Silverstone is up next for Formula One. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Ecclestone In Rome For Daughter's $2M Wedding: Bernie Ecclestone has not been at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend because he is in Rome preparing for the wedding of his 22-year-old daughter Petra. The youngest of the F1 chief executive's two daughters will marry British entrepreneur James Stunt at the 15th century Odescalchi castle, the lavish scene of Tom Cruise's wedding in 2006. Briton Ecclestone, 80, is reportedly footing the more than $2 million bill, with Eric Clapton touted to play the first song before the Black Eyed Peas take over.

Ferrari Plans To Run First V6 Prototype Next Year: Ferrari is planning to have the first prototype of its 2014 V6 turbo engine up and running some time next year. F1's engine manufacturers are already making plans for the forthcoming end of the current V8 engine era, with new regulations for 2014 now in place. The current rules have been effectively frozen for some time, but Ferrari's engine chief Luca Marmorini revealed at Spa-Francorchamps that his department has been busy in 2011 with the blown exhaust developments. "We are going to go on developing this year and preparing for next year as well," he said. "Concerning 2014, already a group of people has started to work to develop this (V6) engine. Time seems long but definitely it is such a big change in the regulations that this requires a long time. We have started to work intensively on this. We will see some prototype engine run during next year."

Ricciardo 'Must Deliver' For Red Bull Future: Daniel Ricciardo admits he has been earmarked as a potential future replacement for his countryman Mark Webber. But the young Australian, who with his Red Bull backing replaced Narain Karthikeyan at HRT earlier this season, acknowledged that he first must prove he is up to the task. "It's all just a bit of talk and speculation, as there always is," Ricciardo, 22, told the West Australian newspaper from Spa-Francorchamps. "But the reality is I am under a Red Bull contract, so the future, their target, would be to get me in the seat, provided I'm good enough for it. I think that's what they'd probably like in the future, so I've got to deliver."

Team Lotus Name, Logo Stays Same For Now: Speculation reported on Friday about the future of Team Lotus' identity might have been wide of the mark. The Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat said Tony Fernandes' outfit will probably be renamed Caterham Team AirAsia for 2012, with the Lotus logos to be dropped as soon as the forthcoming Italian GP at Monza. But a subsequent report by correspondent Heikki Kulta admitted that some of the information "turned out to be false." Team Lotus, locked this year in a bitter naming and court dispute with Renault sponsor Group Lotus, will apparently maintain its current signage for now. The 2011 team gear is also not changing, with spokesman Tom Webb clarifying that the only change for Monza will be the uniforms worn by staff when they are traveling. Webb also said that the interpretation that changes mean a settlement has been reached with Group Lotus is wrong. He said there is no requirement for Team Lotus to drop its current name either this year or in 2012.

Sebastien Buemi (Pictured) drives for Toro Rosso, along with Jaime Alguersuari. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Silverstone To Raise $400M With 100-Year Lease - Report: Rumors at Spa this weekend suggest British GP venue Silverstone will be leased to a private bidder. The Independent newspaper said the Northamptonshire venue's owner the British Racing Drivers' Club is signing a 100-year lease with the unnamed bidder "for around $400m." The news ties in with the recent lodgement of plans to develop the area around the circuit with business and technology parks, a welcome center, a motor sport museum, an education campus and three hotels. Managing director Richard Phillips said of the plans recently: "This is the most important initiative that Silverstone has taken in its 60-year history." Bernie Ecclestone, already in control at Paul Ricard and Turkey's Istanbul Park, has denied he is the buyer of the Silverstone lease.

Vergne To Get Friday Chance With Toro Rosso: Red Bull's next young charger is set to enter the scene at the energy drink company's second F1 team. The BBC is reporting that 21-year-old Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne is slated to drive the Toro Rosso on Friday mornings once his Renault World Series campaign finishes in October. The current cream of the Red Bull programme, Daniel Ricciardo, has been slotted in at HRT for the second half of the 2011 season and hotly tipped to replace either Jaime Alguersuari or Sebastien Buemi in 2012. Toro Rosso's 2012 lineup will apparently then feel the pressure from Vergne, who currently runs second in the Renault World Series between leader Robert Wickens and Ricciardo.

Red Bull 'Can Only Defeat Themselves' - Frentzen: Former F1 winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen has said it will be difficult for Sebastian Vettel's rivals to chase down his championship advantage in 2011. "At the moment they (Red Bull) can only defeat themselves," he told the Austrian portal laola1. "They have the best car even if their best innovations are now elsewhere (also on rival cars)," said the 44-year-old German, who is now an occasional third steward at Grands Prix. To beat Vettel and Red Bull to the titles, he said, "Ferrari and McLaren need a big leap in development, and even then, Sebastian only has to score points regularly (to win)." Frentzen, who won races with Williams and Jordan and most recently drove for Sauber in 2003, also commented on suggestions F1 has become too complicated in the new era with the DRS system and heavily degrading tires. "No matter how it is in F1, there is always criticism," he said. "In the past people always complained that there is not enough overtaking, now there is much more and yet still everybody is unable to agree."