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From GMM

After Antonio Felix da Costa, the next in line for a Red Bull-backed formula one future looks set to be Carlos Sainz Jr.

The Spaniard, the 18-year-old son of rally legend Carlos Sainz, is in pole position to drive for Red Bull's second team Toro Rosso in July's young driver test at Silverstone.

Marca sports newspaper said Sainz's debut has not been officially decided or announced.

Toro Rosso STR8. (Photo: WRi2)

Speed Week said Portuguese younger da Costa is the favourite to drive the championship-leading Red Bull RB9 at Silverstone.

Sainz Jr will begin his GP3 campaign this weekend in Barcelona, driving for the team co-owned by Red Bull driver Mark Webber and his team boss Christian Horner.

"If I do well this year it's a step forward," he is quoted by Marca, "but right now F1 is not the first goal. First I need to do well here (GP3), then there are other steps, like the (Renault) world series."

From GMM

A photographer claims Fernando Alonso broke his EUR 6,000 camera whilst trying to take pictures of the Ferrari driver and his model girlfriend, Dasha Kapustina.

According to reports, the photographer complained that Spaniard Alonso reacted angrily and manhandled him during the incident in Barcelona ahead of this weekend's Spanish grand prix.

The photographer, who said he has complained to authorities, said witnesses also saw Alonso attack him and smash the camera against the ground.

"Let's see if through this complaint he learns to have more respect for the press," the photographer is quoted by La Repubblica. "He is an example to millions of children? He knows perfectly well that he was not provoked."

Dasha and Fernando Alonso. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Mark Webber has played down reports he has already decided to quit formula one.

The British tabloid Daily Star claimed last weekend that the Australian "has told close friends" that 2013 is his twelfth and final season on the grid.

The report seemed to tie in with rumours Webber, 36, has agreed a deal to return to Le Mans next year with Porsche.

But he is quoted by Russia's f1news.ru: "It (Le Mans) is an interesting category, but it's not for me. At the moment I'm still focused on formula one. There are always a lot of rumours, some strange ones, but I don't pay much attention to it."

Mark Webber celebrating his 200th Grand Prix in Bahrain. (Photo: WRi2)

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has edged Ferrari's Fernando Alonso for the top spot in the second practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion set his best time of 1m22.808 seconds on soft tyres to finish a mere 0.017 seconds ahead of the Spaniard, who topped the time sheets ahead of teammate Felipe Massa in this morning's first damp practice session. FP2 saw Vettel's teammate, Mark Webber, finish the morning in third, just 0.083s behind the German's benchmark time.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull. (Photo: Red Bull)

Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen was fourth behind Webber, but ahead of Felipe Massa who dropped to fifth in the dry session and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton who spun at Turn 11 and failed to improve on the sixth best time he set this morning.

Hamilton headed a Mercedes powered 1-2 with Rosberg and Force India's Adrian Sutil, who, with teammate Paul di Resta in 10th, has shown good pace all weekend with the cars finishing fifth and 10th in FP1.

Adrian Sutil, Sahara Force India. (Photo: Force India)

Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne put in a good performance to split the two Force Indias with the 9th best time in FP2, as teammate Daniel Ricciardo also fared well with the 11th quickest time.

The #8 Lotus of Romain Grosjean had a strong performance in FP1 to finish third, but could only manage 18th in the afternoon.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

McLaren, who has brought a heavily revised car to Barcelona, elected to send only Sergio Perez out on track in FP1, with the Mexican recording the 13th fastest time.

FP2 was little better for the Woking squad as Button managed 12th, one place ahead of his teammate who failed to improve.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona
Friday May 10, 2013

Free Practice session 1 - Results*
1 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 1'25"252 - 20 laps
2 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 1'25"455 - 20
3 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'25"667 - 25
4 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'26"042 - 21
5 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'26"212 - 24
6 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W04) - 1'26"374 - 19
7 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'26"456 - 20
8 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'26"614 - 21
9 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W04) - 1'26"621 - 21
10 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'26"755 - 16
11 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'26"940 - 26
12 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'27"061 - 24
13 - Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'27"135 - 6
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'27"250 - 26
15 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'27"576 - 24
16 - Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'28"600 - 19
17 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'28"887 - 14
18 - Heikki Kovalainen (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'29"177 - 14
19 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'29"457 - 11
20 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'29"473 - 21
21 - Rodolfo Gonzalez (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'30"314 - 12
22 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - no time - 6

