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Two-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team topped the two free practice sessions of the Grand Prix of Singapore held Friday on the Marina Bay street circuit.

Vettel, driving a Renault-powered Red Bull RB7, set the fastest time in 1m50.566 on the bumpy circuit.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull (Photo: WRI2)

Heavy early morning rain set the tone for the start of the session, which was still significantly damp when free practice began. Then, the track dried up and the teams fitted slick Pirelli tires.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren ranked second ahead of his teammate Jenson Button, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Williams' Pastor Maldonado.

Vettel's teammate, Australian Mark Webber was down in sixth place.

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (Photo: WRI2)

The modified Mercedes AMG W03 failed to impress with Michael Schumacher 14th and Nico Rosberg in 18th place. The overheating brakes caused some issues to the engineers.

Vettel resumed his domination in the second session, topping the charts with a time of 1m48.340. The Red Bull Team tested a solution to improve the running of their alternators, and it seems that it gave positive results.

Jenson Button planed this McLaren MP4-27 in second place, three tenths down to Vettel.

Mark Webber, Red Bull (Photo: WRI2)

Fernando Alonso was third in front of Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India), Nico Rosberg, Romain Grosjean (back in the Lotus after a one-race ban) and Michael Schumacher.

Bruno Senna lightly brushed his Williams against the outside wall at Turn 19. The incident may have been small, but the stranded car proved difficult to remove and necessitated a short red-flag period.

As usual for a Friday, there was also a comparison between the two tire compounds brought here by Pirelli (Soft and Super Soft) and long runs for all drivers. By the end of today's practice, the Scuderia Ferrari said a clear difference had emerged between the two Pirelli compounds in terms of lap time.

Sergio Perez, Sauber (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

Grand Prix of Singapore, free practice 1*, Friday:
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'50"566 - 24 laps
2 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'50"615 - 15
3 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'51"459 - 17
4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 1'51"525 - 20
5 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'51"576 - 20
6 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'51"655 - 19
7 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'51"658 - 24
8 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'51"943 - 21
9 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'52"275 - 24
10 - Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'52"296 - 19
11 - Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'52"629 - 25
12 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'52"716 - 16
13 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'52"839 - 23
14 - Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'52"986 - 21
15 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'53"028 - 20
16 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1'53"080 - 17
17 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'53"189 - 25
18 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'53"227 - 25
19 - Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'54"908 - 20
20 - Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'55"091 - 16
21 - Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'55"335 - 22
22 - Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'55"760 - 22
23 - Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'56"656 - 21
24 - Ma Qing Hua (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'58"053 - 20

Grand Prix of Singapore, free practice 2*, Friday:
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'48"340 - 27 laps
2 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'48"651 - 24
3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F2012) - 1'48"896 - 26
4 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB8-Renault) - 1'48"964 - 26
5 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/27-Mercedes) - 1'49"086 - 28
6 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'49"300 - 30ù
7 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM05-Mercedes) - 1'49"339 - 31
8 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'49"790 - 32
9 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F2012) - 1'50"039 - 28
10 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'50"161 - 23
11 - Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W03) - 1'50"263 - 23
12 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E20-Renault) - 1'50"345 - 24
13 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'50"636 - 32
14 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'50"791 - 26
15 - Sergio Perez (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'51"122 - 28
16 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C31-Ferrari) - 1'51"450 - 21
17 - Bruno Senna (Williams FW34-Renault) - 1'51"452 - 11
18 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR7-Ferrari) - 1'52"008 - 31
19 - Timo Glock (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'52"218 - 29
20 - Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'52"576 - 27
21 - Charles Pic (Marussia MR01-Cosworth) - 1'52"863 - 27
22 - Vitaly Petrov (Caterham CT01-Renault) - 1'52"936 - 25
23 - Pedro De La Rosa (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'54"448 - 25
24 - Narain Karthikeyan (HRT F112-Cosworth) - 1'54"514 - 30

*Unofficial timing

Testosterone is the hormone that makes men men. It gives us deep voices, muscles and the ability to generate offensive odors, talk sports and repair things.

