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Australian Daniel Riccardo won his second race of this season, this week-end during an eventful race at the Hungaroring.

The Red Bull driver was helped by some rain showers before the start and two safety car interventions, which shuffled the order.

Photo: WRi2

One of the highlights of the race was when he overtook both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in the final four laps.

After several attempts to pass the hyper-defensive Hamilton, Ricciardo eventually made a great move stick around the outside and then on lap 68 muscled past Alonso to claim the lead and his second grand prix win of the season.

Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton (Photo: WRi2)

"Winning this today, it honestly feels as good as the first. It sank in a lot quicker this one, so crossing the line today I knew what was going on a bit more and it's like I could enjoy it immediately rather than it being delayed, it was awesome," Daniel said afterwards.

"To have to pass guys again to win the race, as I did in Canada, makes it a lot more satisfying, knowing that we did have a bit of a fight on our hands.

Daniel Ricciardo (Photo: WRi2)

"In this environment now I feel I am a different driver and in a way a different person, a different sportsman than I was last year. I've got a lot more belief in myself and it's cool, I definitely feel like I belong here now and I've got confidence!"

Race results - Hungarian Grand Prix (round 11 of 19)
1 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 70 laps in 1.53'05"058
2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 5"225
3 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 5"857
4 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 6"361
5 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 29"841
6 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 31"491
7 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 40"964
8 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 41"344
9 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 58"527
10 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'07"280
11 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'08"169
12 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'18"465
13 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'24"024
14 - Daniil Kvyat Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1 lap
15 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1 lap
16 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1 lap

Safety car (Photo: WRi2)

Retirements
Esteban Gutierrez
Kamui Kobayashi
Sergio Perez
Nico Hulkenberg
Romain Grosjean
Marcus Ericsson

Fastest lap of the race: 1'25"724 by Nico Rosberg

Drivers' championship
1.Rosberg 202; 2.Hamilton 191; 3.Ricciardo 131; 4.Alonso 115; 5.Bottas 95; 6.Vettel 88; 7.Hulkenberg 69; 8.Button 60; 9.Massa 40; 10.Magnussen 37; 11.Perez 29; 12.Raikkonen 27; 13.Vergne 11; 14.Grosjean 8; 15.Kvyat 6; 16.Bianchi 2.

Constructors' championship
1.Mercedes 393; 2.Red Bull-Renault 219; 3.Ferrari 142; 4.Williams-Mercedes 135; 5.Force India-Mercedes 98; 6.McLaren-Mercedes 97; 7.Toro Rosso-Renault 17; 8.Lotus-Renault 8; 9.Marussia-Ferrari 2.
*Unofficial results

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull RB10 (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Honda is targeting nothing other than victory as it prepares to return to formula one in 2015.

Every other engine supplier in F1 - Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault - subsidises the huge costs of producing a highly-sophisticated turbo V6 'power unit' by also selling it to customers for millions of euros.

Japanese manufacturer Honda, however, is focusing solely on its works deal with McLaren.

"We are not thinking about that," said Honda's F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai when asked by Speed Week about potential plans for customers.

"At the moment we want to concentrate only on our return (to F1) for the 2015 season."

Honda's most recent F1 foray was not successful, with the last 'earth dreams'-liveried works car in 2008 devoid of sponsorship and ninth of the eleven teams.

"You cannot compare," Arai insists. "We are approaching very differently in 2015, starting with the fact that we will no longer make the car ourselves."

When asked what the goal for 2015 is, he answered: "To win grands prix with McLaren. It is for this reason we decided to partner with McLaren. We want to make history."

McLaren has not been its usual self these past two seasons (Photo: WRi2)

Undoubtedly, Honda wants to revive its glory days as a works engine supplier, when it won numerous titles in the 80s and 90s, including the near-perfect 1988 season with McLaren.

"We expect points in every race; we expect victories," said Arai.

He admitted the trigger for Honda's decision to return was the new and cutting-edge 'power unit' rules, featuring a small turbo engine and energy recovery systems.

