Bernie Ecclestone is interested in adding more events to the F1 tour. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Lotus Says Tech Boss Allison Not Leaving: Lotus' James Allison is staying put. That is the claim of an insider at the Enstone based team, despite admitting that Mercedes' Niki Lauda came calling for the highly rated British technical director. Last week, as the Paddy Lowe saga unfolded, we reported that Allison had been earmarked by McLaren as a possible replacement, in case Lowe jumped ship. Actually, the Lotus insider confirmed that it had been Mercedes' Lauda on the phone. "Lauda calls Allison every day," the source is quoted by Speed Week, "but James' contract is bullet-proof." Moreover, "He also doesn't want to leave," the Lotus insider added.

Losing Tenth Crucial To F1 Exit - Glock: Losing tenth place in the constructors' championship at the final hurdle last year was a major reason for Timo Glock's shock departure. Asked by speed-academy.de to outline when he first realized his future with the struggling team for 2013 was in doubt, German Glock recalled the dying moments of last year's season finale in Brazil. "We had really counted on being able to keep the tenth place," said the 30-year-old, who will be replaced with an as-yet undecided 'pay driver'. In the meantime, Glock has already agreed a new deal to race for the front-running BMW team in Germany's DTM touring car championship. Tenth place is lucrative in F1's constructors' world championship, because teams finishing lower miss out on crucial benefits as set out in the governing Concorde Agreement.

Ecclestone Calls Off Nurburgring Talks - Report: Bernie Ecclestone has called off negotiations with the Nurburgring, according to Germany's Der Spiegel. The famous circuit's financial problems are well known, but F1 chief executive Ecclestone had been in talks with Nurburgring officials about pressing ahead with plans for a scheduled July race date. But Der Spiegel on Sunday quoted Ecclestone as saying: "Following a detailed examination of the (Nurburgring's) proposal, we do not accept it as financially feasible and therefore end the negotiations." Hockenheim, the host of last year's German Grand Prix that was not scheduled to return to F1 until 2014, has been slated as a possible alternative for the 2013 race. Der Spiegel and the German news agency DPA on Sunday said there was no official comment from Nurburgring officials.