Raikkonen 'very important' for Renault

Renault owner Gerard Lopez says that Kimi Raikkonen's acquisition is "one of the very important steps" to make the team more competitive.

After it was announced earlier this week that Raikkonen would be returning to Formula One to join the team on a two year deal, the lack of a second driver on the FIA entry list confirmed that Vitaly Petrov's future was uncertain. With Nick Heidfeld and Bruno Senna also having driven for the team this year, Lopez said that Raikkonen's ability would help improve the performance of the 2012 car.

"I think we decided that we had to look forward in terms of performance and the key way to see how good a car is, is to have a good driver," Lopez said. "Kimi has proven in the past that he is among the fastest and in terms of age he's still in his prime.

"In terms of motivation from what I have seen and spoken to him, he is probably as motivated as ever. And the more people question the better it is because it is going to increase his motivation even more to prove that they are wrong. I'm excited that he is here because I think it's one of the very important steps in getting the team to where we want it to be - which is one of the top teams in Formula 1…"

Despite a lot of interest surrounding his return, Raikkonen said that he hadn't been paying attention to the coverage and that it would not add any extra pressure.

"It is my first time in Enstone so it is very nice to see the factory - it feels good," Raikkonen said. "It is a very warm feeling and I'm very relaxed. I haven't really read the newspapers about all the excitement but it is quite normal, isn't it? It doesn't put any more pressure on me. I always try to do my best, so I don't put myself under pressure. It will be exciting, yes, but no pressure really and we will see how it goes."

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Mexican GP would be a 'no-brainer'

The son of the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, believes that a Mexican Grand Prix in the near future is a "no-brainer" for Formula One.

Carlos Slim Domit has been working to bring a grand prix back to Mexico, with the last race having been held there in 1992. With Bernie Ecclestone admitting he would like to return to Mexico and South Africa, Slim Domit told the FIA's In Motion magazine that interest in the sport hadn't waned as Mexico approaches 20 years of absence from the Formula One calendar, and that the fanbase remained firmly in place.

"Perhaps naturally I embrace the idea and believe that a new race for Mexico is what, in colloquial English, is referred to as a 'no-brainer'," Slim Domit said. "Mexico has long been close to Formula One, closer to it indeed than it has been to many other racing series that have visited the country.

"From the non-championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix, which claimed the life of the talented local hero Ricardo Rodriguez, through following his brother Pedro's illustrious career in the sport and on to the series' last visits to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City in the late 1980s and early 90s, Mexicans have always followed Formula One with intense interest."

Slim Domit also said that the emergence of Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez has seen interest grow even further recently.

"Even when Formula One left our shores in 1992, passion for the sport was undiminished and the seasons since have been watched avidly on TV by a sports-mad nation. The rise of a new generation of Mexican racers has only served to boost interest in Formula One. We not only have Sergio Pérez impressing at Sauber, but waiting in the wings is another rising star, Esteban Gutierrez.

"The potential of these young drivers has reawakened interest in F1 beyond hardcore fans and the huge crowds who flocked to see Pérez's F1 demonstration in his home town earlier this year attest to a new-found popularity for the sport that should be capitalised upon. It is, after all, a ready-made audience - unlike at some of the venues currently featuring on the F1 calendar."

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Thursday's NASCAR Parade Down the Las Vegas Strip

Carl Edwards on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday. Notice the sign in the background (Getty)

Stewart leads the parade down the strip on an overcast day in Las Vegas.  (Getty)

View from Carl Edwards car as Stewart leads the parade down the Las Vegas strip, they're next to Caesars Palace. (Getty)

Williams confirms Pastor Maldonado for 2012

Williams has announced that Pastor Maldonado will remain with the team for the 2012 season, with Valtteri Bottas being named as reserve driver.

Maldonado had initially seemed set to stay with the team until doubts over his Venezuelan backing, with his omission from the FIA entry list increasing speculation that his seat was not secure. However, Williams has moved to confirm one of its race drivers for next season, and despite only scoring one point in 2011 Maldonado said that he had developed as a driver.

"I am delighted to be able to continue with Williams into my second season and I will give my very best to help the team as we push to return to the front of the grid," Maldonado said. "This has been a tough season for the whole team but it has given me personally the opportunity to learn and develop. I am convinced that the steps we have taken to improve our competitiveness will bear fruit in 2012 and beyond. I am thrilled to be part of that and also to represent the people of Venezuela in Formula One."

Team principal Frank Williams praised Maldonado's raw speed, being the only Williams driver to qualify in the top ten this season.

"Pastor has proven this year that he is not only quick but also that he is able to maintain a consistent and strong race pace," Williams said. "Pastor has been responsible for all of our forays into Q3 in 2011 and his race at Monaco was outstanding. Pastor has also settled into the team at Williams very well, contributing strongly in the factory and with our partners. He will play a critical role in 2012 as we rebuild the team and move forward."

Bottas impressed during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, and had been tipped as a potential race driver in 2012, replacing Rubens Barrichello. However, Williams said he wanted Bottas to build up experience in Friday practice, while hinting that the team's other driver would be "more experienced".

"We have a very specific approach to young driver development, working with one highly talented individual over a period of years. Valtteri has proved a very capable and rounded young man of fierce determination. As the team's Reserve Driver, we anticipate that Valtteri will participate in a Friday practice session at 15 Grands Prix next year, most likely with a more experienced driver taking over for the remainder of the race weekend. We will announce the identity of that driver in due course."

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Ferrari and Red Bull resign from FOTA

Ferrari and Red Bull have confirmed they have resigned from the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) in the midst of a row over the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA).

The news follows a series of meetings among the teams over how to control spending in the sport fairly and transparently under the RRA. There had been a certain amount of mistrust between the teams over the RRA, leading Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to question the purpose of the organisation earlier this year.

On Friday a FOTA spokesperson told ESPNF1 that two teams had issued a resignation and shortly afterwards both Ferrari and Red Bull confirmed the news in separate announcements. The two teams will have to serve a two-month notice period before they leave the organisation and a FOTA spokesperson added that there would be a meeting of the teams "early next week, or as early as possible, and it will have to be seen where those discussions will bring them".

A short Red Bull statement read: "Red Bull Racing can confirm it has served notice to withdraw from FOTA (Formula One Teams Association). The team will remain committed to finding a solution regarding cost saving in Formula One."

Ferrari went into lengthlier detail in its resignation statement.

"It was a difficult decision and a great deal of thought went into it," read a Ferrari statement. "It was taken reluctantly after analysing the current situation and the stalemate when it came to debate on some issues that were at the core of why the association was formed, indeed with Ferrari and Luca di Montezemolo as the main instigator and promoter of ideas. It's not by chance that the President of the Maranello company held that same position and job title within FOTA up to the end of 2009.

"Some of the major achievements of the association during these years, also worked out in conjunction with the FIA, centred around cost reduction, which was of significant benefit to everyone, the big teams and the small ones. Ferrari was on the front line in this area, even before the birth of FOTA and it intends to continue down this route to ensure the sustainability of the sport in the long term. Now however, it is necessary to find some new impetus to move it along because FOTA's drive has run its course, despite the excellent work of current president Martin Whitmarsh in trying to reach agreement between the various positions for the common good.

"Ferrari will continue to work with the other teams to make the current RRA, Resource Restriction Agreement, aimed at controlling costs, more effective and efficient, modifying it to make it more stringent in key areas such as aerodynamics, to rebalance some aspects such as testing and to expand it to areas currently not covered such as engines.

"Formula One, like the rest of the world in fact, is currently going through a delicate period. Ferrari wants to work with all parties for the future of a sport that expresses the highest level of motor sport technology. We must return to a situation where Formula One is really a test bed for advanced technological research, the results of which can be transferred to Granturismo cars. In addition, we must not forget that this sport must become more user friendly and more accessible to the general public and furthermore, it cannot be the only professional sport where it is practically impossible to do any training: the number of days of testing must be increased so that the drivers, especially the young ones who lack experience and the teams, can be adequately prepared, as well as providing more opportunities for them to come into contact with spectators and sponsors."

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Clint Bowyer's Prospects in 2012 with MWR

Bowyer should be very good in 2012 with MWR (Getty)

I think from what we saw out of Martin Truex Jr over the last month of the season that you have to make Clint Bowyer a viable candidate to not only win a race or two in 2012, but actually make the Chase.

Michael Waltrip Racing showed once again that they are heading in the right direction with 1.5-mile track program and if they can give Bowyer a car to compete on his best type of tracks at Richmond, Phoenix and New Hampshire -- not to mention 4 wild card plate races he always runs well at, he’ll have a great shot at finishing within the top-12.

You have to put Bowyer’s driving ability considerably ahead or Truex Jr and Reutimann, so when combining that into the equation of what is sort of an unknown with MWR and a top-flight driver, the possibilities are endless.

Championship? No.

But two wins and a Chase invite, Yes.

I could actually see Bowyer mirror or better 2011’s numbers while he was with RCR, which would mean 4 top-5’s and 16 top-10’s.

My OVER-UNDER win total on him would be 1.5 wins with the UNDER being a -180 favorite. The betting move would be to still take the UNDER here just because two wins is a massive achievement, but I definitely wouldn’t bet UNDER on him with my money.

FIA publishes 2012 entry list

Not all the drivers that finished 2011 will start 2012 © Getty Images

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The FIA has released the official entry list for the 2012 season, although unsurprisingly there are a few blank spaces.

Nine seats are still open according to the official list, even though some contracts have been announced by the teams. Force India, Toro Rosso, Williams and HRT yet to confirm either driver according to the FIA, and Renault named just Kimi Raikkonen and not Vitaly Petrov. What's more, HRT's engine supplier was listed under 'To Be Confirmed'.

Another point of note is that Jenson Button will drive the No.3 McLaren and Lewis Hamilton the No.4, which is in line with their finishing positions in this year's championship.

2012 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List

No.	Driver	Team	Constructor
1 2	Sebastian VETTEL (DEU) Mark WEBBER (AUS)	RED BULL RACING (AUT)	Red Bull Racing Renault
3 4	Jenson BUTTON (GBR) Lewis HAMILTON (GBR)	VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES (GBR)	McLaren Mercedes
5 6	Fernando ALONSO (ESP) Felipe MASSA (BRA)	SCUDERIA FERRARI (ITA)	Ferrari
7 8	Michael SCHUMACHER (DEU) Nico ROSBERG (DEU)	MERCEDES GP PETRONAS F1 TEAM (DEU)	Mercedes
9 10	Kimi RAIKKONEN (FIN) TBA	LOTUS F1 TEAM (GBR)	Lotus Renault
11 12	TBA TBA	SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM (IND)	Force India Mercedes
14 15	Kamui KOBAYASHI (JPN) Sergio PEREZ MENDOZA (MEX)	SAUBER F1 TEAM (CHE)	Sauber Ferrari
16 17	TBA TBA	SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO (ITA)	STR Ferrari
18 19	TBA Pastor Maldonado	AT&T WILLIAMS (GBR)	Williams Renault
20 21	Heikki KOVALAINEN (FIN) Jarno TRULLI (ITA)	TEAM CATERHAM (MAL)	Caterham Renault
22 23	TBA TBA	HRT F1 TEAM (ESP)	HRT/TBA
24 25	Timo GLOCK (DEU) Charles PIC (FRA)	MARUSSIA F1 TEAM (RUS)	Marussia Cosworth

For up-to-date news on each team's 2012 line-up;

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel
Mark Webber

There will be no change at the top team after Webber signed a new one-year contract at the Belgian Grand Prix. Vettel is tied to Red Bull until 2014.

McLaren

Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton

Button recently signed a three-year contract with the team after settling in nicely over the past two seasons. Hamilton has hinted that he will extend his contract beyond 2012 next year.

