Team boss Stefano Domenicali tried to play down the controversy surrounding Ferrari displaying the flag of the Italian navy on its car this weekend. (Photo: Getty Images)

2012 Ferrari Has Ugly 'Bump' On Nose: Part of what makes the 2012 Ferrari "not pretty" is a conspicuous bump on its nose, it is believed. The famous team's bosses Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo used descriptions including "not pretty" and "lousy" when describing the physical appearance of the unlaunched new machine, codenamed 663. "It's not that pretty, because the shape defined by the technical regulations does not leave much scope," admitted Domenicali. It is believed he is referring to regulation tweaks for 2012 that will reduce the height of the noses, to improve driver safety in the event of crashes. But the maximum height of the dash bulkhead remains the same, meaning that Ferrari's low nose tapers sharply where it meets the front of the monocoque. Some sources claim to have seen drawings or images of Ferrari's unnamed 2012 car, but Fernando Alonso on Thursday insisted the car "is quite similar" in physical appearance to last year's contender. "The rules have been clarified a bit in the last two years with the result that all the cars look more and more alike," Spanish reporters quote him as saying.

Ferrari Working On Lotus-Style Braking System: Ferrari has emerged as the first team ready to copy Lotus' reportedly innovative braking ride height system. The BBC claims Italian giant Ferrari "are working on a similar system," which apparently has already been declared legal by F1's governing body. The BBC report said it believes the Lotus system, designed to improve handling stability, is operated by an hydraulic cylinder that adjusts the front suspension under braking to affect the car's ride height. "BBC Sport understands Ferrari are the only other team to have contacted the FIA on this issue and that they have plans for a similar system," wrote journalist Andrew Benson. Speaking at Ferrari's pre-season winter media event on Thursday, Fernando Alonso played down the possibility that the system could make or break a team's 2012 season. "I don't think there will be a big difference compared to the other cars, because the regulations are very clear, but there will definitely be some innovations and good technical ideas," he said.

Jaime Alguersuari is still without a job for 2012. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Alguersuari Turned Down Reserve Role - Newey: Jaime Alguersuari turned down the chance to be Red Bull's official reserve driver in 2012. That is the claim of Adrian Newey, the highly-rated car designer and technical boss at the energy drink company's championship-winning team. Red Bull dropped 21-year-old Spaniard Alguersuari from its rookie team Toro Rosso after two-and-a-half seasons, then installing his former teammate Sebastien Buemi as the 2012 reserve. "We closed the agreement as third driver with Sebastien Buemi after Alguersuari did not want to join our team," Briton Newey is quoted by Spain's Mundo Deportivo newspaper. The Swiss newspaper Blick quotes Alguersuari as saying this week: "I am negotiating with top teams for the role of reserve driver." Helmut Marko, the manager of Red Bull's driver program, told Italian website 422race.com this week that Buemi was selected for the reserve role because he has "more experience of the simulator" than Alguersuari. He denied Alguersuari was snubbed because of his videotaped row with the Spaniard after a practice session in Korea last year. "No, not at all," said Marko. "We had an evaluation of the possibilities and we took what we thought was the best available for us."

Equal Status For Force India Drivers In 2012: Returning German driver Nico Hulkenberg will enjoy equal status with his teammate Paul di Resta this year, Force India has announced. Hulkenberg, 24, is returning to the grid in 2012 after a season on the Silverstone-based team's reserve bench, following his ousting by Williams a year ago. His teammate is Paul di Resta, who made his F1 debut last year alongside the departing German veteran Adrian Sutil. The pair both have 19 career Grands Prix under their belts, with di Resta scoring a few more championship points than Hulkenberg, but the German having achieved his first pole position just before his enforced sabbatical. "We've never had a policy here where we have a lead driver," Force India's sporting director Andy Stevenson told Sky Sports news. "Both drivers get exactly the same treatment, they get exactly the same equipment."

