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2015 Italian Grand Prix is smoke, mirrors, stalls, and stewards

For the first day-and-a-half of the Italian Formula One Grand Prix weekend, everything went to blueprint: Mercedes in front, Ferrari lurking, everyone else scrambling in their usual orders behind. Then qualifying came, and someone stirred the pot. About the only thing we expected was for Lewis Hamilton to put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on pole position, the 11th time he's done it this year. He did it with a brand-new specification engine, one that represents not only an evolution in components, but also in power unit philosophy. Kimi Raikkonen lines up in second. It's been a long time since we read those words; the Iceman hasn't been on the first row since the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, when he put his Lotus second on the grid behind... Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen lined up just ahead of a Ferrari at that China race, then driven by Fernando Alonso. In Italy this weekend, he lined up in front of the Ferrari driven by his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who qualified third. Both Ferraris benefitted from an upgraded power unit, ending a front-row drought for the scuderia that goes all the way back to Monaco in 2009 Germany in 2012. Nico Rosberg has a lot of work to do from fourth in the second Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Mercedes discovered a problem with Rosberg's engine but couldn't figure out the cause, so he reverted to the previous-spec engine he used in Belgium, one that's six races old. The lack of power hurt. Williams teammates Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas took fifth and sixth, with Massa seemingly given a team-ordered helping hand. Williams told Bottas to tow Massa down the front straight, giving Massa a blistering time in the first sector. Then Bottas did it again, ensuring he would line up behind Massa. The first Sahara Force India of Sergio Perez nabbed seventh, three places ahead of teammate Nico Hulkenberg in tenth, with Romain Grosjean in the Lotus behind Perez in eighth. Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber qualified ninth, but some clumsy driving saw him impede Hulkenberg twice. The stewards penalized Ericsson with a three-place grid penalty and two points on his superlicense, so Hulkenberg inherited ninth and Pastor Maldonado in the second Lotus inherited tenth. We hardly saw Hamilton during the race, because he led from the start, worked up a larger gap to second place on every lap, and didn't give up the lead for the whole event.

Infiniti shows Q30 interior ahead of Frankfurt debut

Infiniti is supposed to debut the all-new Q30 hatchback at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, but as the show is still a couple of weeks away and the company has elected to release yet another image, we aren't sure there'll be all that much to see come Sept. 15. With that in mind, then, we give you the first images of the entry-level hatch's cabin, and they're, um, wow. We knew the Q30 had a lot in common with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class but as these images show, this is far more than a common platform. The steering wheel, instrument cluster, switchgear, and shifter are direct from the Mercedes parts bin. From the looks of the images, the Q30 will even have a Mercedes-style key. This might not garner much attention in the budget ranks – take the Scion iA and Mazda2, for example – but this degree of parts sharing in the premium market is sure to raise some eyebrows. It's also a rather bewildering move for Infiniti. The company is, in effect, selling a Mercedes-Benz to any new customers it attracts. That'll certainly make a Q50 a hard sell when it comes time for an upgrade. Now, in Infiniti's defense, there are some differences in the layout here. The triple nozzle-style HVAC vents have been replaced with a more conventional pair of outlets, and the instrument cluster hood extends over the built-in navigation screen. That design decision, in particular, will certainly appeal to critics of the tacked-on-tablet look offered by Mercedes. The analog buttons for the multimedia system have also been tweaked, with the result looking far cleaner than the mess of buttons offered on Mercedes' products (we wouldn't be shocked to see this layout arrive on a facelifted A-, CLA-, or GLA-Class in the near future, though). Beyond those changes, though, there are multiple Mercedes design hallmarks here, including the location of the controls for the seat adjustments. You can check out the Q30's cabin in both right- and left-hand drive varieties courtesy of the images above. And for comparison's sake, we also included our most recent gallery of the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class at the bottom of the page. Have a look and be sure to scroll down for the official press release. September 1, 2015 Countdown Frankfurt: First ever Infiniti Q30 active compact opens its doors before world premiere ? Q30 – The first global Infiniti compact ? Q30 interior design echoes daring expression of exterior ?

2024 New York International Auto Show not-so-mega photo gallery

The 2024 New York Auto Show press preview is in the bag and the public show has begun, and that means only one thing: Our work here is done. But really, we've been done since about mid-morning on Wednesday. As you'll see from the paltry selection of galleries below, the 2024 New York Auto Show wasn't much of one. And what there was? Well, in a word, it was Hyundai.  As you scroll through the galleries below, you'll note that we have items from essentially two global conglomerates. In one corner, there's Hyundai, Genesis and Kia. In the other, we have Nissan and Infiniti. But that's being a bit generous to Nissan and its luxury subsidiary, because while this is the first chance we really had to see the Nissan Kicks and Infiniti QX80 in person (and that's not even entirely true of the latter), they weren't actually revealed at the show.  New York has never been America's biggest "international" auto show, but it has been the venue for some big unveilings. In 2012, the new SRT Viper debuted to great fanfare at NYIAS; the Lincoln Aviator made a big splash in 2018; how about the Alfa Romeo 4C in 2014? And those are just cherry-picking from the past decade. By comparison, the 2024 show feels a bit uninspired. Yes, we would have liked to have seen some Vipers. Sue us.  But we'll stop dwelling on what we can't resurrect. There's plenty to see at the show this year if you're planning to go in person, so don't let our negativity deter you. For those who can't be there, here's what you're missing: Genesis G80 Magma View 9 Photos 2025 Genesis G80 Magma Genesis GV60 Magma Concept View 10 Photos 2025 Genesis GV60 Magma 2025 Hyundai Tucson XRT View 14 Photos 2025 Hyundai Tucson 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT View 11 Photos 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz InfinitiQX80-Z63-051 View 39 Photos 2025 Infiniti QX80 2025 Kia K4 Live View 7 Photos 2025 Kia K4 Sedan 2025 Nissan Kicks View 10 Photos 2025 Nissan Kicks     New York Auto Show Genesis Hyundai Infiniti Kia Nissan