Bloomberg Television, in an interview with French Sports Minister Bernard Laporte, has said that France may not host a Formula 1 race in 2010 in addition to this year's which is not on the calendar.

‘‘For 2010, I’m very skeptical,’’ Laporte said in an interview in Paris today.

France is working on several locations near Paris to stage the race, including at Disneyland. But there are problems with funding and with the amount of time it will take to create a new track and with Bernie Ecclestone's demands, according to Laporte.

The FIA has announced the lineup of teams and drivers entered into the 2009 Formula 1 championship. No surprises, not even in the blank spots....

Today it's Ferrari that will launch its 2009 Formula 1 car, and here is a calendar of dates of the rest of the upcoming launches:

• January 15: Toyota
• January 16: McLaren
• January 19: Renault and Williams
• January 20: BMW Sauber
• February 9: Red Bull
• Sometime in March: Toro Rosso and Force India

Keep posted for reports. And in the meantime, don't miss the Toyota launch online.

As anticipated, after the Toro Rosso team last year signed two drivers named Sebastian (or Sebastien), the team has opted for another Sebastien this year: Buemi. Yes, the Seb combination last year yielded a victory, so they must have felt good about it. Not THAT good, though, since the team has yet to decide on whether or not it will go with the other Sebastien again this year, the French one with the last name of Bourdais.

In fact, in a rather cavalier press release today, the team only noted that, "An announcement about who will be Buemi's team-mate will be made at some point before the Australian Grand Prix!"

Buemi, naturally, however, is pleased that his wait is over.

"I am naturally very happy to be driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso this year," said Buemi. "Being a Formula 1 driver has always been my target, since I first started racing. This year, I will do all I can to bring home the best possible results and to show Red Bull that the confidence it has shown in me is justified. I want to thank Red Bull for this opportunity and for all the help they have given me in my career, dating back to 2005."