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Caterham's third driver, Ma Qing Hua became the first Chinese driver to take part in a race weekend session in front of his home crowd in the first free practice session of this weekend's Grand Prix.

Despite having taken part in four practice sessions for HRT last year, the Chinese completed a 20-lap run behind the wheel of race driver Charles Pic's car, which saw him make history by becoming the first Chinese to drive on his home circuit in a Formula 1 session.

“It was a very proud moment for me to be the first Chinese driver to take part in my home country,” said Hua after the session. “We did 20 laps and my times kept coming down as I was more and more comfortable with the car.”

Ma Qing Hua, Caterham CT03, in China. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

The Chinese admitted that the team's programme was for him to get used to the car as opposed to seeking an outright competitive time.

“I've learnt a lot this weekend already and that was the main thing in FP1 - make sure I completed the run plan and don't push too hard so I could learn as much as possible,” he continued.

“[Team principal] Cyril Abiteboul told me he was happy with my performance at the end of the session, so I'm really pleased how it went!”

Hua finished the session in 22nd and last position, some 1.5 seconds behind the teammate Giedo van der Garde.

From GMM

Just a week before F1 action will kick off in Bahrain, the situation in the island Kingdom is worsening.

AFP news agency said police on Friday fired tear gas and sound bombs on people demonstrating in the capital Manama against the formula one race going ahead.

"Your race is a crime," the protesters reportedly chanted.

1996 world champion turned television pundit Damon Hill earlier this week expressed concerns about returning to Bahrain amid reports the government was rounding up potential protesters in arbitrary house-to-house raids.

But Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost said on Friday: "I don't see any problems going to Bahrain.

"Formula one is entertainment. We should not be involved in politics.

"We should go there, we should do our race, we should be concentrated and the political side and political topics should be solved by someone else," he added.

From GMM

By refusing to deny them, Kimi Raikkonen has only fuelled rumours he is being lined up by Red Bull to replace Mark Webber in 2014.

In the wake of the 'Multi-21' affair and the relationship breakdown between Australian Webber and Sebastian Vettel, team powerbrokers Helmut Marko and Dietrich Mateschitz last week both named Finn Raikkonen as a candidate for the future.

"Formula one is full of rumours," the 33-year-old and 2007 world champion told Bild newspaper in Shanghai.

And Finland's Turun Sanomat quotes Raikkonen as saying: "In F1 there's always talk like this; about who's going where. It's quite normal, and anyway it's quite nice when you are mentioned, but I have no interest in starting to comment on rumours, which is something I've never done before."

Kimi Raikkonen did, however, step back from his earlier claims that even retirement is an option for the end of his Lotus contract later this year.

"I don't have a contract so I don't really have a plan," he said, "but of course I probably will be (in F1). But you never know. It is a funny place."

Photo: WRi2

Peugeot Sport has released three teaser photos of its new 208 T16 specially designed for an attack at the prestigious Pikes Peak hill climb in America.

Photo: Peugeot Sport

The car will be driven by nine-time World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb.

The message from Peugeot Sport says “See you Monday”, which means that more photos of the beast will be released after the weekend.

Photo: Peugeot Sport

Photo: Peugeot Sport

From GMM

McLaren has a new reserve driver twitching on the bench in China.

Last year, the famous British team signed up promising 20-year-old Kevin Magnussen.

The Dane is the son of former Stewart driver and McLaren tester Jan.

The Danish media source Sporten said McLaren has confirmed that Magnussen has been officially appointed reserve driver for the Woking based team in China.

"I am officially the reserve both here and in Bahrain next week," he is quoted as saying. "I will also be the reserve driver in a number of other grands prix this year, but exactly where is not yet settled."

Kevin Magnussen driving for McLaren, in Abu Dhabi, back in November 2012. (Photo: WRi2)

He told dr.dk, another Danish source: "Yes, I'm ready to race in formula one. I would not feel uncomfortable. I would be nervous if I had to race without having tested the car, but I feel that I am as ready as I can be."

"This shows that McLaren have confidence in me, so I take it as a huge pat on the back. It is an excellent opportunity to get closer to the team and learn even more about formula one," Magnussen continued.

Meanwhile, Sebastien Buemi insists he will be back in his reserve driver role at Red Bull next week in Bahrain.

