The fun has come and gone from the Sochi sun and the Russian Grand Prix passed by without any idiot from the Formula 1 world threatening to “shirtfront” Putin. Which, in some ways, in just as bad as it would have been if some idiot did engage his mouth before his brain.
Anyway, enough of that, let’s just try and enjoy the images from the race. Hopefully, they’re not quite as dull as the on track action ended up.
Ben Barry from Car magazine has the enviable task of comparing the Porsche 911 GT3 against the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Both cars have so much personality, so much power, so much appeal. Wouldn’t a day behind the wheel of these two cars, on empty open roads, be a great day out!
As a self-confessed 911 GT3 fan it’s hard to see me ever picking anything else in my automotive dreams. But, you know, a 458 Speciale ain’t so bad!
Usually we like it when it rains at a grand prix because the images are pretty cool. But the end of this year’s Japanese Grand Prix was not very cool at all.
Forza Jules.
The Ferrari 458 has always been one of the best examples of car design, where aggression and elegance are given equal footing. And this convertible version of the incredibly capable 458 Speciale helps to further prove that theory.
You can’t really look this 458 Speciale A and say it is a beautiful car in the same way you can with pretty much any Aston Martin built in the last 15 years or so. The 458 just looks angry, fast and screams “don’t mess with me!” It’s not until you take a closer look at the details that the purity and elegance of the 458 begin to shine.
For example, look at this Speciale A in profile view and admire the way the bodywork creases and folds where the door begins to meet the rear wheel arch. Or in front three-quater view, look at the lower corner and the detailing of the aero package. And, of course, on this open air model, those evocative rollover hoops make this one of the few car designs where you’d be happy to take the convertible over the hardtop. The McLaren 12C Spider is another.
So what of this 458 Speciale A, then, and what is that A for? A is for aperta, Italian for open. Based on its tintop sibling the Speciale A carries over the same fearsome 445kW/540Nm normally aspirated V8, which makes this the most powerful spider Ferrari has ever made. The aluminium roof opens in 14 seconds and the overall weight gain has been kept to a respectable 50kg compared with the regular Speciale.
The 458 Speciale A will be limited to 499 models and I dare say neither you nor I will be one of the lucky owners. More’s the pity.
Victory at the Singapore Grand Prix makes it two wins in a row for Lewis Hamilton and with that he has put himself atop the drivers’ championship standings. No wonder he has such a smug look on his face.
At least Lewis has stopped pulling his hair out over the frustration of mechanical failures. Or has he?
You can see all that and more with our gallery of images below, some of which do literally contain the bright lights of Singapore.
We’re a little bit later in the week than usual with our Formula 1 photo smorgasbord, but here we are ready to help you relive Lewis Hamilton’s win at the 2014 Italian Grand Prix. How good is that lead image?!
Hopefully you will forgive our lateness, the 120-plus images for you after the break should help with that. And they’re in new 2560x1690px mega sizing too. Oh yeah!
Even more beautiful.
Thanks to Marussia for images of the famed Monza banking right at the end as well.
Ferrari is having a bad year in Formula 1. Mind, in living memory, they’ve probably had worse years. But with the total dominance of Schumacher era still in recent memory the big wigs demand success and they aren’t happy with what they’re seeing. And by big wigs, we mean, big wigs.
There’s not too many people higher than Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, but Sergio Marchionne, boss of parent company Fiat, is one of those men. And he has spoken.
The pair have had a public spat in the wake of a terrible Italian Grand Prix. As a result Luca di Montezemolo is leaving Ferrari. The legacy he has left for the road and racing cars from Maranello cannot be underestimated and this is a massive day for the company.
“Ferrari is the most wonderful company in the world,” di Montezemolo said. “It has been a great privilege and honour to have been its leader. I devoted all of my enthusiasm and commitment to it over the years. Together with my family, it was, and continues to be, the most important thing in my life.”
Sergio Marchionne will step in as the boss of the F1 team after di Montezemolo departs in mid-October. This change follows the removal of Stefano Domenicali earlier this year.
