Outstanding at the end of year

Ferrari’s new driver Charles Leclerc ended 2018 on top of the testing times at Abu Dhabi. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Leclerc kept Ferrari on top for the second day in a row after his new team mate Sebastian Vettel led the times yesterday. Drivers concluded two days of running on Pirelli’s new tyre selection for 2019 – which is numbered one, two, three, four and five – and its 2018 compounds for reference. Leclerc ended the test with the quickest time overall, three-tenths quicker than Vettel managed yesterday. Pierre Gasly was second-fastest on his first run for Red Bull since replacing Daniel Ricciardo. Lance Stroll spent a full day driving for Force India, who are expected to formally confirm him as Sergio Perez’s team mate for next season. Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat returned to the team for the first time since being cut from their line-up last season. Haas ran test driver Louis Deletraz, who had a spin early in the session … [Read more...] about Leclerc ends 2018 F1 testing on top for Ferrari · RaceFans

The James Harden era in Houston may feel like a distant memory for Rockets ' fans, but the team's main rival in Harden's tenure is still rolling along as the 2022-23 season comes to a close. The more things change at the Toyota Center, the more they stay the same for Stephen Curry and the Warriors. It hasn't exactly been business as usual for Curry and the Warriors this season. Golden State's title defense is on relatively rocky ground even after Monday's 121-108 win over the hapless Rockets, with the defending champions now sporting an ugly road record of 7–29. But Monday's return to Houston helped the Warriors look largely like their dynastic selves. Curry led all scorers with 30 points, Klay Thompson added 29, and a late surge Golden State made all look right in the Bay Area. For Warriors coach Steve Kerr, returning to the Toyota Center brings a bit of a spark for his veteran group. "This is a great reminder every time we come to the Toyota Center of some amazing battles with … [Read more...] about New year, same story for Rockets as Splash Brothers fuel blowout loss

I went into the launch of the new 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 ready to be mildly disappointed. I thought it’d be something of an afterthought, just the normally gas-powered GV70 crossover with batteries. And we know that in 2023, EVs designed to be EVs from the ground up tend to perform better than cars adapted for electric power after the fact. I also didn’t understand why Hyundai’s luxury division would do this since it already has an outstanding electric compact crossover in the Genesis GV60 . I figured the Electrified GV70 , which is built in Alabama , was a fast-tracked battery-swap job just to take advantage of the new tax credits , which require EVs to be assembled in North America. The Korean-built GV60 doesn’t qualify. Folks, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong. The Electrified GV70 is a stellar addition to the brand’s growing portfolio of EVs , and there are even some ways that it outclasses the GV60 – not to mention a lot of other competitors in this space. … [Read more...] about 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70 First Drive Review: Meet One Of America’s Best EVs

Yuki Tsunoda said AlphaTauri was losing out to its rivals in the straights and corners in Jeddah after narrowly missing a points finish for the second race in a row. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free From 15th on the grid, Tsunoda climbed to sixth in the first third of the 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before pitting. He then ran in eighth but lacked the pace of the cars behind him and eventually finished 11th. He described it as a “pretty tough” race. “I gave my 100% effort every lap, and still couldn’t [retain position],” Tsunoda said of his lengthy second stint in the race. “Lost positions like that in the end in the last four laps, so I’m just really frustrated.” On a high-speed track where very few of the corners require braking, Tsunoda said his AlphaTauri AT04 “lost too much pace in the straights, and a couple of corners that required downforce.” He “had to put in 100% effort in sector one to maximise the pace from our car to make the gap as much … [Read more...] about Tsunoda “expected much worse” after narrowly missing points again · RaceFans

