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2015 Japanese Grand Prix is a little Mercedes, a lot of zen

Just one week on from the issues in Singapore Mercedes-AMG Petronas appeared to have solved its clamp problems and everything else. Daniil Kvyat at Infiniti Red Bull Racing took the two Free Practice scalps on Friday, but when it came time for qualifying the front of the grid looked really familiar: Mercedes' Nico Rosberg took his second pole position of the season, Lewis Hamilton next to him in second. Kvyat had a hand in that, too, the Russian getting into a big accident in Q3 when he put two wheels on the grass heading into the hairpin and veered into the tire wall so hard that he flipped. That ended qualifying before a number of drivers had a chance to improve their times, Hamilton among them. That's how Valtteri Bottas got in third for Willliams ahead of Sebastian Vettel fourth for Ferrari. Felipe Massa had the second Williams in fifth, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo lined up sixth for Infiniti Red Bull Racing, a team we're going to have to enjoy watching for the rest of the season since it might not exist come 2016. Romain Grosjean gave Lotus some good news by getting into eighth, the team so strapped for cash that it couldn't get into its hospitality area, so it held press conferences outside and ate at Bernie Ecclestone's Paddock Club. Sergio Perez took ninth for Sahara Force India, and Kvyat slotted into tenth after not setting a time. The Russsian's race would begin from the pit lane once his mechanics rebuilt his car. It wouldn't be a Formula One start lately without someone at the front having clutch problems. This time it was pole man Rosberg, whose power unit got too hot and put him a few horsepower down on Hamilton through Turns 1 and 2. That's half of how Hamilton took the lead from the lights going out, and the Brit kept it throughout the race. Rosberg, however, said his race was lost when Hamilton pushed him wide through Turn 2, a move Hamilton defended. Rosberg finished almost 19 seconds behind his teammate, a gap that probably isn't fully explained by that opening incident. Hamilton's race was so uneventful that we almost never saw him on camera – that is, we saw him so much less than we usually see him when he's out in front and unpressured that Nikki Lauda said he'd ask Ecclestone why the cameras avoided him. The conspiracy theory holds that FOM was punishing Mercedes for not supplying Red Bull with engines next year.

Raikkonen likely to retire from F1 after 2015 [w/poll]

Though his irreverent demeanor party-goer image might suggest otherwise, make no mistake about it: at 34 years old (and with 37-year-old Mark Webber out of the race), Kimi Raikkonen is the oldest driver in Formula One. He's three months older than Jenson Button, a good year older than his former wingman Felipe Massa, three years ahead of Adrian Sutil and a good decade beyond the latest crop of up-and-comers on the grid. So it's only natural that we should start wondering how much longer he'll stick around, and now we may have our answer.
Speaking with motorsport journalists at the British Grand Prix this past weekend, the 2007 World Champion and winner of 20 grands prix, Raikkonen indicated that the next season will likely be his last. According to numerous racing news outlets, when asked how long he plans to stay on the grid, the famously terse Finn responded: "Until my contract is finished, and then I will probably stop. That is what I think is going to happen."
Kimi was a relatively unknown entity when Sauber gave him his first drive in F1 back in 2001, upon which he finished in the points on his first race. He moved to McLaren the following season, racked his first podium finishes, and took his first win the season after that. He finishes second behind Fernando Alonso the next season, well ahead of the rest of the pack, and switched to Ferrari two seasons later in 2007, winning the world championship on his first season in red. After just three seasons, Ferrari showed him the door and Kimi left F1 entirely, trying his hand at everything from the World Rally Championship to NASCAR. He returned to F1 with Lotus in 2012, and in a rare move for Maranello, was invited back for this season on a two-year contract.

All the cars of the monster Baillon Collection barn find are headed to auction [w/video]

Automotive barn finds are exciting for the thrill and surprise of the hunt. Of course, you're far more likely to find a rusting Chevy under a tarp, but there's always that chance to scoop up a forgotten Porsche or Shelby for a song. That aspect makes the massive Roger Baillon Collection so bittersweet. There were so many great classics sitting under an open shed in France, but they were there so long that many of them became just bare husks. Ahead of the February 6 auction in Paris, auction house Artcurial has released descriptions and images of the entire 59-car hoard. While the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider and 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Berlinetta Frua remain the stars, there are a few surprises among the bunch. The original announcement makes no mention of several modern Ferraris – at least compared to the rest of the collection – among the lots. They include a thoroughly beat 1982 308 GTSi without headlights and portions of the paint gone. There's also a 1988 Mondial Cabriolet that looks good on the outside, but Artcurial says needs a mechanical overhaul. A rather attractive gray 1978 400 GT is in similar condition. Scroll through the gallery above for the names and price estimates for all of the vehicles in the collection. If there's one you're particularly interested in there are even more photos and full descriptions in Artcurial's auction catalog. Also check out the video below to see what some of these classics looked like before they were hauled out of Baillon's lean-to after years of sitting in decrepitude. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Roger Baillon Collection Auction View 59 Photos News Source: Artcurial, Artcurial Briest - Poulain - F. Tajan via YouTube Ferrari Maserati Auctions Classics ferrari 250 retromobile artcurial