Vitaly Petrov may return to Caterham for a second season. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Petrov Likely To Race At Sochi In 2014 - Manager: Vitaly Petrov will almost certainly contest Russia's inaugural Grand Prix at Sochi in 2014, his manager Oksana Kosachenko has revealed. But whether the 28-year-old will still be on the grid next season is a different matter, with Rusnovosti reporting that staying at Caterham in 2013 appears "unlikely" for Petrov. Kosachenko said she is examining two options. "We are working hard, there are some plans and a particular program we have," she said. "We have almost absolute certainty that Petrov will start in Sochi in 2014." She admitted the main glitch for 2013 is related to sponsorship. "The issue of transition to another team is rather painful," said Kosachenko. "At the moment, I have offers from two teams on my hands, but they require some solutions to be made and details settled. Petrov debuted for Renault in 2010 and 2011, switching to Caterham this year to replace Jarno Trulli.

'Customer Cars' Discussed At F1's Paris Meeting: Jean Todt had a "constructive meeting" with Bernie Ecclestone and the twelve team bosses in Paris on Monday, the FIA said in a media statement. The meeting, at which a "fruitful and helpful debate" ensued, was to present the teams with the 2013 Concorde Agreement and "new conditions of entry". The FIA said it expects a "final settlement" in the "coming weeks". More detail emerged in the pages of Italy's Autosprint. The magazine said the meeting will continue on Tuesday, where it will be discussed that only the 6 top teams - Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and Lotus - will have a say on the composition of future rules. Another topic is the "definition of a customer car", the report added, relating to the possible sale of complete chassis from one team to another. Autosprint said customer cars could be a solution for struggling teams like HRT and Marussia, after Renault said it was not interested in supplying the currently Cosworth-powered pair with engines in the future. If they were able to buy a complete car-engine package, however, it could reportedly be a different proposition.

Di Resta Swerves Mallya's Kingfisher Crisis: Paul di Resta has swerved around a question about his Force India boss Vijay Mallya's financial problems. Earlier facing arrest for bounced checks, billionaire Mallya can now expect to face the angry, grounded and unpaid staff of his ailing Kingfisher airline as they protest at their local Indian Grand Prix this weekend. Another of Mallya's businesses is Force India, but Scottish driver di Resta - who is expected to stay at the Silverstone based team in 2013 - said on Tuesday it is not his place to respond to questions about Mallya's troubles. "These (Kingfisher and Force India) are two different businesses," the 26-year-old is quoted by the Indian Express. "We," he said, referring to himself and teammate Nico Hulkenberg, "are part of the racing team based in the UK. And racing has been a success so far. So it's not for us to comment on. "It (Kingfisher) doesn't affect us," he added, even though the 'Kingfisher' logo was emblazoned on his and Hulkenberg's team t-shirts at the press conference.

Title Not Vettel's Yet - Lauda: Sebastian Vettel may be on form and at the wheel of the fastest car, but the 2012 championship is not settled yet. That is the warning of F1 legend Niki Lauda, despite German Vettel recently managing to track down Fernando Alonso's big championship lead to now top the championship with just four races to go in the currently dominant Red Bull. "At the moment everything is going in Vettel's favor, but it would be premature to celebrate the world championship yet," triple world champion Lauda told Osterreich newspaper. "Not long ago Alonso looked like the safe world champion, but he was shot down twice. It shows how fast things can turn around. "So Vettel needs to be careful," he added.