Mostly, this magical stuff is created within a special part of the male body -- but a few vehicles I've driven lately spew it freely from their tailpipes.

Looking for a ride to celebrate your inner alpha male? Here's a look at a few of the manliest, most testosterone-injected vehicles I've come across in the past year.

Warning: Close proximity to any of the following rides may cause you to grow excessive chest hair and crave barbequed meat. Use them at your own risk

BMW 1 Series M Coupé: Manly cars don't need a V8. Six cylinders and two turbochargers suffice here -- the 1M's bulging, muscle-bound body and exhaust note do the rest. You get well over 300 horsepower, widened fenders, big tires, lowered suspension and no B.S.

The 1M only comes with a manual gearbox, furthering its manliness. It's the look and driving experience that get the testosterone flowing here.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Toyota FJ Cruiser: What's more appealing to the male brain than a Tonka truck you can drive every day? Toyota's FJ Cruiser will climb, descend or slog through almost any off-road nastiness thrown its way with one of the most distinctive looks on the road. Best of all, Bilstein shocks and a truck-frame platform deliver one of the manliest rides on this side of a military-spec Humvee.

Photo: Justin Pritchard

Dodge Challenger SRT8: Cars don't get much manlier. This one's got 392 cubes, 470 ponies, drives the rear wheels, and lets drivers bang gears via a 6-speed, pistol-grip shifter. The sound and sensation of quickly browsing the Challenger SRT8's forward gears with your foot down is one of unparalleled masculinity.

The Challenger SRT8 recalls fast Dodges of the '60s with loud noises, obnoxious styling and plenty of tire smoke -- and this manly ride makes no apologies for doing it.

Photo: Justin Pritchard

Ford F-250 Super Duty: It's the strong, silent type, but Ford's Power Stroke-powered F-250 has enough torque to shift a tectonic plate. With 800 lb-ft of the stuff, it's capable of handling the manliest of feats and it's got room for your buddies and their stuff on a road trip. Super Duty feels tough as heck on any road or trail, too. Big, imposing and powerful, this is one of the beefiest trucks on the road.

Photo: Justin Pritchard

Jaguar XKR: This one's manly in the most refined, gentlemanly sort of way. Sure, the XKR looks a bit high-class, hoity-toity and refined, but get to smashing on its throttle and the 5.0L supercharged V8 emits one of the best sounds to ever come out of a set of tailpipes.

Photo: Justin Pritchard

Shelby GT500: Pure supercharged testosterone gushes from the four fist-sized tailpipes bolted to the back of Shelby's latest Mustang. It's powerful as heck, rear-wheel drive, horrifying at full throttle, and makes a noise like a Hollywood gun-fight when you downshift. This all-conquering ‘Stang can embarrass many a supercar while leaving enough cash in your pocket for a new Harley, outdoor barbeque pit, and projector TV-equipped man-cave.

Photo: Justin Pritchard

A provisional calendar of the 2013 Formula 1 season was shown to the teams in the paddock of the Grand Prix of Singapore.

British motorsport publication Autosport has learned this first draft has now been put forward for a 20-race campaign next year.

At this moment, there is no French Grand Prix while Spa is scheduled for September 1st.

The June 16 New Jersey, U.S event would replace the Europe GP in the streets of Valencia. The British Grand Prix has been moved forwward one week. The Grand Prix of Canada remains on the same weekend as this year, and will be held June 9.

The German Grand Prix will be staged at the Nurburgring in 2013.

The calendar will be submitted for approval at the new meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council that takes place on September 28.

