Jenson Button speaks with reporters during opening day of winter testing. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Horner, Ecclestone, Predict Button Title Challenge: Christian Horner and Bernie Ecclestone have singled out Jenson Button as potentially the biggest rival to Red Bull's dominance in 2012. McLaren's Button surprised many observers by beating his highly rated teammate Lewis Hamilton last year, and finishing runner-up behind Red Bull's dominant Sebastian Vettel. "Jenson seemed to get the team around him and strung a set of results together that was very impressive," Red Bull team boss Horner told Sky Sports. And when pressed on BBC radio to name Vettel's biggest rival, he admitted: "Probably Jenson." F1 chief executive Ecclestone, meanwhile, tipped 32-year-old Button to give Hamilton yet another headache in 2012. "Jenson looks after the car and tires better, so it is more than likely he will be a big problem for Lewis," he told the Sun newspaper.

De La Rosa Admits HRT 'Worst' Team: Pedro de la Rosa insists he is not afraid to admit he will tackle next weekend's Australian Grand Prix at the wheel of the "worst" car. "We will have a difficult year," said the veteran Spaniard, who is yet to actually drive HRT's newly-launched F112. "It will also be interesting because the team is 80 percent new," added the 41-year-old former Arrows, Jaguar and Sauber driver, who for years was McLaren's main test driver. "We should not be afraid to admit that we are the worst, but we must have the ambition to not stay that way," he told Antena 3 television. "Our goal is to finish races, stop being the last across the line and to grow, trying to close the gap to pole position." The next stop, he said, is the Melbourne pitlane. "The team is packing up everything and preparing a second chassis. Tomorrow night it is all put onto planes and sent to Australia. I leave on Monday," revealed de la Rosa.

Lehman Brothers Selling 15 Percent F1 Share?: F1 could be set to get some new shareholders, amid reports the collapsed US bank Lehman Brothers wants to sell its stake within two years. The bank, which is being wound up to pay back creditors, still holds a 15 percent stake in the majority CVC-owned holding company Delta Topco, which the Guardian newspaper said is valued at about $1.5 billion. Lehman Brothers became a F1 shareholder in 2002, when the German media company Kirch defaulted on a loan.

Red Bull To Bring 'New' RB8 To Australia: Christian Horner has denied reports Red Bull is considering taking the 'old' specification of its 2012 car, the RB8, to Melbourne. The reigning World Champions arguably set the early pace this winter, but apparently struggled once a big package of upgrades — essentially a 'B' chassis — was brought to the final Barcelona test. Sebastian Vettel's final day of running was dismissed by team advisor Helmut Marko as no less than "shit," ramping up speculation the team might revert to the initial RB8 specification. But team boss Horner told BBC radio: "It's amazing how these things get construed. Those (Barcelona) upgrades seem to be working OK and they'll certainly be on the car in Australia in 10 days' time."

Pollock's Pure To Use Toyota Facilities: BAR founder Craig Pollock's new 2014 engine supply venture, Pure, is setting up camp in Cologne. A German-language report at motorsport-total.com said Jacques Villeneuve's former manager has struck a deal with former F1 team Toyota. The report said Pure, to move shortly, needs better facilities than it currently has at its Paris headquarters. "We have signed an exclusive agreement with TMG (Toyota Motorsport GmbH)," Scotland-born Pollock is quoted as saying. He said the deal involves office space, a workshop and engine test stands. Pollock explained that time and cost factors explains why Pure did not set up its own factory. But he said there is plenty of time left to find at least two F1 team customers for 2014. Pollock also said Pure will retain its French headquarters as a business base.

France Waiting On Belgium For GP Share Green Light: France is only now waiting on Belgium to green-light its return to the Formula One calendar in 2013. Sports minister David Douillet told RMC Sport that everything else is now in place for France to stage its first Formula One race since 2008. "I have told Bernie Ecclestone that we are ready. We have done the financial side, on which he agreed," he said. "Now we wait for the position of our Belgian friends, since the project is to alternate between Le Castellet (Paul Ricard) and Spa." He said the hold-up with Belgium is because of Spa-Francorchamps' existing contract with Ecclestone for a race every year. "They need to work it out amongst themselves," he explained. "But we are ready, and — for our car industry — we need it."

Nurburgring's Kafitz Emerges At Red Bull Ring: Former Nurburgring chief Walter Kafitz has re-emerged at Austria's A1-Ring. But he said the Spielberg circuit, now owned by the energy drink and officially called Red Bull Ring, is not set to revive the Austrian Grand Prix. "I've been here only a few days, just absorbing all the information. Formula One is not currently a topic," he is quoted by Kleine Zeitung newspaper. Kafitz would not comment on the shambles at the Nurburgring, where the operators of the German Grand Prix venue are being evicted, and former managers potentially charged with financial crimes. "What went before," he insisted, "went before."