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.

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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.”

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It’s been in the works for a while but McLaren and Honda have finally confirmed they will not be continuing with their partnership after the end of this year. It was promised to be a big technical partnership between the two but has been nothing but disappointment for everyone involved. So, clean break, McLaren are now going to be using Renault engines from 2018 onwards.

Meanwhile, Honda didn’t have any plans to leave the sport, and so the current Renault-powered team Toro Rosso will be switching to the Japanese manufacturer for their engines also from 2018. This will be the team’s third engine supplier in three years, having run Ferrari power in 2016, Renault engines this year, and now the scheduled Honda partnership in 2018.

Honda say: “We will work as one team to strive for progress and a successful future together. We appreciate the support of our fans as we begin this challenge.”

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Nico Rosberg retired at the end of the 2016 season but he’s never quite made the step back from the sport we might have anticipated. Now he’s found a new way to stay involved, by joining the management team for Robert Kubica, looking to get the Polish driver back on the F1 grid.

Kubica’s early exit from the sport after a rallying crash was assumed to be the end of his F1 career, but this year he’s been taking steps to work his way back onto the grid. After testing with Renault on a couple of occasions, he admitted he was realising what he’d missed and hoping for another chance in the sport.

Rosberg obviously has the same feelings, as he previously mentioned wanting to mentor someone and has opted for Robert for his first client. He tweeted: “Excited to be working with Robert and his return to F1. He and Lewis were the fastest I raced against.” Meanwhile, Kubica added: “It’s fantastic to be working on this with Nico. We know each other since we were kids and he is, and will be, a great asset in my F1 comeback.”

See more on Nico Rosberg joins forces with Robert Kubica

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It’s the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than to announce a contract extension for the race? Singapore joined Formula One in 2008, and celebrate their tenth race this year, but they are set to stay on the calendar until 2021 after a new deal was agreed between organisers and Formula One Group.

Chairman Chase Carey says: “The Singapore Grand Prix is a signature Formula 1 race and therefore we are very pleased that it will continue to feature on the calendar for a further four years. The first ever night race in this sport is one of the most thrilling events of the year, taking place against the stunning backdrop of Marina Bay.”

The CEO of Singapore’s tourism board added thoughts from a different viewpoint, saying: “The race in Singapore has provided an excellent platform for businesses to test bed new lifestyle initiatives and products. This has not only created an exciting atmosphere during the race season, but also injected creative concepts and experiences that continue to attract tourists to Singapore all year round.”

See more on Singapore to feature on F1 calendar until 2021

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Valtteri Bottas joined Mercedes on a one-year contract, after the surprise retirement of Nico Rosberg, and by all accounts he’s done a superb job for the team. They’ve recognised this and signed him up for another season with the squad, meaning it will be Bottas and Hamilton as teammates for one more year.

Bottas says of the deal: “I’ve been very impressed by the mentality, commitment and the team spirit this team holds. Partnering Lewis has also been really good, and I’m enjoying the respect we have and the will to push this team forward together.”

It’s fair to say the atmosphere has been calmer at Mercedes this year compared to last, but there have been some awkward moments. Team boss Toto Wolff says: “The bonus factors are the respect and sportsmanship that has grown between our two drivers. The chemistry and dynamic between Valtteri and Lewis work and are what we need to take the fight to our competitors.”

See more on Bottas earns another year at Mercedes

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