FIA Should Decide On Bahrain's F1 Return - Teams: F1's governing body will decide if it is right for the sport to return to Bahrain in April, the bosses of top teams Red Bull and Ferrari said this week. Amid reports of continuing unrest in the island Kingdom and claims F1 should boycott the event also on moral grounds, the Sakhir circuit on Wednesday was pushing ahead with preparations for Bahrain's return in 2012. Track boss Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa said staff sacked amid the protests that last year caused the race's cancellation have been offered their old jobs. It is "an important initiative towards national reconciliation and unity," he insisted. F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has suggested the event will only be cancelled again in extreme circumstances. "We enter a championship run by the FIA," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told the BBC, "and we need to trust in their decision." Agreed Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali: "We need to rely on the competent authorities." But the famous Italian team's boss was asked if the FIA's judgement can still be trusted after a delegate last year gave Bahrain the all-clear. "Maybe (that) experience will give a different approach and the information will be more accurate," Domenicali is quoted by the Telegraph from Ferrari's annual winter media event in the Italian Dolomites.

Official Says Nurburgring Race 'Possible' For 2013: The Nurburgring's chances of staying on the F1 calendar received a boost this week. The German race, which until now has alternated a single annual Grand Prix date with Hockenheim, was thought endangered due to the withdrawal of the Green-influenced Rhineland-Palatinate government's state support. But parliamentary leader Hendrik Hering told the Rhein-Zeitung newspaper: "A race in 2013 is possible. There could be a small state subsidy but it needs to be much less than before." Other German media reports said new talks have been held with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and those "initial discussions were positive." "If it (the agreement) is very financially favorable, there could be a Formula One event in 2013 at the Nurburgring," Hering added.

'Leave Spa Alone' Say F1 Figures: Two prominent F1 figures have expressed disappointed at reports the Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps could become only a biennial event. It is reported that France's Paul Ricard is close to inking an agreement to share alternating race hosting rights from 2013 with the fabled Belgian track. On Twitter, outspoken Red Bull driver Mark Webber denounced it as a "shit idea." And Pirelli's motor sport director Paul Hembery reacted similarly: "Yuk. Agree (with Webber), leave Spa alone."

FIA Says Radical Lotus System 'Legal' - Report: Ferrari is awaiting a clarification about Lotus' reportedly radical braking system for its 2012 car, Stefano Domenicali has revealed. It emerged this week that Lotus, formerly Renault, intends to run the system this season after debuting it during the young driver test late last year. "I know that some teams and the FIA have exchanged letters," Ferrari team principal Domenicali is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat from the 'Wrooom' media event in the Italian Dolomites. "We are now expecting a definitive answer as to whether it is acceptable or not. Of course, we look at devices that affect the car's performance." La Gazzetta dello Sport quotes Domenicali as confirming that the Lotus system relates to braking stability. The Spanish news agency Europa Press suggested that the legality of the system is being questioned because its movement reportedly affects the aerodynamics of the car. "We need to wait to see the reaction of the FIA," added Domenicali. Livio Oricchio, the correspondent for the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo, wrote from Ferrari's Madonna di Campiglio event that the FIA "has just declared legal the height control system developed by Lotus."

Pirelli To Launch 2012 Tires On Jan. 25: Pirelli will officially launch its 2012 season later this month, according to the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat. The report said the Italian marque's president Marco Tronchetti Provera will be present at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit when this year's tires and markings are revealed on Jan. 25. Less than two weeks later, the teams will begin official preseason testing at Jerez.

Rossi Wants To 'Be Like Schumacher' In Decade: MotoGP great Valentino Rossi has admitted he admires Michael Schumacher's sporting longevity. Seven-time World Champion Schumacher retired from Formula One at the end of 2006 but returned three seasons later with Mercedes, where in 2012 he will attempt to add a first podium to the dazzling tally of his initial career. "I think it's great to see (what) Schumacher (is doing)," Italian Rossi, who turns 33 next month, said. "He is 10 years older than me but still in great shape and full of energy. At 43, I want to be like him," he told Italy's Sky Sport 24. Rossi, who like Schumacher has also won seven premier World Championships, said he and the German veteran have even more in common. "I'm an Italian racing for an Italian team, Schumacher is a German with Mercedes. And we have the same chances in the championship," he said. His current contract with Ducati expires at the end of 2012. "I would like a new two year contract, which could be the last," Rossi is quoted as saying. "Then I'll think about how to have fun."