2013 Formula 1 schedule (provisional)

March 17 Australia (Melbourne)
March 24 Malaysia (Sepang)
April 14 China (Shanghai)
April 21 Bahrain (Sakhir)
May 12 Spain (Barcelona)
May 26 Monaco (Monte Carlo)
June 9 Canada (Montreal)
June 16 America (New Jersey) *
June 30 Britain (Silverstone)
July 21 Germany (Nurburgring)*
July 28 Hungary (Hungaroring)
September 1 Belgium (Spa)
September 8 Italy (Monza)
September 22 Singapore (Marina Bay) *
October 6 Japan (Suzuka)
October 13 Korea (Yeongam) *
October 27 India (Buddh International Circuit)
November 3 Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)
November 17 United States (Austin)
November 24 Brazil (Interlagos)

* subject to confirmation

Something new
Launched this year, the 2012 Buick Verano takes on the best in the compact luxury segment. It certainly fits in with this category's upscale look and is easily identified as a signature Buick with its vertical grille, angular wrap-around headlights, and indented accent side lines along the bottom of the doors.

This model comes with an important feature that is oftened overlooked: superior sound damping, or as Buick calls it, Quiet Tuning. This blissful design element cocoons driver and passengers from exterior din and hubbub, as well as the road rumble and engine noise from the vehicle itself. The manufacturer has succeeded in spades: The 2012 Buick Verano is the quietest car I've ever driven.


Something old
The introduction of this new sedan completes a range which is sure to please parents of Baby Boomers, while also reaching a younger demographic.

Even though the interior styling of the 2012 Buick Verano is attractive, there are still, unfortunately, some tired vestiges of earlier models, namely wood inserts in the console and door panels. In an era when you're hard-pressed to find such panelling, even in grandma's basement, you have to ask: Is Buick really interested in attracting a younger clientele?

The passenger compartment in the 2012 Buick Verano is spacious. Seats are comfortable and supportive, like settling into a La-Z-Boy. Passengers get the same treatment with the rounded seat backs, allowing for a few extra centimetres of legroom. And for a little extra pampering, automatic heating of the front seats and steering wheel kicks in when the temperature drops below 7°C.

The dashboard in the 2012 Buick Verano is distinguished, but you might get lost in an eclectic mix of glitzy accoutrements of plastic and woodgrain. The no-fuss central console misses its chance at ergonomic perfection because I had to look twice to figure out the right button choice.

Technology integrates with the Buick's navigation system in whizz-bang fashion. Now you can synchronize your cell data and send it along to your maps, addresses, contacts, etc., and have it all stored directly in the console's memory bank, lurking down there somewhere... Certainly, the 2012 Buick Verano wants to hook up with the inner geek in all of us.

The dashboard is distinguished, but you might get lost in an eclectic mix of glitzy accoutrements of plastic and woodgrain.(Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

Something borrowed
With a Buick Regal's engine inside a Chevrolet Cruze's chassis, the Verano is designed to compete with the low-end models of the Acura and Lexus brands.

A 4-cylinder, 2.4L engine supplying 180 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque powers the 2012 Buick Verano. Weighing in at 1,500 kg this vehicle hardly makes for sporty driving, and you can forget about any nifty moves that require fast acceleration. It lacks power and that gentle nudge on the accelerator that would make it more lively on the road.

The 6-speed automatic transmission featured in the 2012 Buick Verano gives you decent gas mileage. I calculated an average of 8L/100km during my trial week. For a car of this size, I'm quite satisfied. I wouldn't say that I was heavy on the gas pedal or got over-excited revving the engine -- not at all. In fact, the gearbox-engine-power configuration means you can't help but be conservative.

A 4-cylinder, 2.4L engine supplying 180 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque powers the 2012 Buick Verano. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

And something...else
You can get your hands on a 2012 Buick Verano (fully loaded, and with real leather) for $27,620. Still too steep? Then go for the low-end version which retails for $22,595.

GM says the 2012 Buick Verano's competitors are the Acura ILX, starting at $27,790, the Lexus IS 250 at $32,900 and the Audi A3 at $34,100.

