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Max Verstappen wins rain-soaked German Grand Prix

HOCKENHEIM, Germany — Max Verstappen won a chaotic and rain-soaked German Grand Prix on Sunday as championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished 11th and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas crashed near the end. Verstappen kept his composure on a treacherous track to clinch his second victory this season and seventh of his Red Bull career, topping a surprise podium ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel — who started from last — and Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat. "It was amazing to win, it was really tricky out there, you had to be focused," Verstappen said. "It was about trying to not make too many mistakes. You learn over the years. I'm very happy with the result." Following this week's crushing heatwave, wet weather caused Hockenheimring havoc as drivers took up to six pit stops for new tires and several crashed at the same spot where a section of tarmac was notoriously slippery. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was in contention for a podium, despite starting from 10th, but crashed after switching for quicker tires and slid off the track, over the gravel and into the barriers. Remarkably, Hamilton had the same mishap moments later, mangling his front wing after losing control at the same corner. He came in for a new wing and tires, but it took Mercedes by surprise and a painfully long stop cost him any chance of victory. For Vettel it was a remarkable turnaround, and almost the opposite to last year — when he crashed near the end after leading the race from pole position and Hamilton won, having qualified only 14th. "It was a lot of fun, it was very tough to read what the smartest move was in the conditions," Vettel said. "I stayed tidy in the whole race. Congratulations to Max, he was superb." The red-clothed Ferrari mechanics and engineers mobbed the four-time F1 champion, doubtless relieved after the team's botched qualifying on Saturday. Vettel could not even get out on track to set a time and Leclerc's qualifying bid was undone late in the session, forcing him to start 10th. For Kvyat it was a third career podium but, above all, a point proved. The 25-year-old Russian driver was ruthlessly replaced at Red Bull by Verstappen after just four races of the 2016 season, and could not even get a seat in F1 last year. "Amazing to be back on the podium," Kvyat said. "The race was crazy. Incredible roller-coaster, like my whole career." The track was drenched by the time the race started. For safety reasons, a safety car was deployed.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 First Drive [w/videos]

On the flight out to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 launch. I figured I'd drive down gravel and dirt roads, and then I'd take a Sprinter on a brief, pre-planned, crawling off-road course with Mercedes guides helping me along, Perrier water and fresh pastries at every third checkpoint. I've done off-road drives before, and while they do a perfectly nice job of showing the capability of a vehicle and its four-wheel-drive system, they're usually somewhat predictable and, I guess, safe. I also knew I'd be going to the middle of nowhere, but I assumed that'd just be a small town nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. You know, a city anchored by its ski resort, but with all the amenities of a fully functional community. Something like Revelstoke, BC, where I spent my first night on the trip – kind of out in the wilderness, but a place where my iPhone could still pick up a solid 4G signal. But 24 hours later I found myself in a truly remote, off-the-grid part of the world, faced with a route that was anything but pre-arranged. And I wasn't in a G-Wagen, or some other off-roader – I was going to do all of this in a Sprinter van. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time Autoblog has taken a Sprinter far, far off the beaten path, and isn't the first time we've driven this generation of Mercedes' van. Home base was the CMH Monashee Lodge in Mica Creek, BC – a location so out-there that, according to Wikipedia, it "is no longer incorporated as a village." I had lost cell signal some 50 miles back, and the lodge was the only thing around, with its small staff, my fellow journalists and the Mercedes handlers the only human beings inhabiting the area. (Wait, haven't I heard this one before?) The drive from Revelstoke to Mica Creek was easy – 56 miles, all on Canada Highway 23 that runs alongside the Columbia River. It was breathtaking, with mountain forests still covered in snow from the winter, and the (mostly) thawed river flowing peacefully to my left as I drove north. There were no telephone poles, no stoplights and no traffic save the occasional logging truck. The road signs didn't point to exits toward other towns, but instead warned of possible run-ins with moose or bears, and let me know not to stop on specific parts of the highway unless I wanted to experience an avalanche up close.

Aston Martin tipped for F1 return with Red Bull, Mercedes

Aston Martin could be plotting a return to Formula One for the first time in over half a century. And not as a backmarker, either. That is, at least, if the latest rumors materialize. While most automakers that participate in F1 do so as either a team owner (like Ferrari and Mercedes) or as an engine supplier (think Renault or Honda), the rumored Aston Martin deal would take a different approach. According to Autosport, the proposal would have the Red Bull Racing team run Aston Martin branding – but not its engines. Those would be provided by Mercedes, just like the engines in the British marque's upcoming slate of road cars. In that regard, the deal would not be unlike the one which Red Bull currently has with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which sees the team running Renault engines and Infiniti branding. Andy Palmer was a pivotal figure in brokering that unusual arrangement when he was working for Carlos Ghosn, and is now tipped to be brokering a similar deal in his new capacity as Aston Martin's CEO. Though Aston has found glory in sports car racing (including Le Mans and its various associated series), it was never much of a contender in grand prix racing. It competed in a handful of races in 1959 and 1960, but never achieved results worth bragging about. Aston was rumored to be plotting a return when David Richards sat as chairman of the company, having run Aston's racing program as well as Honda's F1 team previously. Those rumors, however, never materialized. Whether this time 'round gains any traction remains to be seen - Aston Martin declined to either confirm or deny the reports when reached for comment by Autoblog. Red Bull has been growing increasingly dissatisfied (and increasingly vocal about its dissatisfaction) with Renault engines over the past couple of seasons. Though the two parties won four back-to-back world titles together, things took a noticeable step backward after the new turbo engine regulations took hold for the 2014 season. Nissan/Infiniti and Red Bull are contracted to continue collaborating until the end of next season. After that is when the new Aston deal could take hold, and Mercedes is reportedly keen on the idea so that it could add another customer to its F1 engine supply business and offset the costs of development. That could effectively prove the end of Renault in F1 (at least for the time being). Aside from Red Bull, the French automaker currently supplies only that outfit's sister team Toro Rosso.