McLaren to Reveal $1 Million MP4-12C "SGP Edition" at Singapore Grand Prix

The P1 design study for a modern day F1 may be all the talk these days, but McLaren has another new model up its sleeves, one that will be unveiled during the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
The new car is the limited run MP4-12C "SGP Edition", of which only three examples will be built, each carrying a price tag of S$1.28 million or about US$1.05 million / €800,000. While that may sound like a lot of cash, the folks over at TeamSpeed reported that two cars have already been spoken for leaving only one up for grabs.
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How Red Bull Racing Bought Ford's F1 Failure for $1 and went on to Win 6 Titles

The late legendary NASCAR racer and team owner Dale Earnhardt Sr. had famously said, “Second place is just the first place loser”. Sebastian Vettel, who on November 26 won his third consecutive Formula 1 world championship with Red Bull Racing (RBR), thinks along the same lines: “When you win, everything is crazy. When you lose, you have time for yourself, no one is interested”, he says.

Everyone is certainly interested in Vettel and Red Bull Racing, which also won its third constructors’ title in a row this season. What makes their accomplishments even more astonishing is the fact that the RBR team was formed in 2005 and its first win came in the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix.

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Formula 1: Brazilian Grand Prix Race Report

It’s not the first time that the Formula 1 title has gone down to the wire. Far from it, since any fan of the sport can certainly recall some epic finales.

In 2008, for example, when Ferrari’s Felipe Massa crossed the finish line, he had won not only the Brazilian Grand Prix but also the world championship as McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was in sixth place. The latter, though, passed Timo Glock in the second-to-last corner and moved up to fifth, clinching the title by a single point and leaving Massa second.

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F1 Austin: Well Played Miss Culpepper, Well Played…

Fans or even random people popping up behind reporters during live television broadcasts for their 15 seconds of fame (or infamy, depends on which way you see it) is nothing new, but how journalists react in these kind of situations can greatly differ.

While some reporters are surprised and perhaps even lose their words or break into laughter when this happens, we had none of that with KVUE TV's Quita Culpepper, who was covering a report from downtown Austin during Formula 1 Fan Fest on Saturday night when a playful woman came up from behind.

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Formula 1: U.S. Grand Prix Race Report

It’s true that, despite having half a century of history behind it, Formula 1 has never really caught on with motorsport fans in the United States.

Nevertheless, last week it returned to the Land of the Free after a seven-year hiatus. The last time an F1 GP was staged on American soil it was in Indianapolis; now, it took place at a brand-new track in Austin, Texas.

With the two title contenders, Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, being close in the drivers’ standings, F1’s return to the States could very well determine the outcome of the championship.

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Oh Kimi…Raikkonen Feels “Not Much Really” After Winning Abu Dhabi F1 GP

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight, said American actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller who passed away last August. Kimi Raikkonen has his way with curves, especially those in a Formula 1 track, and in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he set the record straight.

He still won’t smile, though. Not even after claiming victory in Sunday's race leading Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

Not even when he beat them driving a Lotus, a car that may be the surprise of the season, but surely doesn’t come close to the prancing horse, never mind the reigning champion’s car.

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Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix Race Report

You lose some, you win some. Even McLaren with its Honda-powered MP4/4 driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who completely dominated the 1988 season, failed to win all 16 races.

After 11 straight wins, it lost to Ferrari. It then continued its streak, claiming a startling 15 wins out of 16 starts but by a strange twist of fate, the one it lost was on Scuderia’s home ground and, at the same time, the first Italian GP after Enzo Ferrari’s death…

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That’s Rich: Piraeus Claims to Have Priority Over Patras in Hosting Greek Formula 1 Race…

News of the Greek government allocating nearly €30 million, pending Parliament ratification, to build a track that will comply with Formula 1 standards were quite a surprise, given the country’s current financial state.

If the Greek Parliament gives the green light, the new track will be built in Halandritsa, near the port of Patras in the Peloponnese.

When questioned by Carscoop, president of the Patras Autodrome consortium Evangelos Floratos said that, even though securing a Formula 1 Grand Prix is very difficult, there are many other forms of racing that could be hosted on the track.

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Formula 1: Korean Grand Prix Race Report

Unlike past seasons, with four races still to go, predicting this year’s Formula 1 champion is, practically, impossible. That’s because consistency and outright performance are two variables that change greatly from one Grand Prix to another, not least because of their tires’ behavior.

The Korean GP that took place on Suday was yet another race that had most teams and their drivers struggling with tire performance.

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Formula 1: 2012 Japanese Grand Prix Race Report

This year, up until now, Fernando Alonso scored three wins in 14 races and apart from a single retirement in Belgium, he always finished with points. That’s the reason why, despite his Ferrari not being the fastest car on the grid, the two-time Formula 1 world champion was leading the 2012 driver’s championship.

