Auto News 5

From GMM

Heikki Kovalainen has emerged as a surprise and late contender to drive for Lotus in 2014. Meanwhile, 'Quantum', the investment group looking to buy 35 per cent of the Enstone team, has denied once again that the deal is collapsing.

The Finn, Caterham's 'Friday' driver this season, was drafted into Lotus' race lineup for Austin when countryman Kimi Raikkonen headed for early back surgery.

It was believed the highly rated Nico Hulkenberg, or the well-funded Pastor Maldonado, were the only candidates to replace the Ferrari-bound Raikkonen full-time next year.

But Kovalainen has performed strongly from the first practice lap in Austin, qualifying eighth compared to teammate Romain Grosjean's third on Saturday.

Team boss Eric Boullier admitted the 32-year-old might have leapt into contention to race full-time for Lotus in 2014.

"It is true that he was not originally on the list," the Frenchman told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3. "But if he's doing well now, he can change our minds."

Heikki Kovalainen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

The vacancy for Austin and Brazil was created when Raikkonen headed for back surgery ahead of schedule.

But it has been rumoured his relationship with Lotus, broken over a financial dispute, was the real reason.

"Money has little to do with it," team owner Gerard Lopez insists. "We clarified that in Abu Dhabi -- he will get his money.

"Maybe his new employer advised him that it would be better to seek treatment as soon as possible," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Indeed, Lopez suspects Lotus' constructors' championship rival Ferrari might also have had something to do with Hulkenberg's sudden unavailability for the seat in Austin and Brazil.

"As I understand it, he was paid (by Sauber) all of a sudden, so he was no longer available to us," said the Luxembourger.

There is no doubt, however, that Lopez is running out of patience with Quantum.

"Either they fulfil their contractual obligations, or we must draw our conclusions," he also told Auto Motor und Sport.

The Quantum group is led by Mansour Ijaz, who after playing down speculation in Abu Dhabi recently, has now travelled to Austin with the same message.

"There is no question that the deal is going to work out," he insisted on Saturday.

Ijaz said the hefty flow of cash has been held up by red tape, and promised to apologize for the holdup by paying bonuses out of his own pocket.

Lotus, however, cannot afford to simply go on hoping. It is rumoured Pastor Maldonado, with his millions in PDVSA backing in tow, is now definitely headed to Enstone to guarantee the team's 2014 budget.

Lopez only admitted, that Lotus needs to secure its future financially.

"I will need a sponsor," he said. "Whether the money comes with a driver or not, I don't care -- I would also take Fernando Alonso with his sponsor."

Auto123.com provides here a live description of the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix held at the stunning Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas.

Our motorsport editor, René Fagnan is at the race track.

Follow his description of the penultimate round of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship. For logistic reasons, the feed will be carried in both English and French.

Check the action on TV and follow our analysis here.

From GMM

Sergio Perez will not necessarily simply return to Sauber in 2014, boss Monisha Kaltenborn insists.

The Swiss team was disappointed late last year, when Perez was signed by McLaren.

Sauber continued to wear Telmex branding in 2013, but fellow Mexican Esteban Gutierrez had been promoted from the reserve role.

Two Mexicans for 2014? Perez and Gutierrez wouldn't mind.

"Mexican power!" Gutierrez said on Thursday. Perez agreed: "I think it would be good. Why not?"

Sergio Perez at Sauber in 2012 (Photo: WRi2)

Two Mexicans in a single team might appear untidy for a Swiss F1 team, but Kaltenborn said Sauber has "never chosen drivers by nationality".

The team has also been struggling financially in 2013, so might not be in an ideal position to be too choosy.

When asked about Perez, Kaltenborn was quoted by AS newspaper: "We had a good relationship, and good memories of his years here.

"But there are other drivers who could be on the team," the Sauber chief added.

The ball would appear to be in Telmex's court, particularly after McLaren changed direction so radically by ousting Perez.

"The money is there to run both of them (at Sauber)," an unnamed Mexican was quoted in Austin by AS correspondent Manuel Franco, "and even to buy the team."

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has revealed he lost sensation in his left side and suffered "severe" headaches in the wake of the recent Abu Dhabi grand prix.

The Spaniard's participation in this weekend's US grand prix was in doubt, after he hurt his back in a violent ride over the kerbs in a duel with Jean-Eric Vergne.

