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2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix recap: another wild show on and off track

Normally we use this space to provide a lengthy recap of the weekend's Formula 1 race, but we're going to try something different since most folks reading this know what happened at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Instead, we'll alight on what we saw as the big issues in and around the race. Let us know what you think in Comments. Proper qualifying is back. Thank goodness. It only took a month of embarrassment to fix it. And so is passing! For the third race in a row, big performance improvements at the ten teams behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas and a wider tire selection at this race graced us with opening stints filled with dicing cars. Seeing the McLarens on screen doesn't make us cringe. Manor doesn't only make the global feed when it's being lapped. We've been complaining about parade races for so long that we forgot excitement was possible without rain or wholesale regulation changes. Yes, Mercedes is still the king of the jungle, but there are some other proper midfield beasts on the hunt, too. Malfunctions up and down the grid did help the show in Shanghai, like Lewis Hamilton suffering perpetual troubles, Nico Hulkenberg's runaway front wheel which red-flagged Q2, and Sebastian Vettel's and Kimi Raikkonen's flubbed hot laps in Q3 that let Daniel Ricciardo slip by into second on the grid. Come race day things went all Grand Theft Auto at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending some of the best cars to the pits. Then came Ricciardo's puncture while leading, then came the Safety Car – all by Lap 5. Nico Rosberg got 38 seconds of airtime on the way to victory – at the start and the finish, and that happened to be his margin of victory, too – otherwise he was a ghost. Everyone else was struggling and juggling. Rosberg's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix put the German at five consecutive victories going back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix. The history books show that any driver who's won five straight contests has gone on to win the championship. With his triumph in China, the German has won the season's first three races, the history books again show that the other nine drivers who've pulled that off have gone on to win the championship. Rosberg, 36 points ahead of his teammate in the standings, is having none of it. He said of the other victors, "But they didn't have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate." Perhaps Mercedes was right not to make an engine deal with Red Bull last season.

McLaren 650S to start at $265,500 in US?

As the McLaren 650S inches towards US dealerships, one of the big questions on our mind is how much the mid-engined supercar will cost. We previously reported that European customers would be shelling out 232,500 Euros, which at the time was the equivalent of $318,000 (today, it's about $320,200). In that piece, we claimed US pricing would probably be well below that number, and thanks to some supposedly leaked intel, it looks like we were correct. DragTimes claims the hardtop 650S will start at $265,500, which actually strikes us as a bit of a bargain for a 641-horsepower, mid-engined super car. It should be noted that the list of optional extras, which is what will really drive up the price of the 650S, doesn't differ from the European options sheet we showed you back in February. That means there's a load of carbon-fiber trim pieces as well as plenty of performance options, like "super-lightweight" forged wheels, a carbon-fiber racing seat and a sport exhaust. Now, all this being said, we'd suggest taking these prices with a grain of salt. The European price leaks were accompanied by a physical price sheet that lent an air of credibility to the initial report - there's no such proof for these prices. We've reached out to McLaren to try and get confirmation on these, and we'll be sure to update this post as soon as we hear anything. Until then, head over to DragTimes for the full rundown, and let us know what you think in Comments. Is $265K a reasonable start price for a 650S? Which options from the price list would be must-haves? Have your say below. Featured Gallery McLaren 650S: Geneva 2014 View 18 Photos News Source: DragTimesImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL McLaren Coupe Performance pricing mclaren 650s

Seat hatches hot little Ibiza Cupra Concept in Beijing [w/video]

Just about every brand under the Volkswagen Group umbrella has its own performance line these days. Marques like Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche may not need them, but Volkswagen has the R line, Audi has the RS range, Skoda offers the vRS models, and Seat badges its under the Cupra name.
It's a nameplate that's become synonymous with Latin-flavored hot hatches in markets around the world, and one of those vital markets is China. Little wonder, then, that Seat chose the Beijing Motor Show to launch its latest Cupra model.
Technically billed as a "concept," even Seat admits the vehicle you see here is pretty darn close to the production model that is scheduled to debut later this year. It starts out with the latest Ibiza hatchback (which itself shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Polo) and upgrades it with VW's celebrated 1.4 TSI engine that packs a turbocharger, supercharger and direct injection to produce a solid 180 horsepower. All that juice is driven to the front wheels through an electronic differential and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.