Another grand prix another stroll in the park for Sebastian Vettel. At least the photographers were given a tougher ride than Vettel at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having to contend with twilight conditions before freezing the action under lights. We think you’ll agree they did a fine job, too.
Hats off to Sebastian Vettel, this gallery from the Indian Grand Prix is all about celebrating his achievements. There’s still heaps of photos from the rest of the field, of course. But it’s not every day a 26-year-old is crowned a four-time Formula 1 world champion and so we begin with a large sample from Red Bull’s media collection.
Caterham has given us limited details about its new entry-level model called the Seven 160. We already know it’s powered by a 660cc three-cylinder turbocharged engine made by Suzuki and mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Now we know that engine produces a ball-tearing 80hp (60kW).
Hmm, it’s not really a lot of power to play with is it. But, we suspect, like the Porsche Boxster, the Seven 160 will be more about its pure driving experience than outright pace. It can reach 100km/h in 6.5 seconds, so it’s no slouch, although it’s hardly going to pin you back in your seat.
But just look at the car, it has an understated purposeful look, from the subdued paint colour down to the low-rent steel wheels wrapped in skinny tyres. You just know there’s fun to be had in this thing.
Hitting the market in the UK at £17,995 ($AU30,000) fully assembled, we’re not sure if the Seven 160 will be sold in Australia. We do know we’d love a drive! And in the fantasy la-la-land where that pricing actually was reality and Seven 160 v Toyota 86 comparison is the sort of odd match-up we’d like to experience.
On the surface Sebastian Vettel’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix looked to be a solid victory crafted with determination and a solid strategy. The conspiracy theorists out there would suggest Red Bull’s decision to keep Vettel on a two-stop strategy, while switching Mark Webber to a three-stopper, was all about providing an opportunity for Seb to forge a win from third place, while harming Mark’s chances of a first win for season 2013.
Certainly, Vettel’s own radio calls late in the race asking the team to keep Mark away from him would lend support to that theory. But former Red Bull driver David Coulthard is having none of that, suggesting if it were true that Mark would be telling the world all about it.
All we can do is wonder what would have happened if Mark was able to bully his way past Romain Grosjean with the effectiveness which Vettel did. Instead, it took Mark seven laps to find a way around the Lotus driver by which time any chance of a challenge to Vettel’s lead had been lost.
Which means our regular F1 pictorial update gives us yet another opportunity to look at that bloody finger!
While even his fellow drivers may be booing Sebastian Vettel’s latest win at the Korean Grand Prix, the race itself is under threat. Partly because of poor attendance and also due to the promise of a bumper 22-race calendar that nobody wants. One thing is sure, Mark Webber has plenty of fans in Korea, as you’ll see in the pics below.
Sunday night lights! We bring you another mega-gallery of images from the world of Formula 1, this time from under the lights of the Singapore Grand Prix. For the third race in a row Sebastian Vettel dominated the weekend and further tightened the screws on securing a fourth straight championship.
Here’s your photo reminder of the Italian Grand Prix. The many goings on at the Frankfurt Motor Show mean you’ve had to wait a few extra days, which is why we’ve assembled over 110 photos for you to enjoy.
We liked the pics of McLaren’s 50th anniversary celebrations. And we’d have loved to score an invite to hear Mark Webber talking about his last European grand prix too.
The Caterham Seven 620R, it weighs a shade over 500kg and is powered by a 230kW (310hp) supercharged 2.0 litre Ford engine. It’s got a sequential gearbox and you have to control the power with your right foot and the rear wheels. It doesn’t get much more basic or enjoyable than this.
Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar has a crack at explaining the experience for those of us unikely to have the good fortune of trying a 620R for ourselves.
Here’s your lot, recapturing Vettel’s dominance, from the scenic Ardennes mountains. It’s a majestic circuit in a beautiful location. Everyone loves Spa-Francorchamps!
We loved Mark Webber’s scenic bike ride and we also loved the many views of Eau Rouge. It’s easy to dismiss the corner in these times when an F1 car can just nail it flat down the hill and over the blind crest of Radillon.
You probably need to see it with your own eyes to appreciate just how steep that climb is. How fearsome it would be, flat out in an F1 car, heading into the unknown searching for the relative safety of the Kemmel Straight. We can only imagine the feeling one’s body would experience with the fluctuation of G forces and messages being fired into your brain from your watering eyes.
Just amazing.
Knowing what we know now about the Greenpeace protest, it’s also interesting to see the evidence of the signs being installed as the cars were lining up on the grid to start the race.
Caterham has revealed its imminent all-new entry level model will be powered by a Suzuki engine. The motor is a 660cc three-cylinder turbo unit and it will be the smallest engine ever fitted to a Caterham.
The engine is designed to be lightweight, efficient and fun according to Caterham. It will be mated to a compact 5-speed gearbox, also made by Suzuki. Full specifications, including power and torque, are yet to be revealed. And while we expect them to be modest, they won’t have a lot of weight to move around.
“It is not engine size that matters, it is the grin factor that is our barometer and we believe we have got the formula for our new entry-level vehicle just right,” said Graham Macdonald, Caterham Cars CEO. “Our intention for this car is to offer the joy of the Seven in distilled form, so the new entry-level car is lighter, cheaper, more economical and more accessible than ever.”
Macdonald added that he’s keen to open the order book for his new sub-£17,000 (AU$29,250) Caterham Sveen, which he will do next from month.
We’re fairly certain is Lewis Hamilton is still over the moon at his first win for Mercedes-Benz, which he achieved at the 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix. But we’re not so sure he’ll check into AUSmotive to relive his victory. So, it’s just as well you’re here to fill Lewis’ shoes.
It’s taken us a while to prepare, but here’s your first instalment in our 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed image gallery. We’ve got more than 260 images in all which will be spread out over three galleries.
Presented in alphabetical order, this selection of photos starts with Alfa Romeo and ends with Lotus. And doesn’t that Alfa Romeo 4C just look sensational!
Stay tuned over the next two days for the remaining galleries to be posted.