More reports are suggesting Mark Webber could be Ferrari-bound.

One of Spain’s leading F1 correspondents, Raymond Blancafort, wrote in El Mundo Deportivo that “there may be a pre-contract” between the Maranello based team and Red Bull’s experienced Australian driver.

Webber, 35, was also linked with Ferrari last year, before Red Bull decided to sign him up for another single season alongside Sebastian Vettel.

He is now touted as Felipe Massa’s 2013 replacement, not only because of his “experience (and) the consistency of his results” but because “he gets along” with number one driver Fernando Alonso, Blancafort said.

Flavio Briatore also manages both Alonso and Webber.

Following Blancafort’s claims, Spain’s El Confidencial is now reporting similarly.

The publication said Webber has been earmarked as Alonso’s ideal teammate for 2013, perhaps pre-dating Sergio Perez’s move to the team in 2014 when the young Mexican has gathered another season of experience.

That may mean yet another single-season deal for Webber, but it might be better than what he is offered by Red Bull, given the energy drink-owned team’s grooming of youngsters Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso.

El Confidencial said Webber is also Spaniard Alonso’s first choice, with a source saying a deal has been “already reached but not signed”, possibly therefore in the form of a letter of intent.

Mark Webber might have signed a pre-contractual agreement with Ferrari, one of Spain’s leading F1 correspondents has revealed.

Raymond Blancafort, writing for El Mundo Deportivo, referred to widespread speculation in the paddock about Sergio Perez’s likely future alongside Fernando Alonso.

“There may be a pre-contract,” he said, “but between Ferrari and Webber.”

Australian Webber was also linked with Ferrari last year, before Red Bull decided to sign him up for another single season.

The 35-year-old was overshadowed by his teammate Sebastian Vettel last year, but he has begun the 2012 season more strongly.

And Webber warned before the 2012 season began that if Red Bull didn’t re-sign him for 2013, “I’d need something (else) competitive (to drive)”.

“Being at the front, is certainly a big, big factor of me staying very hungry and motivated.”

Ferrari may be looking to replace Alonso’s current teammate, the struggling team veteran Felipe Massa, for 2013.

“They (Ferrari) would be able to take advantage of his (Webber’s) experience, the consistency of his results and the fact that he gets along with Alonso.

“Interestingly, Webber is also still involved with Flavio Briatore”, as is Alonso, Blancafort noted.

Bernie Ecclestone has continued to argue that ten teams is a better number for formula one.

The F1 chief executive was a staunch critic of the sport’s three new stragglers last year, but he has since said Team Lotus is a worthy competitor.

“I’m very happy that they are back,” Ecclestone told the BBC. “They will get on their feet and then sponsors will be attracted to them and we’ll see them grow.

“Frank Williams was like that years ago,” added the 80-year-old.

As for Virgin and HRT, however, he told Reuters late last season that “one or two of them (the new teams) shouldn’t be there perhaps … it’s a bit rich for their blood”.

When asked how the 2011 season will be for them, he answered simply: “Difficult.

“Twelve teams is too many. Ten is enough,” added Ecclestone.

A report in Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo said the Briton actually wants to drop the limit for the maximum number of teams from 13 to 10 for the new 2013 Concorde agreement.

The report said Ecclestone thinks ten is a better number to financially look after the teams and ensure there are enough good sponsors to go around.

Technical boss Mike Gascoyne said he is determined to move Team Lotus forward this year.

“Formula one is about competition, it’s the peak of motor sport, you shouldn’t be there as a spare part,” he said.

Virgin has also vowed to raise its game but had the slowest 2011 car in recent testing, while HRT will only run its new car for the first time in Melbourne next Friday.

Referring to 2010, Virgin boss John Booth said: “We thought F1 was achievable the way we were doing it, and we thought it was a wonderful thing. But you soon get the wake-up call, don’t you?”

Jaime Alguersuari has backed his Toro Rosso teammate but acknowledged that Sebastien Buemi’s race seat might be in doubt for the 2011 season.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo is Red Bull’s leading junior driver, and he impressed the F1 world with his pace in the title-winning RB6 during the recent Abu Dhabi test.

At the same time, Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost – whilst praising young Spaniard Alguersuari – admitted that Swiss racer Buemi “struggled” at times this year.

Alguersuari, 20, was asked if he thinks Ricciardo might replace Buemi as his teammate in 2011 at Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s junior team.

“I don’t know what will happen,” he is quoted by Diario AS newspaper at an event to unveil the Red Bull prototype car for the Gran Turismo 5 video game.

Alguersuari added: “What I can say is that if my teammate (Buemi) had driven a Red Bull, he would do better than Ricciardo. Without a doubt.”

Meanwhile, Tost has issued fulsome praise for Alguersuari’s progress this year, indicating that his place for 2011 is secure.

“Jaime has this year learned to set up and develop and drive the car. Now I’m looking forward to next season, when we will have a much more mature driver who is constantly improving,” the Austrian is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo.

Alguersuari replied: “I’m very proud of what he said because I think I have improved this year and I intend to keep going that way.”

Peter Sauber on Saturday played down rumours linking his Hinwil based team with Nicolas Todt.

