McLaren has its sights set on a second-place finish in the constructors' standings. (Photo: Getty Images)

'First Loser' Means $10M Extra For McLaren: McLaren's battle for the 2012 drivers' and constructors' crowns is over. But Jenson Button said the Woking-based team, whose 'supremo' Ron Dennis once famously declared that second is just "first of the losers," is nonetheless determined to be runner-up. Red Bull has now secured the constructors' title for this year, but McLaren is just 14 points behind Ferrari for second place, with just this weekend's Brazilian showdown left to run. Britain's Sun newspaper said the difference between second and third is almost $10 million in Concorde Agreement prize-money. "The constructors' title does mean a lot to me because it is a lot of money," driver Button confirmed. "I think we can do it, but we will need the perfect weekend. It is also nice to get one over on Ferrari. We want to finish in front of them. We are a competitive team. We cannot beat Red Bull but we can beat Ferrari, which has to be our aim."

Barrichello Admits Little Chance Of F1 Return: Rubens Barrichello has all but ruled out a return to Formula One in 2013. Until now, F1's longest-serving veteran has refused to call time on his GP career, despite switching to IndyCar for 2012 after losing his Williams race seat. The Brazilian, 40, made his first visit to a F1 paddock since retiring last weekend in Austin, sparking rumors he was chasing the cockpit vacancy at Force India. But he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport: "I don't know whether I'll be driving IndyCar next year. Certainly not with my old KV team. Everybody wants money. In Formula One my chances (of returning) are practically zero."

Vettel Lacks 'Charisma' - Ecclestone: Sebastian Vettel lacks "charisma," his friend Bernie Ecclestone has acknowledged. But the F1 chief executive, who plays backgammon with the 25-year-old reigning World Champion at Grands Prix, doesn't blame the sport's latest crop of stars. "He (Vettel) lacks a little charisma," Briton Ecclestone, 82, told Bild newspaper, as Vettel looks set to match the achievement of greats Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher with his third consecutive drivers' crown. "Guys like Hunt, Rindt, Lauda, Senna were real characters, but they can't be like that anymore because they are protected by the team bosses far too much. Now the FIA gives them a muzzle. They're not even allowed to show their emotions."

Lotus Waiting To Pay Staff, Raikkonen: Rumors of 'financial difficulty' at Lotus are continuing. Early this week, it was claimed Kimi Raikkonen's place at the Enstone-based team might actually be in doubt for 2013. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said there is an issue in terms of promised bonus money in the Finn's 2012 contract, given his unexpectedly large points tally. "I don't know where this stuff comes from," the 2007 World Champion's spokesman Riku Kuvajan was quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3. "I can't say anything about it." Now, on Wednesday, the German magazine said other staff at the Enstone-based team are waiting for their pay checks. Auto Motor und Sport said the team's management is holding out for the latest installment of commercial income from the sport's owners, headed by chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. The report said Lotus is waiting for that money to "pay the wages of 493 employees and Kimi Raikkonen."

Schumacher Had 'No Choice' But To Retire - Stuck: Hans-Joachim Stuck, a former F1 driver and now president of Germany's motor racing federation DMSB, thinks Michael Schumacher is being pushed back into retirement. After a less-than-shining three year comeback with Mercedes, seven-time World Champion Schumacher will retire again after his 308th and final career Grand Prix this weekend in Brazil. The famous German also 'retired' in Brazil six years ago. "It will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we (Ferrari) were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense," Schumacher said this week. Schumacher and Mercedes have gone to great lengths to counter the perception that the 43-year-old is being callously ousted to make room for 2013 arrival Lewis Hamilton. But when asked about Schumacher's impending retirement, Stuck is quoted by spox.com: "He had no choice. Mercedes signed Lewis Hamilton, and Michael couldn't find another adequate cockpit." Stuck said he regrets that F1's most successful driver of all time will no longer be on the grid from next year. "I would like to have kept watching him try to match up to the younger drivers," said the 61-year-old.

Red Bull Left Austin Without Buying Vettel's Boots: Reigning World Champions Red Bull left Austin without paying a bill. Germany's Bild newspaper reports that, prior to the USGP, the team pre-ordered a pair of customized, Red Bull-branded cowboy boots for Sebastian Vettel. But Noel Escobar, the Austin-based master boot maker, told the newspaper: "We worked through the night but no one came to pick them up. Red Bull owes me $2,150." Red Bull told Bild it had to cancel the order at short notice, but is happy to pay the bill.