Auto News 5

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has just made the Ford Fusion Hybrid the winner of its first annual Canadian Green Car Award.

The announcement came during the Green Living Show in Toronto, which recognizes vehicles with the potential for strong environmental benefits and provides consumers with authoritative information about them.

“We are extremely proud that the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid has been honoured by our country's top automotive journalists as the recipient of the inaugural Canadian Green Car Award,” said Steve Ross, Ford of Canada's product marketing manager, sustainability and electrification.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

In addition to fuel economy and emissions, criteria for the award included environmental features within each vehicle, like the use of recycled or naturally sourced materials, as well as steps each manufacturer has taken to green its operations. Factors such as build quality, driving experience, overall content, availability, general consumer appeal, and pricing were also considered.

Other nominees were:

• Ford C-MAX Energi (finalist)
• Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (finalist)
• Mazda3 (finalist)
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel (finalist)
• Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel
• Chevrolet Volt
• Ford Edge EcoBoost
• Ford Focus Electric
• Mazda CX-5
• Mazda6
• Mercedes-Benz B 250 Turbo
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV
• Nissan LEAF
• Smart Fortwo Electric Drive

Source: AJAC

Robin Frijns will make his GP2 debut with Hilmer Motorsport at Bahrain this weekend in a one off deal.

The Dutchman, who is the Sauber Formula 1 team's reserve driver and reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, missed out on a GP2 seat in the season opener due to budget problems, despite having tested for the Trident and Russian Time outfits in pre-season testing.

With the deal being in place for just one race, Frijns is aware of the work ahead in order to keep the seat with the newly formed team.

“If I want to do the rest of the season we have to work and we know it,” Frijns told AUTOSPORT. "It always depends on the money.”

Despite the nature of the deal, the Maastrichter is also happy to be racing again.

“I'm happy that I get to race again, to be driving in Bahrain is good news for me.

Whilst Frijns has never raced in GP2 before, he is looking forward to the challenge given Hilmer scored points on their debut in Malaysia.

“If you are realistic, everything is new to me in GP2, and it's a new team, so if I can fight for points I will be quite happy.

"I need more time in the car of course, and you only get 30 minutes practice before you are straight into qualifying.

"That is quite harsh but it's the same for everyone. I don't have experience of that, but I just need to learn a lot in the time I have and hopefully we will be OK."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has publically urged Sergio Perez to improve following the Chinese Grand Prix.

Since moving from Sauber to McLaren, the young Mexican has scored just two points and has struggled in comparison to teammate Jenson Button. Another difficult weekend in China saw Perez crash in free practice, and finish out of the points in 11th after being heavily criticized to the point of weaving by Kimi Raikkonen, who damaged his Lotus against the McLaren whilst trying to overtake.

“Sergio is not satisfied with his performance this weekend,” remarked Whitmarsh.

"He is a young driver and he had a difficult weekend, but he is not satisfied with himself and nor should he be,” conceded the McLaren team principal to AUTOSPORT.

"There is some pressure there and this will not go down as his best weekend of the year,” he continued.

Sergio Perez, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: McLaren)

However, Whitmarsh did not lay the blame for Perez's underperforming solely at his driver's feet and believes the team should shoulder some of the blame.

"We haven't given him a great car so far, and he is up against someone like Jenson who has done a fantastic job with the car we have given him,” he admitted.

"We, as a team, have to step up and support a young driver who has an enormous amount of talent.

Whilst publically urging his driver to up his game, Whitmarsh praised Perez's on-track behavior, which was slammed by Kimi Raikkonen after the race.

The Finn damaged the nose of his Lotus against the McLaren as the Mexican moved onto the racing line as Raikkonen tried to make a pass. Despite the 2007 world champion's comments, Whitmarsh has urged Perez to be equally as aggressive in the future.

“He needs to toughen up," said Whitmarsh. "He has been generous in allowing people past him and I think he was a bit more robust in China.”

Price Range: $96,200 and up

Description: Few cars on the road today are as instantly identifiable and spellbinding as the Porsche 911. One of the most storied performance cars in history, Germany's premier sports car export hits the 2013 model year with a slew of recent improvements and updates, alongside more technology and performance than ever before.

