F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has downplayed his role in an alleged bribery scandal. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Ecclestone Involved In Petrov's Race Seat Quest - Manager: F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone got involved in Vitaly Petrov's quest to stay on the grid this year, the Russian driver's manager has revealed. We reported recently that, after the 27-year-old lost his Renault (now Lotus) race seat, the sport's 'supremo' Ecclestone became involved in order to keep Petrov on the grid. The 81-year-old Briton has arranged to take his sport to Russia in the near future, while Petrov is supported personally by prime minister Vladimir Putin. "As soon as it became clear that we could not stay with Lotus Renault, I spoke with Bernie," Petrov's manager Oksana Kosachenko revealed to the Ria Novosti news agency. "He expressed his support and tried to talk with the teams. The teams are, however, completely independent from Bernie Ecclestone, so he can't influence their decisions in any way, unfortunately," she added. Kosachenko denied rumors Petrov has already signed with Caterham for 2012 to replace the Italian veteran Jarno Trulli.

Bianchi - Ferrari 'Worked Hard' For Career: Jules Bianchi has thanked Ferrari for helping him make the next step in his Formula One career. On the face of it, the Frenchman's switch from Ferrari to the same reserve role at Force India is a backward move. But the new deal involves driving on the Fridays of Grand Prix weekends, while in the same role last year Nico Hulkenberg successfully found his way onto the race grid for 2012. Some reports have suggested Ferrari wanted to clear the reserve role so that it is free for Robert Kubica to step in this year with a view to replacing Felipe Massa in 2012. While Kubica's Ferrari link could be true, the famous Italian team is undoubtedly still pushing on 22-year-old Bianchi's career. Indeed, he has been training in the Canary islands in the past days with Ferrari's Massa and Fernando Alonso. And "Jules will still be part of the Ferrari driver academy" in 2012, the team confirmed. Even Bianchi reinforced the fact the Ferrari connection is still very much alive. "I'm very happy. I want to say thank you to Ferrari who have been working hard for me," he told the French-language RMC Sport. "It was very important to find a team and the aim now is to find the way to keep going."

McLaren Plays Down Link With Pollock's Pure: McLaren has played down reports its cars could be powered by engines produced by Craig Pollock's new venture Pure in 2014. Former BAR founder Pollock is targeting at least two customers for his new turbo V6 engine, and Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport said there has been contact between Pure and McLaren. With Mercedes now running its own works team and no longer even a minor McLaren shareholder, the Woking-based team faces the prospect of paying for its power beyond this season. Gazzetta said the change in engine rules would be the ideal time for McLaren to switch. "McLaren has had absolutely no contact with Pure for many months," a McLaren spokesman told Reuters. "Moreover, the contact we did have with Pure, many months ago, was of an entirely informal nature, and was merely a courtesy gesture." In late November, reports linked McLaren with rumors Honda is looking to return to F1 in 2014 as an engine supplier. "We are very happy with and enjoying our partnership with Mercedes-Benz," team managing director Jonathan Neale insisted at the time.