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From GMM

As Lotus firms up its plans for 2015, Romain Grosjean's future is looking clouded.

It was already known that, when Pastor Maldonado and his lucrative backer PDVSA switched from Williams to Lotus for the 2014 season, it was the beginning of more than a single-year deal.

"I don't want to give too much away," the Enstone team's owner Gerard Lopez said late on Saturday, "but as it's halfway through the season I can confirm 50 per cent of our driver lineup for 2015 as Pastor is with us for next year."

That is despite the fact the Venezuelan has yet to score a single point in a black and gold car, while teammate Grosjean has eight in his account.

On Maldonado, Lopez continued: "Despite the difficulties we've had so far this season, he recognises our true potential as a team and we recognise his true potential as a driver. We will achieve great things together."

In total contrast, Grosjean's future is uncertain.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus E22 (Photo: WRi2)

We reported recently that the Frenchman might struggle to hang onto the seat for 2015.

His manager, Eric Boullier, is now the boss at McLaren, and it is expected that the strongly Grosjean-linked Renault and Total will not be part of the Lotus package beyond this season.

"I've been here for a little bit," the 28-year-old said earlier in July, "and I know the team very well, but I want to win races as well, so things are open."

In a much more comfortable situation than Grosjean is Williams' Valtteri Bottas, who is riding a wave of form and sure to remain with the Grove team in 2015.

"He looks at the moment like he is a future world champion," Williams deputy boss Claire Williams told the Guardian.

Bottas agreed: "As a team, we are on the right road -- that's the goal of us together, to be world champion one day, and it would be really great to achieve it at Williams."

From press release

Bouncing back from his first retirement of the season in Silverstone, German Nico Rosberg took a dominant home victory in Hockenheim.

Rosberg started from pole and led all the way to the checkered flag to score his fourth win of the season.

Nico Rosberg (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

His Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton recovered from the qualifying accident that left him 20th on the starting grid to claim the last step of the podium behind Williams' Valtteri Bottas, making it an all Mercedes top 3.

Everybody expected the Bracley based team to struggle without the "Fric" suspensions, but Hockenheim proved the W05 is still the best car on the grid.

Celebrations after a double podium for Mercedes (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

"Before the race I was worried that without the Fric system the gap in the race would be smaller," said Rosberg. "But we were again the quickest out there"

"I can't be too ecstatic about the race because it has been a tough weekend for me," added Hamilton.

"I've ultimately lost more points to Nico in the championship battle. But I'm grateful that I could limit the damage with a podium finish.

"When you are sitting on the grid basically in last place, with no other cars in your mirrors, it's very hard to imagine that you could be standing up there two hours later."

Race results* - German Grand Prix (round 10 of 19)
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 67 laps 1.33'42"914
2 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 20"789
3 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 22"530
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 44"014
5 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 52"467
6 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 52"549
7 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'04"178
8 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'24"711
9 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1 lap
10 - Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1 lap
11 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1 lap
12 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1 lap
13 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1 lap
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1 lap
15 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1 lap
16 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 2 laps
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 2 laps
18 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 2 laps

Fastest lap of the race: 1'19"908 by Lewis Hamilton

Retirements
Adrian Sutil
Daniil Kvyat
Romain Grosjean
Felipe Massa

Drivers' championship
1.Rosberg 190; 2.Hamilton 176; 3.Ricciardo 106; 4.Alonso 97; 5.Bottas 91; 6.Vettel 82; 7.Hulkenberg 69; 8.Button 59; 9.Magnussen 37; 10.Massa 30; 11.Perez 29; 12.Raikkonen 19; 13.Vergne 9; 14.Grosjean 8; 15.Kvyat 6; 16.Bianchi 2.

Constructors' championship
1.Mercedes 366; 2.Red Bull-Renault 188; 3.Williams-Mercedes 121; 4.Ferrari 116; 5.Force India-Mercedes 98; 6.McLaren-Mercedes 96; 7.Toro Rosso-Renault 15; 8.Lotus-Renault 8; 9.Marussia-Ferrari 2.

*Unofficial results

From GMM

Fernando Alonso sounds underwhelmed, having been told of Ferrari's bold plans to push him to the very front of the grid in 2015.