Marchionne has put his money where his mouth is, his reputation is at stake here, and he’d better hope he can deliver the results he demands.
The Amercian-based Haas F1 team has announced it will race with Ferrari power units when it takes to the Formula 1 grid in 2016.
“There is no team in Formula One more accomplished than Scuderia Ferrari, and no team with more history. They’ve been a part of Formula 1 from the beginning, and now they’ll be a part of Haas F1 Team’s beginning,” said Gene Haas.
“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsports. It showcases the latest technology and is the most competitive form of racing in the world. Aligning Haas F1 Team with such a tenured and successful company in Scuderia Ferrari provides our team with the greatest opportunity for success in 2016 and beyond.”
As is the norm in F1 this has been described as a “multi-year deal” although the exact terms remain confidential. Gene Haas’ CNC business, Haas Automation, signed a sponsorship deal with Scuderia Ferrari a few months back and the alignment of his F1 team with Ferrari was therefore expected.
[Pic: Getty Images]
We thought that would be a resounding yes!
There’s just a week to go until Monza comes alive for its annual Formula 1 carnival. It’s expected that Mercedes will race off into the distance with the superior speed of the F1 W05 Hybrid. But as we’ve seen in the last two races if the Nico v Lewis battle continues to stuff things up others will be ready to pounce.
One thing is clear, these 2014-spec F1 machines won’t sound anywhere near as dramatic as these V10 masters from days gone by. Get some headphones, connect your PC to your stereo, just do whatever you can to get the volume up as loud as you dare and rejoice!
THIS SOUND IS MAGNIFICENT!!!
It’s funny, too, how an otherwise empty racetrack, even one as important as Monza, can feel so eerie when there’s no crowd and no advertising. Thankfully a pair of Ferrari F2002s and an F2001 and F2005 are on hand to do their bit to liven up the atmosphere.
[Source: WTF1]
Ferrari will breath new life into its 458 Italia with the 458 M facelift due next year. It’s a revised and beefed up 458 which will benefit from the addition of a retuned version of the twin turbo 3.8 litre V8 from the California T.
Where the hairdresser’s Ferrari makes do with 412kW we can expect the 458 M to raise the bar to a mighty 500kW (670hp). That’s 55kW more than Ferrari managed from the normally aspirated 4.5 litre V8 in the Speciale.
We can expect some minor tweaks to be introduced to the 458 M’s bodywork and a new exhaust system, too, to help cater for the new engine.
With a 2015 introduction on the cards the 458 M may show up in Geneva next March. Whether it will carry the 458 M working title through to production, or perhaps follow the California’s lead and be badged the 458 T, remains to be seen.
[Source: Autoblog | Pic: CarPix]
We could get used to watching Daniel Ricciardo winning Formula 1 Grands Prix. What about you?
With his Belgian Grand Prix victory Daniel has made it two wins in a row, for a career total of three race wins. Mark Webber had nine wins and Sebastian Vettel a very handy 39 wins (one with Toro Rosso).
Those of you quick on your sums will have worked out Red Bull Racing now has 50 grands prix wins in total. Let’s hope Daniel keeps on closing the gap to Sebastian, even if it is a massive mountain to climb.
Oh yeah, there’s a stack of pics for you after the break, too!
Ferrari’s place as the maker of the world’s most desirable classic cars was further enhanced at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction on the weekend. This 1961 250 GT SWB California Spider topped the sales at US$15,180,000.
That result follows the US$38m world record price for a car sold at auction achieved by a Ferrari 250 GTO at the Bonhams auction, also held as part of Monterey Car Week in California.
The Gooding & Company auction netted over US$106m in sales. Take a look over the final results and let us know which car you would like to take home.
In addition to the gorgeous 250 GT, of course, would you also want the 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider ($59,400), the 1990 Ferrari F40 ($1.32m), the 1974 Porsche 911 3.0 Carrera RS ($1m), the 1964 Aston Marti DB5 ($1.485m) or maybe just the 1968 Mini Cooper S ($46,200)?
[Pic: Gooding & Company]