Ferrari

Isn't it nice when, just occasionally, one can have a little look through the classified ads at a classic car or two and go, 'Actually, that's not a stupid price'? Granted, it happens rarely these days. But just now and again, a surprise can come at you from the unlikeliest quarter. Take this Ferrari 412, for example. It's on for £39,995 which is, of course, a significant chunk of money for most people. However, in light of the fact a Ford Sierra can easily cost you significantly more these days, it doesn't seem preposterous. The 412 - and its predecessors, the 365 GT4 2+2 and 400i - have, for a long time, been the black sheep of the Ferrari family. Blame the fact they're front-engined V12s that don't look like your typical Ferrari; blame the fact that 70 per cent of those sold were automatics; blame the fact that they're cruisers at heart, and therefore don't steer or handle with the same finesse as their stablemates. Either way, these models have languished at the bottom of the … [Read more...] about Ferrari 412: Spotted

An opportunistic victory for Sebastian Vettel, despair for Haas and the Honda engine blows up…again. It’s the start of the 2018 season… It’s Sunday, race day Down Under, and time to wake up and climb out of the covers, cars included… A ‘happy’ Fernando Alonso walking into 2018 believing that this year there’ll be “more in attacking mode” from McLaren and new engine partner Renault. Class photo time… Hopefully not a sign of things to come for Vettel and Ferrari… The Formula 1 2018 season then officially got underway… Kevin Magnussen got the jump on Max Verstappen at the start, before a costly spin saw the Dutchman lose valuable places. But delight for Haas soon turned to despair as both drivers were forced to retire soon after their pit-stops. Grosjean’s stoppage brought out the VSC and then the Safety Car, in between those, Vettel got ahead of his major rival Hamilton. It set up a tense, tight finish … [Read more...] about First blood Ferrari; heartbreak for Haas

Max Verstappen thinks P2 on the grid was achievable after a mistake on his final lap in Q3 restricted him to a second-row start. With Hamilton in a league of his own Verstappen found himself very close behind Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, but he reckons both could have been beaten had he managed to produce a clean lap in the closing stages. "I really enjoyed qualifying today," said Verstappen. "It’s difficult to say what I expected heading into the session. But it should have been a little bit better. "I made a mistake on my last fast lap and went wide at turn 13 which lost me a few tenths compared to my previous run. "We were still very close to Ferrari, which is positive. But maybe we could have been second." Verstappen's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo could have started directly behind Verstappen in P5, but a three-place grid penalty for the Aussie due to a red-flag violation means he will start P8 instead. … [Read more...] about Verstappen: I could have pipped both Ferraris

Ferrari and McLaren will fight for the win in Melbourne with Mercedes scrapping for the final few points. That’s according to the pre-season timesheets – but everyone knows they mean nothing. Four months after the chequered flag fell in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 is set to return to the competitive arena with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Swapping the snow from Spanish testing for the baking sun in Melbourne, the blistering quick hypersofts for the slightly slower ultras, and going from practice games to business, Formula 1 is about to get serious. The race at the front The Scuderia’s race-pace in Spain was lacking compared to Mercedes – but it is that way for most teams – but also to Red Bull. Throw in that the SF71H’s engine is an oil guzzler, which at times lets out a breath of oil mist, and Sebastian Vettel’s chances of back-to-back Australian Grand Prix wins are not looking great. As such it could be an easy romp to the 1-2 for … [Read more...] about Ferrari or McLaren for the Australian GP win?