Auto News 5

From GMM

Giedo van der Garde was denied access to the Abu Dhabi paddock, the Swiss newspaper Blick reports.

The Dutchman has been Sauber's reserve driver in 2014, and this weekend was reportedly scheduled to drive in the first Friday practice session.

Ultimately, it was Adderly Fong, a Hong Kong driver, who appeared on track in Abu Dhabi.

Like Adrian Sutil, van der Garde appeared to have signed a Sauber race contract for 2015, but the Swiss team has instead announced that Felipe Nasr will drive alongside Marcus Ericsson next year.

Blick newspaper reports that the van der Garde camp including his wealthy backers are threatening legal action, moving Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn to retract the driver's team-connected paddock pass for the 2014 finale.

"The Sutil camp has also apparently become active on the legal side," the report added.

From press release

Sahara Force India is pleased to confirm that Sergio Perez has extended his contract to continue racing with the team for 2015 and beyond.

The 24-year-old Mexican joined the team at the start of 2014 and finished third in only the third race of the season. Since then, he scored points in eleven races.

"I am delighted that Checo will continue with us. He's a true racer who has done a fantastic job for us this season. The whole team has been impressed with his speed and racecraft, as well as his role away from the track," said team principal Vijay Mallya.

Sergio Perez, Force India VJM07 (Photo: WRI2)

"He has a very bright future in Formula One and we will do our utmost to give him the equipment to match his talent."

"It's good to announce my plans," added Perez. "I feel at home here and I'm fully committed. I'm enjoying my racing and we've already celebrated some special results together. It's important for me to establish myself in a team and have some continuity."

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel has hit out at Red Bull for blocking him from making his Ferrari test debut next week.

As soon as the German's impending departure from Red Bull was announced, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz said Vettel will only be free to go in the days after the post-race Abu Dhabi test.

Vettel said he understood the decision.

Since then, however, something must have changed, because after qualifying in Abu Dhabi, Vettel was freshly bemoaning the fact he cannot drive Ferrari's 2014 car next week.

Sebastian Vettel is replacing Fernando Alonso at Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

"The (Red Bull) engineers suddenly panicked that I will take all these secrets to Ferrari," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"But if I want to do that, I can also do it in January," Vettel added.

Dr Helmut Marko defended Red Bull's defiance: "Why should we give a direct advantage to our competitor?

"If he is able to drive a Ferrari only a few days after the last race, he gives them a direct comparison," he added.

From Formula1.com

Red Bull have been excluded from qualifying in Abu Dhabi after the stewards ruled the front wings of both RB10s were in breach of the technical regulations.

Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel have therefore had their qualifying results discounted, meaning they will start Sunday's race at Yas Marina from the back of the grid.

The FIA's technical delegate Jo Bauer referred Red Bull to the stewards after ruling that the front wings of both RB10s had been designed to flex under load - a contravention of Article 3.15 of the Formula One technical regulations which limits moveable aerodynamics.

Red Bull said in a statement: "Following the decision of the Stewards regarding the front wings on both our cars (Car 1 and Car 3), we are disappointed that we have been singled out for a front wing deflection test when it is clear that other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion.

“The team accepts the decision of the Stewards and will start the race from the back of the grid."

Chrysler Group said on Friday it was not satisfied with the speed of repairs of recalled Jeep SUVs that face a heightened fire risk and will enhance dealer communication and owner contact to accelerate the process.

After lake-effect snowstorms this week pounded upstate New York, Ford's Buffalo Stamping Plant has suspended operations until employees are able to travel to work.

Wilbur Ross, the billionaire turnaround artist who launched International Components Group in 2006, is stepping down as IAC's board chairman to take a senior position at the Bank of Cyprus.

Retired Ford chief technical officer Paul Mascarenas has joined ON Semiconductor's board of directors. Mascarenas, 53, also joined the semiconductor supplier's science and technology committee, the company said Thursday.

The nominee to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an expert in fatigue and pilot alertness, which signals the auto industry's drive to bring more Internet services and infotainment into cars should get intense scrutiny.

Ford said its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup will get as much as 29 percent better fuel economy than its mostly steel predecessor as the automaker gambles with a new design for its top-selling and most profitable model.

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Hertz Global Holdings named John Tague as its new CEO, appointing the manager credited with boosting sales at United Airlines to restore investors' confidence in the car-rental company plagued by an aging fleet and sloppy accounting.

Toyota will recall 422,509 of its luxury brand Lexus vehicles in the United States because of a possible fuel leak that increases the risk of fire, federal regulators said today.

Next year's new Hyundai i20 will be the last car from the brand which people will buy primarily on price, says UK president and managing director Tony Whitehorn.

Volkswagen Group says it will invest a total of EUR85.6bn (US$106.3bn) in new models, technologies and its global presence in its Automotive Division during the next five years.

Toyota is pitching the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car as a godsend for the planet. Heat and water are its only byproducts, not climate-altering carbon dioxide. But just how clean is that exhaust water vapor?

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I've come off the bench this week, as just-auto news editor, Graeme Roberts, takes a well-earned sojorn in Shakespeare's home county, HQ also of global good news story, JLR, of which more later.

Volkswagen's investment plans for the next five years tell one story very clearly #8211; the company is becoming ever more dependent on growth in China in its bid to overtake Toyota as the world's number one carmaker.

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Nissan has suspended development of its new London black cab, because it won't meet standards for the planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone