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Race Recap: 2014 Russian Grand Prix is like Valencia, but in Russian

The Sochi International Street Circuit used to host the Russian Formula One Grand Prix has a few things in common with the Valencia Street Circuit that was used to host the European Grand Prix. Both are built among existing infrastructure used for other events, both contain long, narrow stretches run between concrete walls and chain link fencing, and both are, shall we say, not exactly exciting.
We wouldn't know that after qualifying, though, when Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes AMG Petronas finally put in a mistake-free Saturday to line up first on the grid, ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg in second. Valtteri Bottas got his Williams closer than anyone expected, blistering the first two sectors but falling apart in the third and ending up third on the grid. Behind him, Jenson Button impressed in the McLaren in fourth, Daniil Kvyat even more impressive in the Toro Rosso, taking fifth in front of his home crowd. Kevin Magnussen put the second McLaren in sixth, Daniel Ricciardo was the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing in seventh ahead of a Ferrari duo who knew they'd have a hard time, Fernando Alonso in eighth and Kimi Räikkönen in ninth. Jean-Eric Vergne made sure to keep himself in the news with tenth position.
When the lights went out, the most exciting events of the entire race happened in just sixty meters of the braking zone going into Turn 2.

Lil Wayne's daughter gifted Ferrari GTO, BMW X4 for 16th birthday [w/video]

It must be nice to have ludicrously rich parents. Rapper Lil' Wayne's daughter Reginae recently celebrated her 16th birthday with a huge party in Atlanta. Where many teens would be overjoyed just to get a family hand-me-down for a first car, the rapper's daughter got two brand-new vehicles – a BMW X4 and a Ferrari 599 GTO. The X4 would certainly be extravagant by itself, but it's not totally without precedent. Anyone who watched even a snippet of MTV's old show My Super Sweet 16, probably saw a few vehicles that were just as expensive. However, the concept of any newly licensed teen behind the wheel of a Ferrari is absolutely terrifying to us. This one is even crazier, with 661 horsepower and a chassis capable of lapping Ferrari's Fiorano test track quicker than an Enzo. Of course, with just 599 built, Reginae could probably just park the coupe and let it appreciate enough to finance her next big party. The BMW is reportedly going to be her daily driver, anyway. According to TMZ, Reginae's mother and stepfather bought her the Ferrari with Lil' Wayne's blessing. They believe their daughter can handle the 599 GTO, which shows some serious – if misguided – trust. Check out the video below to see the cars and her party. Related Gallery 2015 BMW X4 View 55 Photos Related Gallery Ferrari 599 GTO View 15 Photos News Source: TMZ via YouTube BMW Ferrari Car Buying Ownership Videos ferrari 599 ferrari 599 gto

EV cost burden pushing automakers to their limits, says Stellantis' CEO Tavares

DETROIT — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to quickly shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle with EVs' higher costs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are "beyond the limits" of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. "What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50% additional costs against a conventional vehicle," he said. "There is no way we can transfer 50% of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay." Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. Union leaders in Europe and North America have warned tens of thousands of jobs could be lost. Automakers need time for testing and ensuring that new technology will work, Tavares said. Pushing to speed that process up "is just going to be counter productive. It will lead to quality problems. It will lead to all sorts of problems," he said. Tavares said Stellantis is aiming to avoid cuts by boosting productivity at a pace far faster than industry norm. "Over the next five years we have to digest 10% productivity a year ... in an industry which is used to delivering 2 to 3% productivity" improvement, he said. "The future will tell us who is going to be able to digest this, and who will fail," Tavares said. "We are putting the industry on the limits." Electric vehicle costs are expected to fall, and analysts project that battery electric vehicles and combustion vehicles could reach cost parity during the second half of this decade. Like other automakers that earn profits from combustion vehicles, Stellantis is under pressure from both establishment automakers such as GM, Ford, VW and Hyundai, as well as start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian. The latter electric vehicle companies are far smaller in terms of vehicle sales and employment. But investors have given Tesla and Rivian higher market valuations than the owner of the highly profitable Jeep and Ram brands. That investor pressure is compounded by government policies aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union, California and other jurisdictions have set goals to end sales of combustion vehicles by 2035.