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Former Ferrari boss takes over FIA Single-Seater Commission

After "stepping down" from his position as team principal at Scuderia Ferrari earlier this year, we knew that Stefano Domenicali would find ways to keep himself busy. We just didn't know with what, but now we have a bit of a clearer picture as the FIA named the longtime racing strategist the head of its Single-Seater Commission at its annual General Assembly, held this past week in Qatar. The FIA Single-Seater Commission, for those unfamiliar, is responsible for organizing and fostering the ladder of formula racing – right up to (but not including) Formula One. The presidency of the commission was previously held by Gerhard Berger, former F1 driver and Toro Rosso team principal, who was largely credited with the rebirth of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the founding of the FIA Formula 4 category. Before Berger the position was held by racing consultant Barry Bland, and serving alongside Domenicali as vice-president of the commission will be John Ryan of the UK's Motor Sports Association (MSA). In taking over the commission, Domenicali will be charged with further defining a clear progression for aspiring racers to graduate to increasingly more challenging forms of open-wheel racing. He recently served as well on the special Accident Panel that looked into the Jules Bianchi incident. In that regard he seems to be following a similar trajectory to his predecessor Jean Todt, who was elected president of the FIA shortly after leaving his long career at Ferrari. The FIA appointment, however, isn't the only thing Domenicali has been working on lately. He was also recently hired by Audi in an undisclosed capacity that is said to include evaluating prospects for the German automaker's potential future F1 program. FIA Annual General Assembly FRI 05.12.14 The FIA Annual General Assembly, held in Doha, Qatar, today (5 December 2014), marked the end of the annual meeting week attended by Sport and Mobility FIA Member Clubs from around the world and which culminates with the FIA Prize-Giving ceremony this evening. The FIA President, Jean Todt, along with Senate President Nick Craw and Deputy Presidents Brian Gibbons and Graham Stoker, welcomed the delegates to the meeting and, on behalf of the General Assembly, thanked hosts Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) for their warm hospitality and assistance.

Florida aquaman drives a Ferrari straight into the drink

Often the worst and most annoying part of security footage is that there is no sound to the video. Viewers are left to their own imaginations as people on camera are seen doing strange or dumb things. A recent video from Florida has us wishing a police officer would have been mic'd up for a conversation he had moments before a person got into a Ferrari and drove it right into a body of water. Reported by WPTV and blogged by Car Throttle, the dash camera on a police car caught 48-year-old James Mucciaccio Jr. doing something that makes absolutely zero sense (before the Florida bath salts jokes come out, neither drugs nor alcohol were involved). The morning of Dec. 26, a police officer got out of his cruiser and approached a blue Ferrari 360 that was parked on a gated dock on the Palm Beach Inlet just off of the Atlantic Ocean. Based on the soundless video, it appears Mucciaccio and the officer had a civil conversation likely suggesting that the car couldn't be parked there. Mucciaccio then hustled to get into the car and looked to be backing out of the dock. But before he passed the gate, he stopped, then switched out of reverse as evidenced by the blinking lights on the car. He then gunned it and drove the Ferrari straight off the dock and into the water. Considering the interaction seemed to be completely calm, it's mind-boggling trying to imagine what Mucciaccio was thinking, if it was indeed on purpose. And no, there is no word yet as to why exactly he did what he did. According to the report, Mucciaccio was not injured and was rescued by a friendly observer. After the Ferrari sank 30 feet to the bottom, it was pulled out using inflatables. For more photos of the crashed Ferrari both above and below water, check out images from the Code 3 Divers here. Surprisingly, this is not the first time Code 3 has pulled a Ferrari out of the water. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ferrari 488 Spider turbocharges its topless way into Frankfurt

There's a droptop supercar for any wealthy buyer's style at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. If the sharply styled Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder doesn't get your heart racing, Ferrari is in attendance, as well, to give the turbocharged 488 Spider a public debut. With either of them, buyers are getting an exclusive, Italian name and plenty of performance to keep the wind gusting through their hair. The major upgrade for the 488 Spider and the reason for the new name is the addition of Ferrari's 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 to the droptop. Just like in the 488 GTB coupe, it makes 661 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. The Prancing Horse claims its latest Spider can hit 62 miles per hour in about 3 seconds and 124 mph in 8.7 seconds. The retractable hardtop is pretty quick, too, and can open in just 14 seconds. A redesigned aluminum spaceframe offers the benefit of 23 percent better torsional rigidity compared to the 458 convertible. While the styling at the front is the same, the 488 Spider wears some beautifully sculpted nacelles behind the seats. They create a streamlined look that flows right down the tail in profile. The glass pane between them can be retracted in three positions, too, to adjust the amount of wind and sound in the cabin. The droptop also has a new engine cover with louvers on each side. Check out all the little details of the blue example from the Frankfurt show yourself in our image gallery above.