OK, that's done and dusted, now it looks like the remaining seats have been decided too:

The Quantum money never arrived at Lotus, so neither did Hulkenberg; Lotus have signed Maldonado (to nobody's surprise, but most people's disappointment). You never know, though, maybe Lotus can turn him from an idiot with speed into a race-winner. They've almost done it with Grosjean after all.

Massa has Malonado's old seat at Williams, Hulkenberg has gone back to Force India, though I'm not sure why it's better than Sauber (possibly the powertrain? or possibly the cash...), alongside Perez, leaving whiny Paul di Resta without a drive. He is being touted as a possible Indycar candidate (as a harsh variation on the old FILTH acronym, FIFOTI - Failed in Formula One Try Indycar). Sauber's lineup will probably be Sutil and Gutierrez.
Back to the top and Red Bull of course will be hoping that Ricciardo is fast - but not Seb-botheringly quick; Ferrari and Mercedes look set for a mighty tussle as both have driver lineups that will always be looking to score decent points. McLaren? Who knows? If the car is good and suits Button, they could be back up there, if not, I think it'll be his final season. If Magnussen outpoints Button, ditto. The only way I can see Button in F1 in 2015 is if he has a stellar season in 2014 or if the car and Magnussen are so underwhelming that Alonso won't touch Macca with a bargepole in 2015. I fervently hope the former is true!

I can't be bothered to think about the lower order teams, but they will have mainly pay drivers...

Getting excited about learning more on the technical side for 2014...

If we have a repeat if this year it won't really matter how quick or slow he is. They only needed mark to pick up 36 points this year to win the constructors.

I'm surprised they don't just save themselves a heap of cash and just run one car .

It is worrying how Pay drivers are now the norm in all but the top 3/4 teams. Years ago it was the back of the grid only that needed them. Now the teams seem to accept that Red Bull are going to win and so you may as well get the money in to pay for development.

In fact this is my main gripe with how F1 has found itself. The way the aero and tyres work on the cars means that an excellent driver driving at his very best will still not be able to beat red Bull. I have no argument that Vetel is up ther with Hamilton/Alonso but the later cannot get close even if they drive their nuts off. Hamiltons style in particular does not suit the is tyre dominated formula wjere you have to tippy toe about managing things rather than just ragging the car to the max. Vetel was not even taxed in the later part of the season and could, at will, pull out a second a lap or more on the rest of the pack. I would still love to see Vetel in a Ferrari/Mclaren or Merc and see how he gets on.

Even in the days of ground effects there was the element of reliability and different engine designs and tweaks to add some more dynamics. Thankfully next season we shall see the engine playing a part again, at least for a year or two. Freezing the development of such a fundamental part of motor sport has just made it dull.

I so hate these rubbish tyres. Looking at the track in the closing races and it looks like black hail has descended on all but the racing line. This prevents mad overtakes to as getting off line can kill the next lap or two. It also make a mockery of the laughable “green” credentials F1 is touting, let alone the cost.

It's a re-hash of an often repeated argument - and I agree with much of what bockers says - but I really feel bad for Pirelli in all this. They have no opportunity to test the tyres that are being run in an extreme and often unpredictable environment. As a result they make the tyres they have been asked to (that go off after a small amount of time), but with extra robust construction to ensure they don't get even worse publicity for killing a driver after a failure. Then, when (as the experts) they or their possible replacement manufacturer, suggest moving to a more acceptable profile of tyre, the teams all go mad and say they haven't designed the cars to operate with that dimension of tyre.

Not surprisingly, someone has screwed up in organising all this, and Pirelli ends up looking like the bad guys. I really wouldn't blame them for walking away!

So what did I miss in the last 2 races in the US and Brazil? Apart from Vettel winning both races and Mark driving around without his skid lid after coming 2nd in Brazil.

Er, that was it, I think! US race was the first GP I haven't watched for years. Brazil was ok, apart from the tediously predictable winner.

For those - like me - looking for a potted guide to next year's tech specs, take a look here:

BBC guide with Gary Anderson

Weber's comment on that video was just what I have been thinking! These rules really help Vettel, not hinder, providing Red Bull build a car that's decently reliable, reasonably quick I think he'll still be the one to beat.

