Force India team boss Vijay Mallya believes it's important to eventually have an Indian at the wheel. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Mallya, Ecclestone - No Indian Driver Ready For Top Seat: Vijay Mallya and Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday indicated they do not believe Karun Chandhok is a first-class Formula One driver. In a joint interview published by F1's official website, the pair admitted the desire to see a top Indian driver on the grid. Mallya, the Indian billionaire owner and boss of the Force India team, fields a German-Italian driver combination, with Scot Paul di Resta as the Friday test driver. Asked if it is important to eventually have an Indian at the wheel, he answered: "It is very important. I would love it. I'm not a fool and can see the enormous publicity potential which would come from it. The downside at the moment is that there is not one Indian pilot who has the potential to battle the best on the track." The Indian GP project is strongly backed by Ecclestone, who is openly pushing to tap the impressive new markets like India's. But Ecclestone said a struggling Indian at Force India "would be extremely negative. In this case Vijay would have achieved the exact opposite of what he wanted to. To choose an Indian driver who just runs after all the others is no use to anybody. It would be counterproductive," added the Briton.

Mercedes Working On 'Automatic' F-duct: Mercedes is working on an F-duct system that does not need to be controlled by the drivers. Germany's Auto Bild Motorsport reports that the German team's downforce-stalling solution could be ready to debut on the W01 car in Istanbul in just over a week. McLaren pioneered the technology this year, where the blockage of an air inlet inside the cockpit with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button's knee allows air to flow through the engine cover and out a slot in the rear wing. Ferrari and Sauber's subsequent systems involve the air inlet being blocked by a driver's hand. Until now, Mercedes has had a passive F-duct solution, where air is diverted at increasingly high speeds through a rear wing slot. But its full system could be truly innovative and function without needing the drivers' input, although Norbert Haug said that "right now it is still in the experimental phase. Our solution is different from the other teams."

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner (Pictured) says Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel need to show respect to each other on the track. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Red Bull Told To Modify Diffuser In Monaco: Red Bull had to modify an element of its rear diffuser during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that McLaren identified an element of the dominant RB6's design that did not conform with the regulations. The rear of the Adrian Newey-penned car has been under intense scrutiny by Red Bull's competitors, resulting in many team mechanics crowding around the gearbox while it sits on the grid. "Obviously the back of the cars are so sensitive now we try and make it as difficult for others to see as possible," confirmed team boss Christian Horner. Reportedly, McLaren's engineering director Paddy Lowe spotted something on the Barcelona grid that he suspected did not conform to the rules with regards to the "infinite precision" principle. Red Bull was asked by FIA officials to modify the design, but went on to dominate the race. "We had to run a version without those (diffuser) wings and found that it was even better than before," said Horner.

VW May Enter F1 With Audi Or Porsche Branding: A Formula One foray for Volkswagen would probably see the Audi or Porsche names above the garage doors. It has been reported for some time that the German carmaker giant is interested in entering the sport as an engine supplier but only if the FIA green-lights the touted "world engine" for 2013. As for the branding of the project, VW's motor racing boss Kris Nissen said: "Within the group, for sure, it could be Audi, it could be Porsche and might also be Volkswagen. I think it would not suit so well Skoda or Seat or Bentley," he is quoted as saying by the Brisbane Times. Toyota, however, is not interested in returning to F1 any time soon, after failing to win a Grand Prix during its more than $3 billion F1 foray between 2002 and last year. "There is a big gap between Formula One and Toyota's actual car users," former team principal Tadashi Yamashina is quoted by Automotive News. "F1 remains the pinnacle of auto racing, but its image grew too elitist."

Lauda Apologized After Kubica 'Polack' Slur: Niki Lauda apologized personally to Robert Kubica in Monaco last weekend. Former triple world champion Lauda, whose straight-talking assessments are still heard at every Grand Prix, referred to the Renault driver live on German television as "der Polack" (the Polack). Polack is a derogatory reference to a Polish person, and even more offensive within Germany given the 1939 Nazi invasion that marked the start of World War II. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said officials of the German TV station RTL demanded that Lauda apologize. "I have to say to Robert that it was meant in a nice way," Lauda said. "I was just happy that he drove his car onto the front row." Lauda reportedly waited for 15 minutes at the Renault motor home on Sunday morning and did apologize publicly.