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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.

Ferrari 212 Barchetta highlights RM auction at Villa d'Este

While show-goers sip champagne and basque in the glow of some of the most beautiful classics and most notable concept cars at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, at the Villa Erba just down the shore, collectors bid on some of the most tempting automotive creations. And this year was no exception. Highlighting RM Sotheby's auction this year was a rare classic 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta. The Touring-bodied competition roadster from Ferrari's early days fetched an incredible ˆ6,720,000 – nearly $7.4 million at current exchange rates – to set a new record for that model. According to Sports Car Market, the previous record was held by a 212 Export coupe that sold for $3.2 million early last year. A Barchetta failed to sell for a high bid of $1.97 million in 2008, which just goes to show how far this auction raised the bar for the 212. Though it was by far the top lot of the day, it wasn't the only million-dollar sale of the day. Heck, it wasn't even the only million-dollar Ferrari sold. A quartet of Ferrari supercars – including a 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo – each fetched seven figures, as did a 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso and a 250 GT Cabriolet. So did a Lamborghini Miura, a '73 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 and a '53 Fiat 8V Cabriolet, if you can believe it. Other notable lots included a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Villa d'Este Coupe, a '74 Lancia Stratos and a rare stick-shift Ferrari 599 HGTE. All told, RM Sotheby's racked up nearly $30 million in sales at its first European auction since merging and rebranding, selling 34 out of the 39 lots consigned, but that stunning 250 California Spider did not appear to be among them.

Race Recap: 2016 Austrian GP is mishaps from start to finish

At the 2015 US Formula 1 Grand Prix, rain mixed up the grid and a first-lap incident cast the die for the race. The Austin, Texas event made highlight reels for those reasons and because it decided the Driver's Championship. At the 2016 Austrian F1 Grand Prix, rain mixed up the grid and a last-lap incident cast the die for the race. The Spielbergring race will feature in this year's highlight reel because it might force Mercedes-AMG Petronas to make some hard decisions about the rest of the season. For the first time this season, Lewis Hamilton converted pole position into a lead through Turn 1, and began slowly pulling away from the field. Teammate Nico Rosberg started from sixth because of a gearbox penalty, but was up to third when he pitted on Lap 11. Mercedes normally pits the lead driver first, in this case being Hamilton, but Mercedes wanted to get Rosberg ahead of the two Ferraris. Hamilton pitted on Lap 22, emerging behind Rosberg because of a slow stop. Sebastian Vettel led the race for Ferrari on Lap 27 when his right rear tire exploded coming down the start-finish straight – an eerie reminder of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. The Safety Car rolled out, yet when racing resumed Rosberg stayed ahead. After the two Mercs came in for second stops everyone expected Hamilton to lead, but Hamilton had messed up his in-lap and lost a cumulative 3.3 seconds during his actual stops compared to Rosberg's pit-stop times. The Brit remained second. Hamilton chased his teammate for the final 15 laps. At the beginning of the last lap Rosberg messed up Turn 1 and Hamilton closed in. Rosberg took the inside line into Turn 2 as Hamilton pulled up on the outside, then Rosberg appeared to drive straight on as if he simply wasn't going to turn. Hamilton turned in, colliding with Rosberg and driving over the German's front wing. By the end of Turn 2, Hamilton had the lead and Rosberg had a broken car. The Brit won, the German puttered home to finish fourth. The incident promoted Max Verstappen to second and Kimi Raikkonen to third. Verstappen scored his second podium for Red Bull after his victory in Spain. Conversely, Raikkonen's third place for Ferrari was more gifted scraps for the scuderia. Daniel Ricciardo came fifth in the second Red Bull, Jenson Button delivered a terrific sixth for McLaren- Honda, Romain Grosjean got Haas back in the points, Carlos Sainz, Jr. secured eighth for Toro Rosso, and Valtteri Bottas in ninth for Williams.