Lotus technical director James Allison is tied to a firm contract with the team. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Webber 'Not Part Of Marko's Agenda': Recovered from an operation to remove a 40-centimeter rod from his once badly broken leg, Mark Webber on Tuesday said he is ready to hit the track in 2013. "Now I'm back into it (training) properly," said the Australian. But, back with Red Bull for another season, the 36-year-old also turned his attention to some recent criticism fired at him by the outspoken Helmut Marko. Marko, openly fonder of the team's triple World Champion Sebastian Vettel, aimed jibes at Webber's alleged dips in form and struggles to cope with pressure. Asked about that, Webber answered: "Look, everyone at this level has their own agendas and it's been evident for a long time now that I've never been a part of Marko's."

Small Teams 'Stuck In Vicious Circle' - Glock: Timo Glock has lamented the trend at the back of F1's grid. The salaried German has been dropped by Marussia mid-contract, with the backmarker team openly admitting it needs to replace him with a sponsored driver. Glock, 30, has switched to DTM with BMW. "A few years ago," he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, "if the gap (to the front teams) was one or two centimeters, now it is 10." Indeed, HRT has folded, Marussia has cleared space for a second pay-driver, and Caterham is yet to announce a teammate for Charles Pic — and it is unlikely to be the highly rated Heikki Kovalainen. "As long as this model (in F1) continues, it will be increasingly difficult for the smaller teams to stay in the race," Glock predicted. "And next year, with the new engines, then Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes will pull even further ahead." Needing 'pay drivers' simply to stay afloat but then suffering on track as a result, Glock said the smallest teams are "stuck in a vicious circle."

Villeneuve To Commentate For Italian TV: Jacques Villeneuve will be back at the Grands Prix in 2013. Reporting from a launch event at Monza, the Italian press said the 1997 World Champion has signed up with Sky Italia to commentate during live broadcasts at all races this season. Joining him will be Ferrari test driver Marc Gene, who switches over from Antena 3's Spanish coverage. French Canadian Villeneuve, 41, is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Watching the races on TV, sometimes I would get angry about what others are saying. Now maybe someone will get angry at me," laughed the outspoken former Williams, Honda and BMW driver. Eleven-time Grand Prix winner Villeneuve's late father, Gilles, is among the most revered Ferrari drivers of all time.

De La Rosa 'Proud' Of Alonso's Respect: Pedro de la Rosa on Monday said the fact Fernando Alonso "wants" to work with him at Ferrari has made him "very proud." The fact test driver de la Rosa has joined his countryman and former McLaren colleague at the Italian team for 2013 was interpreted by some as a further sign of the increasing influence wielded by Spaniard Alonso at Ferrari. 2012 HRT driver de la Rosa, 41, said on Monday: "That Fernando wants to work with me makes me very, very proud. Not because he is Spanish, but because he is the best," he said in Spanish at a Santander sponsor event. Meanwhile, de la Rosa denied media reports that he was signed up by Ferrari because the Maranello-based team is developing an all-new driver simulator. "A new simulator for me? I'm good, but not that good!" he joked. "There is no such project," the former Arrows, Jaguar and Sauber driver insisted in Madrid. "We have started a job and will develop what we have, which is perfectly valid. But what is certain is that, with the number of changes to the regulations for 2014, we have a lot of work to do in the simulator. And that's one of the reasons I'm here, because the amount of work Formula One teams have to do is huge."

Toro Rosso Better Than Sauber In Some Areas - Key: James Key, Toro Rosso's new technical boss, says the Faenza-based team is "superior" to Sauber in some ways. Briton Key moved to Red Bull's second team late last year, replacing Giorgio Ascanelli. He is quoted by Russia's f1news.ru: "After Force India and Sauber, Toro Rosso is the third team I have worked with. "On the one hand, they are all a bit alike, but as they are three teams from three different countries, they each have an unique culture. In Toro Rosso I have to solve some new problems compared to Sauber, but also the resources of this team (Toro Rosso) are much more, both human and technical. Toro Rosso is at a decent level, although in some areas it is inferior to those I have worked with before. I'm focusing on (those areas)," said Key. He revealed he is "pleased" with the progress of the 2013 Toro Rosso, the STR8, which will be launched at the first Jerez test next week. Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo confirmed: "We have changed some things with the team. I hope to get some more points this season and get into the fight with teams like Force India, Sauber and Williams," he is quoted by Spain's AS newspaper. Toro Rosso finished the 2012 championship ninth.