The Nurburgring's future on the F1 calendar seems likely. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Circuit Says 'No More F1' At The Nurburgring: The Nurburgring's chances of staging the German Grand Prix as scheduled next year have receded yet further. Bernie Ecclestone was already in talks with Hockenheim about replacing the mid-July event next year, while the crisis-struck Nurburgring is grappling with an insolvency process. Still, there was a chance the Nurburging would pull through. However, multiple German reports — including in the daily Rhein and Allgemeine newspapers — have now revealed that negotiations between the existing management and the managers of the insolvency have broken down. A circuit spokesman confirmed to the DPA news agency that there will indeed be "no more Formula One" at the Nurburgring, as talks with Bernie Ecclestone had also ended. But Pietro Nuvolini, the spokesman for the financial recovery experts in charge of the Nurburgring situation, insisted: "If the tenants want to return to the negotiating table, our door is not closed."

Massa Reveals Former Talks With Rival Teams: Felipe Massa has confirmed he had talks with some other teams before Ferrari re-signed him for 2013. Earlier this year, as the Brazilian's form slumped to a low, it was an open secret that the Maranello-based team was seeking a new teammate for Fernando Alonso. "There seemed to be a black cloud above me. Nothing was going right," Massa was quoted this week by Italy's Tuttosport. Ultimately, as the F2012 got better, so too did the 31-year-old's confidence, form and results. He will spend an eighth consecutive season wearing red overalls in 2013. But during his "black" period, he truly feared for his career. "I was doing a job that is a dream for millions of people, but I was not happy," said Massa, "because in many races I knew that the main culprit was me." When asked what his plans were had Ferrari decided to pull the plug, Massa admitted there had been some talks, without "naming names. But what I really wanted was to continue with Ferrari," he insisted. Meanwhile, while some suggest Massa's teammate Alonso is the more 'deserving' champion of 2012, the Brazilian thinks Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel would also be a worthy winner. "I think Fernando did an incredible job up to now, Sebastian as well, especially in the second part of the championship," said Massa. "So I think we are not talking about one guy who has many victories and the other one not. I think we are talking about two drivers, one of which will win and who we will say deserved it."

Rosberg Says One F1 Driver Smokes Cigarettes: According to Nico Rosberg, a current Formula One driver smokes cigarettes. The conversation of smoking come up when Rosberg was recalling the last time F1 visited Texas. The Mercedes driver's father, the inimitable 'Flying Finn' Keke Rosberg, won that 1984 race in Dallas. "Yes," Rosberg told Italy's La Stampa, "it was 40 degrees and while the other drivers wore refrigerated suits, he (Keke) was bare-chested in the sun, smoking a cigarette. He had beaten them all before it started." The La Stampa newspaper said the behavior of Rosberg's father almost 30 years ago would today be "unthinkable." Indeed, it was believed the last smokers in F1 were Jan Magnussen at the end of the '90s, or perhaps Mika Salo. "About the smoking?" Rosberg wondered. "No, you're wrong — there's one driver who lights one cigarette after another. I'm not naming names," he quickly added.