Damon Hill is a former Formula One World Champion. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bahrain Should Stay On 2012 Calendar - Hill: Damon Hill has backed Bahrain as the island Kingdom returns to the F1 calendar this year. After last year's race was cancelled, the 1996 World Champion traveled to Bahrain with FIA president Jean Todt and afterwards said he supports the decision to give the Sakhir circuit its April 22 date for 2012. However, as some clashes between protesters and police are still taking place, there are some who believe strongly that Bahrain is not ready to host F1 again. The teams are mainly quiet, but Red Bull's Christian Horner said last week that, "As far as I'm aware, we're definitely going. As of today there's a race committed to Bahrain and we'll be there." Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary added: "I have decided I will be going to Bahrain if the race goes ahead." Briton Hill, the winner of 22 Grands Prix, thinks Horner and Cary are right. "Everyone wants things to move in the right direction in Bahrain," he is quoted by The Sun. "The Grand Prix is of huge economic importance to Bahrain. You'd almost be putting an economic sanction on Bahrain by pulling the race."

Lotus' Preseason Hits Barcelona Speed-Bump: Lotus' impressive start to the 2012 season hit a speed-bump on Tuesday. While the former Renault team's new E20 car set the pace at Jerez, Romain Grosjean had to retire early when the Barcelona test kicked off on Tuesday. "I was very quickly aware that the car wasn't responding as it should," said the Frenchman. Grosjean was shaking down the second E20 chassis, but it will now be sent back to Lotus' Enstone headquarters for investigation. "Fortunately (on Wednesday) we will have the chassis which ran perfectly in Jerez, so I should get some good track time," he said. Team boss Eric Boullier played down the problem. "This is a minor setback to our overall test program," he said. "If this is the only issue we have during testing then we will still be well prepared for the start of the season."

Dumping Trulli 'A No-Brainer' - Jones: 1980 World Champion Alan Jones has backed Caterham's decision to dump Jarno Trulli. Despite having extended the Italian veteran's contract for 2012, the former Lotus team decided at the last minute to sign the well-backed Russian Petrov. Caterham explained that Petrov brings "fresh impetus" to the team, while also admitting that the decision was made "with a realistic eye on the global economic market." One French report has calculated the 27-year-old's sponsorship contributions at EUR 12 million, including money from Russia's largest petrochemical company Sibur. But the straight-talking Australian Jones, who won Williams' first drivers' title three decades ago, said Caterham was also right to oust Italian Trulli on performance criteria. Told that Heikki Kovalainen "destroyed" Trulli in 2011, Jones said: "I think he was destroyed by everybody, wasn't he?" On Caterham's decision, he told GMM: "In my opinion Trulli wasn't doing the job so it would have made it a pretty easy decision to get in this younger guy who is perhaps a bit keener, a big hungrier. "It's also a fact that he (Petrov) is bringing in money, so to me it's a no-brainer," added Jones.

Economic Situation Saved Massa's Seat - Keke Rosberg: Felipe Massa may have kept his seat at Ferrari for economic reasons. That is the view of Keke Rosberg, the 1982 World Champion and father of Mercedes race driver Nico. Keke's Finnish countryman Mika Salo, a former Ferrari driver, told MTV3 last week he was "surprised" Brazilian Massa kept his seat for 2012 after two consecutively poor seasons. Massa already had a contract for 2012, but at the end of 2009 — when Kimi Raikkonen was replaced by Fernando Alonso — Ferrari showed it is not afraid of paying handsomely to end a deal. So is Rosberg also surprised Massa is still Alonso's teammate? "I think that's been influenced by the fact that they burned quite a lot of money with Kimi," the 63-year-old said. "They could have again paid off the guy with the contract and taken someone else, but at some point you have to be economically mindful — you can't always go for the most expensive option."

2012 Cars 'Not Ugly' Insists Alan Jones: Amid all the 'ugly' talk, Alan Jones doesn't mind the look of F1's field of 2012. With McLaren the notable exception, every team has incorporated an awkward step into its nose design as the optimum solution to new FIA rules. Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motor sport director, recently decried the look as "pig ugly." But 1980 World Champion Jones doesn't think so. "I don't think aesthetics matter, and anyway I don't really find them (the 2012 cars) particularly ugly," the Australian told GMM. "There's a couple of interpretations of the new nose that aren't as nice as some of the others, but there are a few out there that don't look too bad at all. And I've never seen an ugly car in the winner's circle." Meanwhile, another former World Champion — 1982's Keke Rosberg — described McLaren's solution as aesthetically pleasing, but hopes the British team has not made a mistake by going a different route to the rest of the grid. "At least it's nice-looking and I wish the others would have done the same," said the Finn. "Jenson Button is quite a big guy and he has said he is sitting significantly lower than last year. If it (McLaren's solution) suddenly becomes a problem for them, with the chassis already homologated then that's just what they've got," he told the MTV3 broadcaster.

Rigon Not Third Driver At Ferrari In 2012: Davide Rigon has confirmed reports he will not serve as Ferrari's official reserve driver in 2012. With Ferrari's Jules Bianchi moving to Force India this year, it was initially assumed that Italian GP2 driver Rigon, 25, would be promoted to replace him on the race team. Indeed, Ferrari confirmed last month that Rigon "has recently extended his relationship" with the scuderia. But it was subsequently rumored that Maranello-based Ferrari does not consider Rigon ready to step in should Fernando Alonso or Felipe Massa need replacing during a Grand Prix weekend. Reports in January said Adrian Sutil might be a contender for the third role. Rigon told the Italian website F1Web that he will work on the simulator in 2012. As for whether his responsibilities will include actual track testing, he answered: "I don't know, although I cannot deny that I would like to do some during the season. I am available to the Scuderia and I have to keep myself ready for any eventuality, but right now I am not the third driver," admitted Rigon.