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2015 Spanish F1 Grand Prix makes its Deutsche mark

The first race of the European Formula One season inaugurates the second phase of the Championship. Teams overhaul their cars with the big updates they've been working on since Australia, and at the end of The Battle of Spain we find out how the positions on the field have changed. Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg brought a big update to his psychology, straight-up beating teammate Lewis Hamilton to take his first pole position of the season. Mercedes owns the front row and Ferrari maintains its status as primary challenger, Sebastian Vettel lining up in third. Williams proved it's been hitting the books to do better in class, though, Valtteri Bottas slotting into fourth. And Toro Rosso's visit to a track that rewards strong aero rewarded them with the best team grid position since the Italian Grand Prix in 2008: Carlos Sainz secured fifth, ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth. Kimi Raikkonen's bout of Saturday woes – it seems the Finn is always handicapped by lots of tiny issues – continued in Barcelona with one of his sets of prime tires getting cooked by malfunctioning tire warmers. He recovered well enough to take seventh on the grid, but he's got some strong competition ahead of him. He led three other drivers in the Continuous Issues department, Daniil Kvyat unable to wrestle his Infiniti Red Bull Racing higher than eighth, Williams driver Felipe Massa getting it wrong in Turn 3 to fall five places behind his teammate Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull enduring another engine change and sloppy car behavior to get tenth. And while it turned out to be a steady race a little rough around the edges, the positions on the battlefield just might have changed. A little. Of the 66 laps in the race we might have seen Rosberg for three of them – maybe. The German got a smashing start, had a clear lead into Turn 1, and after that we checked in occasionally during his two pit stops and again at the checkered flag. He owned the entire weekend the way we're used to seeing his teammate do, and the cameras left him alone to run his race. No one got within seven seconds of him during the first third, and as the pit stop strategies played out that cushion grew. He finished seventeen seconds ahead of Hamilton, and 45 seconds ahead of third-placed Vettel. Hamilton, on the back foot all three days, stumbled out of the gate.

Ferrari boss Montezemolo expects big changes from FIA

You'd think that with former Ferrari principal Jean Todt running the FIA, the relationship between the motorsport governing body and the team he once called home would be a solid one. But his former boss expects more from the organization that overseas Formula One.
In a recent interview (excerpts from which you can read below), Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo pointed to some perceived inconsistencies in rulings made by FIA officials this season and called for "strong changes." Among those controversies was a drive-through penalty handed to Felipe Massa at the season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend, his last for the Scuderia. Massa was reprimanded for cutting across the white line that marks the exit from the pit lane, the penalty for which dropped him from fourth place in the race to seventh, and cost Ferrari its second place in the final standings for the constructors' championship - and with it a good $10 million in prize money. Montezemolo characterized the penalty as "disproportionate and unjust".
The Ferrari chief also pointed to penalties handed to Mercedes as either too harsh or not harsh enough, calling for greater consistency in FIA rulings and implying that more permanent race stewards be appointed instead of alternating race to race.

Ferrari 250 California fit for Ferris may sell for millions

Planning on playing hooky for a day of adventure in, say, Chicago? You're going to need the right set of wheels. Something like the Ferrari you see here ought to do the trick. Coming up for auction at Amelia Island, this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider is one of just 56 made – only 37 of which have those highly sought-after covered headlights. The short-wheelbase model followed the previous long-wheelbase version and featured a number of upgrades, including timeless coachwork by Scaglietti, a more nimble chassis, and four-wheel disc brakes. This particular example – bearing the VIN 2871 GT in classic red over black – starred alongside Sophia Loren in the film Ieri, Oggi, Domani. It was sold new in 1961 to Italian industrial designer Giangranco Frattini, who owned it for 17 years before selling it to one Terzo Dalia in 1978, who in turn sold it to its current owner in 1985. This represents the first time it's being offered for public sale. Gooding & Company anticipates it will fetch a good $16 million (give or take) when it crosses the auction block on March 11. That would, according to the records at Sports Car Market, put it right in the range of what California Spiders have been selling for in recent years – the record currently standing at $18.6 million paid for the Baillon barnfind example in Paris a year ago. If you have the means, to paraphrase our childhood hero, we highly recommend picking one up. Related Video: Gooding & Company Unveils Iconic 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider To Highlight Amelia Island Auction The Quintessential Ferrari 250 GT with Limited Ownership from New and Cinematic History SANTA MONICA, Calif. (February 12, 2016) – Gooding & Company, the auction house acclaimed for selling the world's most significant and valuable collector cars, is privileged to announce the addition of a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider (estimate $15,000,000-$17,000,000) to be sold at the Amelia Island Auction on March 11, 2016. This highly coveted Ferrari is the 22nd SWB California Spider built and one of only 37 covered-headlight examples produced. Remarkably, it has been in the loving care of the current owner for over 30 years. "We are thrilled to present this California Spider to our clients," states David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company.