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2016 British Grand Prix kept mostly calm and carried on

Three bursts of chaos decided the course of the British Grand Prix. The first was a literal cloudburst a dozen minutes before the race, which poured water on the Silverstone Circuit while drivers sat on the grid. Six minutes before the lights-out, the race director decided to start the race behind the Safety Car. The field loped around the wet track for five laps. When the Safety Car pulled off, the three leaders – Mercedes-AMG Petronas' Lewis Hamilton, followed by teammate Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Max Verstappen – stayed out. Behind them, the second chaotic moment occurred: a big group of drivers made pit stops for intermediate tires. When Manor's Pascal Wehrlein spun at Turn 1 on Lap 7, officials issued a Virtual Safety Car. With the rest of the field slowed down, the three leaders ducked into the pits on Lap 8 for intermediates. The fortuitous timing meant all three drivers rejoined the track in their original positions. By Lap 9, with racing resumed, Hamilton had a 4.9-second lead on Rosberg. From that point, even as the track dried, no one bothered Hamilton during what one commentator called "a measured drive." The Brit won his home grand prix, taking the checkered flag seven seconds ahead of Rosberg. Rosberg had to earn second place on track. The German's car didn't respond well to the intermediate tires, so Verstappen excecuted an outstanding pass on Rosberg on the outside through Chapel on Lap 16. After everyone switched to slicks, Rosberg's Mercedes reclaimed its mojo and the German hunted Verstappen down, passing the Dutchman on Lap 38. The final touch of chaos happened when Rosberg's gearbox threw a tantrum on Lap 47 of the 52-lap race. Rosberg radioed his engineer, "Gearbox problem!" His engineer replied, "Affirm. Chassis default zero one. Avoid seventh gear, Nico." The race stewards allowed the engineer's first two statements, but stewards said the instruction about seventh gear contravened the rule that "the driver must drive the car alone and unaided." After the race, officials added ten seconds to Rosberg's time, demoting him to third behind Verstappen. Rosberg's is the first penalty arising from radio communication restrictions. Unsurprisingly, Mercedes will appeal. At this year's Baku race the radio controversy stemmed from engineers refusing to tell drivers what to do. Now we know what happens when the pit wall gets loose lips.

Race Recap: 2013 Indian Grand Prix mostly calm with chances of Championships

The smog around the Buddh International Circuit got so bad over the weekend that the FIA had to change the practice sessions. Then the soft tires that Pirelli brought to be the options were found to degrade so quickly that teams had to change their qualifying and race strategies. The only man it didn't seem to affect was - guess who? - Sebastian Vettel, who put his Infiniti Red Bull Racing on pole position.
Behind him came Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas, Mark Webber in the second Infiniti Red Bull and on medium tires, Felipe Massa in the first Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen in the first Lotus, Nico Hülkenberg in the first Sauber, Fernando Alonso in the second Ferrari, and the McLaren duo of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button. The tire strategizing didn't work out for Romain Grosjean in the second Lotus, who didn't get out of Q1 after only running the medium compound tire and lined up 17th.
The Indian Grand Prix has been held twice and Vettel has led every single lap of both races. If nothing else, we knew there would be at least one new thing about this Indian Grand Prix: there'd be a lap not led by Vettel since he qualified on softs and would have to pit before Webber and Alonso who were both on mediums.

Ferrari Roma: More details and new photos from every angle

We got a preview of the new Ferrari Roma yesterday afternoon, but now the official reveal is over and all the details are out. The British outlet Autocar was at the event in Italy, where it managed to learn a bit more about the coupe. We also have additional photos from the event itself where you can get a better look at the gorgeous car in a few different colors. It doesn’t disappoint. The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 is a massaged version of the power unit in the Portofino. This engine makes 592 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque in the convertible, but it makes 611 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque in the Roma. The 0-to-62 mph time improves by 0.1 second compared to the convertible, coming in at 3.4 seconds this time. Top speed is approximately 199 mph. The Roma shares a wheelbase length of 105.1 inches with the Portofino and California T before it, but the Roma is slightly longer in overall length. Ferrari says the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission in the Roma weighs about 13 pounds less than the seven-speed gearbox in the Portofino. ItÂ’s also said to offer quicker shifts, smoother operation around town and helps to reduce fuel consumption. A redesigned exhaust system incorporates the necessary particulate filters, but Ferrari opened up the rest of the exhaust to retain its beautiful exhaust note. Engineers did this by removing the silencers and adding bypass valves, according to Car and Driver. The Roma is also equipped with FerrariÂ’s Side Slip Control technology, steering wheel-mounted manettino mode selector and the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer first seen on the 488 Pista. ItÂ’s not visible in the reveal photos, but thereÂ’s an active rear wing that deploys at high speeds for added downforce — there are three levels of deployment with each providing different amounts of downforce. Wide, staggered tires also help with grip. The Roma has 285/35 ZR20s in the back and 245/35 ZR20s in the front. As we noted in our previous post, the interior is revolutionary. ThereÂ’s a 16-inch digital cluster and an 8.4-inch vertical central infotainment touchscreen display. The cabin is separated with a tall central tunnel, and even the passenger has a touchscreen directly in front of them. Good luck reaching it when the driver lays into the throttle. Ferrari also says the steering wheel is a completely new design, but it continues to house every possible control right on the wheel itself. Since the Roma is a GT, Ferrari is giving folks some trunk space.