Jean-Eric Vergne says he is no longer friends with his Toro Rosso teammate.

Until they were paired together at the second Red Bull team, Frenchman Vergne and Australian Daniel Ricciardo were friends. They had been signed to the energy drink company’s notoriously tough driver development programme on the same day, thereafter working together in Formula Renault. But now in the high-stakes world of F1, and fighting for a place at the world championship team, the friendship has ended.  Read more... (277 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

Williams has impressed F1′s eagle-eyed technical experts with an innovation aboard its new FW35.

Although designer Mike Coughlan’s Coanda exhaust solution will have to be removed from the 2013 car, respected German correspondent Michael Schmidt reports on Friday that a clever brake duct solution is fully legal.  Read more... (140 words, estimated 34 secs reading time)

Nico Rosberg thinks Mercedes’ 2013 car is a potential winner.

The German won last April’s Chinese grand prix, but thereafter the Brackley based team suffered a collapse in car development and fell badly off the pace. New teammate Lewis Hamilton has been playing down expectations following the new W04′s launch, but Rosberg – who has driven for Mercedes alongside Michael Schumacher since 2010 – is more outwardly confident.  Read more... (276 words, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

A new deal for the Canadian grand prix could be delayed, as organisers discover the renovation of the ageing Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will cost more than expected.

Bernie Ecclestone has said he is happy to ink a new long-term deal for the Montreal race, so long as the track is brought up to standard with some renovations.  Read more... (117 words, estimated 28 secs reading time)

The alarm in the paddock about Pirelli’s 2013 tyres is growing louder with every day.  Read more... (371 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

Jenson Button has admitted McLaren is grappling with its new car for 2013.

Unlike most other main rivals, notably Red Bull and Ferrari, McLaren – whose British driver Button won the 2012 finale in Brazil – did not simply ‘evolve’ last year’s car for the new season. Red Bull’s outspoken Dr Helmut Marko said this week he didn’t understand why McLaren changed so much between 2013 and 2013.  Read more... (317 words, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Earlier this month it was reported that Nico Hulkenberg was having trouble getting his feet into the footwell of the new Sauber C32 – with Bild saying that the car could not be rebuilt to accommodate the German’s feet. It has emerged that Sauber have now found a solution to the problem – by getting Hulkenberg to change his shoes.  Read more... (102 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Fernando Alonso was Thursday’s fastest in Barcelona, but he was giving little away to the media.

Livio Oricchio, the correspondent for Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo, said the fact Ferrari is shielding the drivers from the press this winter is “angering” those in the media centre. At any rate, the so-billed ‘shootout’ between Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi for the last seat on the 2013 grid is attracting more attention anyway.  Read more... (282 words, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

Luiz Razia, Marussia’s second race driver for 2013, has been left out of this week’s testing in Barcelona.

The situation is causing alarm within Brazil’s F1 media ranks, and raising doubts about whether the 23-year-old’s new contract is now in doubt, or whether Max Chilton is simply the clear and favoured ‘number 1′.  Read more... (253 words, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)

With just three weeks until the circus congregates in Australia for the 2013 opener, Force India is still yet to name Paul di Resta’s teammate.  Read more... (286 words, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)