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Source: pumpthemovie.com

Adapted from GMM

Sergio Perez is expected to remain at Sahara Force India for a second season in 2015, but he is yet to agree a new deal.

The Mexican told the French-language F1i: "There are ongoing discussions. My management is in charge and we're just waiting to see if we can soon confirm the team for which I will drive next year."

Sergio Perez admitted that Sahara Force India is not his only option.

"No, there are others," he said, "but my priority is to continue here. I want to continue and I have some experience with this team, so it would be good."

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Valtteri Bottas appears out of the running for a change of team prior to the 2015 season.

The Finn has been a standout of this year's championship, outshining the Ferrari veteran Felipe Massa and leading Williams' F1 resurgence with four podium appearances.

Valtteri Bottas on the podium, Williams. (Photo: WRi2)

The 25-year-old has therefore been linked with a potential move from the Grove squad, perhaps to McLaren as the Woking team plans for a long and lucrative future with new works partner Honda.

But Bottas seems destined to stay at Williams, the team that groomed him from F1 tester to 2014 star.

"Personally I don't see a reason to look elsewhere at this time," he is quoted as saying by Italy's Tuttosport and the Spanish sports daily Marca.

"We are working in the right way and I am confident that this team can be even better than what we have seen so far this year. That's why I'm confident about continuing. Perhaps it's too early to talk about the contract," he added, "but I really want to continue this adventure with Williams.

"Until then it's better to wait for confirmation, so we will talk when we have something to say," said Valtteri Bottas.

In spite of its ongoing financial struggles, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs) managed to find a way to launch its prototype all-electric Saab 9-3 last week. Saab aficionados should immediately recognize its origins, as this new all-electric is a modified version of the 9-3 Aero Sedan.

Nevs has positioned the lithium-ion batteries below the passenger floor to preserve interior space for both passengers and luggage, which also helps lower the centre of gravity and provide an ideal 50/50 front/rear weight distribution for improved handling.

According to NEVS, the prototype 9-3, while still in the development phase, has 200 km of all-electric autonomy, can go from 0-100 km/h in 10 seconds, for a top-speed of 120 km/h. Nevs is quick to point out that the production vehicle will offer superior performance as development progresses.

Source : saabcars.com

Photo: Saab

From press release

Alex Tagliani, who was pulling double duty with a 10 a.m. start in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) Pinty's presents The Clarington 200, followed by a 2:00 p.m. start from the pole in the The 2nd Annual Chevrolet Silverado 250, Round 14 of 22 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), was unable to catch a break in either race this Sunday. All the action took place at the 3.957-kilometre, 10-turn road course Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) track, located north of Bowmanville, Ontario.

In the morning race, mechanical problems in the early going hampered the No 18 EpiPen/Dicom Express/Sennheiser/CanTorque Dodge Challenger of Tagliani Autosport in The Pinty's presents The Clarington 200, a 51-lap, 201.8-kilometre NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. Tag pitted on lap 10 to fix a faulty power steering leak and by lap 18, he was one lap down on the leaders in 23rd position. A few more pit stops to try and fix the problem put him down another lap, placing him this time 30th overall on lap 18. Tagliani soldiered on and gained 11 positions in the last 20 laps to finish 20th in Round 9 of 11 of the 2014 race schedule.

Photo: Tagliani Autosport

J.R. Fitzpatrick, of Ayr, Ontario won his second consecutive CTMP race of the season, his first was last May at the NCATS season opener. J.R. took the lead on lap 34 to drive to his 10th series win, chased by Jeff Lapcevich of Grimsby, Ontario. Third place went to rookie Marc-Antoine Camirand of Saint-Léonard-d'Aston, Quebec, followed by Louis-Philippe Dumoulin of Trois-Rivières (QC). With his fourth place finish, Dumoulin still leads the point standings 378 to 359 ahead of Fitzpatrick who, with his win, shaved seven points off Dumoulin's lead. Scott Steckly of Milverton, Ontario rounds up to top five.

