Formula One oligarch has increased the pressure on Albert Park to accept a transformation into a night race in the future, suggesting that as things stood the Australian Grand Prix was the "least viable" of F1's current races.

According to reports on Wednesday, Formula One's governing body has rejected a proposal to lower the pit lane speed limit for the 2012 season, after teams suggested reducing the limit to a mere 60kph from the start of the season.

Lotus technical director James Allison has confirmed that the team's chassis issues with their new E20 car was centred around the upper front wishbone of the car's suspension, as the team prepares to continue testing.

The Lotus Formula One team are set to run at all four days of the final pre-season test in Barcelona this week, according to the day-by-day schedule for the week's running, though HRT's plans for their new car remain unclear.

Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel is confident that the sport will fix their current broken nose problem for next season, after widespread unhappiness over the ugly state of the new 2012 season's grid.

Fore India's deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes that the team's backers need to have a "fundamental rethink" on where they want the team to go, suggesting that the team can crack the big time with a financial boost.

Marussia Formula One driver Timo Glock has admitted that it is "a shame" that the team will now likely not be able to complete any meaningful testing of its new MR01 car before the start of the 2012 season next month.

Italian former Formula One driver Riccardo Patrese believes that the Ferrari team needs to take a chance on a home-grown driver in the near future, after Jarno Trulli's departure left the F1 grid without a single Italian driver in 2012.

Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche has said that keeping Michael Schumacher at the company's Mercedes Formula One team beyond 2012 would be an "attractive possibility", should the seven-time champion want to continue in the sport.

The Red Bull Racing and Ferrari Formula One teams have been forced to cancel plans to begin their final four-day pre-season test a day later than the rest of the field, after the FIA clarified the rules governing testing to them.

McLaren driver Jenson Button has said that if he can at least secure a podium finish at the season opener then it is "game on" for the 2012 title, saying that anything less and the team would have 'let themselves down'.

The Marussia F1 team's pre-season preparations have been thrown into HRT-style levels of doubt, after the backmarkers confirmed that they would be forced to miss this week's final test after their new car failed the FIA's crash tests.

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso believes that the team is in a good position after the first two pre-season tests of the year, downplaying suggestions that the Italian squad was struggling to get performance from their new car.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn has hailed his driver Nico Rosberg as being "among the best" of the drivers on the Formula One grid, despite the young German still searching for a first GP victory of his career going into the 2012 season.

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber has said that he is "very hungry" for success in the 2012 Formula One season, saying that he was still sure that he can still fight for the championship despite his poor 2011 campaign.