Williams is looking for a new title sponsor after ending its relationship with AT&T

Rubens Barrichello has revealed he is still "waiting" to know if he will race a twentieth consecutive Formula 1 season in 2012. The British team has already confirmed the well-backed Pastor Maldonado for next season but is looking at its options for the other seat, which has been occupied by Brazilian veteran Barrichello for the past two years. It emerged just before Christmas that Bruno Senna visited Williams' Oxfordshire base, amid rumours Adrian Sutil is perhaps the favourite for the second race seat. "Just came […]

Jarno Trulli has hit out at the growing influence of so-called 'pay drivers' in Formula 1. It is rumoured that, despite his 2012 contract, the Italian veteran could be ousted by Caterham in favour of the well-backed Renault refugee Vitaly Petrov. Trulli, 37, suggested Renault - becoming Lotus for 2012 - suffered last year as the team collected sponsorship dollars brought by Russian Petrov and Bruno Senna. "Kubica is a great driver who can get the very best from the car," he is quoted by […]

Jos Verstappen has tipped F1 to race on unhindered when a list of midfield drivers does not return in 2012. Writing in his column for De Telegraaf newspaper, the Dutchman admitted that with so many drivers bustling for as little as two unconfirmed race seats, it is "an exciting time" on the newswire. At the same time, drivers apparently at the start of their promising careers, like ousted Toro Rosso pair Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi, have lost their seats. "It's hard for them, especially […]

The job-seeking Bruno Senna visited Williams' Oxfordshire headquarters in recent days, Brazil's Globo Esporte reports. The nephew of late Ayrton Senna, having started 2011 as Lotus/Renault's third driver, lost his race seat to Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean at the end of the season. A return to the reserve role has been rumoured for 2012, and he has also admitted to contemplating a switch to Nascar. But Globo reports that Senna, as well as team incumbent Rubens Barrichello, were both separately spotted at Williams' Grove […]

Bruno Senna is considering Nascar as a back-up option should his F1 journey end for now. That is the claim of the Italiaracing website, in the wake of the Brazilian's loss of his Renault/Lotus race seat. It is rumoured Senna, 28, could return to the team's reserve role for 2012, but Italiaracing said Nascar is another option, where his countryman Nelson Piquet Jr headed after his own F1 career foundered in 2009. The report said Senna has ruled out America's premier single seater series, Indycar. […]

Bruno Senna appears headed for a return to the reserve driver role at Lotus for 2012. With the Enstone based team known as Renault this year, the Brazilian began 2011 in the third driver role before graduating to the race cockpit mid-season when Nick Heidfeld was ousted. Lotus, however, has named Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean for the race cockpits in 2012. Senna, 28, has been quoted this week as admitting a return to a reserve role is possible for 2012, especially if he is […]

Lotus has decided to pair Kimi Raikkonen with new GP2 champion Romain Grosjean next year. That is the exclusive claim of the Italian news source Italiaracing, citing "more than reliable French sources". "There is no official announcement (yet) but the contract has been signed in recent days," read the report. Frenchman Grosjean, who made his troubled F1 debut with the same team (then Renault) amid the 'crashgate' scandal in 2009, is handled by Lotus' new owner Genii Capital's management arm Gravity. Also in the running […]

According to Russian press, a shock switch to the Marussia team in 2012 might be an option as Vitaly Petrov looks to rescue his F1 career. The French website Toile F1 also claims that Romain Grosjean, currently a reserve driver at Lotus-Renault GP, is close to signing a contract with the team. Lotus is reviewing its options after signing Kimi Raikkonen for 2012, with Petrov one of many candidates for the second seat alongside others including Romain Grosjean, Bruno Senna and Adrian Sutil. However, when […]

Prior to the announcement of Kimi Raikkonen as one of the Lotus Renault GP drivers for 2012, Romain Grosjean was considered to be on pole position for one of the seats at the Enstone team. In an interview with German website Motorsport-Total.com and British magazine Autosport, the GP2 champion sounds confident that he still has a chance at getting the drive, even if, according to several reports, the list of candidates is long and includes the current drivers, Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna, as well […]

Part One of F1Zone's Driver Ratings

Vitaly Petrov's manager on Tuesday confirmed speculation that the 27-year-old's place at Lotus Renault GP might not be secure for 2012. Russian Petrov has a contract for next season, but manager Oksana Kosachenko was reported to be heading to the team's Enstone headquarters this week for urgent talks. Her trip coincides with the announcement of Kimi Raikkonen's return to F1 next year with the team. "After today's decision was announced, I was given a very short amount of time, literally ten days. We have until […]