Lots of automakers are fleeing the Russian market. Volkswagen is among them, but it is now facing a problem. A court in the country froze all of the company's assets there, according to Reuters . The dispute is because the Russian automotive manufacturer GAZ has a contract to produce VW vehicles in Nizhny Novgorod. Volkswagen ended its agreement with the firm in August. GAZ responded by suing for the equivalent of $201.3 million for allegedly breaking their arrangement. Separately, VW is working to sell its interests in the country, which includes the factory in Kaluga. The process is reportedly nearing completion. "We hope the lawsuit will not delay the transaction," a Volkswagen spokesperson told Reuters . Automakers Abandon Russia: Toyota Ends Manufacturing Operations In Russia Mitsubishi Stops Car Production And Sales In Russia Leaving the Russian market is a complicated process for companies. The government there is requiring … [Read more...] about Volkswagen Assets Frozen In Russia Over Contract Dispute

Listen to this article Development of the Tipo 6 LMH Competizione led by Michelotto in Italy has continued since the launch at the end of February of the completed car powered by a bespoke three-litre twin-turbo V6 developed by HWA and a hybrid system supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering. It is currently running on an all-wheel-drive dyno at automotive engineering specialist AVL in Italy for a second time and has also been to the Sauber wind tunnel in Switzerland for aerodynamic testing. Isotta motorsport boss Claudio Berro told Autosport that the car should be ready to start track testing in conjunction with the British Vector Sport team in “one or two weeks”. “We need the functionality to be perfect before we run the car for the first time, whether that’s on a proper race track or in straightline testing,” said Berro. “We are planning an extensive test programme, and after that we will begin the homologation process with the FIA. “The target is still to be … [Read more...] about Isotta Fraschini Hypercar test plan outlined ahead of Monza WEC debut

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz believes the 2023 cars are beginning to feel like their predecessors in that following other drivers is becoming a “limitation” on performance. Sainz was overtaken on the first lap after a brave move from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll saw him launch a pass around the outside of the banked Turn 13 in Jeddah, and the Spaniard faced a tough task to find his way back past again in the race. He was unable to do so, with Stroll able to keep Sainz at bay – and the Ferrari driver explained that he took too much life out of his tyres in his first stint as he searched for a way by the Canadian prior to his retirement, though he feels the 2023 cars are now harder to follow behind again. The 2022 regulation reset was done with a significant focus on improving cars’ following capabilities, with the switch to ground effect aerodynamics brought in to aid drivers while following each other and not losing as much downforce in the process in turbulent air – with pre-2021 … [Read more...] about Carlos Sainz concerned cars becoming harder to follow again with 2023 challengers

If a single 2018 incident demonstrated just how disjointed Formula 1 has become, it was the Haas versus Force India protest filed late on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Significantly, the protest came within F1 hours of scrutineering and ahead of the season’s final championship round. Also crucial to proceedings is that Abu Dhabi steward Garry Connelly also officiated in Belgium, where Racing Point Force India was declared a new team holding a new entrant license. Thus there was no cause to postpone or reconvene the matter at a later date, enabling both the hearing and the crucial (and expected) outcome – namely that the Force India cars were legal – to be handed ahead of FP3 on Saturday. However, Force India’s victory actually represents a defeat as we outlined here immediately after verdict. The road map of the mess F1 found itself in has been detailed in these pages since Force India plunged into administration at end-July. But … [Read more...] about Haas’s protest a legacy of F1’s missing Concorde Agreement – RaceFans

Haas has lodged a protest against both Force India cars, the FIA has confirmed. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Representatives of Force India and Haas have been summed to a meeting of the stewards tomorrow at 11am concerning a “protest by Haas F1 Team against cars 11 and 31,” according to an FIA statement. The reason for the protest has not yet been confirmed. However RaceFans understands Haas is querying whether Racing Point Force India, which purchased the assets of Sahara Force India when the latter went into administration in July, qualifies as a constructor as defined by Formula 1’s rules. Teams must hold the intellectual property to their designs in order to qualify as constructors, and therefore score points and receive a share of F1’s prize money pot. This suggests Haas’s protest is targeted at Force India’s share of F1’s prize money. The two teams have been at odds over Force India is eligible to receive from F1 since its re-entry into the … [Read more...] about Haas lodge protest against rival F1 team Force India – RaceFans