While the Swiss races his Toyota prototype in the UK this weekend, Red Bull's promising younger Antonio Felix da Costa is filling in for Buemi in China.

"I will be back in Bahrain," Sebastien Buemi told Blick newspaper.

Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are divided about Red Bull's pace for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix after second free practice.

Webber finished the session in fifth and was unconcerned about the pace of his car, insisting that everything was business as usual despite voicing that the RB9's hard nature on its tires was of slight concern.

"Today was a good day for us, we had a good amount of mileage which is one thing,” said the Australian after the session.

“There are still some pretty quick cars out there, so nothing unusual from what we have seen earlier in the championship.

I think we have a little bit of work to do but the car doesn't feel too bad, we just have to work on the tires.”

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB9, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

Vettel meanwhile was more preoccupied that the pace of the No. 1 Red Bull is too far from the leaders after finishing 0.7s behind his teammate and 1.4 seconds off of the pace of Felipe Massa who topped the session time sheets.

"I think it was a tricky day for us," Vettel conceded. "I seemed to struggle a little more this afternoon, with the gap to the guys at the top being a bit bigger than I would like to see.”

The current world champion, however, said the team should be in better shape for qualifying after they analyse the data from today's session.

“It is not a disaster,” he continued. “I think we have two or three things that we need to work on and we should be in better shape tomorrow.”

“I don't have the answer right now, but we'll look into the stuff that we did. There's not much time to analyse during the session. That is what we do after [the session].”

Joey Hand put BMW at the top of the timesheets for the third consecutive day of DTM testing at Hockenheim on Thursday.

The American - who has switched to the RBM team from RMG - set his 1m33.284s laptime on a dry track following the morning's showers which saw drivers lap some 15 seconds slower than the afternoon runs.

The Phoenix and Abt Audis of Edoardo Mortara and Ingolstadt newcomer Jamie Green finished in second and third with a 1m34.389 and 1m34.829 respectively.

Reigning DTM champion Bruno Spengler ended his day fourth behind the wheel of his Schnitzer BMW M3 with a 1m35.473s ahead of compatriot Robert Wickens who finished the quickest of the Mercedes drivers with a 1m35.634s in fifth with his HWA-run car.

Joey Hand, BMW M3. (Photo: DTM)

The top-10 was rounded out by DTM rookies Patrick Tambay and Pascal Werhlein in sixth and seventh for Abt Audi and RSC Mucke Mercedes, with MTEK BMW's Timo Glock in eighth who once again set the pace once again for the Bavarian manufacturer during the morning's wet running.

Wickens' teammate, Christian Vietoris finished the day in ninth for HWA Mercedes, with Miguel Molina's Phoenix Audi and Andy Priaulx's RMG BMW propping up the time sheets in 10th and 11th.

DTM testing resumes Friday.

Brazilian Felipe Massa set a fastest time of 1m35.340s on soft tires, some 45 minutes into the second free practice session of the Grand Prix of China which saw him end the day once again ahead of Ferrari teammate, Fernando Alonso who ranked third.

Despite his performance, the Ferrari driver said the day had not gone entirely to his liking due to the car's behaviour on medium tires.

“Today, I immediately had a good feeling in the car and even if at the start I was not completely happy with the performance of the medium compound and we were not as quick as our rivals, the times were good all the same,” said Massa.

Massa claimed the F138's handling on soft compounds improved its pace so drastically it was like driving a ‘completely different' car.

“When I fitted the softs,” he continued, “the car improved a lot and this meant I was able to set the fastest time of the day. It was impressive, like driving two completely different cars.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F138, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

Alonso was equally as enthusiastic after finishing third, but believes tires will once again play an important role in Ferraris chances for the weekend.

“By the end of the day, the overall feeling is positive,” said the double world champion after the session. “We worked well and on top of that, it's always great fun driving the Shanghai track.

Once again, tires will play a key role in this Grand Prix because of the high level of degradation over a long run.”

Tire degradation was also a concern voiced by the team's technical director Pat Fry who despite being impressed by the car's race pace, commented that tyre performance was an ‘unknown' factor and would leave the team with a lot of work to do ahead of qualifying and the race.

“The race pace from both F138s is interesting, but once again there is the unknown factor of tire performance,” he said. “The softs seem to degrade quite quickly, while the mediums offer better stability and last longer. Now we can expect a long night ahead of us to decide on the best combinations for qualifying and the race, with a lot of data to go through.”

