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Ford directors gathering this week are likely to discuss the future plans of CEO Alan Mulally, who is being considered for the top job at Microsoft, according to a person familiar with the board's thinking.

Ford directors gathering this week are likely to discuss the future plans of CEO Alan Mulally, who is being considered for the top job at Microsoft, according to a person familiar with the board's thinking.

Christopher Grundler, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality at the EPA, was promoted last year at a pivotal time.

The Kia Soul has emerged as the last man standing from the carnage in the boxy small-car segment.

BMW sees Europe as the main market for its 4 series and says it is aiming the two-door coupe at ''customers with sporty expectations.''

Kinishi Tanuma took over as chief engineer of Nissan's GT-R sports car this year.

A century after Henry Ford's assembly line in Michigan moved for the first time, among the changes in Ford's vehicle production, none is more dramatic than simply where it takes place.

Title contender Sage Karam is definitely moving closer to the 2013 Indy Lights championship after dominating the event in the streets of Houston, his third win of the current season.

Not only did he capitalized on the title by leading the race from start-to-finish but he also distanced himself from his principals rivals who each had catastrophic afternoons. 

One of them was Carlos Munoz, who came into the weekend just two points behind Karam, but saw his car stop with a mechanical problem midway through the race.

Same thing for Peter Dempsey, who also encountered mechanical issues with three laps remaining.

The need to remove his stricken Team Moore car from the circuit meant that the race finished under yellows, saving Karam the stress of a late restart.

Karam's Schmidt team-mate Gabby Chaves finished second while returnee Conor Daly completed the podium.  

Race 1 results - Indy Lights (Texas, Houston)
Pos  Driver               Team            Time/Gap
1.  Sage Karam           Schmidt      51m35.7969s
2.  Gabby Chaves         Schmidt         +0.3805s
3.  Conor Daly           Moore           +0.6016s
4.  Jorge Goncalvez      Belardi         +1.0579s
5.  Axcil Jefferies      Herta           +2.3354s
6.  Jack Hawksworth      Schmidt         +3.5136s
7.  Giancarlo Serenelli  Belardi         +5.6651s
8.  Juan Pablo Garcia    Belardi          +2 laps

Retirements:
Peter Dempsey        Moore            37 laps
Zach Veach           Andretti         33 laps
Matthew di Leo       MDL/Dragffy      33 laps
Carlos Munoz         Andretti         24 laps

From press release

Jari-Matti Latvala holds a slender lead of four-tenths of a second in Rallye de France following a thrilling day that ended with four drivers covered by five seconds ahead of tomorrow's final leg.

Jari-Matti Latvala, VW Polo R WRC (Photo: WRi2)

Latvala snatched the lead through the final stage tonight to bring his Volkswagen Polo R back to Strasbourg in front of Dani Sordo. The Spaniard lies just 1.1sec clear of Sebastien Ogier, with Sebastien Loeb still chasing victory in his final rally a further 3.5sec adrift.

This 11th round of the WRC blew apart when Thierry Neuville, leading by 13.1sec in a Ford Fiesta RS, slid wide and punctured his rear left tyre in this afternoon's opening stage. He lost nearly 90sec and dropped out of contention to fifth.

Thierry Neuvile Ford Fiesta RS WRC (Photo: WRi2)

It left Sordo in front, but an increasingly confident Latvala gradually reeled in the Citroen DS3 after a day characterised by constantly changing conditions. Drivers encountered fog, rain, and mud this morning, before temporarily drier roads this afternoon offered consistency until the wet weather returned.

“It's incredible the kind of fight we're having,” said Latvala, who has yet to win a stage. “It's one of the greatest rallies I have been involved in. I was perhaps too cautious on a couple of stages but the main thing is I made no mistakes. I've dug out some little things that have been missing from my driving.”

Sordo paid tribute to his rival after the duo fought for tenths of a second throughout the day. “Latvala was really good. I lost time in the last long stage but I'm fighting with the best in the world, so that's very nice,” he said.

Sébastien Ogier, VW Polo R WRC (Photo: WRi2)

After a lacklustre opening day, Ogier was right back on form. He won five of the seven tests in his Polo R to propel himself into the thick of the fight.

Loeb lost a few seconds when his DS3 developed understeer this afternoon but earlier claimed his 900th career stage win.

