Bernie Ecclestone is in negotiations with officials from Valencia. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Ecclestone Meets With Valencia President: Bernie Ecclestone on Tuesday had a "private" meeting with Valencia's government president, Alberto Fabra. That is the claim of the Spanish press, amid reports the Spanish port city might have to accept an annually alternating race date on the F1 calendar with Barcelona as Europe's economic crisis deepens. EFE news agency said Fabra requested the meeting in London as Valencia "seeks to negotiate down" its contract to host the street race every season. "There is a willingness to negotiate," confirmed vice president Jose Ciscar, "and we are on the right path." He predicted there will be "more meetings" to come. Running the annual race at present is promoter Valmor's Facundo Garcia de la Cuadra, who told Sportspro in an interview that Valencia wants F1 "forever." But he also acknowledged the possibility of an alternating date. "That's something we have been talking about in the last weeks," he said. "We will see, that's all I can say at the moment."

FIA To Tinker With DRS Zones For 2012 - Report: F1's controversial DRS innovation is staying put for 2012, according to an Italian report. While many hailed the moveable rear wing flaps' contribution to overtaking last season, others criticized the drag reduction system for compromising the purity of wheel-to-wheel racing. According to Autosprint, DRS is staying this year. But the FIA will reportedly modify the number and length of the overtaking zones at some circuits. "The reason is to facilitate overtaking by extending the zones at those circuits where it proved too difficult, and shortening them where the passing was too exaggerated," the Italian language report read. One DRS supporter is the Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg. "The important thing is that we are overtaking — who really cares why? However it is good to optimize everything, especially where it has been possible to gain 50 meters (on a rival) by the end of a straight. It's better that it (passing) is a bit more difficult than too easy," the German said.

Williams Signs Senna For One Season Only - Report: Bruno Senna's new Williams contract is for just one season, the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo claims. "It will be a pivotal year for my future in Formula One," the 28-year-old former HRT and Renault driver is quoted as saying. The reputation of the great Senna name is also at stake, amid reports the nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton is effectively now a 'pay-driver.' The reports say his personal sponsors are taking EUR 14 million to the famous British team, in addition to the millions brought by his teammate Pastor Maldonado. But Senna and other team figures insist that the driver's talent and potential were the decisive factors, after the Brazilian was put through a series of factory and on-track assessments in the past weeks. "It was like I was in school," said Senna. "I did technical tests, work on the simulator, physical assessments and things on the track with (racing instructor) Rob Wilson. They required an analysis from people inside and outside of the team to consider my potential." Ultimately, Williams overlooked the other main contenders for the seat, the experienced Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello. "The team evaluated all of this and took the risk," said Senna, when asked about the comparative inexperience of Williams' 2012 lineup. "They (the team) have lots of experience and said they believe in us to develop the car. The pressure will be great."

Second HRT Driver To Pay EUR 6 Million - Report: The eventual occupant of the second race seat at HRT — the final place on the 2012 grid — will bring "no less" than EUR 6 million to the table. That is the claim of the Spanish sports daily Marca, reporting that Dutchman Giedo van der Garde is apparently on pole position to be Pedro de la Rosa's teammate at the struggling Spanish team. The newspaper said Dutch GP2 driver van der Garde seems to have at least the requisite $6 million in sponsorship but acknowledged that "the list of candidates is long. I am still waiting for good news," 26-year-old van der Garde is quoted by De Telegraaf newspaper, "and I'm positive. I'm training hard to prepare myself as best as possible," he added on Tuesday. Some regard the growing influence of 'pay-drivers' as bad news for a premier sport such as formula one. "Whatever happens," said Felipe Massa last week amid rumors he could lose his Ferrari seat, "at least I know I've never had to pay to drive."

New Williams On Track For Jerez Debut: Williams' 2012 car is on schedule for an early February debut. That is the claim of the famous team's chief operations engineer Mark Gillan, who said the actual track debut of the newly Renault-powered FW34 will take place during an aerodynamic test before the opening test at Jerez. "We passed the crash tests before Christmas," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "The debut is planned for the first week of testing at Jerez in early February. So far, the data looks right — we have been able to achieve all the targets we set." Gillan said the next goal for Williams, having restructured the team during the course of its dire 2011 season, is for the FW34 to be a regular top-10 finisher. "I know that making a great leap forward is not easy," he said. "But from what we know about the car so far, there is reason to be fairly confident that we can be back in Q3 regularly and score points from there." Gillan welcomed the FIA's banning of exhaust blowing, a principle pioneered by Red Bull and also perfected by championship runner-up McLaren last year. "It (the ban) neutralizes the lead that some teams had achieved in this area," he said. "So the field should move closer together now, at least at the beginning of the season. After that it's a matter of time before someone comes up with the next F-duct or double diffuser."