Pricing starts at $96,200 for an entry 911 Carrera, while a factory-tweaked 911 Carrera S opens the bidding at $112,800. Four-wheel drive variants of these open the bidding at $103,900 and $120,500, respectively. Entering the Turbo range will set shoppers back $156,900 for a 911 Turbo, and $183,400 for a Turbo S.

Lofty pricing to be sure, though it provides access to one of the most easy-to-use and fuel-efficient performance cars ever built.


Drivetrain: The 911 lineup is motivated by a slew of different flat-six engines bolted behind the rear axle. The standard model gets a 3.4L mill that's good for a high-revving 350 horsepower. 7-speed transmissions are available in manual or PDK dual-clutch.

The dialed-up Carrera S gets a 3.8L flat-six variant, with output rising to 400 horsepower. Four-wheel drive can be added to Carrera and Carrera S models at the shopper's request. In this case, the name badge earns a “4.”

The extreme-performance Turbo models get a 500-horsepower, twin-turbo version of the 3.8L powerplant as a minimum, though the Turbo S sees output bumped slightly to 530 horses.


Consider it if: selection, pedigree, recognition and exclusivity are priorities in your next performance car. With numerous option packages, wheel options, accessories, and a comprehensive personalization program, it's easy to create a 911 that's truly one-of-a-kind.

Skip it if: you're after the most horsepower for your dollar, or you're not in the “good books” of your local police force.

Other Notes: Unique exterior design touches include LED running lamps, speed-deployable spoilers, and a large sunroof panel. Luxury equipment includes a potent surround audio system by Burmester, automatic climate control, heated and chilled leather seats, a communications management system, and more. Various seat and steering-wheel options are available for customization, too.

Don't Miss: the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system. Available at an additional cost for shoppers serious about motorsports, the system uses an innovative ceramic composite brake rotor and high-performance calipers for unbeatable durability, fade resistance and looks. The PCCB rotors won't rust, either.

The world's first 7-speed manual transmission in a road car is also fitted as standard equipment on most models.

Engineers also created a dynamic engine-mount system which adapts the stiffness and damping properties of the engine mounts in real time in response to changing conditions. The mounts stiffen during aggressive driving for more precise responses to throttle inputs and their effect on vehicle dynamics. Casual driving sees the mounts soften for higher levels of comfort.

Photo: Porsche

Jenson Button believes McLaren is ‘not quick enough' yet to fight at the front of the grid.

The Briton finished yesterday's Chinese Grand Prix in fifth, giving himself and McLaren their strongest finish after a troubled start to the season. Despite this, the 2009 world champion believes the upgrades that the team bought to Shanghai had not quite worked and it was a ‘clever' two-stop strategy rather than outright pace that netted him a valuable 10 points.

"I'm very happy to have finished fifth today - and the team should be too,” said Button after the race.

“It [the race] was always going to be tricky: we weren't quick enough to adopt the same strategy as the others, so we had to run longer than the rest and make two pitstops, rather than three.

For us, a two-stopper was the fastest way to the end of the race. It meant I had to let others past me and protect the tyres.”

Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: WRi2)

Button also likened the strategy of not racing faster cars to the LMP1 and LMP2 categories in sportscar racing.

"It's really tough because in a way it's a little bit like Le Mans when you're in an LMP2 car and the LMP1 cars are coming up behind you," said Button. "The cars were so much quicker than me and there was no point racing because it would have destroyed our strategy. One lock-up, one trip over the marbles and the tires would have been gone so our strategy wouldn't have worked and it was a very tight strategy.”

“We had to be careful, we had to be clever and intelligent and I think as a team we did that today,” he continued.

Despite the pace deficit to its rivals, Button believes McLaren should be happy with their performance in Shanghai as the team have identified further issues on their difficult MP4/28 car and he went on to praise the team's decision to adopt the alternative two-stop strategy.

Photo: McLaren

"[So] it was a tricky race but we should be very happy with what we did. To come away P5 with ten points; we wouldn't have done that if we had done the same strategy as everyone else.