As arguably the best driver in F1, Spaniard Alonso is always a centrepiece of the 'silly season', but this year there are real signs his patience with the Maranello team is finally ending.

He has been linked with a move to his former team, McLaren, who are switching to works Honda power next year with the biggest budget in its history.

But it emerged at Hockenheim that, last week, Alonso was shown Ferrari's plans for a major improvement in 2015.

"I hope the presentation I put his way impressed him, but you should ask him that!" said technical director James Allison.

Predictably, Alonso was indeed asked -- and Ferrari might not like the answer.

"I've been in formula one for fourteen years," he said. "I've heard a lot of plans.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14 T (Photo: Ferrari)

"In July and August each team is very strong, in November they're even better and by January they're dominating.

"But only in February are the facts on the table," Alonso insisted, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Spain's Diario AS also quoted Alonso as saying at Hockenheim: "Only two or three teams can win races. You would need a crystal ball to know what will happen next year.

"What Mercedes has shown is that it can be fast and dominant in this new era of F1, while we have not worked well enough with the new rules.

"But it's not like other years where everything was more or less on the limit. I think the step between the cars of 2014 and 2015 will be much bigger than what we saw in the past.

"That is the big hope we have, but everyone in July will have the same hopes as well," said Alonso.

GM ordered Cadillac dealers to stop selling some versions of the CTS because the automaker does not have a fix yet for cars recalled in late June over an issue where engines can be shut off if the driver's knee bumps the ignition key.

Japan's government will offer at least $19,700 in subsidies to speed up the introduction of fuel-cell vehicles coming to market from Toyota and Honda.

ZF Friedrichshafen believes buying TRW Automotive would give it a better foothold in the market for self-driving and connected cars, its finance chief told a German paper.

Volkswagen's e-Golf has all the makings of a "compliance car" -- a vehicle whose sole purpose is to satisfy clean-air regulations in California and other states mandating the sale of zero-emission vehicles.

The changing perception among some of GM CEO Mary Barra's toughest critics suggests that she is maneuvering GM out of the worst of the recall crisis.

South Carolina became the nation's leading tire producer in the fourth quarter last year with estimated daily output of 89,000 tires, edging Oklahoma's 88,000 units.

From GMM

Even with no car running the technology at Hockenheim, 'Fric' was the buzzword at the scene of the German grand prix.

Some see the end of the 'front and rear interconnected' suspension systems as a chance for dominant Mercedes' rivals to close the gap.

Indeed, Williams looked close in qualifying, as Bottas joined pole-sitter Rosberg on the front row, with teammate Massa a close third.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg agreed: "It seems that we are still fast, which is the most important thing."

The Brackley based team is undoubtedly unhappy, however, that what is effectively a mid-season 'ban' has fallen on a crucial piece of its 2014 package.

But Ferrari technical director James Allison made clear he supports the removal of Fric.

The Maranello based team is fighting hard to convince Fernando Alonso to stick with Ferrari rather than look around for a new team.

It is rumoured at Hockenheim that, last week, the Spaniard was shown the plan for a major improvement in 2015, including a bigger turbo unit for the underpowered V6 engine.

"Kimi (Raikkonen) is quite new to our team," said Allison, "Fernando has had some years with Ferrari but has not yet achieved the goals he wanted.

"I hope the presentation I put his way impressed him, but you should ask him that!" he added.

From GMM

Niki Lauda wants formula one to think urgently about what is turning off the fans in 2014.

Big crowds were buzzing in Austria and Silverstone recently, but it was impossible not to notice some almost completely empty grandstands at Hockenheim on Friday.

The sport's reigning champion Sebastian Vettel was born just 40 kilometres away, while another German is leading this year's title in a dominant Mercedes, within memory of the heady Michael Schumacher mania.

"It's not satisfying," Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had to admit on Friday.

"We have to analyse the phenomenon. If the weekend continues like it does now, we need to think about it," he said.

Italy's Autosprint quoted a F1 source as explaining that the issue this weekend is that the German public is at saturation point after world cup euphoria.

But Mercedes' F1 chairman, Niki Lauda, has another theory.

"Formula one is seeing a serious cultural change," he told Die Welt newspaper.

"The audience wants to watch sport in a different way than before, due to the rapid growth of the new means of communication.