NASCAR Truck Series Race Report
Pole winner of The 2nd Annual Chevrolet Silverado 250, a 64-lap, 253.3-kilometre NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m., Tagliani jumped off to a great start leading the first seven laps. Brad Keselowski Racing Team strategy had him pit early at the end of lap seven in order to be in a strong position at the end of the race. Unfortunately, a lug nut problem with one of the rear wheels of the No. 19 Ford F-150 Reece Towpower truck sent the Canadian driver down to 21st spot.

Slowly but surely, Tagliani climbed back the ladder up to fourth place and on the last restart on lap 54, he spun around, stalling the truck and loosing a lap in the process. He finished 16th overall. A small consolation prize for Tagliani was his Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Blaney's win as he held off German Quiroga Jr. to become the 11th NCWTS race winner of the season. Erik Jones finished third ahead of Gray Gaulding and Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Quebec.

Photo: Tagliani Autosport

“It is kind of a sad ending in both races,” Tagliani said. “The truck race was a one of a kind opportunity where it was going to be our day as it was so fast. Unfortunately, the throttle pedal kept sticking and it was giving me a hard time. I had to lift it every time with my right foot. We need to catch a break and win one of those races. In the Canadian Tire Series event, the car suffered a power steering failure from the start and we had to make multiple pit stops to add oil as the steering wheel kept jamming. It's too bad because both vehicles were strong. Adding to our misery, we blew the engine on our EpiPen Dodge at the end of our first practice, so we missed the second session. We must turn the page and move on.”

From GMM

Major F1 sponsor UBS is scaling down its investment in the sport.

The Swiss based global financial services company entered F1 in 2010 powered by its then chief executive Oswald Grubel.

But UBS is now headed by Sergio Ermotti, a Swiss banker, who last year commenced market research into the wisdom of Grubel's F1 deal.

The Swiss newspaper Blick on Monday quoted a UBS spokesman as saying: "We have always stressed that formula one is a long-term commitment. We are very pleased with the partnership."

Photo: WRi2

The report said UBS has agreed a new, less lucrative contract with Bernie Ecclestone.

"We put the customer platform more in the centre and focus the brand on key growth markets," the spokesman said.

Part of the reduction of the deal is trackside advertising at less grands prix, and the end of the title sponsorship of the Chinese grand prix.

The report said UBS is reducing its annual spend from about $54 million to $32 million.

From GMM

F1 experts have accused Mercedes of mismanaging Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton's dramatically imploding relationship.

The German team said contrite championship leader Nico Rosberg has now apologised for his clash with Hamilton in Belgium and been disciplined.

Britain's Daily Mail claims the penalty is a six-digit financial sum, paid to charity.

But Max Mosley, the former long-time FIA president, thinks Mercedes was wrong to so clearly point the finger of blame.

"If they decided to fine or punish Rosberg they should not have announced it," he said. "It's as if the team are blaming him publicly. That's not really right."

Former team owner and boss turned British television pundit Eddie Jordan agrees, saying the spotlight should not be on the warring protagonists.

"I blame the team," he is quoted by the Daily Star. "They are weak, rudderless. They are being run by two drivers who are like spoilt kids doing what they want to do."

Former McLaren driver John Watson even likened chiefs Toto Wolff, Paddy Lowe and Niki Lauda to The Three Stooges and a "Looney Tunes" style of management.

"Lewis and Rosberg are doing nothing different to what two highly competitive drivers have done in the past," he told Express newspaper.

"But the difference is management and having someone that commands respect like Ross Brawn who was in charge last year. If you haven't got somebody who commands respect you end up with the lunatics taking over the asylum which is the case here," Watson added.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

After the crisis meeting at Brackley last Friday, Mercedes' management of the situation continued in the form of a statement attributed to Hamilton posted on the 2008 world champion's Facebook page.

