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2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix recap: another wild show on and off track

Normally we use this space to provide a lengthy recap of the weekend's Formula 1 race, but we're going to try something different since most folks reading this know what happened at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Instead, we'll alight on what we saw as the big issues in and around the race. Let us know what you think in Comments. Proper qualifying is back. Thank goodness. It only took a month of embarrassment to fix it. And so is passing! For the third race in a row, big performance improvements at the ten teams behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas and a wider tire selection at this race graced us with opening stints filled with dicing cars. Seeing the McLarens on screen doesn't make us cringe. Manor doesn't only make the global feed when it's being lapped. We've been complaining about parade races for so long that we forgot excitement was possible without rain or wholesale regulation changes. Yes, Mercedes is still the king of the jungle, but there are some other proper midfield beasts on the hunt, too. Malfunctions up and down the grid did help the show in Shanghai, like Lewis Hamilton suffering perpetual troubles, Nico Hulkenberg's runaway front wheel which red-flagged Q2, and Sebastian Vettel's and Kimi Raikkonen's flubbed hot laps in Q3 that let Daniel Ricciardo slip by into second on the grid. Come race day things went all Grand Theft Auto at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending some of the best cars to the pits. Then came Ricciardo's puncture while leading, then came the Safety Car – all by Lap 5. Nico Rosberg got 38 seconds of airtime on the way to victory – at the start and the finish, and that happened to be his margin of victory, too – otherwise he was a ghost. Everyone else was struggling and juggling. Rosberg's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix put the German at five consecutive victories going back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix. The history books show that any driver who's won five straight contests has gone on to win the championship. With his triumph in China, the German has won the season's first three races, the history books again show that the other nine drivers who've pulled that off have gone on to win the championship. Rosberg, 36 points ahead of his teammate in the standings, is having none of it. He said of the other victors, "But they didn't have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate." Perhaps Mercedes was right not to make an engine deal with Red Bull last season.

Ferrari is debuting a new car Thursday

In a social media blast across its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, Ferrari released a seven-second teaser for a new car that is set to debut Feb. 28. A few subtle details hint at what it might be. Accompanying the short teaser clip were two short sentences: "Tomorrow, the Prancing Horse family welcomes a new member," it says. "Make room for new thrills." The clip flashes several up-close parts of the car including a grille, an air intake, a steering wheel with paddle shifters, a drive mode selector, a tachometer, and the top of an engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The engine is the most revealing part of the clip. It appears to be the V8 from the 488 Pista, which separates itself visually with carbon fiber covers, rather than the red covers seen in other Ferraris. If it is indeed that V8, it could potentially align with the report that Ferrari would be debuting a hybrid V8 supercar this year. This would just be sooner than we were expecting it. A secondary intriguing part of the video is the gear selector. The clips shows the normal modes seen on other Ferraris, including Wet, Sport, Race, CT off, and Esc off. But there's a sixth blurry white spot, which could be absolutely nothing, or it could indicate another type of driving mode. What would be important enough to add a driving mode? Maybe a hybrid? All we can do is speculate, but thankfully, only for a day more. Check back for the full reveal and full information on Feb. 28. Related Video: News Source: Ferrari Auto News Ferrari Coupe Performance Supercars supercar ferrari 488 pista

Ferrari F150 Enzo-successor takes some loud laps at Fiorano

From recent spy shots to leaked information, we're starting to get a good idea about just how amazing the unnamed successor to the Ferrari Enzo will be, but now we've finally gotten to see some video of the car testing at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy. This video not only gives us an earful of the car's screaming engine and rumbling exhaust note, it also affords us a view of the car without its fish-face camouflage that it has been caught wearing recently.
The video shows the new supercar testing around the 12-turn, 1.877-mile track with an Enzo, and it is interesting to hear the differences between the 651-horsepower Enzo and its reportedly 950-hp hybrid successor. Scroll down to watch the newest Ferrari going through some track testing, and be sure to turn your speakers up.