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From GMM

Adrian Newey chose overcast Silverstone over smoggy Shanghai for the weekend of the Chinese grand prix.

Speed Week reports that Red Bull's technical boss was not on the Shanghai pitwall on Sunday because he was actually trackside at Silverstone.

It is at the British grand prix venue that the season opener of the world endurance sports car championship (WEC) is taking place, and Newey has been spotted chatting with Red Bull's newly-retired driver Mark Webber.

Mark Webber, Porsche 919 hybrid (Photo: Porsche)

This weekend, Australian Webber is kicking off his new career as Porsche's lead prototype driver.

"It was just a shorter journey to Silverstone than it was to Shanghai," a smiling Newey explained.

From GMM

The fuel supplied by French oil giant Total could be causing Red Bull's repeated problems with the mandatory fuel flow sensor in 2014.

It emerges that in qualifying in Shanghai, the reigning world champions struck trouble with the Gill-supplied device yet again.

To avoid a Melbourne-style disqualification, Red Bull reportedly adhered to an interim agreement reached with the governing FIA to revert to other measurements in the event of a sensor failure.

In the meantime, the search for the problem continues.

Speed Week correspondent Matthias Brunner has quoted the FIA's technical expert Fabrice Lom as explaining that the Total-supplied fuel is probably the culprit.

"On the sensor there is a seal that the chemical composition of the Total fuel could be damaging," Lom reportedly said.

"If this is happening, then the sensor would not work correctly."

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull RB10 (Photo: WRi2)

Less clear, however, is why the Total fuel is damaging mainly Red Bull's sensors, rather than the ones used by the other three Renault-powered teams.

Meanwhile, it appears Red Bull is not ready to forgive rival Mercedes, after the German team called on the reigning world champions to be banned for three races for appealing Daniel Ricciardo's Melbourne disqualification.

Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda on Saturday made a peace-offering in the form of a Sachertorte, a famous recipe of Vienna chocolate cake.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko told Bild: "He thinks everything is over with a cake.

"I think the next time he wants to eat with us, he should put on a bulletproof vest."

From GMM

Ousted boss Martin Whitmarsh could walk away from McLaren with a $10 million payout.

Last month, when Eric Boullier became the British team's new chief in the wake of supremo Ron Dennis' return to power, it was rumoured Whitmarsh agreed not to speak to the media while his contract payout is negotiated.

"Martin is a friend," Dennis said in March. "Some decisions you take in life are not that easy, and I will not elaborate."

Britain's Daily Mail now reports that while Whitmarsh's severance package is still being negotiated, it is "likely" to be around $10 million.

Correspondent Jonathan McEvoy said the figure is more than $400,000 for each of the 24 years Whitmarsh served at McLaren.

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone will lean heavily on the help of a 44-year-old woman when his corruption trial begins next week in Germany.

The F1 chief executive has already admitted he will need extra help when he is tied up in court for two days of every week in a bid to stay out of jail.

Britain's Daily Mail newspaper revealed that the person to whom the 83-year-old Briton's load will fall is Australian Sacha Woodward-Hill, already F1's chief legal officer.

"She has been involved in every major deal of recent years and holds 17 directorships in formula one-connected businesses," said correspondent Jonathan McEvoy.

An insider confirmed: "He (Ecclestone) will rely on her more than ever while the court stuff is going on. She'll be Bernie's rock."

Ecclestone, whose trial begins next Thursday, is not in China this weekend.

Ford is showing a seven-seat, mid-sized SUV concept at the Beijing auto show that previews a new vehicle to tap booming demand for crossovers in China.

The

BMW's Vision Future Luxury concept car closely previews a new brand flagship that will go on sale in global markets called the 9 series.

BMW's Vision Future Luxury concept car closely previews a new brand flagship that will go on sale in global markets called the 9 series.

McLaren will stick to building sports cars and ruled out following rivals such as Lamborghini, Bentley and Maserati that are adding SUVs to their lineups.

Rolls-Royce will probably post a fifth consecutive year of record sales, helped by demand in China and Japan, CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said. Sales also may rise in Russia this year, he added.

Fiat plans to begin making Jeeps in China, the brand's second-largest market, by late 2015 after reaching an agreement with local partner Guangzhou Automobile. Fiat will produce three new Jeep vehicles in the southern city of Guangzhou.

News 19 Apr, 2014

Citroen wants to move the DS brand further away from Citroen, with bespoke advertising and more luxurious showrooms

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Citroen CEO reveals HybridAir cuts economy by 30 per cent, and other manufacturers could get the tech

Volkswagen forecast that its sales in China will increase 10 percent or more in 2014, signaling that it will outsell General Motors in the world's biggest auto market for a second straight year.

This is the Volkswagen Golf R400, VW's spectacular new 395-hp version of the seventh-generation Golf. Unveiled at the

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's decision not to sell the DS 6WR compact crossover in Europe is strange.

Lear Corp. wants motorists to sit up straight. The seat maker is developing a "smart" seat that adjusts itself automatically to correct a motorist's posture, important for comfort on long trips.

When AutoNation fully rolls out its so-called digital storefront, the following scenario may not be all that far-fetched.

Discussions between the NHTSA and GM went back and forth for months, and GM eventually sent out two batches of recall notices to owners of about 7,000 cars.