F1Minute - Bitesize Formula One News

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