Spanish reports on Friday said Frenchman Todt, the 32-year-old son of FIA president Jean Todt, could merge his GP2 team ART with Sauber rather than go it alone in F1 next year.

El Mundo Deportivo said Peter Sauber’s ambition for his struggling former BMW-owned team is to “find a strong and stable partner and again retreat into the background”.

It is also rumoured that Todt recently visited the Swiss team’s headquarters.

But Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick: “I am not selling my team!”

(GMM)

French GP2 team ART could merge with an existing team rather than go it alone in formula one next year.

The outfit headed by FIA president Jean Todt’s son Nicolas has applied to debut in 2011.

But Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo reports that ART is also looking at other options, including merging with the under-financed former BMW-owned outfit Sauber.

The move would make Spanish hopeful Epsilon Euskadi, already with a state of the art headquarters, wind tunnel and proven Le Mans car-making abilities, the favourite to fill the 13th team slot next year.

“I think we have arguments that are difficult to refute,” said Epsilon’s Joan Villadelprat.

On the other hand, El Mundo said Peter Sauber’s ambition for his struggling Hinwil based squad is to “find a strong and stable partner and again retreat into the background”.

Italian media sources are reporting that Pirelli will be F1′s sole tyre supplier in 2011 and beyond.

Autosprint and Italiaracing say the Milan-based marque has been selected by the teams and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to replace the departing control supplier Bridgestone.

Reportedly also in the running had been Michelin as well as minor contenders Avon, Kumho and Hankook.

When asked to nominate his preference, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said this week: “As an Italian I prefer Pirelli, but experience tells me Michelin.

“In the end it will be the same for everyone,” he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Autosprint said Pirelli will be paid 1 million euros per team per season in 2011, 2012 and 2013, in exchange for identical attention and service and a range of just three compounds: soft, medium and hard.

At least initially, the tyres will be in a similar 13-inch specification to the current Bridgestone product, with a longer-term ambition being a move to a low profile.

The decision is set to be confirmed shortly by the World Motor Sport Council.

Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo reports that Pirelli, already the supplier of the new GP3 series as well as world rally, is also likely to supply GP2 next year.

Pirelli was last in F1 in 1991.
(GMM)

At least three media sources are claiming Mark Webber is a contender to replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari next year.

Britain’s The Sun, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, and British journalist James Allen all reported the rumour from the scene of this weekend’s Monaco grand prix.

It is already rumoured that Robert Kubica is another contender to replace struggling Brazilian Massa, whose current teammate Fernando Alonso is under long-term contract.

The Sun also said Webber, 33, could retire if he is not retained by Red Bull in 2011 and is unable to find another top drive.

Kimi Raikkonen has been linked with Webber’s seat at the energy drink-owned team, and the newspaper said “the pieces of the puzzle” could be in place by July.

El Mundo, meanwhile, raised the possibility that Massa could simply swap seats with Webber and race alongside Sebastian Vettel next year.

(GMM)

Apr.26 (GMM)  F1 teams are close to agreeing upon a new engine formula for the six-year period beginning in 2013.

Until then, development of the current 2.4 litre V8s will remain ‘frozen’, to be replaced thereafter by similarly powerful engines that use less fuel, emit less pollution and are affordable for the small teams.

Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo newspaper said an in-principle agreement has been reached for a four cylinder, 1.5 litre engine equipped with a twin-turbo and direct injection.

The new formula would reportedly also involve KERS.

“If F1 has to develop something helpful for real (road) driving conditions, then the best solution is for an engine that is turbocharged and GDI (gasoline direct injection,” Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa told Autocar magazine at the Beijing Motor Show.

“That is what we would support,” he said.

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug agrees that smaller engines are likely for reasons of consumption and emissions, but warns that high technology needs to remain a crucial focus.

“If you fly from Europe to Japan on a 747, you would use more fuel than an entire F1 season.  We need to see the whole picture,” he insisted.

Apr.23 (GMM)  Pedro de la Rosa is hoping Sauber can make a big step forward at his home grand prix next month.

The C29 car has not only been off the pace so far in 2010, de la Rosa’s 12th place in Australia was the team’s only race finish.

It has also been rumoured that the 39-year-old risks losing his race seat, but he told Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo: “We have high hopes for Barcelona.

“We have new parts to improve the car’s performance, it is a major leap.

“And we hope that Ferrari have now solved the engine problem,” de la Rosa, who retired in China with a second consecutive engine failure, added.

It emerged on Thursday that, while the cause of de la Rosa’s Shanghai failure has not been clarified, Ferrari has identified a general problem with the pneumatic system of its 2.4 litre V8.

De la Rosa said Sauber’s double engine problem in Malaysia was linked to sensors, adding that in China “we had different sensors and the pneumatic system failed for some other reason”.

He also said he welcomes the arrival from Force India of James Key, who replaces Sauber’s departing long-time technical boss Willy Rampf.

“I think he is the right man for the job and already during the (China GP) weekend we realised that he knows what he is talking about.

“He now knows what are our weak points and will work on them.

“In this business it’s always good to have fresh ideas from people who have worked in different environments and with different cars.

“It’s important to have new people from time to time,” de la Rosa added.  “If you look at a top team, every year or two they get new people from other teams.”