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From GMM

Lotus has become the second team to announce it would be happy to operate within a budget cap.

A few years ago, former FIA president Max Mosley's push for teams to be confined to an even playing field when it comes to spending power was angrily rejected, resulting in a bitter political war.

But Sauber said recently that it would be happy if the idea was proposed again.

Like the Swiss team, Lotus has also agreed a new commercial Concorde Agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, as have the 'grandee' outfits Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

But on the issue of a budget cap, they apparently do not agree.

"Some teams do not realise that we need to do something on the cost side," Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"Most do agree, but unfortunately there are a few obstructionists."

As for a budget cap specifically, Lopez revealed: "There is no problem with it. It would reward the smartest ones."

While much of the attention has been on his new teammates, Martin Truex, Jr. won the pole for the Texas Sprint Cup race.

Driving a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Truex turned lap of 190.369 mph edging the Ford of Matt Kenseth 190.148 mph.

Series points leader, Greg Biffle will start third in another Roush Fenway Racing Ford followed by Truex's teammate the ageless Mark Martin.

Truex's last win came in 2007 driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"We've come a long way," Truex said. "I feel like we're really starting to gel as a team, we're starting to get where we need to be. We're not there yet, but this is one step in that direction. Hopefully we'll be standing over here in victory lane shooting guns tomorrow (Saturday) night celebrating."

Both Truex (tied for third) and teammate Clint Bowyer (ninth) are in the valuable top ten in standings.

"This is a big accomplishment," said Truex, who has four top 10 finishes this season. "It's not easy doing anything better than anybody else out here."

He added "We still have work to do. I just feel good about my whole race team -- everything we have going on right now."

Daytona winner, Kenseth said "I just would feel better if I got beat by more I guess. I felt like I got it all out of there and we just missed it a little bit. Our car has a lot of speed we just don't have it driving exactly right yet. I had a couple different issues. A little bit of everything. It was a little too loose, but I had some other problems too."

A pair of Chevrolets driven by Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman will start fifth and sixth respectively. Brad Keselowski had the best Dodge in eighth.

David Stremme, Joe Nemechek and Stacy Compton failed to qualify for the 43-car field.

From GMM

One of Sebastian Vettel's engineers has admitted the reigning double world champion is currently playing second fiddle to Mark Webber.

Cyril Dumont, who works with German Vettel through Red Bull's works engine supplier Renault, admitted to RMC Sport that the balance of power from one side of the team's garage to the other has changed.

"Mark tends to be able to get around the problems and adapt," he said.

"But for Sebastian, each ingredient needs to be at its optimum for him to have full confidence and get the performance out.

"The car has worked well for him in the previous two years, while it is true that at the first two grands prix (of 2012) he has been less comfortable.

"Mark seems to be suffering less," added Dumont.

From GMM

At least three television broadcasters will not travel to next week's controversial Bahrain grand prix.

Blick newspaper, as well as Bild and London's Times, are reporting that the host broadcasters for Finland, Japan and Germany (Sky Deutschland) will not be sending personnel to the troubled island Kingdom.

The broadcasters usually report directly from the twenty grand prix locations, but have pulled out of Bahrain due to security fears.

"Grands prix attract so much attention internationally that the possibility of problems is too high," said a spokesman for Finland's MTV3.

"It is too bad," he added, "because Kimi Raikkonen's return has dramatically increased the interest in formula one. But we don't want to go at the expense of safety."

Former Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi, however, played down the risks.

The Swiss, who has lived in Bahrain with his uncle, is now Red Bull's reserve driver.

"My uncle goes to work every day and takes his children to school," he is quoted by RMC Sport. "The reality is not necessarily what you see on TV.

"We'll see when we get there."

In the wake of F1's decision to plough ahead with next week's race, media reports said violence returned to the streets of Bahrain on Friday.

"No F1, no F1 -- they killed my son in cold blood," one protester is quoted as having chanted on Friday.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, said protesters hurled firebombs at police, who returned fire with bird shot bellets.

Nico Rosberg drove his Mercedes AMG W03 to pole of the Chinese Grand Prix. His teammate Michael Schumacher will start alongside him, thanks to a grid penalty handed to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Nico Rosberg (Photo: Mercedes-AMG-F1.com)

"I feel sorry for Lewis," Schumacher is quoted saying by GMM, talking about how the Briton lost his spot on the first row alongside Rosberg because of a gear box change.

"But it's good good for us," he added.

For Rosberg, it's a first career pole in 111 grands prix. By earning first spot on the grid, the German gave the Silver Arrows their first pole since 1955 - back when Juan Manuel Fangio was driving for Mercedes.

Ross Brawn (left) and his boss Norbert Haug congratulating each other (Photo: Mercedes-AMG-F1.com)

"We want to congratulate Nico Rosberg and Mercedes," Paul Hembrey Pirelli's motorsport boss said in a press release. "They used their tires perfectly today."