Police in Dubai now have the luxury to chase criminals behind the wheel of a fearsome Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, whose 700-horsepower V10 engine allows top speeds of 349 km/h.

Of course, the main purpose of this car is to deter anyone considering breaking the speed limit. However, it will also be used in popular tourist areas to help promote Dubai, apparently.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 has received no engine modifications for police duty, but the cockpit is now fitted with an advanced video monitoring system, a GPS data logger, radar guns, and other police equipment.

It becomes the fastest police car in the Persian Gulf area, surpassing the Nissan GT-R enlisted in the Abu Dhabi Police fleet.

Source: Motor Authority

Price Range: $59,900 and up

Description: The latest Porsche Cayman is now on sale, and it's more comfortable, more efficient and more striking to look at than ever before.

This entry-level coupe from the German automaker is anything but a pared-down base model when it comes to delivering the looks and fuel-efficient thrills its owners have come to love. Best of all, a variety of new features and engineering efforts make it even more comfortable and engaging to drive for the 2014 model year.

Under its skin, the new 2014 Porsche Cayman gets a longer wheelbase, wider track, a new chassis, and a new lightweight structure that cuts up to 60 lbs from its weight.


Drivetrain: At its core, the new Porsche Cayman's driveline isn't unfamiliar. Both the standard Cayman and higher-performance Cayman S will get mid-mounted flat-six engines bolted just behind the passenger compartment. All models are rear-wheel drive. Engine choices are a 2.7L, 275-horsepower unit on the standard model, and a 3.4L, 325-horsepower unit on the Cayman S. Shoppers can expect 0-100 km/h in as little as 4.4 seconds, depending on the model and equipment in question.

Both flat-six powerplants scream to just shy of 8,000 rpm and can be mated with a 6-speed manual transmission or an available 7-speed, paddle-shift dual-clutch unit.

Both engines offered in the 2014 Porsche Cayman utilize efforts like direct-injection, aluminum construction, and variable-valve timing to maximize efficiency and performance. An auto start/stop function kills the engine when the Cayman stops, eliminating wasteful idling.

Consider it if: you're after all-season performance, everyday utility and a one-of-a-kind performance driving experience. The 2014 Porsche Cayman is also a cost-effective way to access the world of fantastic mid-engine handling, as it's a fraction of the price of a Lamborghini or Ferrari.

Skip it if: you need rear seats or all-wheel drive.

Other Notes: For the first time, the 2014 Porsche Cayman will offer Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which uses a front-mounted sensor to actively control the vehicle's speed and following distance based on changing traffic conditions with no driver involvement.

A Burmester stereo system will be available, following the lead of the 911, Cayenne and Panamera. Look for a dozen speakers and 800 Watts of system output. Keyless entry, navigation, power leather seats, and a new instrument cluster help round out the cabin in the 2014 Porsche Cayman.

Don't Miss: An enhanced Porsche Active Suspension System (PASM) on board packing more sensors for more finely tuned control of the real-time variable suspension setup. A new electromechanical steering system is also fitted, maintaining trademark Porsche steering feel while using less fuel. New brake system upgrades include optimized calipers, improved brake cooling, and an optional Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake system which is targeted towards owners who plan on hitting the racetrack.

An intelligent alternator draws less energy from the drive belt when the battery is fully charged, which helps save fuel, too in the 2014 Porsche Cayman.

Photo: Porsche

Augusto Farfus has kept BMW at the top of the leaderboard for the fourth consecutive day by setting the fastest time on the final day of pre-season testing at Hockenheim.

The Brazilian set a fastest lap of 1m32.976 in his RBM run car on a wet track during the afternoon session, which put him ahead of Bruno Spengler in the No. 1 Schnitzer M3 by a marginal 0.213s and BMW newcomer Timo Glock who completed a top-three clean sweep for the Bavarian manufacturer.

Edoardo Mortara, Team Rosberg / Audi RS5 DTM (Photo: DTM)

"The weather played a major role in this test. It alternated between rain and dry conditions," said Farfus.

"It is always beneficial to be able to complete a few laps in the wet, of course, but we would really have preferred more consistent conditions to allow us to prepare for the new season.

