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Marchionne's FCA-GM merger might come after Ferrari spinoff

Sergio Marchionne is continuing to rumble about working out a merger with General Motors, but don't expect anything big to happen before at least early next year. That's because Marchionne would likely wait for the Ferrari spin-off to be complete before beginning his next big deal, according to Automotive News. While the Ferrari IPO on the New York Stock Exchange is expected in the coming weeks, that only concerns 10 percent of the shares. The remaining 80 percent of stock is being distributed among shareholders in 2016. Piero Ferrari holds the final 10 percent with no intention to sell. This strategy allows FCA to claim 80 percent of the Prancing Horse's profits in the automaker's 2015 financial results. According to Automotive News, the tactic has other advantages, as well. FCA would be flush with cash by waiting for the spin-off to be complete, and it would keep Ferrari separate if a GM merger actually happens. Marchionne thinks Ferrari could be valued at over $11 billion in the IPO, and it could make FCA $3.3 billion richer when complete. Marchionne believes a combined FCA/GM could sell 17 million vehicles a year globally and rake in $30 billion in earnings. In the CEO's opinion, the two automakers are wasting money by developing components to do the same things on their vehicles. Although, so far the General's top execs are rebuffing all of his advances.

Take a peek inside the cockpit of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale has just been revealed, and the most important thing to know is that it's Ferrari's most powerful production car yet with 986 horsepower. The next most important thing to know is that it's a plug-in hybrid with a turbocharged V8. The powertrain features Ferrari's most powerful V8 yet making 769 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque on its own. It also has three electric motors with two at the front and one in the back, and combined they can provide up to 217 horsepower. This also means that the SF90 Stradale is all-wheel-drive. Getting power from the internal combustion powertrain to the wheels is an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that shifts 100 milliseconds faster than the transmission in the 488 Pista, but it also weighs about 22 pounds less than Ferrari's existing 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. This is due in part to not needing a reverse gear, since reverse is handled by the front motors. In total, the SF90 weighs in at 3,461 pounds. And at 155 mph, the aerodynamics add 860 pounds of downforce. When everything is deployed on pavement, it hits 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds. And for Ferraristi, it lapped the Fiorano test track in 1 minute and 19 seconds. Of course being a plug-in hybrid, it does have a full electric range. It's a bit short at 15.5 miles. Then again, this isn't entirely about fuel economy; the electric motors allows for torque vectoring, and provide extra traction on launch and help fill in any throttle lag from the gas engine. Ferrari SF90 Stradale interior View 3 Photos The interior is high-tech, too. The instrument cluster is a huge 16-inch display. The steering wheel now features touch pads for controlling the instrument cluster, too. You won't see Ferrari's traditional manual transmission selector between the seats. Shifting duties are handled by paddles mounted to the steering wheel. It's also worth noting that this is the first Ferrari that features a head-up display. Want one? Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2020.

Race Recap: At the Abu Dhabi grand prix, the caravan chases a mirage

Both championships have been claimed this year, with Sebastian Vettel taking the Driver Championship and Infiniti Red Bull Racing the Constructor's. But there's no skunk rule in Formula One, so the last three races of the schedule are going on as scheduled.
Abu Dhabi was the latest venue, and what the Yas Marina Circuit has lacked in racing excitement, it has more than made up for in drama. It's where Lewis Hamilton always does well and should have won but for an engine blow-up. That lead to Kimi Räikkönen taking the first win of his return, and giving Lotus its first win. It's where a championship was decided when Fernando Alonso was stuck behind Vitaly Petrov and Timo Glock and couldn't put up a fight against Vettel. And this year, it was where Mark Webber again out-qualified his Red Bull teammate and grabbed pole, just three rounds away from retirement.
He was followed by Vettel, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas pair of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, the unstoppable Nico Hülkenberg in the first Sauber in fifth, Romain Grosjean in the first Lotus, Felipe Massa in the first Ferrari, Sergio Perez in the McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo in the Toro Rosso and Alonso in the second Ferrari in tenth. Tenth.