Sébastien Loeb, Citroën DS3 WRC (Photo: WRi2)

From press release

Sébastien Ogier delivered a masterclass display in treacherous conditions today to win Rally de France - Alsace and bookend a perfect weekend after clinching his maiden drivers' world title on Thursday.

After a lacklustre Friday when the euphoria of Thursday night's title win left him jaded and down in fifth, the Frenchman roared back into contention with a string of stage wins yesterday in his Volkswagen Polo R.

Ogier started today's final leg as one of four drivers chasing victory, covered by just five seconds. But he stamped his authority with a dominant win in the rain-soaked opening stage to build an advantage he managed through to the Strasbourg finish.

He won by 12.2sec from Dani Sordo, revitalised in his Citroen DS3 following his win in Germany in August. Jari-Matti Latvala was a further 7.3sec behind in another Polo R, both having led before Ogier took control.

Photo: VW Motorsport

“There has been so much emotion this weekend,” said Ogier, for whom this was his seventh win of the season. “After the excitement of winning the title on Thursday, it was difficult to get back into the race. But we couldn't stay like that all weekend and decided to react yesterday.

“We pushed to the maximum then and this morning we soon made a gap at the front. Then we had to bring the car home, which wasn't easy in the rain and mud. We started the story from zero with Volkswagen last year, and now we're close to the manufacturers' title as well,” he added.

Sordo led when Thierry Neuville dropped back with a puncture after sliding his Ford Fiesta RS into a kerb yesterday afternoon. Although he could not fend off Ogier, he was happy with second.

Latvala was relieved after a troubled run of rallies. “I didn't make a single mistake here, it was my most consistent rally for a long time. I've had a lot of pressure lately after mistakes in Finland, Germany and Australia and it eats your mind,” he admitted.

There was no fairy tale ending to Sebastien Loeb's WRC career. Having led the opening leg, the Frenchman started today 5.0sec from the top and hopeful of celebrating a 79th victory at the final stage in his home town of Haguenau.

However, he rolled his Citroen DS3 into retirement 1km into the opening test.


“I lost the rear in a fast right corner, and then we had a spin and I finished in the ditch. And that was the race over. I would have preferred to have finished my last rally here, but it didn't go according to plan,” said Loeb.

Neuville's disappointment at missing a maiden WRC win after leading by more than 16sec was huge. But the Belgian recovered to finish fourth, almost a minute behind Latvala, and he remains second in the drivers' standings.

Evgeny Novikov avoided trouble to finish fifth in a Fiesta RS, but the Russian was almost two minutes behind Neuville and frustrated at being unable to find the speed he desired.

An unwell Mikko Hirvonen rarely matched the pace of the frontrunners but, apart from sliding off the road briefly this morning, he made no mistakes in his DS3 to take sixth. Seventh was Andreas Mikkelsen in his first asphalt event in a Polo R with Mads Ostberg eighth in a Fiesta RS, despite losing a minute off the road this morning.

The leaderboard was completed by WRC 2 winner Robert Kubica and Romain Dumas, after Martin Prokop retired his Fiesta RS with broken suspension.

The penultimate round is the mixed surface Rally de Espana on 24 - 27 October.

The stewards of this weekend Korean Grand Prix decided to give Caterham's Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde, and Marussia's Jules Bianchi an official reprimand each.

Pic and Bianchi did not slow down enough under yellow flag conditions. Van der Garde drove too quickly while the safety car was out.

There will be no further action against van der Garde, but Pic and Bianchi, who have accumulated three reprimands, will have to go back 10 places on the grid of the Japanese Grand Prix next week.

Bianchi's second reprimand was for blocking Paul di Resta during Saturday's qualifying session. The first was for missing the weighbridge at Silverstone in June.

Pic's second reprimand was also from Saturday, where it was him who missed the weighbridge. The first was for unsafe driving during free practice at Spa, last August.

Sergio Perez and Adrian Sutil, who were both also under investigation after the Korean Grand Prix, were let off the hook by the stewards.

Model: 2008 to 2013 Cadillac CTS

Vehicle Type: Luxury sedan, wagon or coupe

The Verdict: Though owners love the look and ride of the last-generation CTS, a wide range of well-documented problems (major and minor) mean this is a model to shop for cautiously. Opt for any extra warranty coverage available if you're set on a last-gen CTS or protect yourself with a low-mileage unit with plenty of the Cadillac powertrain warranty remaining.

