazzi, Leclerc, Gelael and Antonio Celis, who was driving in front of his home crowd. Unfortunately, he spun his Force India and hit the barriers, causing a red flag whilst the incident was sorted out. Stoffel Vandoorne only managed three laps due to an engine problem, Verstappen spent much of his morning in the garage, and Brendon Hartley stopped out on track, before getting going again only to disappear in the garage.

In FP2, it was all about spins, with Hamilton, Hartley and Stroll all facing the wrong way. Romain Grosjean had a significant spin and then suffered a puncture, which spread debris all over the track and caused a red flag. Verstappen halted his running with engine trouble, whilst Sebastian Vettel had an unsettling moment when an extinguisher burst and was leaking into his seat.

In terms of pace, Bottas was fastest in the morning, whilst Ricciardo posted the fastest lap of the track ever for FP2, but the top ten were all within one second of each other.

See more on Spins and punctures dominate Mexico practice sessions

Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix but it wasn't an easy victory for the Mercedes driver, as he was chased to the line by Max Verstappen, with Daniel Ricciardo making it a double podium finish for Red Bull. Verstappen crossed the line just one second behind the race winner after a close battle to the finish, but Hamilton would have been happy it was a Red Bull following him and not a Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel, hoping to recover some of the damage done to his title challenge in the last few races, suffered yet more troubles and retired from the race early on. He now trails Hamilton by 59 points with four races still to go.

Elsewhere, Sainz spun out on the opening lap, Ericsson spun into the barriers, and Stroll's car broke towards the end, all of these bringing out safety cars - virtual or otherwise. Haas and Force India had better luck, bringing home double points finishes each.

See more on Hamilton takes Suzuka victory, extending title lead as Vettel retires

The recent reshuffles at Toro Rosso aren't over this season, with news at Renault having an impact on the team after this weekend's race in Japan. Jolyon Palmer announced after qualifying that Japan would be his last race with Renault, and that being the case, the team have snapped up Carlos Sainz for the rest of the season. And, for Daniil Kvyat, that means a chance to step back into a race seat, after being cast aside in favour of Pierre Gasly last weekend.

Palmer's exit has been widely foretold but took longer than anticipated. The British racer said: "It's been an extremely challenging season and I've been through a lot in the last three years, but it's been a tremendous journey overall with the team... my immediate focus is now on achieving the best possible result in the Japanese GP and then I can assess my options for the future."

See more on Palmer leaves Renault, making way for Sainz to join the team

All of the sessions in Suzuka so far this weekend have featured a crash, and qualifying was no different. Romain Grosjean was the unlucky culprit, crashing his Haas into the barriers hard, and ending Q1 a minute early. The session wasn't restarted and there was plenty of damage to the Frenchman's car.

In Q2, the McLaren drivers were split, with Fernando Alonso managing to make it into the top ten shootout, but Stoffel Vandoorne just missing out. Up front, it was all about Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton swept to pole with Bottas behind him, followed by Vettel and the two Red Bull drivers. Penalties will need to be applied though, with power unit grid drops hitting hard again in Suzuka. The provisional grid is mixed up to Hamilton, Vettel, Ricciardo and Verstappen, with Esteban Ocon getting a handy fifth place start for the race tomorrow.

See more on Hamilton scores another pole as Grosjean crashes out

The anticipated rain hit both free practice sessions in Suzuka, but FP1 got underway on time. About halfway through the session, however, Carlos Sainz crashed heavily in his Toro Rosso, ending with the car sprawling across the track and bringing out the red flags. The action got going again with twenty minutes to go, but halfway through that the rain started to fall and the times saw no improvement – Vettel was the fastest.

Kevin Magnussen had to recover from water pressure issues in the first half of the session and Pierre Gasly tested the halo on his Toro Rosso in only his second F1 weekend.

Meanwhile, FP2 was a quiet affair track-wise. Heavy rain saw the start delayed and the teams working on their pit lane river rafts rather than the cars. Eventually it cleared up enough so that with 45 minutes on the clock, cars started to emerge. Only 14 cars hit the track though, with full wets on, and only five of those set a timed lap. Hamilton led the way with the two Force India and two Williams drivers behind him.

See more on Sainz crash and heavy rain delay practice sessions in Japan

Lewis Hamilton's pole position saw him lead the race in Malaysia initially, but he couldn't stop the charge of Max Verstappen, who overtook the leading Mercedes and never looked back, taking his second victory in Formula One. Joined on the podium by teammate Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull had a really good day.

Results at Ferrari, however, were mixed, and perhaps not in the way anyone could have predicted. Kimi Räikkönen failed to make the start of the race, after his car suffered a turbo problem on the installation lap to the grid. Vettel, meanwhile, benefitted from an engine change that propelled him from last place on the grid to fourth - minimising the damage to his championship challenge that could have been inflicted if the race had finished as qualifying did.