"This is a huge challenge for the engineers and the way forward for the industry," said Arai.

"But this is not a one-way street -- the formula one project will also benefit from our experience with hybrid technology in production models," he explained.

Arai dismissed speculation McLaren will test early versions of the 2015 engine in a modified car, revealing that the new Honda will only run for the first time at Jerez next year.

And finally, he was asked about the mild tone of F1's new regulations.

"Engine noise is not an issue for an engineer," Arai smiled. "But if the fans want more noise, then we should not ignore them."

From GMM

A thriller at the Hungaroring has thrown fresh fuel on the simmering relations between Mercedes' championship rivals and teammates.

On Saturday, his charred W05 in the background, Lewis Hamilton had expected his 14-point deficit to blow out well beyond 20 by the end of Sunday's race.

Actually, Nico Rosberg's lead has shrunk to 11, with the German's easy control of the race ending with an untimely safety car, and his progress then thwarted when Hamilton refused to obey a repeated team order to let the sister car past.

"Why is he not letting me through?" Rosberg, on a different strategy, asked on the radio.

For once, it was bad luck for Nico Rosberg to have pole position at the Hungarian GP (Photo: WRi2)

Hamilton, who later squeezed Rosberg off the road in a last-lap battle, told the pitwall defiantly: "I'm not slowing down for Nico."

"I would like to be a fly on the wall in the Mercedes debrief room after the Rosberg-Hamilton episode," former F1 driver Allan McNish said on BBC radio.

Rosberg, albeit highly diplomatic afterwards, at least admitted he was "annoyed" with the last-lap incident.

It all sounds like the recipe for a new Monaco-style relationship breakdown between the duo, but this time Hamilton has the pundits on his side.

"Why should he slow down when he is racing?" David Coulthard asked rhetorically. "I think that's a tough call by the team there, in fact it's an unfair call."

Like Rosberg, boss Toto Wolff was also playing diplomat, insisting Mercedes will "analyse" the reasons Hamilton turned down the clear team order.

Lewis Hamilton had another strong comeback in Hungary (Photo: WRi2)

And Rosberg also preferred to keep any fight behind closed doors.

"We need to discuss interally, that's better," he said.

Hamilton, notably "grumpy" behind the podium according to interviewer Martin Brundle, justified his defiance on the basis that he "Would have lost points to Nico.

"He would have beaten me," Hamilton told British broadcaster Sky.

"I don't really want to comment, I'm sure it (the team order) was for the right reasons, but I'm grateful I took the right decision for myself.

"I was racing for myself, not for him."

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has urged Ferrari to improve, after the team's blunder cost him a competitive grid spot for the Hungarian grand prix.

Amid his difficult 2014 season and return to the Maranello outfit, the Finn was enjoying a better weekend at the Hungaroring until qualifying.

A clear strategy error meant he bowed out in 'Q1', outqualified even by the junior Ferrari driver Jules Bianchi in the backmarker Marussia.

"The plan was to go out," Raikkonen told reporters, "but the team said 'No, you are fine, you do not need to go out'.

"I questioned it a few times, but they said no need, and we can see the end result."

Undoubtedly frustrated and angry with the decision, Raikkonen insisted: "I don't see the point to shout. The mistake is done.

Raikkonen is angry at Ferrari for ruining his qualifying session (Photo: Ferrari)

"I've made mistakes in the past, I will make them in the future, and people do make mistakes, but there are things we have to change to improve.

"As a team in formula one, as Ferrari, we should not be doing these kind of things. None of us are in our first year.

"Obviously we have to improve, to do things differently because we can see there are weaknesses in the system," he added.

The setback comes at an awkward time for Raikkonen and Ferrari, as both are struggling in 2014 but contractually tied up for the 2015 season.

The struggle is badly hurting Raikkonen's status and reputation, but he insisted on Saturday: "I have not suddenly over the winter lost a few seconds laptime.

"So it's the case of putting things in the right places for me."

Will Saturday in Hungary affect the course of the future?

"It will not influence my decision," the 34-year-old answered. "I have a contract, I fully believe in Ferrari, I've enjoyed a lot of wins and success with them.

"As I say, I trust in the team, but there have to be changes and improvements, which can only happen if we work as a team, as a group, as Ferrari."

From nascar.com

Reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire series' champion Scott Steckly won his fourth career race at Autodrome St-Eustache.

The Milverton, Ontario, native raced the No. 22 Dodge to his 16th career victory in Saturday's National 250 from Autodrome St-Eustache.

Steckly now has four wins and top fives in all six career starts at the flat .4-mile oval.

Eighteen-year-old Alex Guenette crossed the line second, followed by L.P. Dumoulin, Anthony Simone and Jeff Lapcevich.
Noel Dowler, Mark Dilley, Andrew Ranger, D.J. Kennington and J.R. Fitzpatrick rounded out the top 10.

Rookie Alex Labbe won his first series pole award in qualifying earlier in the day in just his seventh career start. Labbe led the field to green but was quickly overtaken by Steckly on the backstretch. Labbe stayed close early on, but ultimately exited the event due to problems with his suspension.

Reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire series' champion Scott Steckly won his fourth career race at Autodrome St-Eustache. (Photo: NASCAR.com)

Steckly led the first 104 circuits before pitting under caution. He was able to move back to the front on lap 152 and, with the exception of Guenette on lap 219, he led the balance of the event.

Guenette matched his career-best finish, set the first time in this event a year ago, and matched earlier this year at Circuit ICAR.

With a fourth consecutive podium finish, Dumoulin extended his advantage in the season points standings to 251-234 on Fitzpatrick.

Saturday was the first top-five finish of the year for Simone and the second in four starts for Lapcevich.

The event featured nine lead changes among six different drivers and was slowed by six caution flags. Steckly led a race-high 202 laps, which tied his single-race career-high previously recorded last year at Riverside International Speedway.

Race results - St-Eustache
1 Scott Steckly 250 laps
2 Alex Guenette
3 L.P. Dumoulin
4 Anthony Simone
5 Jeff Lapcevich
6 Noel Dowler
7 Mark Dilley
8 Andrew Ranger
9 D.J. Kennington
10 J.R. Fitzpatrick
11 Jason Hathaway 249 laps
12 Alex Tagliani 248 laps
13 Hugo Vannini 245 laps
14 Ray Courtemanche Jr. 244 laps
15 Matthew Scannell 243 laps
16 Alex Labbe 101 laps, retirement
17 Joey McColm 36 laps, retirement

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone sees friend Flavio Briatore as the key to rescuing formula one's flagging 'show'.

That is the claim of publications including the Spanish sports daily AS, in the wake of a meeting of team bosses in the Hungaroring paddock on Saturday.

Afterwards, rumours began to emerge that flamboyant Italian Briatore, absent from F1 since his expulsion and ban following the 'crash-gate' scandal, is set to return to the sport in a new advisory role.

Perhaps alarmed by the surprisingly small crowd on F1's traditional German soil a week ago, a big agenda item on Saturday was the need to revitalise the sport's appeal.

The Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung reports that a further 30 per cent decline in ticket sales is being recorded this weekend in Hungary.

More and more fans are leaving F1 (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda is quoted as saying he thinks F1's issues are "homemade".

He said the sport is too "controlled" by complex and numerous regulations and penalties that prevent "proper racing".

Lauda thinks the current generation of drivers has been "disenfranchised" by the modern system, and are therefore lacking the "charisma" fans are looking for.

For Ecclestone, the solution could lie within a new popularity working group, chaired by the former Benetton and Renault chief Briatore and set to feature Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and Force India.

Mercedes' Toto Wolff spoke with reporters after Saturday's meeting and was asked about the Briatore rumours.

"There are a couple of people we will sit with together," he said.

It is believed one of the ideas to spice up F1 is a 'success ballast' system, where drivers carry handicap weight according to their position in the championship.