Price: Due to the wide range of model variants, drivelines and options, Cadillac CTS pricing in the used market varies widely. Older, high-mileage units will likely start in the low teens with newer, loaded, low-mileage units commanding $50,000 or more. Rich selection exists between $20,000 and $40,000.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

What Owners Like: Performance from the larger V6 engine is rated highly, with sophisticated looks, a rich and high-tech cabin layout, AWD confidence and overall ride, handling and performance gaining owner praise as well. Ditto for noise levels and the lengthy list of technology options. This appears to be a car that'll satisfy drivers after comfortable travels with a distinctively sporty side.

What Owners Dislike: Owners of Cadillac CTS models with the smaller engine typically wish for better performance, and many owners say they wish for more rearseat space and a wider opening to the trunk. Many owners of models with AWD report heavy fuel consumption, too.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

History/Description: Classy, high-tech, and placing comparable BMWs and Audis square in its sights, this second-generation CTS expanded from its initial offering as a sedan to include both a Sport Wagon and Coupe variant. All three body styles were available with All-Wheel Drive (AWD).

Most offered the choice between a 3.0L or 3.6L V6 engine. Six-speed transmissions in the driver's choice of manual or automatic were available, depending on the model in question.

All expected high-end options were available, including climate-controlled seats, navigation, and premium audio. Note that CTS models were named “CTS” for two-wheel drive or “CTS4” for AWD. Then, the engine's displacement followed.

The popular up-level 3.6L engine made 304 horsepower early on, and 318 towards the end of the generation. The 3.0L unit made 270 horses.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

Common Issues: Common issues with this generation CTS were numerous. Check out an owner's forum, like www.cadillacforums.com or Google search for “Cadillac CTS Reliability” or “2008 Cadillac CTS Engine Problems” for a more detailed look.

As a rough guideline, the most commonly reported issues include oil consumption, which is well-documented within the online owner's community. Note that not all models were affected and that many owners enjoyed a reliable motoring experience in their CTS -- though shoppers are advised to start a test drive by checking the condition and level of the oil for signs of trouble, nonetheless.

An issue with timing chains and/or camshafts on earlier models means that shoppers should avoid a 2008 or 2009 model without opting for extended powertrain warranty coverage as a minimum.

Have the brake system and rear differential inspected by a Cadillac technician, as several owners reported premature wear and failure of these components, respectively.

Avoid a model that exhibits any signs of rough shifting or slippage from the transmission, and be sure that all electronic interior components function properly. Pay special attention to the power seats, the navigation and the stereo as these are reported somewhat frequently to fail.

Address any “Check Engine” lights that may be present, too. Other concerns include interior squeaks and rattles, especially from the rear parcel shelf, and weather stripping that creates wind noise on coupe models.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

From GMM

Esteban Gutierrez is finally beginning to make a mark, after shedding his "conservative" approach to formula one.

When it became clear Sauber intends to field the teenager Sergey Sirotkin in 2014, many insiders said pairing him with the struggling Mexican Gutierrez made no sense.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has struggled throughout his rookie F1 season, but suddenly in Singapore he broke into the 'Q3' qualifying segment for the first time.

And this weekend in Korea, he qualified a new career-best of eighth and finished just short of his first point, in 11th, as it becomes clear Pirelli's steel-belted tyres suit the formerly-languishing 2013 Sauber.

Gutierrez has found a lot of speed (Photo: WRi2)

But Gutierrez says he has undergone a radical change too.

"I said it in Singapore," he told Spain's Marca newspaper. "Once you know you can do it, especially when you were coming from a critical moment, it is a drastic change.

So what has changed?

"My whole approach to the entire weekend," Gutierrez explained. "I was very conservative, obviously because I was a rookie and I wanted to build from something reasonable.

"There came a point where maybe I had turned to being automatically conservative," he added.

"(Then) you get to those moments with pressure or difficulty, and you do not see a solution, and then you manage to change it, it becomes very powerful," said Gutierrez.

"It makes you much stronger," he insisted.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel's dominance is not likely to suddenly end.

That is the claim of Mercedes boss Ross Brawn's, amid suggestions from Red Bull that Sebastian Vettel's crushing dominance in Singapore might have been exaggerated.

Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary, seems to agree. Before the Korean Grand Prix, he warned that only "a gust of seriously bad luck or a typhoon" could blow Vettel off course.

