F 1: Australian GP Qualifying Results

At the inaugural race of every Formula 1 season you never really know where each team stands in terms of performance. Sure, there are the favorites, the also-runs, the back markers and oftentimes, the wild cards. Well, the qualifying race of the Australian Grand Prix that kicked off this year's F1 season certainly had all of the above. But not necessarily in the way most seasoned F1 fans might have expected.
Lewis Hamilton claimed the 20th pole position of his career and Jenson Button lined up right beside him, making it an all-McLaren front row. Not too surprising, as despite the fact that Sebastian Vettel took most pole positions last year, the McLarens had proved to be very fast during testing.
“It’s an incredible feeling to get off to such a good start”, said Hamilton. His team-mate Button added, “Obviously, this is only the beginning, but I think we have done a good job this winter and we have proved that today.”
For the rest of the official qualifying session, it’s hard to say which was the biggest surprise.
Romain Grosjean, who many mistake as a rookie, has in fact raced in F1 with Renault, albeit his last event was in 2009. Nevertheless, he brought Lotus to third position, justifying many like Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner who believe that Lotus could be this year’s outsider.
Unfortunately, Horner’s own drivers were clearly off the pace compared to the McLarens. Mark Webber recorded the fifth fastest lap, despite facing a KERS malfunction, while reigning champion Sebastian Vetell was sixth.
Michael Schumacher posted his best qualifying result since his 2011 return to Formula 1 by claiming fourth place. The seven-time world champion was happy with the performance of the Mercedes W03: “Our performance is a huge step forward, considering where we were in qualifying here last year”, said the German referring to his 2011 start from 11th place.
If Ferrari thought that last year’s performance was a fluke and 2012 will signal a return to form, they might have to reconsider. Fernando Alonso spun on Q2 and did not make it to Q3! So he will start from 12th place, while Felipe Massa was a second slower than his teammate and ended up 17th.
Apparently, Scuderia’s technical director Pat Fry was simply being candid when he said that the Ferrari’s performance is way off the pace setters.
Team principal Stefano Domenicali commented: “I understand that at the moment our fans are disappointed but I would urge them to be cautious before making any definitive judgment. We have a lot of work to do and our engineers are well aware of that, as indeed they were before even leaving for Melbourne.”
With the two HRT’s being disqualified for failing, for the second year in a row in Melbourne to achieve a lap time within 107 percent of pole position, as mandated by the rules, 22 drivers will start tomorrow’s race.

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Hamann Turns the McLaren MP4-12 into the memoR

The fourth customized McLaren MP4-12C to debut at the 2012 Geneva Auto Salon comes to us from Hamann Motorsports and it's called the "memoR". The Germany company says its goal was to give the McLaren supercar a more aggressive and racier look which it achieves through the two-tone black and red paintjob and wide body aero kit that adds numerous new parts such as the front and rear aprons, side panels and a rear diffuser.
Completing the look is a new set of alloy wheels painted in black.
Hamann Motorsport made no mention of any performance upgrades in its press statement nor did it say if and when the package will become available for order.

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McLaren MP4-12C Sports Car Rendered as a Spider

Just last week, we told you about McLaren and its plans to enhance the range of its new MP4-12C sports car with an open top version that may be named MP4-12S (for Spider). Using the info that has been circulating around the net, Teamspeed and artist Wildspeed came up with a handful of renderings to give us a visual of what the McLaren MP4-12C Spider may look like when it comes out of its shell (or so to speak), within the next year.
As suggested by the artist, the Spider is believed to feature a three-piece roof made of aluminum and plastic that fold into a compartment between the passenger area and the engine, while the car will keep the coupes B-columns / buttresses for safety reasons.
The open-top MP4-12C is also believed to feature a clear cover at the back providing an unobstructed view of the engine, which will be the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 lump as the coupe.
Photo Credits: WildSpeed via TeamSpeed

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The Year of the Sports Car at California's Mulholland Drive

As one of the most scenic roads in Los Angeles County, the Mulholland Highway is a popular destination for car drivers and motorcyclists alike. Over the past year, a camera crew recorded many sports cars that made their way pass the twisty roadways and strung together a video with some of the most eye-catching models.

The cars seen in the film range from the new McLaren MP4-12C to a classic Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic (we believe this is a replica owned by Jay Leno), and from an Atom Ariel to the Audi e-tron Spyder Concept.
Buckle up and head over the jump to enjoy the video.

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Tis the Time to Watch Out: Cool Timepieces for the Auto Enthusiast

A red and white McLaren and a bright yellow-helmeted driver behind the wheel storming down the track is one of the images that defined the 1980’s-era of Formula 1. The driver was, of course, the late Ayrton Senna. And the watch he wore was always a TAG Heuer, something that made many young fans of the most charismatic driver the world has ever seen yearn for one.
The Swiss brand continues its partnership with the Woking-based F1 team, making sure that Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button flash their timepieces at every opportunity.
On the other hand, the most famous, if not really the most exclusive or expensive watchmaker in the world, Rolex, has linked its name not only with the late actor, racing driver and Indycar team owner Paul Newman, but also sponsors and big names, many major events after its most coveted model, the Daytona chronograph.
Cars and timepieces share many characteristics. For one, they come in all shapes and sizes and their price range from cheap to “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” category – and everything in between.
Furthermore, while some people simply view them as a mechanical device built to satisfy a need, transportation and telling the time respectively, and don’t care about the inner working parts, others have a totally different approach.
They appreciate the shape, the complex workings inside and the feel of both. There are also those who simply view them as a status symbol, a means of displaying their wealth.
Perhaps they just want a matching Jaeger LeCoultre to go with their Aston Martin or a Breitling to look at its knurled bezel and think about their Bentley’s controls when they are not driving it.
Watchmakers and car companies are very well aware of the connection between their products. Some carmakers have even tried to make their car’s instruments look like chronographs (Lexus with the IS200) or even sport a watch by a high-end manufacturer in the dashboard (Bentley).
This practice works the opposite way, too: TAG Heuer has developed the V4, a limited edition of square Monaco chronograph that was made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1971 Le Mans movie, inspired by cars’ belt driven engine parts.
Moreover, nearly a decade ago, it resurrected the Carrera name that alludes not to Porsche, as you might expect, but the Carrera Panamericana race of the 1950s that took place in Mexico. Many variations are currently available, with the Grand Carrera being the most distinctive piece.
Porsche, which offers a Chrono package in its models and has its own luxury items brand, Porsche Design, has also entered the timepiece market with the P6000 series.
The world’s most famous car brand could not be absent from our list. Ferrari, which has licensed its Prancing Horse logo to a range of items, from computers to shoes, has been one of the first to collaborate with high-end watch makers.
Girard-Perregaux was one of the first to make Ferrari-branded watches, and then Maranello decided to leave the Swiss company and collaborate with its compatriot Panerai, and currently has also returned to Switzerland too work with another high-end watchmaker, Hublot.
Perhaps the most unusual example, which makes even the Carrera V4 look ordinary by comparison, is another timepiece inspired by Ferrari: it is the Scuderia Ferrari One that is made by Geneva-based Cabestan.
It’s true that, if you’re used to normal watches you may find it difficult to tell the time by looking at its three engraved aluminum rotary bands. On the other hand, Cabestan’s creation, contrary to other manufacturers’ practice, lets you see its intricate innards from the front, and is quite a remarkable sight.
The same holds true for the Parmigiani-Flerieur Bugatti Super Sports. And even though we’ve so far avoided to name prices, which usually vary according to the country or even the retailer, the Bugatti watch certainly bears a price tag that befits a Veyron owner: US$259,000…

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