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Watch Sebastian Vettel become first driver to lap Sochi GP circuit

In April of last year, Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard drove the unpaved Sochi Formula One circuit in a pair of Infiniti M sedans, getting both muddy and airborne in the process. Now with tarmac laid down and fences put up, Vettel and Coulthard have gone back to the Black Sea vacation spot for another hot lap, this time in a Q50 Hybrid and without the need for mud flaps.
Sochi has earned the blessing of F1's race director, so now the next test will be the fans. With a healthy amount of wall-and-fencing along the straights, it has shades of Valencia for the viewer. We hope it will be much more exciting than its Spanish counterpart when racing happens on October 12. You'll find more videos below covering Infiniti's visits to the Sochi Autodrom, and a press release on the latest lap.

Race recap: 2015 Singapore Grand Prix full of odd sideshows

What greeted the Formula One teams in Singapore? Confusion. The haze was so thick that observers wondered if the race would be held at all. Then practices began, and Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Nico Rosberg took the first one, but the team fell away after that. Mercedes said it couldn't get the tires turned on, but no one believed the Silver Arrows was in genuine trouble. Then qualifying set the confusion in stone. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel laid down the best time in Q3, taking the team's first pole position since Germany in 2012. Daniel Ricciardo got his Infiniti Red Bull Racing into second, about one tenth behind Vettel. (That may make the team feel better after Ricciardo publicly asked for a better engine than the current Renault unit, and team advisor Helmut Marko said the outfit will quit F1 at the end of this year if it can't get a stronger powerplant for 2016.) Kimi Raikkonen put the second Ferrari in third, Daniil Kvyat put the second Red Bull in fourth. And only then came the Meredes'. Lewis Hamilton's best got him fifth, the Brit saying, "We don't really know what we have got wrong. For some reason the tires are not working on the car. We do the warm-up the same as everyone else and then you see someone one second up the road." For added emphasis on the reversal of fortune, his time was 1.6 seconds behind Vettel's. Teammate Rosberg is next to him in sixth, a further half a second back. Williams is still a hurting a bit on slow tracks, so Valtteri Bottas could only get into seventh ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso and teammate Felipe Massa in ninth. When the red lights went out, the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix would get both less interesting and more interesting all the way to the final lap. The men up front got good getaways, and the order into Turn 1 was Vettel, Ricciardo, and Raikkonen. The race finished with those three in that order, never having conceded position. Vettel's Ferrari enjoyed the track so much that he laid a second per lap into Ricciardo for the first five, then relaxed. He'd let the gap come down later in the race a couple of times, but any time he wanted to see what his mirrors looked like without anyone in them he'd take off again. Rosberg took fourth position after holding down sixth for the first stint. It looked like he'd have an even worse day - for a Mercedes driver - when he had problems getting his car started and onto the grid before the race.

2017 Infiniti QX30 beefed up and ready for LA debut

Infiniti has released the first details and photos of its new compact crossover. Dubbed the QX30, the latest addition to the premium lineup is set for parallel debuts at the upcoming auto shows in Los Angeles and in Guangzhou, China. And with it, the luxury automaker is going after a younger demographic. Previewed by the QX30 concept unveiled earlier this year in Geneva, the new crossover joins the Q30 hatchback in Infiniti's new "entry-level" model line. Set to be produced at Nissan's mega factory in Sunderland, UK, the QX30 will be the first Infiniti to be built in Europe. But as you might discern from its introduction in LA, it'll form a vital part of the brand's strategy for the US market as well. The design looks instantly recognizable as an Infiniti, looking almost exactly like the Q30... only more rugged. Apart from the increased ride height, suitably ruggedized lower bodywork, and telltale (but slimline) roof rails, it adopts the same curvaceous, organic lines as the hatchback, and signature double-arch grille and kinked C-pillar as you'd expect from any modern Infiniti. The Japanese automaker has yet to show us much of the interior, but it promises an asymmetric design, premium materials, and ergonomic surfaces. Nor has Infiniti revealed much in the way of technical details. What it has told us, however, is that the new QX30 will encompass an all-wheel-drive system capable of sending up to 50 percent of output to the rear wheels, running through a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. Availability of diesel and gasoline engines will depend on the individual market. If its lower-riding stablemate is anything to go by, we should be looking at a 2.0-liter turbo four producing 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Technical specifications are due to be announced closer to its market introduction in the middle of next year. At that point, rivals like the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Lexus NX will be put on notice as Infiniti joins an increasingly competitive market for premium compact crossovers.