Photo: Hockenheim-Ring

"It is logical that the young people of today have other priorities. Everything in the world is changing, but only formula one is staying where it was," said Lauda.

The F1 legend, therefore, thinks that one big problem is too many and complex rules, but also the fact that Bernie Ecclestone is steadfastly sticking to the old TV broadcast model.

"Young people do not want to stay at home on Sunday when the sun is shining to sit in the lounge with their father for two hours.

"The problem is that today, there is no alternative. You can't just sit on the beach and watch the race highlights on your smartphone," he said.

Lauda also said F1 has simply lost some of its appeal on the human level.

"We have a generation of drivers that, if they were not wearing their racing overalls, you would simply walk past some of them and not notice," he said, referring to the general lack of "charisma" compared to the past.

"The 'formula one system' is to supervise, monitor, regulate. But we must again have the drivers, not the bureaucrats, in the foreground.

"If we continue like this, no one will be bothered about formula one anymore. It's five minutes to twelve," Lauda warned.

There's a reedy snarl characteristic of most Honda engines during full-throttle, high-rpm operation. It's a noise that results from a combination of the engine's valvetrain, intake system, exhaust manifold design and other factors. You'll hear it, if you listen closely, whether you're in an Accord V6 Coupe, a Civic Si, or maybe, something like a Formula F race-car, which runs a Honda Fit engine in the back.

The same engine, to be exact, that's bolted between the front wheels of my 2008 Honda Fit. A few modifications sure, such as a special race-ready oiling system and mechanical throttle. They're needed in the lightweight, open-wheel formula car but inside, the guts of the engine are the same. Delightful thought, that the engine in my little Fit is fit for race-car duty.

A key reason why? Durability.

Photo: John Walker

Marc Sours, Chief Engineer at Honda Performance Development (HPD), comments “durability is important in a motorsports setting. It means more time between rebuilds, added confidence from the racing team, and the ability for the driver to focus more on driving”.

Sours heads up a special racing technologies group within Honda that works to adapt motorsports technologies to the road, and vice versa, through innovation and real-world testing. Using a factory stock Honda Fit engine in a racing car designed for extensive use at full throttle and redline is just one example of his team's work.

He explains what racing means to Honda, and his team.

“Honda's founder built his first track before the company had ever built a four-wheeled car. Racing was seen as a way to develop the company. It's foundational to Honda. It made Honda unique'.

All of this is driven by a guiding principle formed long ago that's still alive and well today. Whether the product is a road car that'll be passed from family member to family member, or prototype racing car, it's a goal of reliable performance that guides the way. Testing engines, parts and technologies in motorsports is one way to help ensure that reliable performance.

Photo: John Walker

For instance, a version of the direct injection system now found in many Honda Accord models was used in Honda's Indy Car engine in 2012. Different parts, sure, but same underlying technology.

Another example is the twin-turbo V6 prototype engine created as a collaboration between Honda and HPD.

“The rules were changed in 2010” Sours explains.

“To run LMP2 class, we needed to use a stock block—something from a car we already had on the road”.

Honda's 3.5-litre V6 engine provided that block, as well as many of its internals, unchanged. Twin turbocharging was added, and the engine set off to power a series of racing cars to great success.

“We were the first manufacturer to win championships under that new stock block rule” said Sours. “We did 3,000 miles of racing. The engines lasted a long time—and that's on many stock parts. With this engine, Honda won their first races in 2011, winning all 5 ALMS LMP2 class races we participated in. And it helped keep running costs down, too”.

A further testament to the durability of Honda' racing engines lies in the Indy Car series where during 5 years Honda was the sole engine supplier for the race cars. In that time, there were no engine failures.

So, much as they do on the road, Honda engines stack up as a sound business decision in racing for their low running costs and worry-free operation. That's especially important for up-and-coming racers, and track-day enthusiasts alike.

Photo: John Walker

Canadian race-car driver extraordinaire James Hinchcliffe was once an up-and-coming racer concerned with durability and operating costs. He offers some advice for the thousands of young drivers using their factory-built Hondas in motorsports in their spare time and how to maintain that durability.

“The basics are so easy” he says. “You can't hurt an engine by changing the oil too often, and it's important if you're racing. So, over-change it. Brake fluid, too. Brakes are so important—so monitor them throughout the day, in terms of pads and fluid. And use a high-quality fuel because that keeps things clean and running properly inside of the engine, which can reduce costs down the line”.

