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F1 driver underestimates talent needed for wet-weather burnout

Whoops. That's a word nobody wants to hear in racing, and that's especially true in Formula 1, where the cars cost untold millions to design, develop, build and operate. In other words, just about any 'whoops' is an expensive 'whoops.'
Kamui Kobayashi, who made his F1 debut in 2009 driving for Toyota, has always been known as a bit of a wild card in the sport. He is notoriously difficult to pass, driving as he does with seemingly reckless abandon, and he's not afraid to get tangled up with the world's best drivers in the world's fastest race cars.
That brash attitude sometimes serves him well. Other times... well, not so much. See what happens with Kobayashi tries to show off in a Ferrari F1 car for fans on a wet track in Moscow in the twin videos below.

Touring Superleggera Berlinetta Lusso makes us swoon [w/video]

For the past three years, we've been fortunate enough to have the folks at Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera bring something very special to the Geneva Motor Show: the Alfa Romeo 8C-based Disco Volante. First, it showed up in red (twice), and then last year, arrived in a very stunning shade of green. If we're honest, we were kind of hoping there'd be a further evolution of the Disco on display at this year's show, but then Touring unveiled the beauty you see here. Meet the Ferrari F12-based Berlinetta Lusso. What we really like about the Berlinetta Lusso is how closely it resembles the F12 on which its based, but with some rough edges smoothed out. Despite looking similar, almost the entire body is new, with smoother creases and more retro-inspired design cues. Honestly, to our eyes, it looks better than the Prancing Horse's original. Mechanically, it's pretty much all F12 underneath, right down to the screaming 6.3-liter V12 with 703 horsepower. We certainly don't have any complaints about that. Get a load of this beauty in the images above, and video below.

Stellantis reports record margins, $7B profits despite chip shortage

MILAN — Automaker Stellantis on Tuesday said it achieved faster-than-expected progress on synergies and record margins in its first six months as a combined company, despite suffering 700,000 units in lower production due to interruptions in the semiconductor supply chain. The company — formed from French carmaker Peugeot PSAÂ’s takeover of the Italian-American company Fiat Chrysler — reported net profit of 5.9 billion euros ($7 billion) in the first half of 2021, compared with a loss 813 million euros during the same period a year earlier, which was impacted by the coronavirus restrictions around the globe. Shipments rose 44% to 3.2 million units, while revenues rose 46% to 75 billion euros. “We are very pleased with the speed with which the new team has begun to execute as one company, as Stellantis,Â’Â’ Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer told reporters. Semiconductor shortages accounted for 200,000 units of production losses in the first quarter and 500,000 in the second quarter. Semiconductors are used more than ever before in new vehicles with electronic features such as Bluetooth connectivity and driver assist, navigation and hybrid electric systems. Stellantis achieved 1.3 billion euros in cost savings in the first half, mostly by sharing investments in new technologies and platforms, which Palmer said was a faster rate than initially forecast. It aims to achieve 80% of the targeted 5 billion in cost savings by 2024. “These synergies allow us to continue to invest in the electrification strategy, which we talk about every day,” Palmer said. Stellantis, which lags competitors in rolling out electric vehicles, plans to launch 21 fully electric or plug-in gas electric hybrid vehicles over the next two years. North American posted record profitability on global sales of Ram trucks and the strong launch of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, which was the best-selling plug-in gas electric vehicle in the United States in the second quarter. Stellantis was the market leader in South America and second in Europe. The results were presented on a pro-forma basis, taking into account the performance of each of the carmakers as separate entities during 2020. Related video: 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Inside and Out