A 1.6 litre engine turbocharged so heavily that it produces >600 BHP combined with lots of race fuel, some heavy duty electronics (KERS x 10) with explosive battery technology, and flammable carbon fibre bodywork.

I think Webber retired at just the right time.
Remember to bring marshmallows / toasting fork.

Yes, I remember someone (Brundle?) saying that F1 is about heat management. And then some...

Hulkenberg re-signed for Force India. Must be frustrating for the lad; if it weren't for McLaren having to offer Magnussen a seat after another team principal "reneged on an agreement", I'd have loved to see him there.

Or Lotus - assuming they can keep going at the level they were at.

Well, that's really what I mean about the frustration; the Lotus deal was only going to happen if Quantum's money came through. There has been plenty of talk (though unsubstantiated) that the main man for Quantum is all mouth and no trousers, which is how it looks at the moment. Lotus need Maldo's millions and he thinks he's a decent F1 driver, unlike the much more talented yet less cash-rich Nico H.

What are Maldo's millions? Is it a personal fortune or is he bringing some sponsorship with him?

How did Williams get out of the Maldonado hole?

Maldonado is sponsored heavily by the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Though there was some talk that this money might evaporate for politically expedient reasons following the death of President Hugo Chavez (a personal supporter of young Pastor), this did not happen and Williams cleverly tied up a contract, which meant that PDVSA had to buy themselves out of the deal when Maldonado "decided to leave" the team. Thus Williams have some breathing space dosh to fund Massa's experience hopefully in order to develop a decent car for 2015. Nonetheless, it is rumoured that Maldonado still arrives to Lotus with a dowry of some $30m, enough to pay a few debts (and maybe even some of Kimi's wages).
F1: it's not what you know it's how big your wallet is.

That Grosjean / Maldo combo may earn Renault / Lotus a reputation for being at the centre of every controversy. Nice to see Pat Simmonds back at Williams after the Renault deliberate crash fiasco.

That's an interesting point about Massa - presumably they won't get him until Jan next year or he might be able to bring some useful "loophole" info from Ferrari.

Double points for the final race of the season.

Seriously?

Anyone remember when F1 was a proper sport?

It's just dreadful, isn't it?
The sooner meddling Bernie is in banged up, sorry out of the way, the better....

Maybe he'll put some special stages in too or if you collect enough rings / collect the correct item from the mysterious "?" box you'll get a super boost?

What I'd like to see is a kind of short cut but it was hellish dangerous, maybe a short rally style gravel curve on top of a big cliff. The signage could say "this way to beat Redbull, if you dare". Obviously it would need painting in special paint that Germans named after water can't see.....

Remember playing your Joker in Jeux sans Frontieres? Utter nonsense

What seems so daft is that with the new regs and the extra tyre test and spending cap, it finally looked like there was some hope for a credible challenge to the dominance of one team (in this case RBR, but it has been many others).
This just makes it look, well, as you guys have mentioned, like SuperMario crossed with It's a Knockout. Maybe Stuart Hall should commentate - just to add even more common sense!

Wrong approach. Reduce the points to the top six again. Remove blue flags.

If you're not at the front, why should you get points for half the field? If you're the world's best driver, why do you need help overtaking?

He may be busy for a while Well not busy, but occupied (fnahh fnahh..)

I think it would be a useful addition to the rules if every driver had a dog in the car. They are supposed to reflect road car technology after all.

They should also have to spend half of the race talking to their team on a hand-held mobile phone instead of using the pre-fitted but (in road car terms) rarely used bluetooth option.

Definitely with you on that one.

Double points! Crazy - I thought this was supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport not Play Your Cards Right!

I guess the double points gives:

1) hope at the end of the season
2) makes the teams work on improvements to the end
3) err ok 2 points..

The whole point is incentivising, sadly when you have absolute domination then extra points works in the opposite direction and everyone gives up.
I think that BTCC ideas are good, weight penalties, reverse grid and points for other achievements - it would be good for a constructor point for NOT having a car blow up, tyre fail, quickest pit stop etc just to mix it up a bit for the lower teams as they could achieve this and give them all a boost!

I've always felt that it can't be the pinnacle of motorsport when at least half of the drivers are there because they're paying for their drives rather than on merit.

Yep 100% agree.