Referring to the Spa clash but probably also his own comments to the media afterwards, Hamilton was quoted as saying: "Nico and I accept that we have both made mistakes and I feel it would be wrong to point fingers and say which one is worse than the other.

"There is a deep foundation that still exists for me and Nico to work from, in spite of our difficult times and differences."

At the Brackley meeting, it was reportedly resolved that Mercedes would continue to allow the drivers to race freely, albeit within the boundaries of 'clean racing'.

"It (not imposing team orders) was a difficult decision," Wolff told Germany's Bild.

"But Nico and Lewis are our heroes. I hope and believe that they understand our requirements and our goals. It is now up to them to deal with this responsibility," he added.

Niki Lauda, meanwhile, admitted to Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on Sunday that further fireworks can be expected, particularly as Hamilton "lost everything in Spa" and will be keen to "get back these points".

"We have to be careful," he admitted.

"But as long as they do not endanger the clearly defined objectives of Mercedes, they can go on as they like. I understand Nico and Lewis very well as they both want to win races and be world champion. But they cannot put the entire project at risk," Niki Lauda insisted.

From GMM

Max Verstappen says he was "prepared" for the waves of criticism about his formula one debut in 2015.

News that the 16-year-old Dutchman will make history as the sport's youngest ever race driver for Toro Rosso next year has been controversial.

Even his predecessor at the second Red Bull team, Daniel Ricciardo, has his doubts.

"I think Verstappen will answer on the track at the time of his debut and the months after it," the Australian said as he accepted the Lorenzo Bandini award in Italy.

"For me, I think a driver in formula one at 17 is too young, but that's only my personal opinion so it may be different, we'll see. For me, it's too young," the 25-year-old is quoted by Italy's Omnicorse.

Verstappen, whose father Jos raced in the 90s and even for Toro Rosso's former guise Minardi in 2003, gave his critics more fuel at the weekend as he appeared in a F1 car for the street demonstration in Rotterdam.

The 16-year-old crashed the Toro Rosso-liveried car head-first into the barrier, apparently as he fumbled with the complex controls of a modern F1 machine.



Earlier, Max Verstappen said that when he signed the deal with Red Bull, he expected criticism to follow.

"When you are being announced as the youngest ever formula one driver, you can expect it," he is quoted by the Dutch website RaceXpress.nl.

"I had prepared myself for it, and it's fine that everyone can have their own opinion. Next year we will see how it turns out," Max Verstappen added.

Rotterdam at the weekend was the first time Verstappen's F1 veteran father Jos had seen his son drive an F1 car, having missed the recent Rockingham shakedown.

"I felt no tension. When I see how calm he is and how he deals with everything, I just know it will be ok," said the former Benetton driver.

Verstappen snr said he is not sure what the next steps for Max will be, amid speculation he will appear for Toro Rosso on Friday mornings later this season.

"I have no clue," said Jos. "It changes from day to day. What we have decided is that it will be a little easier now in terms of publicity. After this weekend, Max should focus on his racing and his preparations."

Max agrees: "I do not know exactly what the programme looks like and whether I will run in practice sessions. Formula one is very different from F3 -- the cars have a lot more power, pulling very fast and just continuing to accelerate. I cannot wait to get on a real circuit and go flat out."

Finally, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said he sees no issue with Verstappen's controversial early debut.

"Why not?" he told Roger Benoit, the veteran correspondent for the Swiss newspaper Blick.

"If he has the talent, he should try it. I see no reason for an age limit. Maybe I'll try to make a comeback," the nearly 84-year-old Ecclestone joked.

The F1 chief executive also acknowledged that Verstappen's debut might be good for the sport in terms of opening the eyes of a younger generation of fans.

"Toto Wolff is always telling me the importance of social networks," Ecclestone said. "Let's see."

Pros: Well-built and sturdy, the 2015 GMC Yukon is a comfortable, luxurious SUV. Moreover, GM's truck division has made a surprising amount of progress when it comes to road performance.