Despite this, the overall impression is a positive one.”

Farfus' lap was also the fastest aggregate time from the test week.

Christian Vietoris emerged as the best of the Mercedes' by finishing fourth in his HWA run AMG C-Coupe and the Phoenix Racing Audi RS5 of Mike Rockenfeller was the best placed of the Audis in sixth.

The DTM season opener will take place on May 4-5 at Hockenheim.

Following two tough practice sessions for McLaren the Chinese Grand Prix, Jenson Button has conceded he will not be ‘fighting at the front' this weekend.

The Woking based squad has bought a raft of updates to its troubled MP4-28 car this weekend which saw Jenson Button finish in the top-six for both sessions, but the 2009 world champion still remains downbeat of his chances of challenging for the win on Sunday.

Jenson Button, McLaren (Photo: McLaren)

“We can't yet conclusively tell if the upgrades we brought to this race have improved the car,” admitted Button after FP2. “They're perhaps not as big a step forward as we'd expected. I don't think we'll be fighting at the front this weekend, but we'll definitely be fighting someone.”

Despite claiming the updates haven't worked quite as well as planned, the Brit praised the team's effort to improve the car in the three-week break between the Malaysian and Chinese races and believes it's a matter of analysing which new parts matter.

“We've worked very hard over the last few weeks to bring the new parts here - which is great,” he continued. “Today's been all about putting mileage on those parts; now we need to sit down and look at the data this evening - there's a lot to look through."

Sergio Perez, McLaren (Photo: McLaren)

Teammate Sergio Perez was equally as confident of an improved performance on Sunday, despite finishing 16th and 11th in FP1 and 2 respectively after a tough day. The Mexican's first session was characterised by a trip into the gravel trap at the pit lane entry that echoed Lewis Hamilton's 2007 race ending accident, and another off-road excursion in the following.

“Today was a difficult day for me, but an important one for the team,” he said in McLaren's post-session press release. “I had two offs - in the morning, I was running on cold, worn tires, locked the wheels and just touched the barrier and went into it [the barrier].”

“Still, I'm sure we will improve tomorrow. I think we can have a good result on Sunday.”

From GMM

Toto Wolff, Mercedes' new director and shareholder, has given the strongest indication yet that Paddy Lowe will soon arrive at the team.

Briton Lowe is currently on 'gardening leave' after serving as McLaren's long-term technical boss, but it has been rumoured he has accepted a more responsible role at Mercedes.

Paddy Lowe. (Photo: WRi2)

It is believed Lowe will eventually replace Brackley based Mercedes' existing team boss, Ross Brawn.

"Based on last year's results, Niki (Lauda) asked Paddy if he wanted to work for us," Austrian Wolff told the German newspaper Die Welt on Saturday.

"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'," added Wolff.

But while Lowe has already been removed from front-line duty by McLaren, Brawn - still one of the most respected engineering and management minds in F1 - remains at the helm despite his apparently impending departure.

Wolff responded: "This is a very professional environment, with contracts containing confidentiality clauses.

"I do not believe that men of the calibre of Ross Brawn or Paddy Lowe go to their next team and just tell everything to the competition.

"I don't think we need to worry about that," he added.

Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team

Tesla Motors has won a round in its legal fight against franchised dealership laws in New York over direct sales to consumers while it continues to lobby Texas legislators on the issue.

When the 2014 Ford Fusion debuts this fall it will be offered with a new 1.5-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, the fifth member of Ford's EcoBoost family, Ford said today.

Ford will introduce this month a 1.5-liter version of its turbo-charged EcoBoost engine. The UK-designed engine will be offered in the Mondeo in Europe and China and in the Fusion in the United States.

BMW launched a new website Thursday that presents range, cost savings and environmental impact data taken from 700 ActiveE drivers (dubbed and#8220;Electronautsand#8221; by BMW and#8230; really guys?) to inform consumers about the potential savings of...

Steel's versatility will ensure that it remains the go-to product for automakers despite the emergence of alternative materials such as aluminum, says United States Steel CEO John Surma.

Domestic brands have the most American-made content in the United States according to a new index released by American University's Kogod School of Business.

The first built-from scratch Ford Explorer rolled off the assembly line today in Russia -- the first time an Explorer produced outside the United States didn't come from a knock-down kit.