Races and Competitions

Ferrari on Monday confirmed reports team boss Marco Mattiacci is being replaced after just seven months in the job. In a media statement, the Maranello team – having started the season with Stefano Domenicali in charge – also confirmed the identity of Mattiacci’s successor. It is Maurizio Arrivabene, a Marlboro branding executive who is also well known within the sport as the sponsorship representative on the F1 Commission. “We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this...

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton produced a faultless performance in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening to claim his 11th win of the season and with it his second world drivers’ crown. It was the 33rd win of Hamilton’s career, moving him clear of his great rival Fernando Alonso into fifth in the all-time list. Hamilton, second in qualifying, took the lead at the start and controlled the race, as Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg suffered car trouble and finished 14th. While Hamilton made a...

Scuderia Ferrari announces that it has reached an agreement of three years duration with Sebastian Vettel, who will drive for the team as from the 2015 season. The driver line-up next season will consist of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.  “Scuderia Ferrari has decided to put its faith in the youngest multiple champion in the history of Formula 1” – commented Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Marco Mattiacci. “In Formula 1 terms, Sebastian Vettel is a unique combination of youthfulness...

Nico Rosberg has kicked off the Abu Dhabi championship showdown by telling teammate Lewis Hamilton to keep their fight clean. A first or second place will guarantee the the title for Hamilton, so Mercedes teammate Rosberg is hoping trouble strikes or a strong rival from another team is able to split the pair on the podium. "I need to do what I can to try and put the pressure on," Rosberg said on Thursday. "In Brazil Lewis made a mistake so there is a chance. I need to do what I can to...

Cadillac has introduced the 2015 ATS-V.R at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Set to enter competition next year, the ATS-V.R has an aerodynamic body kit that includes a new front fascia, a carbon fiber front splitter and carbon fiber canards. The car also has carbon fiber side skirts and a prominent rear wing. Other notable changes include a full-length underbody tray, a side exiting exhaust and 18-inch BBS wheels with racing tires. Motivation is provided by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 engine that...

Marussia's eleventh-hour bid to return to action in Abu Dhabi has failed. With Caterham already set up at Yas Marina, insiders on Wednesday then spotted F1 personnel wearing Marussia team shirts in the Abu Dhabi paddock. It is believed they were Ferrari employees set to work on Marussia's customer engines. But rumours then circulated in the media centre that Marussia, having missed the official freight deadline, was indeed making an eleventh-hour trip from the UK to contest the 2014...

Jules Bianchi is no longer in Japan, his family announced on Wednesday. The Frenchman, who crashed during the Japanese grand prix early last month, has until now been in a critical condition in the Mie hospital not far from Suzuka. But the 25-year-old's parents announced on Wednesday that "Jules has made an important step". While "still unconscious", Bianchi is "no longer in the artificial coma", they said. "He is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is...

Former Dakar winner and Olympic medallist Nasser Al-Attiyah will continue his partnership with Red Bull next year to contest the 36th Dakar Rally in a MINI ALL4 Racing, run by the X-Raid team as part of Red Bull’s ‘Desert Wings’ programme. The Qatari finished on the Dakar podium last year with the four-wheel drive MINI ALL4 Racing, despite a last-minute decision to contest the event that meant he embarked on the world’s most arduous rally with no testing. This time, the 43-year-old Red...

Nicolas Amiouni and Red Bull have parted ways after two successful years together, including a victory at the 37th Rally of Lebanon this past September and the Group N title in the Lebanese Rally Championship.   Amiouni made the announcement on his official Facebook page and personal profile, he stated the following: “For sure this will be a bit of a shock for my motorsport fans and followers, but I would rather think of it as a positive experience and an important chapter of my career. My...

Fernando Alonso has made what might be his last PR appearance for Ferrari in the lead-in to this weekend's 2014 season finale. The Spaniard and the Italian team are expected to shortly confirm their contractual split after a five-year partnership, as Alonso heads to McLaren-Honda. "Fernando Alonso, the last act," read the headline at Spain's sports daily Diario Sport. Having holidayed and cycled last week in perhaps his favourite vacation destination - Dubai, where he has a house -...