Author: Liam

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Ferrari Formula 1 Lotus Red Bull Racing

Kimi Raikkonen wins 2013 Australian GP

Kimi Raikkonen wins 2013 Australian Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) has driven a well calculated race to claim the 2013 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this afternoon. For the Albert Park circuit it was an unusually trouble-free race with no Safety Car periods, this allowed Raikkonen to maximise his two-stop strategy, which was one stop fewer than his closest rivals.

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) turned his P5 starting position into a second place, finishing 12.4 seconds behind Kimi. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) finds himself on the bottom podium step, not what he would have planned after claiming pole position this morning.

Mark Webber (Red Bull) made a poor start from P2 and could only manage a sixth place result, behind Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Webber revealed after the race he lost KERS and there were telemetry issues, before conceding he didn’t have the pace to fight for the win in any case.

Adrian Sutil’s (Force India) return to Grand Prix racing delivered some time in the spotlight, twice he lead the race, before slipping down to P7 due to fading supersoft tyres. Close behind was Sutil’s teammate Paul di Resta. Rounding out the top 10 were Romain Grosjean (Lotus) and Jenson Button (McLaren).

Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) retired from the race on lap 39 with a suspected broken exhaust. The only positive for him being that teammate Jean-Eric Vergne finished out of the points in P12.

After the wet weather we had yesterday and this morning the race was dry for the most part with only a few light drops falling at various stages. Prior to the race the general consensus was the Red Bulls would be the cars to beat if the conditions were dry, yet the results told a different story and show that we are facing a very open start to the 2013 season.

It’s Raikkonen’s second Australian Grand Prix win, joining his 2007 success. For Lotus, it’s the first time since 1978 (in a former life) they have won the opening race of the year. In 2007 Kimi won the drivers’ championship and in 1978 Lotus won the constructors’ title; a new omen for both perhaps?

Formula 1 backs up at Sepang next weekend for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Red Bull Racing

2013 Australian GP: Qualifying report

2013 Australian Grand Prix

It may have taken two days, but the end result for qualifying at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix sees triple world champion Sebastian Vettel (1:27.407) on pole position. It’s Vettel’s 37th career pole, third on the all-time list behind Ayrton Senna (65) and Michael Schumacher (68).

Following two wet sessions for Q1 on Saturday and Q2 this morning, the best times in Q3 were set on supersoft slick tyres. Indeed a few teams, notably McLaren, gambled on slicks in Q2 but it proved to be the wrong decision. All drivers started Q3 on intermediates but as the times tumbled slicks were required to stay in the chase for pole.

Aussie fans will be pleased to see Mark Webber (1:27.827) starting from P2, alongside his Red Bull teammate. It’s the second front row lockout for Red Bull in Melbourne after the team first achieved the result in 2010.

Lewis Hamilton’s (1:28.087) life at Mercedes has started well, qualifying in third ahead of his teammate Nico Rosberg (1:28.523) who qualified sixth. Although, when conditions were wet Rosberg was clearly the man to beat, fastest in both Q1 and Q2.

Ferrari will be happy that Felipe Massa (1:28.490) seems to be in the groove again, he narrowly edged out teammate Fernando Alonso (1:28.493). Although, Massa was very lucky to get away with a spectacular spin in yesterday’s Q1, which somehow only managed to damage his front wing.

Behind the two Ferraris is Rosberg and the the two Lotus drivers, will fill the fourth row of the grid, with Kimi Raikkonen (1:28.738) starting from P7 and Romain Grosjean (1:29.013) from P8.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo (1:39.042) was underwhelmed by qualifying in P14 and not just because his Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne (1:38.778) is one position ahead of him. Speaking after quali Ricciardo revealed he is not happy with the setup of his STR8, saying there’s still much to learn for the year ahead.

Webber on the other hand was happy to put himself on the front row and hopes there will be a dry line for him to exploit from P2 after working on his starts during the off-season.

Due to yesterday’s wet weather forcing qualifying into a second day there will be no official post-qualifying FIA interviews. A full list of grid positions can be seen after the break.

[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]

UPDATE: The post-quali press conference wasn’t televised this morning, but the top three were interviewed and the transcript can be read below.

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Ferrari Formula 1

Ferrari builds F150° Italia replica in Lego

Ferrari F150 Italia Lego replica

Ferrari and Shell have come up trumps with one of the coolest Lego replicas ever made, it’s a life-size F150° Italia! That’s the car Ferrari used in the 2011 F1 world championship and we can just imagine how much fun it would have been to put it all together.