The second biggest story of the qualifying session was Sebastian Vettel's (Red Bull) poor performance. The two-time world champion German only starts 11th, after failing to make it into Q3.

Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) also caused his own commotion. He clocked the fourth best lap, which means he will start a career-high third tomorrow, thanks to Hamilton's grid penalty.

All top 10 drivers posted their best time while on Pirelli's yellow soft rubber, but only the two Mercedes drivers, Hamilton and Kimi Raïkkönen went out early in the session. The Finn's Lotus teammate, Romain Grosjean didn't venture out at all, he will start 10th.

Jenson Button (McLaren), Mark Webber (Red Bull), Sergio Perez (Sauber) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) are the drivers completing the top 10.

The big question ahead of the race is whether or not the Mercedes can build on their qualifying pace - which has been very impressive since the beginning of the season. Both in Australia and Malaysia they suffered from tire degradation and quickly spiralled down the order on Sunday.

The starting grid will once more feature all of the 24-car field since everybody, including the HRT drivers, made in within the 107% rule.



Starting grid - Chinese Grand Prix

Row 1

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1min35.121s - Q3
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1min35.691s - Q3


Row 2

Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1min35.784s - Q3

Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1min35.898s - Q3

Row 3

Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1min36.191s - Q3
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1min36.290s - Q3


Row 4
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1min35.626s - Q3 **

Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1min36.524s - Q3

Row 5
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 1min36.622s - Q3

Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - no time - Q3

Row 6
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1min36.031s - Q2
Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1min36.255s - Q2

Row 7
Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1min36.283s - Q2
Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1min36.289s - Q2


Row 8
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1min36.317s - Q2

Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1min36.745s - Q2


Row 9

Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1min36.956s - Q2
Jean-Eric Vergnes (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1min37.714s - Q1

Row 10
Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1min38.463s - Q1

Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1min38.677s - Q1

Row 11

Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1min39.282s - Q1
Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1min39.717s - Q1

Row 12
Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1min40.411s - Q1
Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1min41.000s - Q1

**Grid penalty for gearbox change

Source: ItaliaRacing.net

Driven: Hennessey Cadillac V700 Wagon

Please Hammer, don't hurt em.

If you've ever driven a Cadillac CTS-V, you know that the main problem is that it's not fast enough. The 98-pound weakling under the hood makes only 556 hp, barely enough to pull Bambi across the proverbial frozen pond. Fortunately, longtime speed merchant John Hennessey recognized the Caddy's noodle-armed feebleness and resolved to do something about it, creating the V700 package at his Texas skunk works. With a little old-fashioned hot-rodding, perhaps the CTS-V could be transformed into something that's not a plodding embarrassment to all America.

Photo Gallery: Hennessey Cadillac V700 Wagon - Driven - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Hennessey Cadillac V700 Wagon - Driven - Automobile Magazine

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The men who brought you hydropneumatic suspension, a charmingly doofy peasant's car and a

2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite - Saying Goodbye

Our Odyssey is gone.

With a grand total of 36,630 miles traveled, the Honda Odyssey goes down in the Automobile Magazine record books as one of the highest mileage Four Seasons cars we've ever had. This isn't necessarily surprising when you consider that from the moment it arrived at our office, the Odyssey was the go-to vehicle for family vacations and road trips.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite - April 2012 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite - April 2012 - Automobile Magazine

2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite - Saying Goodbye | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Also in this episode: The government pushes brake-override systems,

It's been a year since Jann Mardenborough entered the PlayStation GT Academy.

The global automotive industry faces a "severe" shortage of a resin used to make fuel and brake components that may interrupt production "in the next few weeks," according to a top supplier executive.

General Motors will press Latin American governments to respect existing trade agreements despite a protectionist trend round the region that the U.S. automaker fears could complicate manufacturers' investment plans, a senior executive said.

Ninety-three year-old Rachel Veitch retired her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente this week. She had racked up more than 576,000 miles on the odometer.

This clip has been around the Web a bit, so some autoweek.com readers have already seen it. In our judgment, it's worth watching again.

Dan Knott, the highly regarded head of purchasing who restored Chrysler Group's reputation with its suppliers, has taken a medical retirement effective immediately. Chrysler named Scott Kunselman as its new head of purchasing.

Mazda 6 Venture Edition announced with standard satellite-navigation

Bugatti unveiled the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse convertible at the

The Targa New Zealand is a road race held on closed public roads every October in New Zealand.

I love these kinds of phone calls: They start with the usual small talk from an industry acquaintance, after which the punch line is delivered.

Workers at BMW's UK Mini plant in Oxford have overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer from BMW and are threatening strike action, although the German automaker hotly contests union claims the deal has "more strings than a puppet show."