Magny Cours is still in the race to host France’s return to formula one.

But according to RMC, the race’s former host – having run the French grand prix between 1991 and 2008 – has been handed a much higher price-tag than Paul Ricard.

Just before Nicolas Sarkozy lost the recent presidential election, the basis of an agreement to annually alternate a French GP with Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps was agreed.

The 2013 host would be Paul Ricard, the Bernie Ecclestone-owned circuit, and the race fee EUR 22 million.

Politics, it seems, have intervened.

Francois Hollande, France’s new president, is not a supporter of the grand prix, and vowed to re-evaluate the sport’s return to the country.

RMC reports that officials at Magny Cours have used the opportunity to “repeatedly” contact F1 chief executive Ecclestone in recent days.

The Nievre region is politically aligned with the new administration, but Ecclestone is reportedly “asking EUR 10 million more” for a race at Magny Cours.

Politics, however, could also be on Paul Ricard’s side, with Citroen’s former world rally boss Olivier Quesnel reportedly lined up to lead the F1 project.

Quesnel is reportedly close to FIA president Jean Todt, and the pair apparently met earlier this week.

Lucas di Grassi has admitted that even his continuing role at Pirelli is not a ticket back onto the F1 grid.

“I’m in the best possible position technically, as the driver with knowledge of the tyres – almost choosing them for next season – it puts me in a very comfortable position.

“Of course I want to race again with a team and I’m working on it,” said the 2010 Virgin driver, who was replaced by the now Marussia team with Jerome d’Ambrosio at the end of his only season in F1.

“The only problem is the lack of sponsorship,” di Grassi is quoted by Globo. “Let’s hope some Brazilian companies want to come in to support.”

Martin Brundle, a former F1 veteran whose son Alex now competes in the lower-tier GP3 series, admitted sponsorship is a problem for aspiring racers.

“Drivers are paying as much as $10 million to be a reserve at some teams,” the British commentator told the Daily Mail.

“Nine men who raced in F1 last year don’t have a drive any more. As soon as the money runs out, they’re replaced by someone who does have money.”

Hugo Boss is getting some of the best value for money as a formula one sponsor, a leading sponsorship consultancy firm has found.

The evaluation by Cologne based Sport Und Markt compared brand awareness versus the amount spent by F1 sponsors in 2010.

The result showed that fashion brand Hugo Boss, a long-time McLaren sponsor, had among the most efficient investments in F1, reaching 4.9 million people for its $3.1 million annual spend.

The very best however was Hewlett-Packard, reaching 6.6 million people by spending just $1.5 million for its minor Renault branding.

Allianz comes in at 11th place, Puma 14th and Mercedes-Benz far behind in 23rd, because each person reached cost the German marque a considerable $4.78.

Also struggling for sponsorship efficiency is DHL, one of F1′s official partners, ranking 32nd with its $10 million annually buying recognition among only 300,000 people.

A spokeswoman insisted to German business newspaper Handelsblatt: “This long-term partnership is for us one of the most powerful marketing platforms.”

Eric Lux’s lawyer has confirmed the Genii Capital chief executive is taking legal action against Force India driver Adrian Sutil.
The 28-year-old German driver recently apologised after it emerged he had injured Lux – involved in the ownership and management of the Renault team – in the neck with a broken glass at a nightclub in Shanghai one month ago.

We reported on Monday that Lux had decided to take legal action that could involve a damages claim of EUR 10 million.

“Mr Eric Lux has decided to file a criminal complaint against Mr Adrian Sutil for physical assault and grievous bodily harm,” Lux’s Swiss lawyer Dr Marc Henzelin confirmed in a statement on Monday.

“As soon as the complaint is registered, the FIA and Force India will be notified,” the statement added.

German newspaper Bild said Sutil’s friend Lewis Hamilton was in the same VIP room at the M1NT nightclub at the time of the incident, and the statement said Lux “does not exclude commencing an action against any other persons involved in this matter”.

Sutil’s manager Manfred Zimmerman responded by saying he and the driver heard about Lux’s legal action in the media.

“In recent weeks Adrian has made several attempts to make contact with Mr Lux with no success,” he told the German press.

“Should there be an indictment, we will fight it,” he promised.

“Anyone who knows Adrian knows that he would not intentionally hurt anybody. When it comes to this injury, Adrian regrets it very much but it was an unfortunate accident with no intention,” added Zimmermann.