We're not quick enough, so we take away positives but also we know that we're not quick enough and we need to improve,” he concluded.

Button and McLaren lie eighth and fifth in their respective drivers and constructor's championships.

I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. Call me prudish, but I've just never felt the need. I don't judge those who do, hell, my husband smoked for over a decade before he made the decision to quit.

Where smoking was something the cool, suave, popular kids did from the ‘20s to the ‘50s, since the ‘60s (at least) it has taken on a dirty double entendre. Only rebels, outcasts and runaways smoke cigarettes. In many areas, restaurants and bars/clubs no longer allow smoking on their premises, airplanes are smoke-free, buses are smoke-free: everywhere is smoke-free. So, why do some cars still have ashtrays?

It dawned on me while in my latest tester, a 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid3, when I was fiddling with various buttons, openings and knobs: I came across the elusive ashtray. There are some car models that even line their “ashtray” with velvet, clearly marked “Not an ashtray,” making it impossible to use it for anything other than loose change.

It would seem the Germans are the worst offenders for ashtrays in their vehicles. The Europeans love their cigs. While the Americans and Japanese make it a point to move as far away from the dirty habit as possible. In a way, they are dictating how their owners behave, what habits they have. They are making it more difficult for their drivers (and passengers) to indulge in a bad habit by not providing an ashtray and lighter.

Why? Well it seems that automakers, since the mid-‘90s at least, have been slowly phasing out the ashtray/lighter combo to appease consumer demand. And as smoking has taken on even more of a stigma in the 21st century, manufacturers are clearly following the trend.

As I've never been a smoker myself, I can't imagine ever wanting to use the car's ashtray. What's so hard about opening a window and discarding the dirty, gross ashes outside? I mean, technically, your window should be open anyways, so why not ash outside? Maybe I'm just an ignorant non-smoker...

So, what's next? Will automakers suddenly take a fancy to “curing” obesity and ensure their cup holders are only big enough to hold small beverage sizes? No Ventis or Super Gulps allowed, sorry. If they do, it won't happen suddenly. It will be a slow gradual fade out of the larger cup holder size. One day you'll notice your large caramel macchiato doesn't fit, so you order a medium . Then a few years later, in your next new vehicle you'll notice your medium doesn't fit either...

If automakers are hell bent on “protecting” their customers -- and by association, their customer's health -- while they drive, might I suggest a few things? An SMS-block that's activated as soon as your car is turned on; a breathalyzer installed in every car owned by a driver who's been arrested for DUI; air purification systems in every HVAC system (not just those on high-end vehicles); and rear-view mirrors that cannot be turned far enough to the left to be used to apply makeup while behind the wheel.

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has confessed he felt so ill ahead of the Rally of Portugal, he was unsure he would be able to make the start.

Illness aside, Ogier put in an outstanding performance to win the rally by almost a minute and claim his third consecutive victory from Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen. In addition to not being up to full strength, the points' leader also had to contend with a slipping clutch on his Polo R WRC on the final day, which he believed would end his rally.

““Unbelievable,” said the Frenchman after the event. “What a rollercoaster [ride] here in Portugal! I am overjoyed [with the win].

“First the illness, then the brutal stages, which really push a rally car to the very limit.”

“When we had the problem with the power transmission on this morning's opening stage, I thought: 'That's it Seb. The rally is over,' he confessed. “Fortunately we made it to the service and the guys did a fantastic job there. I think we really deserved the win.”

“The rally was extremely demanding and difficult, for the car, the entire team, and particularly for me,” he continued. “When I arrived in Portugal on Monday evening, I was not certain whether I would be able to start.”

Despite having an advantage of 54 points over second placed Mikko Hirvonen in the driver's standings, Ogier commented that whilst he would not need to win any more rallies this year to secure his first world championship, he would not be giving up on taking wins from the remaining rallies given the competition he faced from rivals in the opening stages of the Portuguese event.

“Looking at the Championship, maybe it looks easy for me,” he said.

“[But] Mads [Ostberg] and Dani [Sordo] were very, very fast [here] before their mistakes. It will be a big fight to keep this kind of result all the year, but now we have a good advantage.”