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso. (Photo: WRi2)

Free Practice session 2 - Results*
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'22"808 - 34 laps
2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 1'22"825 - 35
3 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'22"891 - 36
4 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'23"030 - 32
5 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 1'23"110 - 37
6 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W04) - 1'23"140 - 35
7 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W04) - 1'23"398 - 45
8 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'23"840 - 37
9 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'24"058 - 31
10 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'24"104 - 25
11 - Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'24"175 - 32
12 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'24"306 - 35
13 - Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'24"854 - 31
14 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'24"888 - 38
15 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'25"167 - 38
16 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'25"321 - 32
17 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'25"441 - 37
18 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'25"851 - 35
19 - Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'25"963 - 30
20 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'26"078 - 31
21 - Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'26"930 - 35
22 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'26"970 - 25

* Unofficial timings

From GMM

Long Beach race founder Chris Pook has been signed up to help organise next year's inaugural formula one race in New Jersey.

On Thursday, amid scepticism the street race will ever take place, we reported that the project's chief marketing officer and chief financial offer have left.

But in a media statement issued after the publication of those reports, the 'Grand Prix of America' announced that Pook has now joined as 'special assistant' to organiser Leo Hindery.

Most recently, Pook - who brought F1 to Long Beach in the mid 70s - was linked with the sport's potential return to those same Californian streets.

But, now, Pook "will provide consultation with respect to all aspects of construction, planning and execution" of New Jersey's F1 race, the statement said.

"Chris has a history of great success in formula one, which I'm confident he'll bring to the grand prix of America race," Bernie Ecclestone is quoted as saying.

Photo: Red Bull Racing

Read part 1 of: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SE Long-Term Test

As you can imagine, long-term tests on new cars can and do reveal both strong points and shortcomings. This is the principal reason why they are a worthy indicator of initial quality, and can serve as a window into the vehicle's future.

Having taken the first-come-first-serve approach to loaning out the Santa Fe to staff members, we managed to alleviate logistical issues. Well, sort of... Anyhow, let's get right into the thick of it.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

The bad
Our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SE has been doing the rounds, and straight up: it's not been all fun and games. There have been a few reoccurring issues.

Fuel consumption
The first issue is fuel consumption. Despite our best efforts, using the Active ECO mode and resisting the turbo's addictive spool of power, we've not been able to lower our average below 14L/100 km. This is far off the predicted combined number of 9.8L/100 km. In fact, our numbers are somewhat frightening.

This has been our overall average from the onset of the long-term drive, which includes a few cold winter months. Even though the temperatures have risen as of late, we've not noticed any significant drop in fuel numbers in the last little while.

Transmission questions
The other niggles included an uncooperative transmission after a cold start. The unpleasant slipping followed by a second gear slam occurred on a few occasions. After the first few incidents, we did drop our 2013 Santa Fe off at the dealer for a check. They were unable to replicate the issue in similar cold conditions. We are happy to note that the transmission has been working as expected since.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

A few noises
Lastly, we've been dealing with a few rattles. One of which is a known problem and it originates from the dashboard. Hyundai have addressed the vibration on their production line.

And now, the good
And the good points are the ones that keep us coming back for more.

Handsome as heck
It's been four months since our 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SE showed up at Auto123.com HQ and we still stop and take a moment to soak in this child of Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy. Truly, this is a good-looking CUV, regardless of trim.

Spacious and comfortable
The roomy cabin scores numerous hole-in-ones as well. Five passengers can comfortably be seated, if for a brief romp in the country. Regal levels of well being are a given with four people on board, even during the coldest winter months as the rear bench is heated.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

Loaded with value
And that brings me to the next home run: equipment. To get the level of kit featured in our Santa Fe Sport SE, one could have to spend well into the $50k range, depending on the brand. At just over $35,000, the Sport SE is a bargain. And it's fast.

Serious power
The 264 hp turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder engine is decidedly packed with power. Never suffering from much lag, the mill's torque is fully on tap as of 1,750 rpm and the Santa Fe really takes off. Now, I know what you're going to say, but we are not driving the Hyundai like we stole it every day. The fuel numbers are based on real-world driving.

