The mini battle for the remaining race seat at Williams F1 has concluded. The Grove based team has announced that Bruno Senna will partner Pastor Maldonado in the 2012 season. Those who lost out include last year’s man Rubens Barrichello, ex Force India man Adrian Sutil, dropped Toro Rosso youngster Jaime Alguersuari and Tonio Liuzzi.

The nephew of three-time world champ Ayrton made his F1 debut with Hispania back in 2010, but was left without a seat for 2011. He came into the picture after Lotus Renault GP dropped Nick Heidfeld in Belgium, managing eight races, but the team, now called Lotus, have Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean for 2012. The 28-year-old Brazilian will make his debut with Williams on 9 February at Jerez for the first test of the year.

“Bruno only started racing when he was 20 years old but quickly proved his talent in F3 and GP2. In a tightly fought 2008 GP2 season, Bruno finished second in the Championship with notable victories in Monaco and Silverstone, the latter in the wet. The circumstances of Bruno’s two seasons in F1 have not given him an ideal opportunity to deliver consistently so it was essential that we spent as much time with him as possible to understand and evaluate him as a driver,” said Frank Williams.

“We have done this both on track and in our simulator and he has proven quick, technically insightful and above all capable of learning and applying his learning quickly and consistently. Now we are looking forward to seeing that talent in our race car,” the founder added.

Driving aside, Senna is bringing sponsorship money to Williams as well, including from long-time supporter Embratel, but he insists that it wasn’t about money. “I am sure about that. They have been putting us through the paces with all sorts of testing, and they did not even talk about the sponsorship at the start – they wanted to assess me before anything else,” he told Autosport.

Williams F1 Team may have just emerged from a disastrous season, but their race seat alongside Pastor Maldonado is the most coveted in the paddock. With no more vacant positions in the top teams, losing parties in the annual musical chairs are all vying to drive for the Grove based squad. They would have loved to have Kimi Raikkonen, but…

Maldonado’s place in the team is secure – with Williams still looking for a title sponsor to replace telecommunications firm AT&T, his Venezuelan oil money backing is invaluable. Big money is harder to come by these days, anyway.

The mini contest to be his teammate is led by Force India reject Adrian Sutil, who faces competition from last season’s Toro Rosso drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Seb Buemi, although the latter is out of the reckoning – he has just been revealed as the test and reserve driver for champions Red Bull Racing. Also in the mix is Bruno Senna, who drove for Lotus Renault GP last season, and HRT man Tonio Liuzzi.

Pestering the team to retain his services is veteran Rubens Barrichello, who is hoping to race in his 20th Formula 1 season. The Brazilian argues that his experience and steady hand is good for the team. “It would be clever of the team to keep the drivers and keep on going. I’m not pushing them, I’m just trying to show them that is the way to do it,” he said.

Reports claim that Rubens’ case may be stronger now that Williams legend and co-founder Patrick Head has departed from the F1 team. Head is said to have grown weary of Barrichello’s criticism of the team’s direction.

Who do you think deserves the seat best?

Throughout the 2011 Formula 1 season, we’ve seen plenty of on track skirmishes. In some of the battles, it was clear who was in the wrong, while some were more debatable. The FIA has now issued new rules regarding defending positions, to put it clear for all.

The ruling body has decided that drivers defending their position will be allowed to move back onto the racing line, but must leave enough room between their car and the edge of the track. Only one move will be allowed.

“More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted. Any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off-line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner,” reads the new regulation.

Another newly clarified rule states that lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves and then join the back of the field during safety car periods.

“If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message “LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE” is shown on the timing monitors, any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car. This will only apply to cars that were lapped at the time they crossed the Line at the end of the lap during which they crossed the first Safety Car line for the second time after the safety car was deployed.

While this is going on, “the cars on the lead lap must always stay on the racing line unless deviating from it is unavoidable”.

The 20-race 2012 season starts in Australia on 18 March, before the teams head to Sepang the following week for the Malaysian GP. Bahrain is back in the calendar and F1 returns to America for the United States GP in November.

Perhaps it’s the current slump, but many forget that Williams is the third most successful team in Formula 1, behind only Ferrari and McLaren. The team had it’s worst ever year in 2011, finishing the season with just five points, and last of the established teams. It’s with this background that Williams director of engineering and legend Patrick Head is leaving the team after 34 years of service.

Head has stepped down from the outfit’s board of directors with immediate effect. He will from now focus on the company’s thriving hybrid business and will remain a board director of Williams Hybrid Power Limited.

“Patrick and I have been in partnership for 34 years. During that time, he has been the leader of the technical team that has won the majority of our race wins and championships. This is a remarkable legacy and one which will be treasured and definitely not forgotten.,” said founder and friend Frank Williams.

“Patrick is a very straightforward, hard working and truly gifted engineer who comfortably operates at a world class level. I will miss him very much, as I am sure his colleagues will, and he will always be welcome at Grove. Indeed, Patrick will still be seen around the factory as he continues to be involved in the development of our hybrid power activities,” he added.

In the glory days of the 1980s and ’90s, Head drove the team’s engineering department to win 113 grands prix, seven drivers world championships and nine constructors’ titles for Williams. As Frank said, a remarkable legacy.