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Seat expands Leon hot hatch family with new FR+

Buyers looking for a hot hatch could do worse than a Volkswagen GTI. But European buyers also have the option of going with its Spanish version, the Seat Leon, which offers a touch of Latin flavor along with a little bit more power than its German sibling often at a more attractive price. Now, the Iberian auto marque is expanding the range of its Leon FR with a choice of new engines.
Where the Leon FR was previously available with either a 208-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI or a 168 hp turbo-diesel, these have now moved up a notch to the new FR+. Underneath them, Seat is offering the more accessible 123 hp 1.4-liter TSI and 138 hp 2.0-liter TDI, giving buyers the sportier treatment but with smaller engines.
Overseas buyers can also opt for either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG, but those looking for the more hardcore hot-hatch experience can still go for the Leon Cupra R, which also gets a subtle refresh to keep it current. Check out the whole family in the press release after the jump and the images in the high-res gallery for more.

2015 Chinese Grand Prix shines bright sun on the dark days of racing

Yes, we tuned into the Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai China to see a race. But we all know we really tuned in to see if Ferrari, or any other team, could make it a competitive race with Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Based on qualifying, things didn't get off the best of starts: Lewis Hamilton made it four-out-of-four at the front, leading all three Free Practice sessions and then taking pole position in his Mercedes. Nico Rosberg is making the most of his time in the simulator, getting closer to Hamilton as the months go by. This time he lined up in second, just 0.042 in arrears. Ferrari did its best to temper expectations after Malaysia. Even though Sebastian Vettel qualified in third, almost a second behind Hamilton, the Scuderia's race pace is still considered a danger. Kimi Raikkonen's final hot lap went sour in Turn 3 and dropped the Finn to sixth place on the grid. In between the Ferraris, Williams is another team desperately working to maintain its advantage, and both of its drivers capitalized on Raikkonen's misfortune. Felipe Massa took fourth, Valtteri Bottas was in fifth. Daniel Ricciardo led the Infiniti Red Bull Racing charge in seventh, ahead of Romain Grosjean in the Lotus earning a spirits-lifting eighth. The two Saubers continue to show how good the Ferrari engine is, with Felipe Nasr taking ninth position and teammate Marcus Ericsson in tenth. Yet when the lights went out, so did the racing, for the most part. At the end of the first lap, because of some excellent moves by Raikkonen on both Williams' and a terrible start by Ricciardo that dropped him to seventeenth, the order was Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Raikkonen, Massa, Bottas, Grosjean, Nasr, Ericsson, and Pastor Maldonado in the Lotus rounding out the top ten. At the end of the race, the only positions that had changed were the final two: Ricciardo had a laps-long battle with Ericsson, passing, getting repassed, then passing again to take ninth for good, with Ericsson finishing tenth. Maldonado suffered the worst in a battle with Jenson Button in the McLaren, when Button misjudged the entry into Turn 1 for a pass and clouted the back of the Lotus. Button was able to finish but Maldonado had to retire. Yes, there were some decent moments in between, like Bottas getting by Massa at the start, then Raikkonen getting past Massa in the first few corners and the Finn's move on Bottas also letting Massa through.

McLaren reinstates Ron Dennis as CEO

With new versions of the 12C coming out all the time, the new P1 still wowing crowds and additional projects underway, sports car fanatics might surmise that McLaren is doing pretty well for itself these days. But Formula One fans would likely disagree. After losing its longtime prodigy Lewis Hamilton to its longtime partner, Mercedes, McLaren failed to land on the podium (let alone win an actual grand prix) even once last season. In fact, the last time McLaren – one of the most historically successful teams on the grid – won the F1 World Championship was back in 2008, when Ron Dennis was still calling the shots. Little wonder, then, that the board of the McLaren Group has seen it fit to reinstate Dennis as chief executive officer. Ron Dennis is the man rightfully and widely credited with turning McLaren into the powerhouse it is today. He came to the team in 1980 at the end of a three-year dry spell in which it had not won a single grand prix. The following season, it was already winning races again, and by 1984, it was winning World Championships again: seven Constructors' Championships and ten Drivers' Championships with pilots like Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and Hamilton. All in all, the team was never as successful as it was under the leadership of Ron Dennis, but in 2009, he stepped aside as team principal to focus on expanding the group's business, leaving Martin Whitmarsh to assume the title of CEO. But while the carmaking division has grown under Dennis' watchful eye, the F1 team has floundered under Whitmarsh's direction. So the board has reinstated Dennis as CEO of the entire group. This isn't the first time McLaren has faced difficulties with (and had to replace) one of Dennis' lieutenants. Last year, McLaren Automotive's managing director Antony Sheriff was placed on extended leave, his duties ultimately effectively reassigned to Mike Flewitt, who was promoted from chief operating officer to chief executive officer of the carmaking unit this past summer. Just what that this new appointment will mean for Whitmarsh in his role as F1 team principal remains to be seen, but Dennis says he is gearing up "to write an exciting new chapter in the story of McLaren, beginning by improving our on-track and off-track performance." He'll have a new strategy outlined for the group next month, but in the meantime, you can read the official announcement below.