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From GMM

Ferrari failed to beat Red Bull for a fourth consecutive time because of "two main factors", according to team boss Stefano Domenicali.

Speaking to the Spanish sports newspaper AS, the Italian denied he is the main problem.

"You wouldn't change Domenicali and win tomorrow," he insisted.

"Sure, my boss could do it, and if he does, I would always be grateful to Ferrari," said Stefano Domenicali.

"But in Italy there is a saying: 'When you leave the road you know, the other could be worse'.

"The problem is not Domenicali," he added. "Domenicali is the first to come to work in the morning and the last to leave. If we had won in 2012, Domenicali would be a phenomenon, he would have done his job well."

Ferraris F138. (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, together with Fernando Alonso - whose patience may now be running out - Ferrari has come tantalisingly close to winning under the Domenicali reign.

Stefano Domenicali thinks the main problems in 2013 were technical ones.

"The first is that at the beginning of the season we had a car that was competitive in qualifying and very good in race pace. The problem is that we could not improve the car steadily, because unfortunately in some cases we brought developments that, instead of improving, actually worsened the car," he said.

Domenicali said Ferrari has been working hard to right that wrong, including by completely overhauling the Maranello wind tunnel, and installing technical bosses - James Allison and Pat Fry - who are renowned for success in F1's aerodynamically-focused era.

He explained that the second fundamental problem in 2013 has been Pirelli.

"I do not mention why or whether it was right or not, but in changing the tyre type we have not been able to exploit the best feature we had -- our competitive race pace," said Domenicali.

He also said that, despite coming so close in some years, not winning in the end had now increased the pressure on Ferrari to fever-pitch.

That has now resulted in the Alonso exit rumours, and "general criticism" that Domenicali thinks makes little sense.

"Like when it comes to the drivers," he said, "many times I've read in the past 'Ferrari has to change Felipe (Massa)'.

"But now I read 'Felipe has to stay!' Which is it? A little rationality, please," Domenicali insisted.

"I'm the first to defend Felipe and I always will, because he is a special lad, someone dedicated to the team, but you have to make a professional assessment," he added.

From Clarke Motorsports Communications

Things started well, but with 27 circuits of the 50 lap Thunder Car feature event complete, the weatherman intervened and brought action on Canada's Toughest 1/3-mile Oval at Peterborough to a halt.

"We were hoping to get the entire show in the books, but the storm front just wouldn't provide the opportunity," said Peterborough Speedway owner/promoter J.P. Josiasse.

"We made a decision to hold things over to Monday, October 14th to finish out the 21st edition of the Autumn Colours Classic."

Events will pick-up where things left off before the rain fell. Pit gates will open at 9 am, with spectator grandstands unlocked at 10 am and racing will start at 11 am.

On track action will begin with the final 23 laps of the Thunder Car feature and continue through the balance of the race program. Fans are reminded to retain their Sunday admission tickets and wristbands for the completion of the show.

Full details can be found at www.peterboroughspeedway.com. Fans can also follow Peterborough Speedway on Facebook and Twitter.

From GMM

Sahara Force India has hit back at claims it is being outclassed by Sauber at the tail end of the 2013 season.

When the season began, Nico Hulkenberg looked to have made a grave error in moving over the winter from consistent Sahara Force India to new tail-ender Sauber.

But at the end of 2013, the German is a sensation of 2013, reportedly courted not only by Lotus but also Ferrari and McLaren.

Not only that, Esteban Gutierrez - the languishing Mexican rookie who couldn't score a point - has spectacularly turned the corner with the suddenly-competitive C32.

"Something in him exploded," Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said in Japan, where Gutierrez finally scored his first points of 2013.

Kaltenborn warned, however, that it might not be enough to safeguard the 22-year-old's future -- as Kamui Kobayashi knows well after his Suzuka podium a year ago.

"Individual results are not decisive for us," she told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, "when it comes to planning the future.

"We have some options but we're not going to name names," added Kaltenborn.

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber C32. (Photo: WRi2)

According to championship rival Sahara Force India's sporting director Otmar Szafnauer, Kaltenborn knows well that the real sensation was not Gutierrez, or the formerly-struggling Swiss-made car.

The battle for sixth place in the constructors' championship is worth millions, and crucial to midfield teams like Sahara Force India and Sauber.

So Szafnauer is angry that the decisive factor has been Pirelli.

"This is no wonder-Sauber," he is quoted by the Swiss newspaper Blick. "It's only Pirelli.

"It is the whole explanation for the current situation," said Szafnauer, referring to how Pirelli's mid-season tyre specification switch badly hurt some teams like Force India, whilst giving a big boost to others.

Superior Industries International said Steven Borick will retire as CEO and president effective March 31, 2014, but will remain chairman of the aluminum wheel maker.

The De Tomaso Pantera, a perfect mash-up of classic Italian styling and American underhood brawn, struck a chord when it debuted at the 1970 New York auto show.

A team of three Range Rover Hybrid prototypes has just completed a 53-day journey from Solihull, England to Mumbai, India.

This week, there is a rather photogenic BMW 2002 from 1976

General Motors has raised the prices of its 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-sized pickups, now that stocks of the outgoing 2013 trucks are nearly depleted.

Ford and the University of Michigan are opening a battery laboratory in Ann Arbor to speed development of electrified vehicles, the automaker said today.

GM scaled back cooperation with Peugeot months into their alliance and later turned down a government-backed merger, leaving China's Dongfeng as the French carmaker's last hope, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Hyundaiand#8217;s next SEMA trick is a joint effort with tuner John Pangilinan. The pair has linked up again for the JP Edition Genesis Coupe in Atlantis blue.

Construction of the first Infiniti factory in Europe began on Monday (14 October) at Nissan Motor's plant in Sunderland, north east England.

Are you currently in the market for a new car, but you aren't ready to take out a second mortgage in order to afford it? The automotive market these days is brimming with so many different models and options to choose from it can become quite an...

The 2014 BMW 4-series convertible will feature a three-piece hard top, both four- and six-cylinder engines and an eight-speed automatic transmission when it arrives in dealerships in the first quarter of next year.

The UAW Chrysler health care trust said its assets grew by $1.58 billion last year, more than half of which came from the rising value of its Chrysler holding.

Geely Group's recently-created China Euro Vehicle Technology (CEVT) R&D centre in tandem with Volvo, says it is working on "opening doors" for suppliers as its CEO highlighted component opportunities.

Last week, we took a look at how well the 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer GT does as a road-race organizer's ride at MSR Houston.

Just a few hours ago, Australians Rod Wade and Michael Flanders departed New York, driving a 1930

News 14 Oct, 2013

An updated Lexus CT200h has been spied completely undisguised in North America

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