All joking aside (and in a better group) the more spacious Toyota Camry is available for $26,120, while the Volkswagen Passat Comfortline (which is also bigger), ranges from $28,000 to $31,500. Although not in the luxury compact segment, these two don't stoop to woodgrain dashboards either.

From GMM

Rubens Barrichello has tipped Fernando Alonso to hang onto his championship lead all the way to the 2012 finale.

Asked by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper to pick this year's title winner, the most experienced driver in F1 history answered: "I think Alonso."

After a record-setting career spanning 326 grands prix, 40-year-old Brazilian Barrichello switched to Indycars this year when he lost his Williams race seat.

Explaining his reason for choosing Alonso as the likely 2012 champion, he added: "Hamilton is the guy in F1 with the most natural speed, but Alonso is the most complete. That's why it's so difficult for Felipe (Massa), because he's always comparing to the strongest of all."

Photo: WRi2

Rubens Barrichello, however, said his countryman Massa could have a chance to keep his Ferrari seat in 2013, because he has been "very close to Alonso in recent races".

Meanwhile, Barrichello suggested that he was considered by Lotus to replace the banned Romain Grosjean at Monza recently.

"In the end they had the pressure to use their third driver," he said, referring to Belgian Jerome d'Ambrosio.

He still regrets Williams' decision to overlook him for a 2012 race seat.

"I'm not saying I would do better than the guys (Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna) who are there," said Barrichello. "Just that with a good car, it is natural to expect a more experienced driver to get more points."

Barrichello admits he misses F1.

"You do not date someone for 19 years and then forget about them the next day. It hurt my son Eduardo to watch the first race in Melbourne on TV," he said.

He hinted he will attend November's 2012 season finale in his native Sao Paulo.

"I have many friends in formula one and I want to see them," said Barrichello.

The Canadian Auto Workers reached a tentative labor agreement with General Motors that the union said will secure new investment, preserve jobs and delay the shutdown of a major assembly line.

U.S. federal policies to promote electric vehicles will cost $7.

A fired Toyota IT contractor has been accused of hacking into and sabotaging the company's internal computer software and system in a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors in Kentucky.

The 2013 Buick Encore crossover will cost $24,950, including a $750 destination charge. The top trim package, called Premium, will sticker at $28,940.

The Buick Encore will carry a base sticker price of $24,950, including shipping, when the small crossover arrives in showrooms early next year.

Also in this episode: A 1960 Corvette raced by Briggs Cunningham is locked in a complicated court battle, and the

1986 Cadillac Cimarron V-6

Substandard of the World

On March 31, 1987, Dr. Herbert Crippon Davis took delivery of a brand-new Cadillac. The salesmandocumented a predelivery inspection of utmost rigor, confirming proper tie-rod clamp positioning (check), brake-line routing (check), and headlight chime functionality (check). The salesman then handed over a set of gold-plated keys and Dr. Davis headed home with the Cadillac that he would keep until the end of the millennium. Unfortunately, that Cadillac was a Cimarron.

Photo Gallery: 1986 Cadillac Cimarron V-6 - Substandard of the World - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 1986 Cadillac Cimarron V-6 - Substandard of the World - Automobile Magazine

1986 Cadillac Cimarron V-6 | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Volkswagen AG's luxury Audi unit asked a Chinese dealer to remove a banner advocating the murder of Japanese people after a photograph of the sign went viral on the Internet amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

McLaren will unveil a unique version of the MP4-12C at the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix on Friday, Sept. 21.

Auto sales in September are expected to increase 11 percent from a year ago, keeping the industry on roughly the same pace as in August, J.D. Power and Associates said today.

What is it?

Jeffrey Wooley, a director of Asbury Automotive Group, died last week. He was 67.

Jaguar is partnering with Gilt.com to sell a special version of its 2013

Opel is offering buyers of its new cars in Germany the chance hand back their vehicle if they are not satisfied with their purchase. The carmaker hopes to offer will help repair its sickly brand image.