The new SL 500 is the consummate all-rounder with an unrivalled heritage. Chris traces its roots from the classic W198 300 SL to the Pagoda W113 and the classic R107.
The Malaysian GP was halted just eight laps in after the expected rain finally came down. Several strategy calls came into play, including those who had opted for full wet tyres straight away, and those who changed to intermediates after the restart. The big question came when to change back to the dry tyres. With Fernando Alonso in the lead, and a surprising Sergio Pérez hunting him down, the final laps were something to behold.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 2:44:51.812 | 3 |
| 2 | Sergio Pérez | Sauber | +2.2 | 3 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | +14.5 | 3 |
| 4 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | +17.6 | 3 |
| 5 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | +29.4 | 3 |
| 6 | Bruno Senna | Williams | +37.6 | 4 |
| 7 | Paul di Resta | Force India | +44.4 | 3 |
| 8 | Jean-Éric Vergne | Toro Rosso | +46.9 | 2 |
| 9 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | +47.8 | 3 |
| 10 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | +49.9 | 3 |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | +75.5 | 4 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +76.8 | 4 |
| 13 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | +78.5 | 4 |
| 14 | Jenson Button | McLaren | +79.5 | 5 |
| 15 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | +79.7 | 4 |
| 16 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham | +97.3 | 3 |
| 17 | Timo Glock | Marussia | +1 Lap | 3 |
| 18 | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | +1 Lap | 4 |
| 19 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | +1 Lap | 5 |
| 20 | Charles Pic | Marussia | +2 Laps | 3 |
| 21 | Pedro de la Rosa | HRT | +2 Laps | 3 |
| 22 | Narain Karthikeyan * | HRT | +2 Laps | 2 |
| DNF | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | Lap 49 | 4 |
| DNF | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | Lap 4 | 0 |
Just three days after the last race, we’re turning our attention to Sepang for the second Grand Prix of the 2012 season. With a mixed up qualifying order in Australia leading to a race result that wasn’t all that extraordinary, what can Malaysia offer up? Incredible heat and troublesome humidity will be the big challenges facing our drivers this weekend, as they do battle with the elements to try and take victory in Sepang.
A chaotic Australian Grand Prix kicked off 2012 with familiar faces at the top of the podium, some interesting pit stop strategies, retirements aplenty, and some DRS action along with non-DRS overtaking. The race was bookmarked with first and last lap chaos, and punctuated with a Safety Car in the middle. Caterham suffered a double DNF with both cars troubled with power steering issues. McLaren had a good run from the start, but Vettel wasn’t going to give up easily.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:34:09.565 | 2 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | +2.1 | 2 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | +4.0 | 2 |
| 4 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | +4.5 | 2 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | +21.5 | 2 |
| 6 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | +36.7 | 2 |
| 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus | +38.0 | 2 |
| 8 | Sergio Pérez | Sauber | +39.4 | 1 |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | +39.5 | 3 |
| 10 | Paul di Resta | Force India | +39.7 | 2 |
| 11 | Jean-Éric Vergne | Toro Rosso | +39.8 | 2 |
| 12 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | +57.6 | 2 |
| 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 14 | Timo Glock | Marussia | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 15 | Charles Pic | Marussia | +5 Laps | 4 |
| 16 | Bruno Senna | Williams | +6 Laps | 4 |
| DNF | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | Lap 46 | 4 |
| DNF | Heikki Kovalainen | Caterham | Lap 38 | 4 |
| DNF | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham | Lap 34 | 1 |
| DNF | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | Lap 10 | 1 |
| DNF | Romain Grosjean | Lotus | Lap 1 | 0 |
| DNF | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | Lap 0 | 0 |
We’ve been building up to this, the first race of the year, almost since the chequered flag fell in Brazil last season. Winter testing has been completed, teams have all the data they are going to get, and the drivers have made their last minute preparations. Melbourne plays host to the first round of 2012, where we’ll see action, excitement, crashes, and some great racing – but, just as testing before it, the event can’t necessarily be taken as representative of the rest of the season. That takes nothing away from it, though. Albert Park will get 2012 going in the way only Australia can. Full info after the break
Get a closer look at how the new Pagani Huayra was born, how it is built. Art and Science, two disciplines that must walk together, hand in hand. The spirit of the Italian Renaissance, applied in today’s world, to create an object outside the common boundaries. Must Watch video.
The Spanish automaker GTA has returned to the Geneva Motor Show, this time with a production version of the company’s Spano supercar. The coupe consists an impressive list of exotic materials on hand, including a unibody shell constructed of titanium, kevlar and carbon fiber. All told, the package tips the scales at a scant 2,970 pounds.
A total of 840 horsepower comes courtesy of an 8.3-liter V10, all of which is dumped on the rear tires through a seven-speed transmission. According to GTA, the Spano can hit 62 mph from a dead standstill in just 2.9 seconds. If you’re keeping track, that’s faster than the just-unveiled Ferrari F12 Berlinetta.
Force India took the top spot today with Nico Hülkenberg behind the wheel. The second day of testing in Barcelona saw the Hulk on top throughout, with Sergio Pérez following him closely for second. Yesterday’s top driver, Sebastian Vettel, had to settle for third.
Meanwhile, Vitaly Petrov had his first day in the Caterham, completing 69 laps overall and finishing second from last. Only Marussia were behind, and they finished over 100 laps. Long runs were the order of the day, with Force India, Red Bull and McLaren also topping the century.
Passed by Marina Mall Seaside to check out Concours d’Elegance 2012 and was astonished with what I saw. The variety and exclusiveness of the cars that attended was mind blowing, cars included a 1927 Ford Model T, a 1937 Bugatti 57S, a 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster Atalante, a 1966 Lamborghini 350GT, a 1965 Ferrari 365GTS Daytona Spider and many more. Check out the pictures after the jump..
Mubarak Al-Rumaidhi from Traction Off team takes 1st place at the Red Bull Drift Competition in Kuwait, qualifying for the finals in Beirut. Mubarak did incredibly well throughout the competition and made a near perfect final round taking home 1st place, Mubarak was just a joy to watch. Finishing in a close 2nd was Sami Haider who is also on the Traction Off team, and 3rd was Dhari Al Shimari who gave us a very good show with his Altima. Congratulations to Mubarak for his incredible performance, we wish him best of luck for the finals in Beirut!
Check out more pictures after the break..
GulfRun connect:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