If actually proposed, it will likely trigger controversy beyond even the scale of the much-derided 'double points', which is near-universally condemned for being too artificial.

"The teams get together, they talk about things," Red Bull's Christian Horner told Sky after Saturday's meeting.

"What we need is for the drivers to be the heroes. The cars should be secondary and to do that we need to give more access to the drivers. The fans have got to be able to engage with their heroes."

Nissan is expanding by 226,326 vehicles a U.S. recall of older models equipped with defective airbags made by Takata, Nissan said in an amended filing posted Saturday by U.S. safety regulators.

Car- and ride-sharing programs are changing the way city dwellers get around and the way millennials think about car ownership.

The record recalls this year are creating capacity bottlenecks in the service shops of the country's largest new-vehicle dealership group.

Mitsubishi is overhauling its flagship assembly plant in Japan to slash production costs and boost capacity as it readies for increased output of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The global marketing chief for the VV brand, Simon Thomas, is leaving after about a year in the post. Thomas will be succeeded by Xavier Chardon, the VW brand's European sales chief.

The Chinese owner of Fisker Automotive hopes to launch a second model that would join the $100,000 Karma luxury plug-in hybrid in three years.

From GMM

Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of Mercedes parent Daimler, has pointed the finger at Bernie Ecclestone in the wake of the unpopular German grand prix.

At the height of the Michael Schumacher era, Hockenheim was a capacity-filled hotbed of German passion.

But last weekend for the German grand prix, despite the current dominance of Mercedes, a German reigning champion and a German championship leader, grandstands were sometimes almost completely empty.

Zetsche thinks F1 chief executive Ecclestone's approach to marketing the sport is on the wrong track.

"In what company can the boss always do everything alone?" he told the Saturday edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

"I could imagine the marketing of formula one being taken over by a professional of the new media.

"There is still huge potential that should be exploited in the area of marketing, and specifically on the digital side.

"Regardless of the leadership (of F1), we need changes in this regard," said Zetsche.

Photo: WRi2

He compared Ecclestone's 'one man' approach with that of Daimler, who split responsibilities across a range of different roles and responsibilities.

"Why should it not be transferable to formula one?" he asked rhetorically.

Zetsche also criticised Ecclestone's income distribution model, with the newspaper claiming that while Ferrari and Red Bull receive $100m and $70 million respectively, Mercedes gets just $12 million.

"In the meantime," said Zetsche, "you have the question of whether it is worthwhile to continue to participate.

"We were able to strengthen our performance a lot, which compensates for some of the imbalance. Nevertheless, Mercedes does not race on the basis of 'whatever it costs'. The goal is to achieve economic efficiency," he added.

Finally, Zetsche weighed in on the outcome of the 2014 world championship, insisting Mercedes has no preference whether Nico Rosberg - a German - or Briton Lewis Hamilton ultimately wins.

"We sell cars all over the world," he said. "We are a German team, but we do not necessarily need a German driver to win."

From GMM

The unofficial 'silly season' has officially hit F1, as talk of a move to Mercedes for world champion Sebastian Vettel buzzes the paddock.

The rumour went full circle in the space of a couple of days, with Mercedes' Niki Lauda trying his best on Friday to bring it to a swift halt.

But Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko suggested to Sport Bild that he doesn't necessarily believe Lauda did not make a move for the German driver.

"Unfortunately, Niki has three opinions: one in the morning, one at noon and one in the evening," he said.

Silly season is, however, not limited to the front of the grid, even though Force India's Vijay Mallya said he wants to keep Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez.

"We have options on both," the Indian said on Friday. "I'm very happy with both of them and I see no reason why we should be looking at any change."

There is also movement right at the back of the grid, although Briton Max Chilton expects to keep his well-funded seat at Marussia.

"I'm confident I'll be here next year," he said.

Briton Max Chilton is confident he will be at Marussia next year (Photo: WRi2)

But his teammate Jules Bianchi is in a slightly different situation, as he is backed by the might of Ferrari and looking to finally make a step up the grid for 2015.