Cons: The 2015 GMC Yukon is quite bulky, so some might find it a bit hard to park, but it is a full-size SUV after all. Accordingly, the Yukon's price and fuel consumption are also full-sized.

Photo: GMC

2015 GMC Yukon Price: For 2015, GMC's SUV Yukon comes in four trims: the basic Yukon, the Denali, the XL and the XL Denali. Two versions of the basic Yukon are available, the SLE at $51,090 and the SLT at $60,950. The Denali is offered at $73,540. The XL is also available in two versions, the SLE at $54,080 and the SLT at $63,940. Finally, the XL Denali is sold for $76,530.

Fuel Economy: With a 5.3-litre V8, the 2WD GMC Yukon is rated at 14.9/10.1 L/100 km (city/highway); for 4WD, ratings can reach 15.4/10.8 L/100 km. Finally, Denali models, with a 6.2-litre, V8 engine, are rated at 16.8/11.4 L/100 km.

Improvements and Changes: This is an all-new Yukon.

2015 GMC Yukon Powertrain: Under the hood of basic and XL 2015 Yukon, GMC is offering a 5.3-litre, V8 SOHC that delivers 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. The Denali is equipped with a 6.2-litre V8, which produces 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.

Cargo Capacity: The 2015 GMC Yukon can fit 433 litres. Folding the third row seats and the middle seats increases cargo capacity to 1464 and to 2681 litres respectively. For XL models, cargo capacity can reach 1113, 2173 and 3429 litres.

Safety: The 2015 GMC Yukon safety features include ABS brakes with dynamic rear proportioning, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, dynamic stability control, traction control, adaptive cruise control, collision alert, front and rear park assist as well as lane departure warning.

Comparing 2015 GMC Yukon: Other full-size SUVs in this segment are the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the Ford Expedition, the Nissan Armada and the Toyota Sequoia.

Pros: The 2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan is a small modern sedan with nifty interior and exterior styling. It has an impressive selection of normally-aspirated and turbocharged engines as well as many standard technological features. The Fiesta is well-built with quality materials and delivers outstanding fuel economy.

Cons: The 2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan has significantly less luggage capacity than its 5-door hatchback sibling. The numerous available options rapidly inflate the original starting price.

Photo: Ford

2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan Price: For 2015, Ford proposes a selection of three different versions of the Fiesta Sedan, starting with the 5-speed manual Fiesta S at $14,999, followed by the 5-speed manual SE Sedan at $15,999 and the 6-speed automatic at $17,249. The luxurious 5-speed manual Titanium Sedan starts at $19,849, and climbs to $21,099 for the 6-speed automatic.

2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan Fuel Economy: The Fiesta Sedan with manual 5-speed transmission has an estimated fuel economy rating of 8.5/6.5 L/100 km (city/highway); the automatic transmission version is rated at 8.7/6.4 L/100 km.

Improvements and Changes: The 3-cylinder EcoBoost is new for 2015, along with a 5-speed-only manual transmission option for the base S model.

2015 Ford Fiesta Powertrain: The Fiesta Sedan is equipped with a 1.6 litre normally-aspirated engine that delivers 120 hp and 112 lb-ft of torque in the 2015 Fiesta Sedan, along with an optional all-new turbocharged 123 hp 3-cylinder 148 lb-ft EcoBoost engine for those who want more power. The power output for both engines may be comparable, but the additional torque in the turbocharged 1 litre engine makes a huge difference in performance.

Cargo Capacity: The luggage compartment of the 2015 Fiesta Sedan Hatch has a capacity of 363 litres.

Safety: Safety features in the 2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan include ABS brakes, electronic braking assistance, electronic brake force distribution, electronic stability control, launch control, imminent crash assistance and hill assist.
Comparing the 2015 Ford Fiesta Sedan: Comparable models in this subcompact category include the Honda Fit, the Hyundai Accent, the Kia Rio, the Mazda2, the Mitsubishi Mirage, the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa.