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McLaren F1 Crashes, Flips In Italy During Race

Friends, this is why we can't have nice things. A McLaren F1 was flipped down an embankment in Italy yesterday, and this video of the crash's aftermath is about as sad as when Old Yeller was shot. According to Italy's La Nazione, this one-off, red-on-white F1 was crashed during a four-F1 tour between the towns of Saline di Volterra and Pomarance in the province of Pisa. It's unclear what caused the driver to lose control and invert our British hero on a grassy hill, although as this is a McLaren F1, we wouldn't be remotely surprised if speed ended up being a factor. YouTuber Marchettino, an Autoblog reader and well-known source of videos from Ferrari's Fiorano test track, was on the scene to capture the video available below. The footage shows the McLaren accelerating away, only to cut away to the aftermath of the wreck. Emergency personnel were tasked with righting the stricken hypercar, a process that was accompanied by the cringe-worthy cracking of its Peter Stevens-designed bodywork. At least they had the decency to cover the crumpled Brit with its fitted black cover as they loaded it onto a flatbed, a fitting yet somehow disturbing visual. According to reports, the driver and passenger were airlifted from the scene with non-lethal injuries, and both are recovering in a hospital. Given the rising worth and rarity of F1s, despite the extensive damage in evidence, we reckon that this won't be the last the world sees of this special car. Take a look below to view the video. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: La Nazione, Marchettino via YouTube, Jalopnik McLaren Coupe Performance Classics Videos

ATM customers push the Jenson Button to meet their Secret Santander

We all know the drill: you need cash, you go to an ATM, you push some buttons and out come the bills, deducted from your checking account. But some customers at European bank Santander got a bit of a surprise when they were asked to use a new type of automatic teller and push the Jenson Button. Putting the Santa in Santander, the 2009 Formula One World Champion hid inside an ATM in England and dispersed gifts from the bank to a fortunate few of its customers. It's a good gag, one that puts the bank in good light and spreads a bit of holiday cheer. In case you're wondering what Santander has to do with Button and F1, note that the Spanish-owned banking group has, since 2008, sponsored the McLaren team for which Button drives. Not unlike Marlboro, it started sponsoring the Ferrari team in 2010 when Fernando Alonso signed with the Italian team, but though Santander initially planned on severing ties with the British team when it switched to the Scuderia, it's stuck with McLaren over the years. And with Alonso now returning to Woking, we wouldn't be surprised to see the bank step up to an even more prominent role with the team. News Source: Santander via YouTube, Racer Celebrities Marketing/Advertising McLaren Videos santander

2016 British Grand Prix kept mostly calm and carried on

Three bursts of chaos decided the course of the British Grand Prix. The first was a literal cloudburst a dozen minutes before the race, which poured water on the Silverstone Circuit while drivers sat on the grid. Six minutes before the lights-out, the race director decided to start the race behind the Safety Car. The field loped around the wet track for five laps. When the Safety Car pulled off, the three leaders – Mercedes-AMG Petronas' Lewis Hamilton, followed by teammate Nico Rosberg and Red Bull's Max Verstappen – stayed out. Behind them, the second chaotic moment occurred: a big group of drivers made pit stops for intermediate tires. When Manor's Pascal Wehrlein spun at Turn 1 on Lap 7, officials issued a Virtual Safety Car. With the rest of the field slowed down, the three leaders ducked into the pits on Lap 8 for intermediates. The fortuitous timing meant all three drivers rejoined the track in their original positions. By Lap 9, with racing resumed, Hamilton had a 4.9-second lead on Rosberg. From that point, even as the track dried, no one bothered Hamilton during what one commentator called "a measured drive." The Brit won his home grand prix, taking the checkered flag seven seconds ahead of Rosberg. Rosberg had to earn second place on track. The German's car didn't respond well to the intermediate tires, so Verstappen excecuted an outstanding pass on Rosberg on the outside through Chapel on Lap 16. After everyone switched to slicks, Rosberg's Mercedes reclaimed its mojo and the German hunted Verstappen down, passing the Dutchman on Lap 38. The final touch of chaos happened when Rosberg's gearbox threw a tantrum on Lap 47 of the 52-lap race. Rosberg radioed his engineer, "Gearbox problem!" His engineer replied, "Affirm. Chassis default zero one. Avoid seventh gear, Nico." The race stewards allowed the engineer's first two statements, but stewards said the instruction about seventh gear contravened the rule that "the driver must drive the car alone and unaided." After the race, officials added ten seconds to Rosberg's time, demoting him to third behind Verstappen. Rosberg's is the first penalty arising from radio communication restrictions. Unsurprisingly, Mercedes will appeal. At this year's Baku race the radio controversy stemmed from engineers refusing to tell drivers what to do. Now we know what happens when the pit wall gets loose lips.