“Now we don't need to win the rallies, but this is not my plan: I am a competitor and I like the taste of victory.”

IG Metall said supplier Schaeffler plans to cut up to half of its 1,500 jobs at a facility in western Germany.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: In my opinion this has got to be one of the most comfortable sedans you can get. For example, I love the seats. Now, are they grippy and firm and racy? No.

Continental posted a sharper-than-expected drop in first-quarter sales as the slump in core European auto markets was exacerbated by bad weather and fewer working days.

Supplier Continental AG posted a sharper-than-expected drop in first-quarter sales as the slump in core European auto markets was exacerbated by bad weather and fewer working days, Euro am Sonntag reported, citing finance chief Wolfgang...

Audi has won the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a stylish 1-2 finish at the Six Hours of Silverstone

The #2 R18 e-tron Quattro shared by Allan McNish, Loic Duval and Tom Kristensen took the lead of the WEC season opener from the #1 Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer car with five minutes remaining in an event characterised by mixed conditions.

The No. 2 Audi at the Six Hours of Silverstone (Photo: Audi)

Despite opening the season in style, the event was not entirely drama free for the reigning champions, with the #1 car suffering from an energy-retrieval system problem during Lotterer's stint and the sister car spinning in the hands of McNish, whilst the Scot tried to avoid a wayward Aston Martin in the race's closing stages.

The Toyotas of Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin and Wurz/LaPierre, despite starting in first and second positions on the grid, finished in third and fourth and a lap down after completing a total of 196 laps.

The Japanese manufacturer was expected to continue where last season ended, with the quickest and most tyre efficient car. However, it seems the decision to start with a 2012 car may have been short sighted, as the two TS030 HYBRID cars could not keep pace with the 2013 Audi, as some ten minutes into the race, the McNish/Duval/Kristensen car had easily taken the lead of the race after they suffered with tyre issues.

The LMP1 category was rounded out with the two Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota B12/60s finishing in fifth and sixth, the Heidfeld/Prost/Jani car heading the sister Belicci/Becchi/Cheng machine home.

Antonio Pizzonia, Tor Graves and James Walker claimed victory in LMP2 for Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan ahead of the OAK Morgan Nissan of Olivier Pla, Alex Brundle and David Heinemeier Hansson.

Aston Martin claimed victory in the GT Pro class, with the #97 Vantage GTE of Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner and endurance returnee Bruno Senna winning ahead of the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Toni Vilander and series debutante, ex Sauber F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi.

The second Aston Martin of Paul Dalla Lana, Frederic Makowiecki and Pedro Lamy completed the final step of the podium in third.

It was also a good day for the British marque in the GT Am division, with Cristoffer Nygaard, Kristen Poulsen and Allan Simonsen claiming victory ahead of the Larbre Corvette of Patrick Bornhauser, Julien Canal and Fernando Rees on the company's 100th year of competition.

Fernando Alonso claimed his and Ferrari's first win of the 2013 season ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in a strategy dictated Chinese Grand Prix.

The three former world champions started the race on soft compound tyres which despite their short shelf life, proved a vindicated decision as Sebastian Vettel could only manage fourth, albeit 0.2 second from the back of Hamilton's Mercedes come the race finish.

Lewis Hamilton leads, but not for long (Photo: WRi2)

The race's start was characterized by the difference between the hard and soft compound tyres; the assumption being that those starting on softs would have a pace advantage of around four to six laps, but then would have to drop back in traffic, whilst those starting on mediums would benefit earlier but hit tyre troubles later.

The race began with fast starts made by the Ferraris of Massa and Alonso, which by the first corner, had swamped Raikkonen's slow starting Lotus and were up into second and third. By lap five, the two red cars had overtaken Hamilton's Mercedes on the pit straight.

Alonso's pit stop was perfectly timed (Photo: WRi2)

The difference in strategies became visible when Alonso pitted early and switched to medium tyres to slice through traffic and eventually catch first place Vettel - who had left his pit stop five later than the Ferrari - in the middle stage of the race.