At the Japanese Grand Prix that took place on Sunday morning at the Suzuka circuit, the Spaniard didn’t even make it past the first corner, retiring for the second time this season.

Right after the red lights went out signaling the start of the race, his Ferrari came in contact with Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus and spun at turn one.

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This is the End: Michael Schumacher Announces Retirement from Formula 1

Even the best of plans sometimes don’t pan out. Having a seven-time Formula 1 world champion with 91 wins, 155 podium finishes, 68 pole positions and 77 fastest laps drive one of your cars is probably a wise move.

Mercedes GP certainly thought so; that’s why when Michael Schumacher, the most successful F1 driver of all times, decided that three years away from the tracks were more than he could handle and wanted to make a comeback in 2009, he was signed by the Silver Arrows despite being at the ripe age of 40.

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Debt-Stricken Greece Wants to Build a Formula 1 Racing Track in the Peloponnese

Greece is the country that’s been hit the hardest by the debt crisis that has brought a lot of unrest in Europe, threatening even the existence of the Eurozone itself. For the past three years, successive governments have imposed heavy taxes and pay cuts to reduce the country’s debt, an effort that has yielded questionable results.

Yet it looks like a long dream of Greek car and motorsport fans may come true, even amidst the crisis. The Ministry of Development and Transportation has given the green light to begin construction of a Formula 1 track; all it remains for the works to begin is the ratifying of the project by the Greek Parliament.

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Evo’s Dickie Meaden Drives 1998 Ex-Schumacher / Irvine Ferrari F300 Formula 1 Racer

You think that Formula 1 drivers have it easy, don’t you? Granted, they are much more talented behind the wheel than you and me, but they are at the top motorsport racing level, traveling around the world, gaining fortune and fame and then retiring at a comparatively young age to enjoy the rest of their life.

Evo’s Dickie Meaden thought along the same lines; that is, until he got the opportunity to drive a 1998 Ferrari F300 Formula 1 car that was used as a spare for then Scuderia drivers, Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine.

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Lewis Hamilton to Replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes GP from 2013

Given his performance, which was well below his own very high standards, Michael Schumacher’s departure from Formula 1 after his comeback three years ago was not a surprise.

The same goes for the driver who will replace him at Mercedes GP from the next season: Lewis Hamilton’s relationship with McLaren was not in good terms (to put it nicely) and speculation about him moving to Mercedes had been circulating since the Italian GP.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT is the New F1 Safety Car

Mercedes-Benz has upgraded its F1 Safety Car replacing the SLS AMG with the newer SLS AMG GT. The GT evolution of the gull-wing model made its first appearance in a race situation at this month's 2012 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix and will also be deployed at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix. Read more »

Formula 1: Italian Grand Prix Report

The Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, which takes place at the Monza circuit, is an important event for the tifosi; that is, Scuderia Ferrari fans, who want to see the red cars win on their home ground.

This year, two Ferrari-powered cars were on the podium. Sadly for the Italians, only one of them was a Ferrari: that of Fernando Alonso, and it managed only third place.

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Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix Race Report

After the summer break, the Formula 1 season resumed this weekend. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium is one of the most interesting tracks in the calendar, with its famous Eau Rouge corner shorting out the boys from the men.

Two of the title contesters, however, never had the chance to go so far in Sunday’s race. In fact, they retired at the very first corner. Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren and Romain Grosjean’s Lotus collided, and the later hit the championship points’ leader, Fernando Alonso, marking the Ferrari driver's first retirement this year.

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FIA to Launch Formula E All-Electric Car Racing Championship in 2014

Until recently, using anything other than a gasoline-powered engine in a racing car was not an option.

Audi changed that in 2006 with its Le Mans-winning, diesel-powered R10 TDI, Peugeot followed suit with the 908 HDi FAP, and suddenly race viewers and race car drivers alike were treated to a different set of sounds.

This year was even more interesting. That’s because in the 2012 edition of the 24 hour race, both Audi and Toyota fielded hybrid-powered entries, the former filling all three places of the podium and the latter showing that it was a force to be reckoned with before retiring.

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Watch Me Drift: Double F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel Stars in Music Clip

Sebastian Vettel’s daily job is driving Formula 1 cars for Red Bull Racing every other weekend. Sure, he gets to do a lot of testing and the necessary promotional work for the sponsors, shaking hands and rubbing shoulders at glamorous events. Nevertheless, his job is to win F1 races and as his two back-to-back titles prove that he is quite good at it. Read more »

Ferrari's di Montezemolo Says Increased Demand Will Result in Record Sales and Profits This Year

As a whole, the global automotive sector is facing many unknowns. China, the world’s biggest car market, is slowing down, the US, despite being on a positive track so far, is not immune to fears of a future recession, and Europe is facing the worst crisis in its recent history.

Even so, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo expects his company to report all-time sales and operating profit highs in 2012.

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