Indeed, Cary was right: Vettel cruised to a fourth consecutive win on Sunday, moving him to his first 'match point' of a fourth consecutive title.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB9, Korean International Circuit (Photo: WRi2)

If Alonso finishes lower than eighth on Sunday at Suzuka, and Vettel wins a fifth consecutive race, the German will wrap up the championship with four races still in his pocket.

That prospect doesn't seem to please Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who could only manage fifth in Yeongam.

"I can imagine it's frustrating for the audience," the Briton told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"There is a car that gets to the line 30 seconds before the others, and so the viewers aren't seeing any real racing or a wheel-to-wheel battle.

"Of course it's boring for them if they know after the start what's going to happen," he added.

From ALMS.com

After battling Dyson Racing throughout the opening two hours, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing dominated the final 45 minutes to score its eighth consecutive American Le Mans Series victory, with Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf winning Saturday's Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway.

Quick work in the pits gave Luhr the lead under an extended caution. He pulled away on the restart in the No. 6 HPD ARX-03c and beat Dyson Racing's Guy Smith to the checkered flag by 22.846 seconds to score his 49th career ALMS victory.

In the P2 class, Ryan Briscoe beat Scott Sharp to the checkered flag by 15.317 seconds for his fourth victory of the season, joining seven-time winner Scott Tucker in the No. 551 Level 5 Motorsports Siemens/Alpina Watches/Ohiya Casino Resort HPD ARX-03b.

Sharp finished second with Anthony Lazzaro in the No. 01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Tequila Patrón HPD ARX-03b, followed by Level 5's Stefan Johansson, Marino Franchitti and Guy Cosmo in the team's No. 552 entry.

Entering the finale, Franchitti unofficially leads Cosmo by four points (154-150), followed by Tucker with 149 points and Sharp with 143.

In GT, Matteo Malucelli pulled away over the closing laps to give Risi Competizione its first ALMS victory since Road America in 2011. It was Malucelli's first career victory in ALMS competition, and co-driver Olivier Beretta's 43rd.

Patrick Long and co-driver Colin Braun finished second ahead of GT points co-leaders Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 for Corvette Racing.

Magnussen and Garcia extended their lead in the championship to 16 points, 125-109, over Dirk Muller, who finished fourth at VIR in the No. 56 BMW North America/Crowne Plaza BMW Z4 GTE alongside co-driver Joey Hand.

While the driver championship is still up for grabs with 24 points available to the race winner in the season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, the third-place run by Magnussen and Garcia was enough to clinch the ALMS GT team championship for Corvette Racing and the manufacturer's championship for Chevrolet.

A first-time winner at the most recent race in Austin, Texas, Kyle Marcelli and Chris Cumming scored their second consecutive Prototype Challenge victory.

In the GT Challenge (GTC) category, No. 66 Port Lavaca Group/Viper Exchange/Adobe Road Winery Porsche 911 GT3 Cup co-drivers Damien Faulkner and Ben Keating parlayed their second consecutive class pole position into their second consecutive victory.

Race results - ALMS (Virginia International Raceway)
1 - Graf/Luhr (HPD ARX-03c) - Pickett - 84 laps
2 - Mowlem/Smith (Lola B12/60 Mazda) - Dyson - 84
3 - Tucker/Briscoe (HPD ARX-03b) - Level 5 - 83
4 - Sharp/Lazzaro (HPD ARX-03b) - ExtremeSpeed - 83
5 - Franchitti-Cosmo-Johansson (HPD ARX-03b) - Level 5 - 83
6 - Marcelli/Cumming (Oreca FLM09) - BAR1 - 81
7 - Bennett/Kimber-Smith (Oreca FLM09) - CORE - 81
8 - Mitchell/French (Oreca FLM09) - BAR1 - 81
9 - Beretta/Malucelli (Ferrari 458) - Risi - 80
10 - Long/Braun (Porsche 997) - PR1 - 79
11 - Magnussen/Garcia (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 79
12 - Mueller/Hand (BMW Z4) - Rahal - 79
13 - Auberlen/Martin (BMW Z4) - Rahal - 79
14 - Gavin/Milner (Corvette ZR1) - Corvette - 79
15 - Goossens/Farnbacher (SRT Viper) - SRT - 79
16 - Henzler/Sellers (Porsche 997) - Falken - 79
17 - Bomarito/Wittmer (SRT Viper) - SRT - 77
18 - Keating/Faulkner (Porsche 997 Cup) - TRG - 75
19 - MacNeil/Bleekemolen (Porsche 997 Cup) - Alex Job - 75
20 - Cisneros-Edwards (Porsche 997 Cup) - NGT - 75
21 - Hedlund/Heylen (Porsche 997 Cup) - JDX - 75
22 - Neiman/Von Moltke (Porsche 911) - PR1 - 75
23 - Dempsey/Lally (Porsche 997 Cup) - Demsey/DelPiero - 75
24 - Canache/Pumpelly (Porsche 997 Cup) - FlyingLizard - 73
25 - Nunez/Booth (Oreca FLM09) - Preformance Tech - 73
26 - Guasch/Cameron (Oreca FLM09) - PR1 - 69
27 - VD Zande/Schultis (Oreca FLM09) - PR1 - 67
28 - Sweedler/Bell (Ferrari 458) - Alex Job - 67
29 - Miller/Holzer (Porsche 997) - Miller - 50
30 - Cisneros/Germaziak (Porsche 997 Cup) - NGT - 47
31 - Meyrick/Legge (DeltaWing) - Panoz - 40
32 - Brown/Van Overbeek (HPD ARX-03b) - ExtremeSpeed - 31

From GMM

Mark Webber has joined his friend Fernando Alonso in delivering a blistering attack on F1 tire supplier Pirelli.

Ferrari's Alonso said on Saturday the "quality" of the Italian marque's 2013 products are "very on the edge", to which Pirelli boss Paul Hembery hit back.

"I can only suggest he goes to ask the soon-to-be four time champion how to get the best from the same tires," said Hembery.

It is believed Hembery approached Alonso on Sunday and apologised for the harsh rebuke, but after the Korean grand prix Pirelli was fighting on another front.

Before retiring with a spectacular KERS fire after a crash on Sunday, Red Bull's Webber suffered a tire puncture, caused by the debris of what the Australian described as Sergio Perez's tire "explosion".

Mark Webber, Red Bull RB9 (Photo: WRi2)

Webber accused Pirelli of being unconcerned about driver safety.

"I think I got a Pirelli puncture from a Pirelli tire," he lamented.

Pirelli entered F1 with a brief to spice up the racing by supplying tires that degrade quickly. On Sunday, a frustrated Lewis Hamilton said on the radio he lost ground with a set that was "f****d".

"It's strange, you know," the Briton said afterwards. "Me and Fernando in fifth and sixth at the end having our own little race, yet we are of a higher calibre than that."

And Webber is quoted by the BBC: "The drivers aren't super important (to Pirelli) -- it is what other people want."

Target Chip Ganassi Scott Dixon won the first race of the doubleheader presented in the streets of Houston, taking him within reach of the the lead for the IndyCar championship.

Dixon had been following closely behind leader Will Power (Team Penske) before being able to take the lead when the Australian was delayed in the pits.

Both leaders remained glued to each other but Dixon took advantage of the fact that he made his last stop under a yellow; rejoining the race in third behind Power and Luca Filippi (Herta Motorsport), both of whom still had a stop to make.

After that, Dixon was able to create a gap over Simona de Silvestro (KV Racing) who had been running in the top 5 all afternoon.

The Kiwi was flying to the finish line when an incident involving Mike Conway with three laps to go, forced the race to finish under yellows.

Dixon's win along with the misfortunes of series' leader Helio Castroneves shrunk the Brazilian advantage from 49 points to only eight.

Castroneves was marred by a gearbox problem. He later lost more time to an array of minor incidents.

de Silvestro finished second, her first ever IndyCar podium followed by Dale Coyne's Justin Wilson.

Simon Pagenaud was fourth while Josef Newgarden (Sarah Fisher) completed the top five.