But Alonso released more details of the effects in Austin, revealing that his symptoms were even worse than was previously thought.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F138 (Photo: WRi2)

At the wheel of his Ferrari, however, Alonso is still at full speed, as evidenced by his sixth place in Austin qualifying, many places ahead of his teammate Felipe Massa.

"The adrenaline works for me," he smiled to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"But when I lie down at night and get up in the morning, my back still hurts."

Ferrari's telemetry showed Alonso suffered a 28G impact.

"At first I did not feel too much," he said. But he had to be checked by the FIA's doctors, because the high Gs had triggered the medical warning light.

"They found that I had some numbness in my left arm and left leg," said Alonso.

Fernando Alonso at the hospital (Photo: Twitter)

The results alarmed the doctors and Alonso was sent to hospital, which is where the famous picture of him strapped to a spinal board was taken by his manager Luis Garcia Abad.

The next week, Alonso said, was the worst.

"I had a constant, severe headache," he said. "Not until this week did it get any better. But in the car I am not affected."

From press release

Sébastien Ogier rounded off a dominant debut WRC season at Volkswagen with victory today on the final round of the championship, Wales Rally GB.

It was the ninth win of the year for the Frenchman, who, driving a Polo R, secured the 2013 FIA drivers' title as early as the Rallye de France, in October. 

Ogier took the lead in Wales on Thursday's opening stage and controlled his pace perfectly, fending off a sustained attack from his team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, a two-time winner here, on the slippery forest roads of mid and north-Wales. 

After celebrating with co-driver Julien Ingrassia at the end of the decisive Great Orme stage, Ogier said he was delighted to have eclipsed his previous best in Wales of a lowly 11th in 2011. 

Julien Ingrassia, Sébastien Ogier (VW Motorsport)

Latvala finished as runner up, 21.8 seconds behind Ogier in Volkswagen's second Polo R. The Finn had an inconsistent rally that featured stage winning highs as well as frustrating lows when he couldn't find a confident feeling at the wheel. 

A final day push for the lead started well, with Latvala narrowing the gap to Ogier to just 19.5 seconds after the two opening stages. But a stall at a junction on Clocaenog (SS19) cost him six seconds and ended the charge. 

Belgium's Thierry Neuville was third, 1m 02.7s further back, to round off a remarkable season with the Qatar World Rally Team and, more importantly, secure second spot in the WRC drivers' championship. 

Ford Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg was fourth, 27.7 seconds behind Neuville, after a tense duel with his fellow Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen. Ostberg eventually won the duel, as Mikkelsen spun twice on Sunday. 

Martin Prokop was sixth in a Fiesta RS, more than five minutes behind Mikkelsen, with Dani Sordo seventh, as the sole factory Citroen finisher, having dropped out of contention before the start with a five-minute penalty.

The lead trio in the WRC 2 category, Elfyn Evans, Jari Ketomaa and Mark Higgins rounded off the top ten. 

2014 Man of the Year: Tadge Juechter

The chief engineer who got the Corvette right.

Tadge Juechter didn't blink as the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray blitzed through a series of tight kinks on a California back road. One wild-eyed journalist after another was putting the coupe through its paces for the launch of the seventh-generation car, and Juechter was stuck in the right seat. No worries for the fifty-six-year-old engineer, for he had total trust in his machine. And make no mistake, the C7 is Juechter's machine. Only the fifth chief engineer in the Corvette's sixty-one-year history, he's likely to go down in the books as the one who got it right. For that he is Automobile Magazine's 2014 Man of the Year.

Photo Gallery: 2014 Man of the Year: Tadge Juechter- Automobile Magazine

2014 Man of the Year: Tadge Juechter | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Automobile of the Year: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Not redesigned, reborn.

Yes, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is the Automobile of the Year. No, this was not a foregone conclusion. The Corvette may have a special place in the American automotive pantheon, but not every new Corvette has been a big deal. The C6, for example, was a conservative effort, a safe play that didn't reach. The new C7, though, is something else.

Photo Gallery: Automobile of the Year: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Automobile of the Year: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray - Automobile Magazine

Automobile of the Year: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Fiat said it will not take part in Italy's only annual car show next year, dealing a further blow to the event that was cancelled this year due to a lack of exhibitors.

BMW is breaking new ground with its extensive use of carbon fiber in the i3 electric car. The move represents the biggest shift in automobile production since at least the 1980s when the first all-aluminum car frames were made.

With sales of plug-in electric vehicles on pace to reach half of President Obama's goal, regulators are following customers and automakers to vehicles powered by other fuels, from hydrogen to diesel.

Tinseltown will see even more power and bling than usual judging by the luxury vehicles dominating the bill of global debuts at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Chances are you have never heard of Georg Lankensperger, a 19th-century German wooden-wheel maker. He solved a problem nearly 200 years ago that Corvette engineers chose to live with in the redesigned 2014 Stingray.

The three Tesla Model S electric sedans that have caught fire since Oct. 1 have drawn wide public scrutiny.

While Matt Kenseth was happy with his first pole at Homestead Miami Speedway, third of year, he knows that's not quite good enough to claim his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

“I'm always surprised when I'm on the pole and qualifying isn't my strong suit,” Kenseth said after his 11th career pole. “I think I missed every corner. He (crew chief Jason Ratcliff) did a spectacular job to make the adjustments and we got the (pole) lap.”

That said no matter what Kenseth does Jimmie Johnson, who will start seventh, only needs to finish 23rd or better to clinch the title. Kenseth averaged 177.667mph around the mile and half oval.

“Jimmie is so far ahead if he has a problem; we have to be able to capitalize on that, try to lead as much as we can.

Last week, at Phoenix, Kenseth's bad set up caused him to finish 23rd and fall 28 points behind Johnson. This pole was a bit of mood booster.

“Phoenix takes the wind out of your sails when you have a day like that. We were leading the points with three to go and now there's a slim chance it (the pole) builds confidence.

Johnson, talking about Sunday's race, said of his commanding points lead “It's a great position to be in... it's nice but it doesn't guarantee anything. I have to run all 400 miles on Sunday and that's really the goal.”

Looking to Sunday Kenseth added “we can't control how they (Johnson) finish. We have to concentrate on the 20 (his Toyota's number).”

Matt Kenseth (Photo: Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images)

Kurt Busch, in his last race for the one-car Furniture Row Racing team, was chagrined that the team finally turned a corner on his Chevrolet in the final race of the Chase, and starts second at 177.445mph.

Busch, the first champion in NASCAR's Chase format said “it was a great lap gave me confidence to sweep through turn two on the high side.” Considering how he restored his reputation which resulted in his deal with Stewart-Haas Racing and taking the FRR team to the Chase made him proud.

“Ultimately it's been a very successful season.”

Joey Logano, also having one of his best seasons, who starts third at 177.445mph credits a recent test in a Nationwide Series Ford for giving some vital information on how the track will change in a race that starts in warmer daylight and finishing in cooler temperatures after the son sets.

Brad Keselowski, Logano's Penske Racing teammate and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion will start fourth.

Kevin Harvick, who is third in the standings, and will also be leaving for Stewart-Haas Racing, will start sixth alongside fifth place Denny Hamlin.

From GMM

After dropping Sergio Perez for 2014, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh says he is now trying to help the Mexican find a seat elsewhere in formula one.

After just one season with 23-year-old Perez, the Woking based team has decided to replace him with in-house development talent Kevin Magnussen.

But McLaren has been criticised for making its decision so late that it could end Perez's F1 career.

"People say our decision was terribly late, but what I have said to him is to stand back from it a bit," Whitmarsh is quoted by Britain's Sky.

"I am trying to help him get a drive," he revealed.

Sergio Perez, McLaren MP4-28 (Photo: WRi2)

"At the time (of the decision) Williams had a seat, but that has now gone, but there is a Lotus seat, and one at Sauber, Force India, Caterham and Marussia," said Whitmarsh.

"I have rung Force India and I have rung Lotus. They both do a good job and I have recommended him because he deserves to be in formula one," he added.

Whitmarsh said he was in a difficult position, because new Formula Renault 3.5 champion Magnussen "is the most exciting young driver not in F1".

Indeed, the McLaren chief recently tried to find Magnussen a seat for 2014, at the Force India and Marussia teams.

"I went up and down the pitlane and no one wanted to do it, so we went for it," said Whitmarsh.

Story updated, see below

A very angry and bitterly disappointed Pastor Maldonado said on television that his Williams F1 car had been sabotaged by an unspecified team member.

Maldonado is leaving Williams at the end of the season in one of the most hostile divorces seen in recent F1 history.

Talking live to Sky Sports F1, Maldonado said after Q1: “I never got 100% from the tires. Someone is playing with tire pressure and temperatures.”

When asked why his teammate, Valtteri Bottas was doing so well in comparison, Maldonado said “You have to ask the guys who are working on the car. It is quite clear.”

Moments later, Claire Williams has insisted the Williams team would never sabotage one of their cars.

The daughter of Sir Frank Williams refused to criticise their outgoing driver in public, insisting that his outburst on Saturday was simply borne of frustration after being out-qualified by teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

UPDATE
Two hours after accusing Williams of deliberately sabotaging his car in qualifying for the U.S. GP, it was a calmer Pastor Maldonado who faced the media in the Austin paddock.

"I drove for three years in the team and I never feel something like that," Maldonado insisted later on Saturday. "The car is nowhere, the car is undriveable and it's very clear on the on-boards and the data where and when I'm suffering on the track.

"The car was turning more to one side than the other," he told Sky Sports F1.

As you may be aware, Walmart authorizes people to spend the night - or even several nights - in its parking lots in an effort to boost sales. However, dozens of Americans are more than happy to take advantage of the situation, like in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Here, you can find a real community of Walmart squatters, including both overnighters and people who call these parking lots a temporary home. They sleep in cars, minivans, trucks, and RVs.

American photographer Nolan Conway met with them and took pictures of some this past summer. All agreed that they've bonded over time, not unlike vacationers at a camping site.

Source: Wired

Photo: Nolan Conway / Wired.

The Scuderia Ferrari racing team was founded by Enzo Ferrari on November 16th, 1929, initially to race cars produced by Alfa Romeo.

Scuderia is Italian for a stable reserved for racing horses. As for the logo, the yellow badge represents Enzo Ferrari's hometown of Modena, while the prancing horse is derived from the symbol on World War I ace Francesco Baracca's fighter plane.

Tensions between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo (which sought control of Scuderia Ferrari) led to Ferrari's independence in 1938. The brand started building its own cars -- both for the road and the track -- in 1947.

Source: Wikipedia

Ferrari main entrance in Maranello, Italy. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

According to the paddock grapevine in Austin, Nico Hulkenberg is no longer in the running for the 2014 race seat at Lotus.

Venezuelan oil minister Rafael Ramirez has hinted to the newspaper El Nacional that Pastor Maldonado's PDVSA millions are being switched from Williams to Lotus.

"The team is changing (from Williams) and what he is working on is going to Lotus," said the PDVSA president.

Maldonado confirmed: "We are talking to teams but we are quite clear about where we want to go.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams (Photo: WRi2)

"I believe in the coming days we will have a confirmation," he is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace.

The news of PDVSA's switch to Lotus, whose 'Quantum' investment appears to have fallen over, will also be a blow for Sauber, who recently welcomed Maldonado to Hinwil.

Also assessing his ever-diminishing options is German Hulkenberg, who is now fending off a new and powerful addition to the 2014 driver market -- the Telmex-backed Mexican Sergio Perez.

Force India might now be Hulkenberg's last hope of a 2014 seat, as his current team Sauber muses the possibility of an all-Mexican lineup, featuring Perez alongside Esteban Gutierrez.

"We have several options," team boss Monisha Kaltenborn is quoted by Sport1, "but a team like ours has to consider how it stands financially.

"We have never chosen drivers by nationality," she added. "We are talking about drivers who are both talented."

From press release

Ed Carpenter Racing announced today that Mike Conway has joined the organization as the driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet-powered Dallara Indy car for the road and street course events during the 2014 IndyCar Series. 

Conway, 30, is a two-time IndyCar Series winner with victories in 2011 at Long Beach and 2013 at Detroit.

Ed Carpenter, the IndyCar Series' only team owner/ driver, will continue to pilot the No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet for all of the oval races throughout the 2014 campaign. Carpenter also is a two-time IndyCar Series winner with race wins in 2011 at Kentucky and 2012 at Fontana.

“We couldn't be happier to welcome Mike Conway to the Ed Carpenter Racing family,” said Carpenter

2014 will be Conway's sixth IndyCar season with 60 career starts including his two victories, four podiums, five top-fives and 18 top-10 finishes.