Elsewhere, Sainz had an electrical issue that saw his race over midway through, whilst Pierre Gasly finished a solid but unspectacular 14th on his F1 debut.

See more on Verstappen takes race victory in Sepang as Vettel minimises the damage

Sebastian Vettel may have been hoping for a slightly calmer weekend in Sepang than he had in Singapore, but that was not to be. The Ferrari driver found himself down on power in the first qualifying session, returning to the garage at a slow crawl. The team tried to patch up his power unit but found themselves unable to send him out again, meaning the German failed to qualify. He's been given permission to race by the FIA, but will be at the rear of the field.

His bad luck meant the way was clear for Lewis Hamilton to snatch an easy pole position. Kimi Räikkönen tried his best to keep tabs on the Mercedes but had to settle for second, with the two Red Bull drivers behind him. Bottas was down in fifth. Both McLarens made it into the top ten, whilst Gasly was out in Q2 alongside his teammate, just a tenth of a second down on Sainz in his first F1 qualifying session.

See more on Lewis Hamilton takes Malaysia pole as Vettel fails to qualify

There was drama in both free practice sessions in Malaysia, but for two different reasons. In FP1, the start of the session was delayed by thirty minutes because of the rain, and things got going only to find drivers slipping and sliding their way around the track. Pierre Gasly made his debut, whilst Sergey Sirotkin, Sean Gelael, Charles LeClerc and Antonio Giovinazzi were all also in action.

In the second session, the action was running slightly more smoothly, with just a few drivers hitting the gravel - including Bottas and Hamilton. However, FP2 had to be red flagged early when Romain Grosjean's Haas hit a loose and upended drain cover. The Frenchman was sent into the barriers at high speed although he was uninjured - if a little surprised and shocked at the unusual crash. Vettel was the fastest driver with Räikkönen behind, differing from FP1 which was led by the Red Bull pair.

See more on Drain cover chaos halts practice in Sepang

Amongst the raft of renewals and contracts that are being signed and extended in Formula One at the moment, we've had news that the Chinese Grand Prix will continue until the 2020 season with a three year extension.

The race has been on the F1 calendar since 2004, and whilst it arrived with a bang, it's gradually become less popular and has struggled with visitor numbers in recent years.

The contract announcement also came with the news that the race will likely change dates next season, where it was originally scheduled to take place on 8th April. Although it has yet to be confirmed and ratified by the FIA, the change looks to be a direct swap with Bahrain, which was set to take place on the 15th April. The date change is ideally supposed to help China with visitor numbers as the 8th was a national holiday where most residents leave the Shanghai city for other areas.

See more on Chinese Grand Prix gets three year extension until 2020

With the news that Carlos Sainz is moving to Renault for the 2018 season, Toro Rosso have been searching for a replacement. They've decided to test a new face out already, with Pierre Gasly set to step into the seat of Daniil Kvyat for the Malaysian Grand Prix and perhaps a few more.

Toro Rosso's official annnouncement suggests multiple races without being specific, and team boss Franz Tost says: "For a variety of reasons, some of them due to technical problems, but others being mistakes of his own making, Daniil Kvyat has not really shown his true potential so far this year, which is why we are standing him down for the next races. This will give us the opportunity to evaluate Pierre on track during a proper race weekend."

The team do make a point of saying that Kvyat isn't leaving the team and is still part of the Toro Rosso family, but having already faced demotion from the A team of Red Bull, the future doesn't necessarily look bright for the Russian racer.

See more on Pierre Gasly to replace Daniil Kvyat in Malaysia

There's been speculation about Aston Martin entering Formula One in one way or another for a while now, but they've confirmed at last how they are dipping their toes into the water for the 2018 season. Aston Martin will be the title sponsor of the Red Bull team, which will thus be called Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

The pair have been partnering each other already, creating a groundbreaking hypercar called Valkyrie and sharing a technology base in Milton Keynes. Now they've taken the next step.

Whilst there has been talk about Aston Martin providing a power unit at some point, CEO Andy Palmer says: "The power unit discussions in Formula One are of interest to us, but only if the circumstances are right. We are not about to enter an engine war with no restrictions in cost... but we believe that if the FIA can create the right environment we would be interested in getting involved."

And now, of course, they're in the best possible position to keep a close eye on how the situation develops.

See more on Aston Martin become Red Bull's title sponsor for 2018

Mercedes looked to be on the back foot going into the race in Singapore, but after the first lap it became clear they were going to get a good result and by the end of the race, they'd secured a win for Lewis Hamilton and a third place for Valtteri Bottas.

The main reason for that was a first lap crash between Max Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers, with Sebastian Vettel squeezing Verstappen in the drag down to the first corner. Verstappen and Räikkönen collided and were both instantly out of the race, whilst Vettel went on for a few more corners but also had to retire. They also managed to take out Fernando Alonso, who was bitterly disappointed retiring from what could have been a really strong race for McLaren.