"I can stay at Marussia," the Frenchman told RMC Sport, "but there could also be other good opportunities.

"The goal for me is to fight more regularly for points," said Bianchi. "I'm just trying to do a good job on the track.

"(Manager) Nicolas (Todt) is working on it, Ferrari as well, and I trust them."

One of the keys to the midfield silly-season could be Romain Grosjean, who may join partners Renault and Total in leaving Lotus should the Enstone team switch to Mercedes power.

The new engine deal has not yet been announced, but Frenchman Grosjean told reporters his future is not necessarily tied to the eventual outcome.

"I am 98, 99 per cent sure that next season Lotus will be better than it is now, and I'm not just talking about the power unit," he said.

Grosjean grinned throughout as reporters reeled off the names of potential 2015 employers.

What about Formula E? "Not an option!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, but I need gasoline!"

Most likely, perhaps, is a move to McLaren, now run by his former manager Eric Boullier.

Asked what their relationship is like today, Grosjean explained: "Friendship. We not only see each other in the paddock, but sometimes we spend time together.

"But this doesn't mean that I am one step closer to McLaren. Friendship is one thing, business is quite another."

From GMM

Caterham is facing legal action after sacking 40 members of staff earlier this month.

As team founder Tony Fernandes departed and mysterious Swiss-based Middle Eastern investors led by Colin Kolles moved in, Caterham announced that the departures were "a necessary step" for the "future of the team".

But a lawyer representing the workers told the BBC that the sackings were "done without warning or consultation".

The report said they are claiming breaches of employment laws and contracts, with solicitor Christopher Felton claiming it will "result in significant compensation claims against the team".

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton's championship hopes went up in Mercedes-flavoured fire on Saturday.

After Brembo brake failure pitched the Briton into the qualifying barriers at Hockenheim, just seven days later it was a fuel leak that set fire to his pole hopes in Hungary.

"I think it's getting beyond bad luck," said Hamilton. "It's something else."

The famously sensitive and understandably frustrated 2008 world champion was speaking to reporters immediately after stalking back to the paddock in disbelief.

But he promptly changed out of his white overalls and left the circuit before the usual engineering debriefs.

"I feel so bad for Lewis because this is such a tight championship," said boss Toto Wolff. "He asked if he could go and we said 'Yeah, go home'."

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W05 caught fire even before the Briton could set a time in Q1 (Photo: WRi2)

"It is completely unfair on Lewis, especially as he was fastest all weekend and would have won the race," added Niki Lauda.

"It is very difficult to pass here. He was fastest and would have been fastest again."

The heat, according to the Austrian, is now on team boss Paddy Lowe, whose main focus is the technical package of the otherwise-dominant Mercedes.

"You can rely on the fact that Mercedes, above all Paddy Lowe, will investigate and understand everything," Lauda told RTL television.

From press release

German Nico Rosberg scored his sixth pole position this season despite changing weather conditions during Q3, Saturday at the Hungaroring.

But the big story of course was Lewis Hamilton's retirement before the Briton even set a lap in Q1. A fuel leak set fire to his car during his warm-up, only a week after a brake failure sent him flying into the wall at Hockenheim.

Such technical issues are worrying, even for Rosberg. But the German is confident Hamilton will be fighting for a good result Sunday.

"We need to sort out the reliability issues but I know that tonight there will be great team effort to fix his car - just like in Hockenheim where the whole garage pitched in to help rebuild it," said the pole-sitter.

"It takes away a bit of the excitement when there is no gloves-off battle because that's what we are here for. But tomorrow is a long race and I'm sure that Lewis can get another good result."