Adrian Sutil is facing a EUR 10 million damages claim by Genii chief executive Eric Lux, according to a media report.
It emerged last week that, following news the Force India driver assaulted Lux with a broken champagne glass in a Shanghai nightclub recently, Sutil could be headed for court.

Italiaracing said Lux needed 24 stitches in his neck and is seeking the multi-million euro compensation.

The French website sport24.com also said Lux will file a complaint about the German with the governing FIA, with his lawyers to announce the action perhaps as soon as Monday.

The report said Sutil’s F1 super license could be at risk in the event of a civil conviction, although German newspaper Bild said neither the FIA nor Bernie Ecclestone are investigating the matter.

EUR 10 million would buy a driver the second race seat at HRT alongside Narain Karthikeyan.
That is the claim of Germany’s Bild newspaper, with speculation linking a handful of drivers with the last remaining place on the 2011 grid.

The report said Christian Klien, Davide Valsecchi and Pedro de la Rosa are in the running, but team boss Colin Kolles played down claims the seat is being “sold” to the highest bidder.

“No one needs to come with a suitcase full of cash. It will be enough to have the guarantees of sponsors,” he said.

“We’re not the only ones doing that,” insisted Kolles.

Bild said the EUR 10 million dowry would represent a third of HRT’s entire budget for the season.

Another high profile ‘pay driver’ this season is Renault’s Vitaly Petrov, but as boss Eric Boullier confirms, his sponsors are not his only quality.

“My requirement (for a driver) is sporting success,” the Frenchman is quoted by autohebdo.fr.

“Of course, there is pressure from Bernie Ecclestone and (team owner) Gerard Lopez, each of them with obvious reasons concerning the conquest of new and interesting markets,” added Boullier.

HRT owner Jose Ramon Carabante is expecting the Spanish team to have a better season in 2011.

The Dallara-built F110 was the slowest car in formula one this year, but Hispania has inked an agreement to have its next car equipped with a Williams gearbox.

However, an agreement with 2011 car supplier Toyota recently fell through, raising doubts about the likely competitiveness of the team next season.

But Carabante told Radio Marca in Spanish that it is Geoff Willis who has designed the 2011 HRT “and the car he has designed will give us many joys”.

“The car is being made partly in Germany and partly in England and it will be ready.

“We have been working on it for some time and it will be in Bahrain for sure. This year was much more difficult. This time we will be in the winter tests,” added Carabante.

He said HRT’s plans for its 2011 car are similar to Force India and Toro Rosso’s; teams who “work with several suppliers”.

A problem with the Toyota plan, he revealed, was that the Cosworth engine did not work with the Toyota chassis, which has its own power plant.

“The Cosworth did not fit in the Toyota and we couldn’t break the agreement with Cosworth because the clause was that they had to have been one of the least reliable, and they were not,” he explained.

On the financial front, Carabante said many sponsors do not appreciate the full value of formula one.

“In F1 these days there is no need to spend 5 or 10 million,” he said. “You can come in with 1 million or 500,000 euros.”

He lamented that “You go to large companies in this country and tell them that with their support you can have the car of Toyota, the use of their facilities and be in the top eight from time to time but they don’t support you.

“We have a Spanish team which would be even more Spanish with a driver like Pedro de la Rosa, but the companies did not come in.”

But he revealed that “soon we will announce a major sponsor because negotiations are well advanced. It is one of the five most important companies in Spain,” said Carabante.

HRT’s aim for 2011 is “to consolidate and be a step further ahead than this year. It is a long term project and we will see if in two or three years we are established, as was the initial idea”.

On the driver front, Carabante said talks are ongoing with “five or six” candidates but said announcements are not scheduled until the new year.

Whether a Spaniard is among them, he answered: “Maybe.”

Pedro de la Rosa has received a EUR 8 to 10 million price-tag for a 2011 race seat with the Spanish team HRT.

It was believed the veteran driver was set to join the team next year thanks to the investment of Juan Villalonga, while an attractive Toyota-designed car with a Williams gearbox was in the making.

But the Toyota deal has fallen through due to reportedly late payments, leaving not enough time for Hispania to separately build a new car for 2011.

And team owner Jose Ramon Carabante has now admitted that HRT will again be relying on pay-drivers.

“Pedro wants to come, but it depends very much on the support.  Without money, there is no place for him.  We can’t allow ourselves a luxury like that.

“He needs to contribute about eight or ten million.  We have spoken with companies to try to attract sponsors, and we would like to have two Spanish drivers for our identity and someone like Pedro who can give us some direction for 2012,” Carabante said on Cadena Ser radio.

He confirmed that HRT is currently in a “crucial week, deciding the future of the team”.

“A budget needs to be above 120 or 130 million euros.  With that we will achieve a leap into the top ten.

“This year we had 45 (million) and next year it will be 55 and we would like 65 at least.  Ferrari for example is in 400 million each season.”

Carabante said even the location of HRT’s headquarters for 2011 is not decided.

“We have offers from Madrid and Barcelona.  For the logistics we would like to be in the centre of Europe,” he added.

Norbert Haug has admitted that Mercedes might line up on the 2011 grid with some new employees.

“In 2011 we will make a step forward.  So we need to have the best possible staff, which may include some new people,” he is quoted by the Cologne newspaper Express.

But amid rumours it might be Ross Brawn or Michael Schumacher who depart, the Mercedes competition director insisted the famous duo are actually going nowhere.

“In 2011 the drivers are Michael and Nico Rosberg,” Haug announced.

“And we believe in Ross and his team,” added the German, amid rumours of tension between Brackley in the UK and Mercedes GP’s German side.

“We just know what victory feels like, so perhaps we are sometimes a bit grumpy,” said Haug, explaining the apparent tension in the paddock at present.

One answer might be to plough more money into the team, or make a big offer for a high profile signing like Adrian Newey.

“Of course we could put another 10 million euros into F1, but we don’t want to,” said Haug.

Mercedes GP looks set to secure another sponsor.

The German source sponsors.de reports that Allianz, the Munich based global insurance group, will soon be added to the livery of the Silver Arrows.

Previously, the company invested about EUR 10 million in formula one through its trackside sponsorship programme, in addition to a 750,000 sponsor deal with Williams.

But the new partnership between Allianz and Mercedes in formula one makes sense, given the strategic agreement signed with the German carmaker’s parent Daimler earlier this year.

“Daimler has been working together with Allianz for more than 80 years now,” the chairman of Daimler Insurance Services said in February.

John Booth has admitted he was “not particularly pleased” when he heard Bernie Ecclestone predict that two of F1′s struggling teams might fold before the end of the season.

The F1 chief executive said in July that the two teams in question “really shouldn’t be there” and that he would be happy if the grid dropped to just 20 cars.

When asked about his initial reaction to Ecclestone’s comments, Virgin team boss Booth admitted: “I was not particularly pleased, because comments like that for a team like ours can do great damage.

“It is difficult for us at the moment — as it is for other teams, and for all the new teams,” he said in an interview with motorsport-total.com.

Booth said comments like Ecclestone’s can be “destabilising”, but expressed relief that most of Virgin’s sponsors are committed for the long term.

It is believed that each new team was promised 10 million euros by Ecclestone for entering the sport in 2010, meaning that if Virgin or HRT were to fail, the sport’s commercial pot would be correspondingly bigger.

“Yes. Something like that,” confirmed Booth.

Some of the general negativity about the team’s effort so far might be disappointment that the world-renowned brand – headed by high profile billionaire Sir Richard Branson – has failed to live up to Virgin’s image.

Booth responded: “If you look at what we have built up so far, it’s not all bad.

“In formula one there have been probably 30 or 40 new teams, some of which never qualified for a race. But we are there at the start of every race and, step by step, we are getting closer.

“We are where we expected we would be, and maybe even a bit further ahead than that,” he insisted.

Germany’s free to air television broadcaster has denied it is disappointed with Michael Schumacher.

Sunday’s Hockenheim race was not a sellout, and predicted astronomical TV ratings earlier this year have now subsided, given the seven time world champion’s modest return to formula one in 2010.

An impressive 10 million Germans tuned into his comeback race in Bahrain, but the average figure is now between 5 and 7 million per race.

“We are far from disappointed,” spokesman Matthias Bolhofer told Der Spiegel.

“On average we are 1.13 million higher than last year’s average.  That we would not be able to keep up the hype of the opening race was obvious,” he added.

Besides Schumacher, there are five other German drivers on the 2010 grid.