The 2012 season is the second for Pirelli as Formula One's official tire supplier. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Pirelli To Test Harder Tire At Silverstone: Pirelli is preparing to test a harder-compound tire, as criticism of the 2012 'lottery' fires up. The dilemma for F1's tire supplier is that it was specifically asked to spice up the show with heavily degrading tires, and the six different winners so far this season proves the Italian marque met the brief. On the other hand, the purists are moaning that the unpredictability could now drive away the real fans. "We think it's absolutely great when people are talking about us," motor sport director Paul Hembery is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. "But we don't want to be the focus of the conversation, just a part of it," said the Briton. Hembery said he is confident that, as the season presses on, the engineers and drivers will become better at understanding the way the tires interact with the cars. But Pirelli is nonetheless planning to test a harder compound tire, featuring less degradation, during Friday practice for the British GP. Still, Hembery warns that more durability will attack the spectacle. Referring to the processional Monaco race, he said: "You can see what happens when the tires last forever."

'Hacktivists' Threaten F1 Over Montreal Protests: Internet terrorist group Anonymous is targeting F1 once again. Last month, the 'hacktivists' aimed fire at the sport over the Bahrain issue, bringing down the official Formula One and FIA websites. Now, Anonymous is backing the protesting Montreal university students over the controversial 'Bill 78,' a law that cracks down on their marches. "Beginning on June 7 and running through race day on June 10, Anonymous will take down all the F1 websites, dump the servers and databases — and wreck anything else F1-related we can find on the internet," the group said in a statement. The group also said spectators who buy tickets on the internet risk having their credit card details stolen. Organizers of the Canadian GP did not comment.

Mexican GP Set For 2013 Return?: F1 is returning to Mexico in 2013, according to a report in a Spanish sports newspaper. Marca reports that the race will take place at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City, which was the scene of the last Mexican GP in 1992. The report said the race is backed by many of Sauber driver Sergio Perez's sponsors, including Telmex, Interproteccion, Tequila Cuervo and Mexico's tourism ministry. "They are willing to support the Grand Prix, which will replace Valencia," wrote Marca journalist Jose Maria Rubio. The report said the necessary bodies and the president have approved a contract with Bernie Ecclestone for an initial period of five years. "Refurbishment work on the circuit should begin as soon as the elections happen (in July)," revealed Rubio. "Everything should be ready for the race mid next year." Mexico 1992, won by Nigel Mansell, was Michael Schumacher's first of 154 career podiums.

Webber Denies 'Backing Up' Rivals For Vettel: Mark Webber has dismissed claims he 'backed up' his rivals in Monaco so that Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel could catch up. Australian Webber won Sunday's race in the Principality with the other podium challengers, Nico Rosberg, both within a chasing gap of less than a single second. Next up was reigning back-to-back World Champion Vettel. But when contemplating the 'backing up' theory, Webber insisted in his BBC column: "That is absolute rubbish. You always get bitten on the bum when you get fancy. So you just don't try."

Former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello enjoyed a hefty payday at the Indy 500. (Photo: Getty Images)

Barrichello Earns $330K As Indy 500 'Rookie': Rubens Barrichello earned more than US $330,000 in Sunday's Indy 500. At the age of 40 and with an unprecedented 326 Grands Prix behind him, the famous Brazilian was the highest placed newcomer in the fabled American oval race. It means he was crowned the official 'rookie of the year' title for his 11th-place finish, earning him $331,080 in prize money. "My first oval experience, it was very different than anything I've done," said Barrichello. "It's a pity that we didn't finish top 10 but I can be proud of that for my first time out." Winner Dario Franchitti's earnings were almost $2.5 million. Barrichello's fellow GP winner Jean Alesi, however, went home empty handed, having been disqualified for lapping too slowly in his Lotus-powered IndyCar. "It was frustrating but the (105 percent) regulation is fair, and I leave with a lot of respect for the Indy 500," said the 47-year-old Frenchman. "I hope to return next year. I will start to prepare now."

Sauber Hits Out At Error-Prone Grosjean: Romain Grosjean would not be the most welcome face in the Sauber motor home. Recently after the Spanish GP, Swiss newspaper Blick quoted Sergio Perez as cursing "f***ing French!" after a collision with Lotus' Grosjean. Then, at Monaco, Kamui Kobayashi had to retire with suspension damage after his spectacular high-flying crash at the first corner. "Unfortunately, it was Grosjean again," Peter Sauber thundered. "First, Perez was the victim, now Kobayashi." And those tangles were not reigning GP2 champion Grosjean's only mistakes so far in 2012, despite demonstrating otherwise strong pace in his second season since his abortive 2009 debut. Team boss Eric Boullier insists he is being patient with the 26-year-old. "He is still early in his career and therefore has the right to make mistakes," the Frenchman is quoted by L'Equipe sports newspaper. "This is no excuse, but all the drivers around him have done thousands of kilometers of testing and many races. He is still in his first year, and I think has done a pretty amazing job for a rookie."

Alguersuari Reveals Italian Earthquake Fear: Jaime Alguersuari was also caught up in the latest Italian earthquake that killed 15 people and forced Ferrari to send its employees home on Tuesday. The former Toro Rosso driver told Spanish sports newspaper AS that he was near the epicenter of the magnitude-5.8 quake as he prepared to test a kart this week. Asked if he is okay, Spaniard Alguersuari said: "Yes, everything's fine, but this morning at the hotel I had a hard time, I was really scared. I was in the shower and I just ran out. At first I wasn't worried because I'd experienced something similar in Japan, but soon I realized that everything was shaking and getting strong and that this was much worse. There was a point at which I kept thinking 'it's all over' — I thought the building was coming down. So I put on a towel and ran down to reception and into the street. It all lasted about two minutes and I realized that, yes, in a moment everything can change. It was an experience."

Williams Title Sponsor Moves To Red Bull: Williams' former title sponsor AT&T has switched allegiance to reigning World Champions Red Bull. The American multinational telecom became Williams' naming backer in 2007, but left the Oxfordshire-based team after its dire 2011 campaign. Red Bull announced in Monaco that the company has now joined the Austrian energy drink-owned team as an official technical supplier. "Red Bull Racing is excited to work with an innovative, global and reputable brand such as AT&T, " said team boss Christian Horner.

Small Teams Worried Engine Price To Skyrocket: F1's 'customer engine' teams are worried that the price of power is set to skyrocket. According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, teams like Force India and Sauber currently pay around EUR 10 million for their engine-plus-KERS packages. That is reportedly set to increase to about 18 million when the turbo V6s debut in 2014. "That is clearly too much," Sauber co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn is quoted as saying. The magazine said Williams, Caterham, Toro Rosso, HRT and Marussia agree and have asked the FIA to impose a cost-cap for their 2014 packages. "We have to ensure that, looking back 10 years ago, we don't go back to a point where engines were so much more expensive," she added.

F1 Headwear Triggers Rumors At Monaco: F1's excitable rumor mill went into overdrive in Monaco simply because Michael Schumacher appeared without his cap. The seven-time World Champion spoke at the FIA press conference on Wednesday without his usual brand-laden cap, sparking suggestions he had split with his personal sponsor. "The reason was quite simple: he had just forgotten it and no one could get it to him in time," said Germany's Auto Motor und Sport. Headwear was also a bone of contention for Fernando Alonso in Monaco, according to the German magazine. When a journalist asked the Ferrari driver about his special gold helmet livery, Alonso hissed: "It's on my website." When asked if he was in a bad mood, the Spaniard bit again: "No, but you're not prepared. And we're here to talk about the race, not about my helmet."