Qualifying results - Hungarian Grand Prix (round 11 of 19)
1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1'22"715 - Q3
2.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'23"201 - Q3
3.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'23"354 - Q3
4.Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'23"391 - Q3
5.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'23"909 - Q3
6.Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'24"223 - Q3
7.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'24"294 - Q3
8.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'24"720 - Q3
9.Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'24"775 - Q3
10.Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - no time - Q3
11.Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'24"706 - Q2
12.Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'25"136 - Q2
13.Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'25"211 - Q2
14.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'25"260 - Q2
15.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'25"337 - Q2
16.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'27"419 - Q2
17.Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'26"792 - Q1
18.Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'27"139 - Q1
19.Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'27"819 - Q1
20.Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'28"643 - Q1
21.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - no time - Q1
22.Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - no time - Q1
*Unofficial times

From GMM

F1 team bosses have swerved around the political crisis in the wake of the MH17 air disaster.

The sport is scheduled to race on Russian soil for the first time in October, but there is pressure to cancel or boycott the race amid the deepening controversy.

"Obviously what's going on in that part of the world at the moment is of huge concern to everybody," Williams deputy chief Claire Williams said in Hungary.

"But we've always said we try to disengage from taking a political angle on these things."

Williams' colleagues broadly agree, insisting Bernie Ecclestone - an avowed admirer of the highly-controversial Russian president Vladimir Putin - and the governing FIA set the calendar.

But in the wake of F1's handling of the Bahrain crisis, and after teams raced in other controversial lands like China, and in 2016 will head to Azerbaijan, reporters on Friday expressed frustration with the teams' apparently blind 'follow Bernie Ecclestone' position.

Photo: WRi2

"Would you follow Ecclestone to North Korea?" wondered Sport Bild correspondent Ralf Bach.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner responded by slamming the "negativity" of the questions posed during the FIA press conference.

"We should be talking about the drivers," he said, "we should be talking about the spectacular racing at the last grand prix, yet all we do is focus on the negatives and it has to be said, it gets pretty boring for us to sit up here and field these questions.

"If you've got these questions, please point them at Mr (Jean) Todt or Mr Ecclestone rather than the teams," Horner added.

From GMM

Even F1's engine suppliers will take a 'summer break' in August.

Eleven races into the season, and after the hectic back-to-back dash from Germany to Hungary, there are a lot of tired faces in the paddock this weekend.

They are looking ahead to the rare and deliberate three-weekend gap between Hungary and the resumption of hostilities in Belgium.

Not only that, teams must close their factories for a mandatory period of cost-cutting and rest, with even the activity of email servers strictly forbidden.

But the factory shutdown applies only to the actual teams, not the engine suppliers.

It means Renault, but also the engine operations at Ferrari and Mercedes, can keep working.

"If the units responsible for the engines want to continue to work, they can," Renault's Remi Taffin said at the Hungaroring.

"But, to be honest with you, even in Viry there will not be much activity. We want to give the people a break.

"We will not work at 100 per cent during this period, because at some point everyone needs a break," he added.

But even a break will not end all of Renault's headaches, after a pre-season crisis and an ongoing struggle to continue to improve the turbo V6 'power unit'.

One looming problem is that reliability issues, and necessary upgrades for the troublesome unit, means that many Renault-powered drivers will unavoidably exceed their allocation of five engines during the second half of the season.

"We do not hide the fact that sixth components will have to be used by some of our customers," said Taffin, acknowledging that it will result in penalties for the drivers.

"Of course it's not what we planned, but after three or four races we realised that it was going to be very difficult.

"Caterham is in pretty good shape in that regard -- they will be able to meet the limit. But for the rest it's more complicated," he admitted.

From press release

Less than a week after winning the World Challenge Series race in Toronto, Montreal driver Kuno Wittmer was back in action in the United SportsCar Championship (USCC), for the seventh round of the season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Wittmer and his teammate Jonathan Bomarito drove their Dodge Viper SRT to victory in GT Le Mans class.

"It was not a relaxing race, far from it," said Wittmer.

Photo: Richard Prince/SRT Motorsports

"It wasn't easy during my stint, the gaps were very small amongst the contenders in our category. At one point, I dropped to eighth place and I had to climb back."

In the standings, Wittmer and Bomarito jumped from fourth to second, only thirteen points from the leaders.

The series now heads to Elkhart Lake for the next round of the season.

Photo: Richard Prince/SRT Motorsports