Race 1 results - Houston, Texas (IndyCar)
1 - Scott Dixon (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Ganassi - 90 laps
2 - Simona de Silvestro (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - KV - 0"878
3 - Justin Wilson (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Coyne - 2"143
4 - Simon Pagenaud (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Schmidt - 3"549
5 - Josef Newgarden (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Fisher - 4"229
6 - James Jakes (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Rahal - 5"461
7 - Graham Rahal (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Rahal - 6"098
8 - Sebastien Bourdais (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Dragon - 6"894
9 - Ernesto Viso (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Andretti - 8"187
10 - Luca Filippi (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Herta - 9"305
11 - Charlie Kimball (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Ganassi - 9"962
12 - Will Power (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 10"645
13 - Marco Andretti (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Andretti - 11"143
14 - Sebastian Saavedra (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Dragon - 1 lap
15 - Dario Franchitti (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Ganassi - 1 lap
16 - Mike Conway (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Rahal - 5 laps
17 - Takuma Sato (Dallara DW12-Honda) - Foyt - 8 laps
18 - Helio Castroneves (Dallara DW12-Chevy) - Penske - 10 laps

Retirements
Lap 63 - Oriol Servia
Lap 57 - Ryan Hunter Reay
Lap 34 - Tony Kanaan
Lap 32 - Tristan Vautier
Lap 30 - Ed Carpenter
Lap 1 - James Hinchcliffe

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) clinched a fourth consecutive win, this weekend at the Korean Grand Prix, by leading the two Lotus drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to the flag in Yeongam.

Podium of the 2013 Korean GP (Photo: WRi2)

Vettel steered clear of all incidents throughout the race, despite his lead being wiped away twice by the safety car.

The safety car paces the field (Photo: WRi2)

Grosjean, who will likely take over as team leader from Raikkonen at the end of the season, wasted no time getting around Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) at the start, to put himself into second position.

He remained at the front until the second restart, as Raikkonen overtook him for second. The Finn started only 10th, but a mixture of smart pit stops, great race craft and a little bit of luck helped him to the podium.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

A number of incidents kept everyone behind the leading trio entertained until the end, starting with Felipe Massa's (Ferrari) spin in the very first corner of the race.

Some of the action was also down the controversial Pirelli rubber, like Sergio Perez's (McLaren) blowout, which triggered the first intervention of the safety car.

Mark Webber (Red Bull) too played his part. After a good start from 13th, he drove over debris from the Perez incident and picked up a puncture. Not long after rejoining the track, he was collected by a spinning Adrian Sutil (Force India).

Mark Webber's happy with the parking spot he found (Photo: WRi2)

The incident damaged his KERS system, which set his RB9 on fire. This almost caused a bigger incident, as the fire crew intervened before the safety car had the pack under control.

Throughout all this, Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) raced his way to another great result, as he brilliantly held off Hamilton and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) to finish fourth.

Nico Hulkenberg holds off Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso (Photo: WRi2)

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Jenson Button (McLaren) and Massa followed in the order, while Perez clawed his way back to 10th to deny fellow countryman Esteban Gutierrez his first finish in the points.

Race results* - Korean Grand Prix (Yeongam)
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 55 laps 1.43'13"701
2 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 4"224
3 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 4"927
4 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 24"114
5 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 25"255
6 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 26"189
7 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W04) - 26"698
8 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 32"262
9 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 34"390
10 - Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 35"155
11 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 35"990
12 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 47"049
13 - Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 50"013
14 - Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'03"578
15 - Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'04"501
16 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'07"970
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'12"898

Fastest lap of the race: 1'41"380 (Sebastian Vettel)

Retirements
Lap 53 - Jean Eric Vergne
Lap 52 - Daniel Ricciardo
Lap 50 - Adrian Sutil
Lap 36 - Mark Webber
Lap 24 - Paul Di Resta

Drivers' championship
1.Vettel 272; 2.Alonso 195; 3.Raikkonen 167; 4.Hamilton 161; 5.Webber 130; 6.Rosberg 122; 7.Massa 89; 8.Grosjean 72; 9.Button 58; 10.Di Resta 36; 11.Hulkenberg 31; 12.Sutil 26; 13.Perez 23; 14.Ricciardo 18; 15.Vergne 13; 16.Maldonado 1.

Constructors' championship
1.Red Bull-Renault 402; 2.Ferrari 284; 3.Mercedes 283; 4.Lotus-Renault 239; 5.McLaren-Mercedes 81; 6.Force India-Mercedes 62; 7.Sauber-Ferrari, Toro Rosso-Ferrari 31; 9.Williams-Renault 1

*Unofficial scoring

Photo: WRi2

EU governments delayed for a third time a target to cut average CO2 emissions from Europe's new-car fleet to 95g/km after lobbying from Germany on behalf of its automakers.

Renault started construction of a plant in Algeria to expand its presence in North Africa where car sales are expected to rise by more than 100,000 in the next two years.