Hinchcliffe also suggests keeping running costs low by avoiding un-necessary modifications.

“Forget suspension upgrades, brake upgrades or power upgrades until you can absolutely push your car to its limit on the track” he says. “Otherwise, you're just adding to a pile that you're not really on top of. An extra set of track tires is a great idea though—it's a great upgrade, plus, you don't risk driving home on tires that are worn down from the track”.

“Until you have a big sponsor paying the bills, budget is important. And so is a reliable car that's easy to work on, and easy to keep on the road, or track”.

From GMM

Susie Wolff admits expecting to land a race seat for 2015 is "not realistic".

After breaking down at Silverstone two weeks ago, the 31-year-old Scot enjoyed a bit more track time ahead of the German grand prix on Friday at the wheel of Valtteri Bottas' Williams.

Even she does not deny the PR factor in her two race weekend appearances this year, nor the fact that her husband - Williams co-owner and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff - has helped her on her way.

Even so, Wolff was on the pace at Hockenheim, lapping just two tenths off Felipe Massa's best time.

Susie Wolff (Photo: WRi2)

But she will not be reappearing on any other Friday mornings in 2014, the Grove based team has confirmed.

So the "million dollar question" - as Wolff herself puts it - is what comes next for potentially F1's first female race driver for more than two decades?

She admits a 2015 seat with Williams is a long shot.

"Given the performances of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas," fluent German speaker Wolff is quoted by the Austrian press agency APA, "that is not realistic."

From press release

Tristan DeGrand, of Eureka, MO continues to re-write the record books in both the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and the new Super Series.

Brandon Newey of Carmel, IN quickly adapted to the Toyo R888 tires and lead most of the session. DeGrand waited until the very last lap to jump to the top of the board with a best time of 1:20.159.

Newey will start 2nd, just a tenth off the pole. Michel Bonnet starts 3rd with a lap of 1:20.481. Chase Pelletier and returning Series Champion Jack Mitchell, Jr. round out the top 5

The top 10 were separated by just a second.

“I just love this racetrack,” said a jubilant DeGrand. “I just got more and more confident with the car as the session wore on and everything came together for me on that last lap. I can't wait to race tomorrow.”

The “B” Class has a new man up front. David Graham of Barrie, ON grabs his first series pole with a best lap of 1:22.137. Amy Castell starts 2nd with a lap of 1:22.593.

B Class points leader Connor Wagland came to the pits just a little early and will have to settle for a 3rd place start position with a lap of 1:22.821. Steve Bodrug and Mike Lee will round out the top 5

The first race of the F1600 Duals presented by Lubrico Warranty will take place Saturday at 9:15 pm.

From press release

Nico Rosberg took an easy pole position, Saturday ahead of the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, as his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the qualifying session.

The two drivers usually have themselves as main opponents in the fight for pole, but this time Hamilton was taken out by a brake failure in Q1. The Brit was going in Turn 13 with his right front disc let go.

He crashed heavily and was sore from the impact. But he will be available to race on Sunday.

Mercedes is investigating what happened, having fitted a new set of discs just this morning.

"It's just not acceptable to have a brake disc fail in that way after we fitted a new set this morning," said Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff. "We have to find out what we do about it. We will assess the car and see what the damage is in the end."

Rosberg, whose Mercedes W05 was fitted with different brake material, is joined on the front row by Williams' Valtteri Bottas.

"The car was feeling great today," said the Finn. "The Mercedes are still a bit quicker than us, but we are going to work hard tomorrow to get in front but it will be difficult."

Qualifying results* - German Grand Prix (round 10 of 19)
1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1'16"540 - Q3
2.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'16"759 - Q3
3.Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'17"078 - Q3
4.Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'17"214 - Q3
5.Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'17"273 - Q3
6.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'17"577 - Q3
7.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'17"649 - Q3
8.Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'17"965 - Q3
9.Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'18"014 - Q3
10.Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'18"035 - Q3
11.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'18"193 - Q2
12.Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'18"273 - Q2
13.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'18"285 - Q2
14.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'18"983 - Q2
15.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1'18"683 - no time - Q2 ***
16.Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'19"142 - Q1
17.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'18"787 - Q2 **
18.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'19"676 - Q1
19.Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'20"195 - Q1
20.Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'20"408 - Q1
21.Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'20"489 - Q1
22.Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - no time - Q1

*Unofficial results
**Three-place grid penalty
*** Hamilton may have to start from the pitlane after his crash

From IndyCar.com

Nearly seven years had passed since Sebastien Bourdais claimed his last Indy car pole.

That streak, covering 54 starts for the four-time CART champion, ended July 19 as the driver of the No. 11 KVSH Racing car earned the Verizon P1 Award for Race 1 of the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader.

Bourdais' final lap of 58.9479 seconds (107.179 mph) on the 1.755-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place in the 10-minute Firestone Fast Six session supplanted Will Power (59.1025) for his first pole start since Assen on Sept. 2, 2007 in the Champ Car race.

Bourdais celebrates his first pole in 54 starts (Photo: Chris Jones/IndyCar.com)

Bourdais is the 10th different Verizon Pole Award winner in the 13 Verizon IndyCar Series races, and he tied Michael Andretti for eighth all time with his 32nd pole.

Bourdais' next task is to secure his first Indy car victory since Nov. 11, 2007, at Mexico City. He won at Toronto in 2004 and was twice a podium finisher in 2013.

“It's a bit of casino race here. Anything can happen," said Bourdais, whose next win will be his 32nd and break a tie with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy on the career list.

"But we keep on displaying pace and showing up at the front, so hopefully at some point it's going to break and we're going to make it.”

From GMM

It was, of course, unnecessary for audacious competitor Fernando Alonso to tell reporters at Hockenheim he thinks mind games are "very important" in formula one.

But they might be even more important in 2014, "because it is a very close fight".

The Spaniard is referring to the intra-team battle between his old McLaren teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and championship leader Nico Rosberg, who are driving dominant Mercedes towards a certain drivers' title win.

Nico Rosberg (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

Indeed, the identity of the silver-clad champion is still very much up for grabs.

So while the points are won on-track, crucial psychological gains can also be scored away from the asphalt.

That was clear even in Friday practice at Hockenheim, when Rosberg admitted his frustration with tactics employed by Hamilton.

The German's brakes began to catch fire in the pitlane, as he waited for Hamilton's sister car to be serviced.

"My dear teammate decided to box without any warning," Rosberg said, "so that put us all into a bit of a mess."

It is just the tip of the iceberg. Hamilton threw a tantrum earlier this year in Monaco, and then 'joked' ahead of the German grand prix that Monaco-domiciled Rosberg, the son of a Finn, is not even be a real German.

Lewis Hamilton (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

Hamilton has also said he is "hungrier" for victory than Rosberg, due to his modest upbringing in comparison to the trappings of being the son of a wealthy world champion.

"Yes, I was very fortunate growing up like I did," Rosberg told F1's official website at Hockenheim, "but don't forget Lewis was a McLaren driver from the age of 12. That is quite something!"

Rosberg, meanwhile, got married last weekend but failed to invite Hamilton, who lives in the same apartment building in Monaco.

The German daily Bild quotes Hamilton as saying ahead of the German grand prix: "There won't be any wedding presents on the track from me."

From GMM

Organizers of the Russian grand prix have responded swiftly to renewed doubts about October's inaugural Sochi race.

The Crimean crisis had already created uncertainty about the viability of a global sport like F1 visiting Russia in 2014, particularly with controversial president Vladimir Putin so involved in the Sochi project.

The Malaysia Airlines MH17 disaster is now piling even more pressure on Russia ahead of the grand prix, prompting organisers to react to media reports on Friday.

The Times correspondent Kevin Eason, for one, said F1 is facing a potential "public relations fiasco", with Putin's planned visit to the race maybe "as ugly as the infamous Bahrain grand prix of 2012".

According to the French-language La Presse, Sochi promoters said "all preparations are continuing" at Sochi and "deadlines will be met".

The report also quoted the organizers as saying the Russian grand prix will be "welcoming to everyone".

Chrysler Group ordered a supplier of trailer hitches to boost production dramatically a day after the company was accused by federal safety regulators of dragging its feet on the recall of older Jeeps.

Nick Scheele, an affable, globe-trotting troubleshooter and tough-nosed negotiator who served as president and COO of Ford, died Friday. He was 70.