The current world champion saved his soft tyres until the final five laps of the race, which allowed him at one stage to close on Hamilton at three seconds a lap, putting him into contention for the second spot on the podium given the Lotus and the Mercedes were on older medium tyres.

Nico Hulkenberg led prior to his first pit stop (Photo: WRi2)

Jenson Button finished fifth after a strong two-stop race, one place ahead of Felipe Massa, who will no doubt be disappointed with sixth place given his teammate's win and promising pace shown earlier in the weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo confirmed Toro Rosso's progress by finishing seventh ahead of Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean who had yet another quiet but solid weekend. Nico Hulkenberg finished in a 10th behind the wheel of the Sauber after having run the same strategy as Vettel and even leading the race ahead of the Red Bull at one stage.

Mark Webber's troubled weekend continued after he registered his first DNF of the season following a torrid qualifying. The Australian failed to finish following a tangle with Jean-Eric Vergne's Toro Rosso which forced him into making an extra pit stop after he had pitted at the end of the first lap to switch to mediums.

The right rear wheel of the shortly Red Bull fell off which forced the Australian to retire.

The other high profile retirements of the race were Nico Rosberg with suspension problems and Esteban Gutierrez after ramming his Sauber into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India.

The race was also not without controversy with many drivers facing possible post-race sanctions due to overtaking under yellow flags; according to Autosport, the misunderstanding was caused by a paddock-wide telemetry issue.

Kimi Raikkonen left some paint on the side of Perez's McLaren trying to pass the Mexican (Photo: WRi2)

Sergio Perez was also the subject of discussion with the young Mexican being accused of weaving whilst rivals attempted to overtake the McLaren. His race was earmarked by contact with Kimi Raikkonen which saw the Lotus lose a section of its nosecone.



Race results* - Chinese Grand Prix
1 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 56 laps 1.36'26"945
2 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 10"168
3 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W04) - 12"322
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 12"525
5 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 35"285
6 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 40"827
7 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 42"691
8 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 51"084
9 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 53"423
10 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 56"598
11 - Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'03"860
12 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'12"604
13 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'33"861
14 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'35"453
15 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1 lap
16 - Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1 lap
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1 lap
18 - Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1 lap

Fastest lap of the race: 1'36"808 (Sebastian Vettel)

Retirements
Lap 4 - Esteban Gutierrez
Lap 5 - Adrian Sutil
Lap 15 - Mark Webber
Lap 21 - Nico Rosberg

Drivers' championship
1.Vettel 52; 2.Raikkonen 49; 3.Alonso 43; 4.Hamilton 40; 5.Massa 30; 6.Webber 26; 7.Button, Rosberg 12; 9.Grosjean 11; 10.Di Resta 8; 11.Ricciardo, Sutil 6; 13.Hulkenberg 5; 14.Perez 2; 15.Vergne 1.

Constructors' championship
1.Red Bull-Renault 78; 2.Ferrari 73; 3.Lotus-Renault 60; 4.Mercedes 52; 5.Force India-Mercedes, McLaren-Mercedes 14; 7.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7; 8.Sauber-Ferrari 5

*Unofficial

Top three finishers (Photo: WRi2)

Adapted from GMM

Toto Wolff has played down suggestions Ross Brawn is definitely set to leave Mercedes.

Earlier, Wolff - the Brackley based team's new director and shareholder - hinted Brawn's future is clouded, having been informed of Mercedes' interest in securing the services of McLaren's Paddy Lowe.

"Ross responded totally professionally and said 'For three years I have not brought the results that were expected. Therefore it is clear that you would look around for a successor'," Wolff told Die Welt newspaper.

The wind has changed for Mercedes in 2013 (Photo: WRi2)

But that was before Lewis Hamilton secured pole in Shanghai and then subsequently finished third in the race, raising the question that if Mercedes is capable of getting the job done, why would the man at the helm be sacked?

Wolff is quoted by Speed Week: "As Ross always says -- performance is everything.

"It is how success is measured.

"Even if the media has run up and down the paddock saying Paddy Lowe is coming, it is true we wanted to think about the management in a rational way.

