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Lewis Hamilton scores a record 80th pole in Japan, Vettel ninth

SUZUKA, Japan (Reuters) - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton seized a record-extending 80th pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, timing his sole flying lap to perfection while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel managed only ninth. The Mercedes driver, in dominant form all weekend at the Suzuka circuit, pumped in a one minute 27.760 second lap on the super-soft tires while it was still only just spitting with rain. Vettel and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who went out on intermediate tires in the final part of qualifying with the track still dry, lost time coming back in to fit the super-soft tires. The German then made another mistake on his first flying lap and was unable to get another one in as the intermittent drizzle turned into a full-blown shower that drenched the track. Meanwhile, Hamilton – who along with team mate Valtteri Bottas had gone out straight away on the super-soft tires to beat the rain – was lighting up the timing screens. "The team have done an amazing job this weekend, and the call that we made for Q3 was probably the most difficult," said the Briton, joined by Bottas on the front row after the Finn completed a second successive Mercedes front row lockout. "It's so difficult when the pressure is on to make the right call but that's the big difference between us this year and that's why we're the best and the team deserve it," added Hamilton. Vettel trails his fellow four-times champion by 50 points in the standings with just four races left after Japan. His hopes are fading fast and he needs a huge stroke of luck now to reignite his challenge. "Obviously it's not the position we deserve to be in," said the 31-year-old. "I think we have better speed than ninth but we'll start there and see how it goes. "Anything can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day." RICCIARDO FUMES Vettel's misfortune allowed 21-year-old Dutch driver Max Verstappen to qualify third for Red Bull. "We have a bigger chance now to be on the podium," said Verstappen, doubting that he would need to worry too much about the others' title battle: "Is it still a battle? I'm not sure," he said. While the Dutchman celebrated, teammate Daniel Ricciardo was left hoarse with anger after a power unit problem sidelined him during the second phase of qualifying before he had set a time. The Australian, as a consequence, is set to start 15th. "I just can't catch a break," said Ricciardo, who is leaving Red Bull for Renault at the end of the year.

How to polish car paint | Autoblog Details

Here's how to quickly and properly polish your car's paint to increase the depth and shine of your clear coat with a dual action polisher. Watch all our Autoblog Details videos for more quick car care tips from professional detailer Larry Kosilla. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Polishing paint properly is not only a skill, but it's what I consider an art especially on this 1964 Ferrari GTE. And like any art form, it takes years of practice to perfect. Today we're gonna discuss how to quickly and safely polish or paint to increase the depth and shine of your clear coat with dual action polishers. Coming up on this episode of Details. My name is Larry Kosilla and I'm a professional detailer. Together with Autoblog, we're creating [00:00:30] the ultimate collection of quick car care videos. This is Autoblog Details. Here are the items you'll need for this task. If your car has clear coat, and in most cases, any car manufactured after the mid 1980s, or repainted like this one here, will come standard with clear coat, and you'll need to use a machine. Polishing clear coat by hand is not recommended due to the hardness of the paint. [00:01:00] Polishing paint is typically done for two main purposes. First is to remove any remaining swirls left over from a previous compounding step, or to simply increase the gloss of the paint that has no scratches that lacks a deep rich shine like this one here. First, attach a foam polishing pad to a machine. In this case, I'm using a Meguiars foam yellow pad on a Rupes LHR 21ES polisher. Spread your polish of choice around the pad, covering all pores evenly by massaging the product in [00:01:30] by hand and of course, wearing gloves. Make sure to add a bit more in some areas that remain uncoated. Now that the pad is primed, add three small dots of polish and place the pad directly on the paint prior to engaging the machine. Speed settings will vary by machine and the type of pad used but a setting of three to four is a good place to start. Take note on small orbit polishing machines if the polishing pad is not rotating, little to no polishing work is being done to the paint. Adjustments to speed, pressure, [00:02:00] and machine angle may be needed. Apply light to medium pressure to the machine so that the foam pad compresses slightly. Arm speed is moderate to slow. But keep in mind, the slower your arm speed, the more work is being done to the paint.

Ferrari's modular next-gen platform is under construction

Ferrari and Altair ProductDesign are teaming up to create a next-generation platform for the automaker's future vehicles, reports Automotive News. The platform will provide Ferrari with a base for several new flagship models, claims Altair in a press release that is no longer available, noting that the engineering and design company has worked with Ferrari for more than 10 years. According to the report, vehicles on the next-gen platform are expected to be lighter and better performing, and the platform will reduce vibration, noise, and harshness. Altair's designers and engineers worked alongside the automaker's manufacturing, design, and engineering teams in Italy to create the platform. Altair currently works with an extensive list of automakers on various design and engineering aspects for vehicle chassis. We reached out to Ferrari to get a better idea of what Altair is bringing to the table, but the automaker declined to comment about its relationship with suppliers or on future products. As previously reported, a modular platform would help Ferrari cut development time and share more parts within its lineup. The next generation of the Ferrari California is the first model expected to utilize the new platform and is predicted to be unveiled sometime next year.Related Video: News Source: Automotive News-sub.req., Altair ProductDesignImage Credit: GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Plants/Manufacturing Ferrari Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance Supercars