Make sure you check out the video after the break.

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Formula 1 Red Bull Racing

VIDEO: Mark and Seb put in a sticky situation

Red Bull Racing RB9 sticker challenge

Here’s a fun video from Red Bull Racing where Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are given the challenge of applying the sponsor and livery stickers to their RB9. As it turns out they didn’t do a very good job.

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Ferrari

Ferrari to takeover Australian imports

Fernando Alonso

The role of European Automotive Imports as the importer of Ferrari products to Australia will end when the factory-controlled Ferrari Australasia begins operations on 1 April. Ferrari’s Senior Vice President Commercial and Marketing Enrico Galliera made the announcement at the Zagame dealership in Melbourne yesterday.

Ferrari Australasia will be headed by former Sydney-sider Herbert Appleroth who will add to his current position with Ferrari Japan by overseeing imports to Australia and New Zealand.

Enrico Galliera explains the reasons behind the move, “We made this decision as part of a broader strategic reorganisation of our presence worldwide which has resulted in the creation of four major hubs. Ferrari Australasia, which will be based in Sydney, is part of the Far East region which supervises all activities in the Asia Pacific area, aside from Greater China.

“This will also allow us to strengthen our personal relationships with our clients in the area and create a more complete Ferrari experience for them, both on the track and at ad hoc events.”

As you can see Fernando Alonso was on hand to lend his support ahead of his on-track duties at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

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Motorsports

2014 DeltaWing Coupé revealed

DeltaWing Coupé

Don Panoz is determined to power on with his DeltaWing project, now without the backing of Nissan. Evidence of Panoz’s commitment has just been revealed in Sebring with the first image of a new DeltaWing Coupé being published.

The DeltaWing Coupé is being prepared for 2014 LMP1 racing and will use a new engine built by Elan Motorsports Technologies. Elan will also supply a 2.0 turbocharged motor for the open top DeltaWing, which makes its debut in the LMP1 category at Sebring this weekend.

Speaking about the new coupé Panoz said, “As the season goes forward, and we incorporate the new tub and new chassis with the new 2014 rules, and new engine, we think as with any new program that it will continue to improve in performance.

“As we get close to the latter part of the season, we’ll be capable of getting onto the podium.”

[Source: DeltaWing]

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Lamborghini Video

VIDEO: Lamborghini to join WRC?

Lamborghini Gallardo

It seems it’s all the rage these days to thrash exoticars on dirt roads, film it and lob it onto YouTube. So far it seems to be working quite well. This time we’re seeing a Lamborghini Gallardo getting muddy, it’s not as good as the Ferrari Enzo clip, but with the promise of two more Gallardo videos to follow perhaps the best is yet to come.

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Formula 1 Honda McLaren

McLaren-Honda reunification likely in 2015

McLaren-Honda MP4-5

Formula 1 fans from the 1980s and 1990s will welcome the news that a McLaren-Honda partnership is expected to return to the F1 grid in 2015.

McLaren currently has a contract with Mercedes-Benz that gives them the option of using their engines until the end of the 2015 season. However, when asked directly if McLaren would stick with Mercedes for the full term of their contract Martin Whitmarsh said: “We have a contract that covers the next three seasons at the moment and we will certainly go into next year with Mercedes-Benz.”

A specific mention for 2014, when the new V6 turbocharged engine regs come into play, but no mention of 2015. Autosport reports that Honda officials have confirmed with them that they are planning to reunite with McLaren in 2015.

As it stands 2014 faces the prospect of having just three engine makers in F1: Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Renault. Martin Whitmarsh says new manufacturers entering F1 would be a good thing “We have read the stories about Porsche, Hyundai and Honda and I think they are to be encouraged,” he said.

“The sport needs new automotive manufacturers to come in and if we can help that in any way, we will do so, but at the moment we are very focused on our partnership [with Mercedes], which has been a very good partnership.”

When McLaren last used Honda engines, 1988–92, the net result was four driver and constructor championship doubles.

Meanwhile, McLaren has confirmed that 2013 will be the last year it will carry Vodafone sponsorship. They say a new title sponsor has already been sewn up, but they won’t make any announcement until December, after the season has finished.

[Source: Autosport | Pic: Wikimedia Commons]

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Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes A45 AMG priced from AU$74,900?

Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

Hey, would you believe this, a carrier pigeon has just flown through a window and left us a message. No, not that kind of message a real message, you know, with proper information and stuff. It concerns what is sure to be the first step into AMG ownership for most buyers, the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.

Anyway, here’s what the message said, take particular note of the last line:

Australian A45 AMG Standard Equipment & Pricing:

2.0 Turbo Charged 4 cyl
265KW 450NM
4Matic – All Wheel Drive
0-100 in 4.6 Seconds
19” AMG Alloys
Intelligent Lighting System
Panoramic Roof
AMG Exhaust System
Night Pack – Privacy Glass
Distronic PLUS Cruise Control
Blind Spot & Lane Keeping ASSIST
Metallic Paint
Red Brake Calipers
AMG Sports Seats (Red Cut Leather)
Comand APS Sat Nav, Bluetooth, Multi media connectivity
DAB – Digital Radio
Harmon Kardon Hi Fi
Price $74,900 plus on roads

So, in real world terms a vanilla A45 AMG, if you can call it that, should be a smidge into the 80K price range driveaway. That is quite a lot for a small hatchback no doubt, but for an AMG product, with BMW 1M performance, it’s a bit of a bargain.

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Audi Bentley Video

Bentley v Audi

Chris Harris on Cars, Bentley v Audi

For his weekly installment Chris Harris takes a look at the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Fair enough, too, it’s got over 600 horsepower and 800Nm of torque on tap from its 6.0 litre W12 engine. But at 2300kg the Speed represents a bit of a quandary. Does all that power go to waste?

Extending the reach of his investigations Harris brings the Audi S4 Avant into the equation. Aside from a steering wheel and four tyres there’s not a lot else in common between these two. On the figures mentioned in the clip the Bentley is £180,000 and the S4 a comparatively paltry £40,000. And yet there are, according to Harris, some very similar traits between the two cars. The overarching link, of course, being the shared ownership of the two manufacturers by Volkswagen.

So, as Harris puts it in his YouTube intro: “Not a natural pairing, but a quick drive in both got me thinking about how VW manages its various brands in terms of character and driving behaviour. All very grown up, I know—but we can’t skid the shizzle out of stuff every week.”

It’s this slightly left of centre style of review that Harris does well at, so if you’re into your cars you should enjoy the thinking behind this comparison.

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Motorsports Porsche

2013 Porsche 911 GT3 R revealed

2013 Porsche 911 GT3 R

We bring you some race-ready porn from Porsche this morning with details of the 2013-spec 911 GT3 R being released. First, we must note this is still based on the 997-model, so there will be a new 991-based GT3 R sometime in the future.

The 997 GT3 R was first released in 2010 and since then has done many wonderful things, notching up numerous race and championship victories. That success should continue with word from Porsche saying they have improved the aero package of the 911 GT3 R; the rear wing is now the same width as the widest part of the car. Cool!

The suspension has also been given a once over, the front and rear track is now 50mm wider and the wheelbase has been extended by a more modest 10mm.

Power from the 4.0 litre flat six remains at 368kW (500hp) and is still coupled to a 6-speed dogbox style transmission with flappy paddles.

If you already have an older spec 911 GT3 R and are feeling a bit jealous at what the new kids at the track will have to play with, fear not, for €45,500 Porsche will gladly bring your car into line with 2013 specifications.

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Range Rover

All-new Range Rover Sport accidentally revealed

2013 Range Rover Sport

Range Rover will be launching its all-new Sport model at the New York Auto Show on 26 March. They’ve gone to some lengths to promote the reveal, setting up a dedicated website and asking twitterists to use the #NewRangeRoverSport hashtag.

So how do you reckon the top brass at Range Rover are feeling now that a member from the Tint Dude forum called the art of tint has snapped a photo of himself with the new car and posted it online for all the world to see?

The story goes our learned friend in the photo above was given the car to tint its windows in full knowledge it was going to the New York Auto Show. Now, sometimes, car companies, we think, deliberately leak information prior to official reveals in order to generate more discussion. This, though, looks like a total cock up and we suspect the art of tint may have done his last ever job for a major car manufacturer.

Anyway, the new Rangie Sport looks okay don’t you reckon?

Range Rover says this will be their fastest model ever. John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director, backs up that claim with these words: “The all-new Range Rover Sport takes the model to another level. It is Land Rover’s most dynamic vehicle yet and showcases the best of British design, engineering and technological innovation.”

[Source: PistonHeads]

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