"Currently, it's running fine," said Wolff.

"What happens with Lowe does not mean that Ross will be leaving us," he added.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has hinted moving to Red Bull could be an option for 2014.

Rumours are swirling in the Shanghai paddock that the Finn, who is Sebastian Vettel's closest friend in F1, has been earmarked as the successor to Mark Webber.

"There is so much talk that I've agreed a contract for next season," Raikkonen exclaimed to Germany's Bild am Sonntag.

"First I'm trying my best at Lotus, then I'll think about my future.

"It is of course flattering, what Red Bull have said, but why is there all this talk if there is nothing (signed) on paper?" the 2007 world champion added.

The answer, of course, is that given Red Bull's obvious interest, Raikkonen's move would make sense.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

He would work harmoniously with Vettel, and it would also be a good next move for the 33-year-old, who won 19 grands prix for McLaren and Ferrari before taking a two-year sabbatical in world rallying after the 2009 season.

"About the future, I am clear," Raikkonen said.  "I want to work with a good team and sit in a good car.

"Red Bull is a good team, they have been world champions and won everything in the past years.

"Basically, there are not many top teams to think about.  With Lotus, we are not yet where Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are."

Speaking against the move, however, are equally-heard rumours in the paddock that Raikkonen is no longer serious about his trade: that he only returned to F1 for the money.

"Do you really think I would be here if it was just about money?" Raikkonen hit back.  "I do enough fun things in my spare time than to have to listen to this bullshit.

"And I'm not exactly broke," he added.

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen has blamed McLaren's Sergio Perez for forcing him off the track during the Chinese Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver had been robust in his race-craft to the point of weaving in the race's earlier stages, but until the incident with Raikkonen, the young Mexican had not made any actual contact with any of his rivals.

As Raikkonen finished the first of his three pit-stops, the Lotus came up against the two stopping McLaren in turn five and attempted to make a pass in the following corner.

However, Perez defended the position and sent the Lotus onto the grass, damaging its nosecone.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

"I got a better run out of corner three and thought he would leave me enough space but he pushed me off the circuit," said Raikkonen after the race.

"I tried to avoid him but then was on the grass and kerb. [It] the kerb saved me as I had grip. I couldn't slow down and hit him in the rear," he continued. "I don't know if he could see me or how it happened. [But] there was no way for me to avoid it.”

Raikkonen also admitted after that whilst he suffered increased understeer due to incident, he expected the damage to be heavier considering how hard he hit the McLaren.

"I was surprised there was not much damage as I hit him quite hard," conceded the 2007 world champion.

"I was also a bit surprised that we didn't have more problems, just a bit too much understeer and destroying the front tyres because of that."

From GMM

F1's tire situation will change after this weekend's Bahrain grand prix.

Pirelli's heavily degrading 2013 product is dominating the sport at present, to the point that - according to Mark Webber - it is "a bit WWF".

That is a reference to the American 'fake' professional wrestling federation, with that sport taking a back seat to choreography and elaborate plots.

"At the moment it (F1) is not much to do with racing," reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel was quoted on Sunday by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Like Red Bull, Mercedes has also been pushing Pirelli hard for a change of tack.

"Pirelli has a plan," team chairman and shareholder Niki Lauda said on German RTL television in China.

It is believed new harder compounds that last longer will be brought to May's Spanish grand prix, the first European race of the season.

"I can break the good news that the situation will change from Barcelona.  Then it will get better," said Lauda.

He said the decision has been made for the good of the sport.

"It's just that there is so much confusion," said the triple world champion.  "The tires need to last longer."

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone reportedly told British Sky television on Sunday that - also from Barcelona - Pirelli will supply more tires to teams for Fridays, to ensure more action than has been seen in practice so far in 2013.

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has claimed his third consecutive WRC victory by almost a minute on the Rally of Portugal ahead of Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen and teammate Jari-Matti Latvala.

The Frenchman entered the third and final day of the event with a 34.4 second advantage over Latvala, but a slipping clutch on his car and a driveshaft issue on the Finn's Polo R WRC which led to a loss of four wheel drive, almost halted VW's charge on SS12.

Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen looked set to benefit from the problems suffered by the VWs, with the Finn taking 30 seconds out of Ogier on the Silves stage and moving ahead of Latvala by almost four minutes.

However, some roadside fixes by Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia saw the championship leaders extend their advantage to 49.9s at the mid-point service, by finishing second on the mammoth 52.3 kilometre SS13. Despite Ogier being unwell and driving with his “fingers crossed”, he also set the fastest time on the day's final stage. By the end of the event, the Frenchman's lead was 58 seconds.

M-Sport's Mads Ostberg, who made a storming recovery to eighth after re-entering the event, completed a hat-trick of victories on the morning's stages, SS12-14, with the Norwegian underlying what might have been had he not had his rally ending accident on Friday.

The sister M-Sport run car of Evgeny Novikov finished fourth, ahead of teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah and VW rookie Andreas Mikkelsen. Czech privateer Martin Prokop finished seventh, ahead of Ostberg, the works Citroen DS3 WRC of Khalid Al-Qassimi and WRC 2's Esapekka Lappi who rounded out the points scoring positions.

Ogier's latest victory means he has a 58-point advantage over Hirvonen in the championship standings.

Sébastien Ogier, Portugal (Photo: VW Motorsport)

Results - Rally of Portugal
1. Ogier-Ingrassia (VW Polo Wrc) in 4.07'38”7
2. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) - 58”2
3. Latvala-Anttila (VW Polo Wrc) - 4'04”5
4. Novikov-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 5'27”7
5. Al Attiyah-Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 7'43”5
6. Mikkelsen-Markkula (VW Polo Wrc) - 9'39”8
7. Prokop-Ernst (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 15'04”2
8. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) - 15'04”2
9. Al Qassimi-Martin (Citroen DS3 Wrc) - 15'56”9
10. Lappi-Ferm (Skoda Fabia S2000) - 16'21"0

Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez has taken full responsibility for the accident which saw him and Adrian Sutil retire from the Chinese Grand Prix.

The young Mexican ploughed into the back of Sutil's Force India on lap five after outbraking himself and not anticipating the lack of downforce that followed. Whilst the Force India retired in the pits a handful of corners later due to an excessively damaged rear wing, the Sauber retired on the spot.

"It was definitely my fault, and I apologize to Adrian and to his team," said Gutierrez after the race.

"I had Checo [Perez] fighting behind me, and I approached the corner too fast," he continued.

"I was braking at the same place where I usually brake, however, I didn't anticipate the loss of downforce and the amount of speed I had."

The incident will see Gutierrez take a five-place grid penalty in next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

You'd think that after seven weekend NASCAR sweeps Kyle Busch wouldn't be very excited and you'd be wrong.

After leading much of the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Busch - who won the Nationwide race on Friday - fell behind a determined Martin Truex Jr. then came a final caution, for debris, on lap 315.

As pole sitter, Busch's team had picked the first pit stall and also performed a blazing fast pit stop. The result? He came out of the pits three car lengths ahead of Truex Jr.'s Toyota. Busch beat Truex on the final restart and held him off for the final 20 laps. It was his second win of the year and 26th in Sprint Cup.

That seventh sweep is a NASCAR record.

Kyle Busch put on a real show in Texas (Photo: Kyle Busch@Facebook)

“It's just an amazing feeling,” Busch said adding “I'm jacked up. We're in Victory Lane, in Texas, finally in the Cup Series. Man, if it wasn't for my pit crew.”

As Truex, who was in a 209 race winless slump said “the race was over when we came out of the pits.” Later he added “second is a great accomplishment, but it's not what we're here for.”

Carl Edwards finished third in a Ford said “the tail pipe, something broke or cracked in the tail pipes and I thought the engine was blowing up, the whole race, that got worse.  On one of the restarts I tightened my belts and I unhooked my whole seat belt system coming to green.”

“Unfortunately, we came home third, but that's a gift for us.  I know Martin's not happy with second, but I'm real happy with third.” Greg Biffle finished fourth.

Kurt Busch who started second finished 37th and well off the pace.