Family friendly
The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is a great family friendly vehicle. Should the Sport not be enough, worry not as Hyundai has you covered with the longer wheelbase Santa Fe XL.

As a large compact or compact midsize crossover, the Santa Fe offers up plenty of room for a pair of car seats and two strollers in the trunk with space left over for day bags and more. In the video, I slide in the large 4moms origami stroller depth-wise and the hatch easily closes: bonus.

About the child seats (as Miranda demonstrates), they are easily installed and given the available room, you need not be a hair over 5-feet tall or less to set one up.

The mid-point
Having crossed the midway mark of our long-term test of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SE, we continue to amass comments from staff members. For our final installment of this test, we plan to publish a number of these insights in the review.

We will also do a final video review on the Santa Fe where we will pinpoint our top “thumbs-up” and “thumbs-down” as well as give it a final score.

As always, we welcome your comments, especially if you currently own one.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

From GMM

Toto Wolff turned down Dietrich Mateschitz when the Red Bull magnate offered to sell him Toro Rosso.

Wolff, who subsequently bought into Williams and is now Mercedes' new co-owner and motor sport director, said billionaire Mateschitz made the approach in 2009.

"One day, Dietrich Mateschitz landed by helicopter and offered to sell me Toro Rosso," Austrian Wolff told the French news agency AFP.

"With my company in Vienna, we analysed the business model of Toro Rosso, but having a private team doesn't work when you compare it to the hundreds of millions of euros spent by the manufacturers," he said.

Photo: WRi2

From GMM

Heikki Kovalainen insists it is "no surprise" Caterham has struggled so far in 2013.

The Finn, who has been a leading race driver at the team since its Team Lotus inception in 2010, was dropped for 2013 in favour of pay-drivers Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde.

31-year-old Kovalainen, however, is now back in a reserve and testing role.

He drove in Friday practice recently in Bahrain, and on Friday in Barcelona he will drive again, at the wheel of Frenchman Pic's car.

Caterham CT03. (Photo: WRi2)

He said he hopes an upgrade package for the Spanish grand prix puts Caterham back ahead of usual rival Marussia.

"The car itself is basically the same as last year's," Kovalainen is quoted by Turun Sanomat newspaper. "The monocoque is the same, only the aerodynamics were modified. So it's no surprise the team has not gone so well, when you're putting an old car against the new ones."

Heikki Kovalainen confirmed that Caterham's approach to this year has been deliberate.

"The team is trying to stay - with the least possible effort - in the top ten this year and put more effort into next year," he said. "The new car is being developed already. When the rules change so much, it's important for us to get started with the new car as quickly as possible."

Toyota's half-decade of fighting the yen is over, at least for now. The weakening yen breached 100 against the dollar in U.S.

A unit of German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH said it will begin selling an electric-vehicle residential charging station for a retail price below $450.

Scion announced pricing Thursday for several 2014 models, including the tC,

A major warehouse supplying parts to a Nissan-Renault alliance plant in India was almost destroyed by fire early today, a Nissan spokeswoman said, possibly affecting production at the plant that makes 400,000 vehicles a year.

In 1988 we learned the art of getaway driving as told by an ex-convict who used his prison inmate number for a byline.

Bentley introduced Le Mans Limited Edition trim packages for the Mulsanne and

We get it: If you're about to throw down $149,250 for a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo or $182,050 Turbo S, money probably isn't a pressing concern.

Jaguar is launching its first two-seat roadster since Steve McQueen tooled around Hollywood in his E-Type in the 1960s.

Infiniti has named powertrain specialist Toshihiro Hirai as global head of product planning as it tries to strengthen the marque's identity.

Don't Buff Me, Bro

Matte-finish paint, once a hallmark of exotic vehicles, is trickling into the mainstream. Before you opt for it, you might want to consider the challenges of preserving that new-car dullness.

Matte clear coat, not to be confused with impermanent vinyl wraps, resists fading and protects a car's base paint as well as any clear coat. The distinctive finish, however, is vulnerable.

Photo Gallery: Don't Buff Me, Bro - Automobile Magazine

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Do the kids even care anymore about

Caterham Cars, the U.K.-based maker of lightweight track-day vehicles, will celebrate 40 years building the legendary Seven with a free option package for the open-wheel roadster.