Instead, it was a better weekend for Carlos Sainz and the two Force India drivers, who benefitted from the misfortune of others. Jolyon Palmer also finally got a good result with a sixth place finish that secured his first points of the season. Hamilton's win, however, launched him further into the lead of the championship, with 28 points over his rival, and six races still to go.

See more on Hamilton wins in Singapore as first lap chaos takes out three cars

Amongst the flurry of announcements that came out of the Singapore weekend was one that may not have been a surprise to many. Sergio Pérez is staying at Force India for a fifth consecutive season, with a one year contract to take him to the end of 2018.

Esteban Ocon is already signed with the team for next year, meaning the partnership of Ocon and Pérez will go for at least another season. On the surface, they make a great partnership - both fast and fiery drivers, one with more experience to pass on to the other. In reality, we've seen plenty of fireworks between the two so far this season.

The sight of the two pink cars crashing into each other is nothing new, and after the race in Spa, Ocon accused Pérez of trying to kill him in one of their on-track clashes. Nevertheless, Pérez says: "Staying with Force India was always my priority. The team have allowed me to show my talents as a driver and I feel very happy here. I'm proud of everything we have achieved and I think there is more to come."

See more on Sergio Pérez remains at Force India for 2018 season

With Red Bull leading all three of the practice sessions in Singapore, they had looked in a great position to fight for pole position. The battle went down to the very last flying laps, but both Verstappen and Ricciardo were pipped to pole position by Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen ended up fourth, with the Mercedes drivers having to settle for fifth and sixth on the grid.

Also in the top ten, both McLaren drivers with Alonso finishing eighth and Vandoorne ninth - after good performances in free practice as well. Nico Hülkenberg finished seventh ahead of them, with Carlos Sainz tenth behind them.

On the flip side, Williams were really struggling. Massa tapped the wall in Q1 which meant he needed to head back to the pit lane rather quickly. The crew got him going again, but both he and Stroll dropped out in that first session, along with two Saubers and one Haas. Force India missed out on a chance at the top ten, with Sergio Pérez particularly annoyed at the state of his tyres as he completed his final flying lap.

See more on Sebastian Vettel secures Singapore pole, with Red Bull behind

You would think Honda might learn from talking up expectations too soon into a new partnership, but they have quickly revealed their goals with the Toro Rosso team just one day after the deal was announced. The power unit supplier want to push Toro Rosso to at least third in the championship next season, despite finishing no higher than sixth with McLaren, and Toro Rosso finishing no higher than sixth... ever.

Honda's communications director said: "F1 is a very important culture and DNA of our company. It is true that we have gone through a tough situation... but quitting F1 was never an option for us. It's our goal to overcome this tough challenge. Honda's spirit is to come back and next year our goal is to fight for the top three at the top of the grid."

Honda's motorsport chief Masashi Yamamoto has admitted that McLaren have been looking to exit the partnership since the start of the season and they were disappointed it hadn't worked out, but: "The spirit of STR is the same as the spirit of Honda, and I believe we can work smoothly for next year."

See more on Honda target top three championship finish with new partners Toro Rosso

Morning rain made the first practice session of the Singapore weekend a tricky prospect, and plenty of drivers were spotted running wide or brushing up against the wall - including Hülkenberg, Palmer and more. Friday drivers were in action, with Giovinazzi in at Haas, and new boy Sean Gelael taking a turn in the Toro Rosso.

Force India were running an interesting new addition to their shark fin, with some kind of dinosaur style scales along the top. It was Red Bull fastest though, with Ricciardo leading Vettel and then Verstappen.

In the afternoon, there were plenty more spins and corner misses to take note of, with Grosjean, Stroll and Verstappen all hitting the wall. Sebastian Vettel clouted the barriers with a bit more force to do some damage, as did Kevin Magnussen.

McLaren seemed to have picked up the pace following the announcement of their split from Honda, with sixth and seventh place by the end of the session. It was Ricciardo on top again though, with Verstappen behind and Hamilton third.

See more on Red Bull lead the way in Singapore as slippery track catches out drivers

Following directly from the news of Renault ditching Toro Rosso and moving to McLaren as engine supplier, driver news surely followed. Carlos Sainz, who has been at Toro Rosso since his F1 debut in 2015, will join the Renault squad for one year only, on loan to the team to partner Nico Hülkenberg. This will leave Jolyon Palmer without a race seat, unless someone else snaps him up.

Cyril Abiteboul of Renault says: "Sainz is a very promising driver who has been on our radar for some time. This choice is well aligned with our mid-term strategic plans. We feel that Nico and Carlos will complement each other on and off track and the combination should help us push forwards on the grid."

Meanwhile, Helmut Marko of Red Bull is keen to make it known that they aren't waving goodbye to the Spanish driver. He said: "He is a tremendous talent and he will benefit from working with a manufacturer team... we will be keenly watching his progress there as he remains part of the Red Bull family."

See more on Carlos Sainz to join Renault for one year in 2018