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa

Alonso is tied to the team until 2016 but Massa will need to prove himself in 2012 to see his stay extended into 2013.

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg
Michael Schumacher

Rosberg signed a new multi-year deal in Abu Dhabi to extend his contract beyond 2013. Schumacher will be on the final season of his three-year contract in 2012, but the team is willing re-sign the seven-time champion if the circumstances are right.

Renault announcing Kimi Raikkonen for 2012 came as a bit of a shock to the driver market © Lotus Renault GP

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Renault

Kimi Raikkonen
Vitaly Petrov (Unconfirmed on official FIA list) 

Raikkonen grabbed the headlines by agreeing to a two-year deal with the team after the Brazilian Grand Prix. Petrov has a contract for 2012 but both the team and his management have indicated he might be moving on and he was not confirmed on the official FIA entry list. A decision is expected by December 10 with Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna both eager to fill his space. The situation is made more complicated by Robert Kubica, who is still recovering from his rallying accident and is now out of contract. Renault has said it will do everything to help Kubica return to F1, but has ruled him out of the start of 2012.

Force India

TBA
TBA

Team principal Vijay Mallya is still struggling to fit three into two, with Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg to choose from. Rumours suggest the team has settled on di Resta and Hulkenberg, but Sutil's strong performances this year have complicated matters. It has been reported that Force India is waiting for Sutil to sure up his 2012 plans before an announcement is made.

Sauber

Kamui Kobayashi
Sergio Perez

Sauber announced it would be sticking with its 2011 driver line-up back in July. The team took up an option on Kobayashi to stay for at least another year while Perez already had a multi-year deal in place.

Toro Rosso

TBA
TBA

Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi both did solid jobs in 2011 but it is still unclear whether it was enough to secure their drives for 2012. They face stiff competition from Red Bull-backed drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne, and each week brings fresh speculation. The latest rumour is that Alguersuari and Buemi will hold their positions with Vergne as test driver and Ricciardo slotting in at another team.

Rubens Barrichello faces tough competition for his seat in 2012 © Getty Images

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Williams

Pastor Maldonado (Unconfirmed on official FIA list)
TBC

Maldonado did not feature on the FIA's official entry list, but has since been announced as one of the race drivers for the team. The other seat is anybody's guess, with 2011 driver Rubens Barrichello fighting hard to stay and Adrian Sutil strongly linked to the drive. Test driver Vatteri Bottas impressed during his recent run at the Young Driver Test, but there would be a serious lack of F1 experience if he lined up alongside Maldonado and a season in GP2 is more likely.

Lotus

Heikki Kovalainen
Jarno Trulli

Kovalainen has been linked to a drive at Renault but says he will honour his current contract until the end of 2012. The second seat is less straightforward however, as Trulli extended his contract by one year in September, but in recent weeks Red Bull-backed Daniel Ricciardo has been linked to the seat. The team is remaining tight lipped on the issue but has not moved to deny the rumours.

HRT

Pedro de la Rosa (Unconfirmed on official FIA list)
TBC

The news that de la Rosa will drive for HRT in 2012 came as a surprise, but it does satisfy the team's desire to have a Spanish driver in one of its cars. Bizarrely he was not confirmed on the official FIA entry list even though he has been announced as a driver by the team. Tonio Liuzzi is adamant he has a contract for 2012, but before the final race CEO Saul Ruiz de Marco said he would not confirm the team's second driver until after the season. Liuzzi does not fit with the team's tradition of opting for at least one pay driver so he might find himself under threat from someone with more cash. Spaniard Dani Clos has been linked to the seat after he tested for the team in Abu Dhabi, while Czech driver Jan Charouz bought his way into the Young Driver Test and a Friday drive in Brazil. Daniel Ricciardo looks unlikely to stay after half a season at the team with Red Bull's backing.

Virgin

Timo Glock
Charles Pic

Just hours after the Brazilian Grand Prix, Virgin announced Pic would replace Jerome d'Ambrosio next year. Glock has a contract for another year but is believed to have a break clause if a big team comes knocking.

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