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F1's Sebastian Vettel says mistakes happen but he's not making too many

SPIELBERG, Austria — Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has hit back at suggestions he has been making too many mistakes to win this year's Formula One championship. The German, a four-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton, was penalized at last weekend's French Grand Prix for colliding with his Mercedes rival's Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas at the start. Vettel ended up fifth after coming back through the field. That left Vettel 14 points behind Hamilton after eight races, with both title contenders on three wins each and the German having started half the races from pole position. "It's racing. There are some errors you shouldn't do, some errors that happen. It depends on the type of error," Vettel, in good spirits, told reporters ahead of Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. "I've had a lot of races. It happens, unfortunately, at times. I try to minimize it, but I'm not worried. I don't think there is something fundamentally wrong," he added. "I think we know what we are doing — I hope I know what I'm doing most of the time, so I should be fine." The German lost places in Azerbaijan in April, when he started on pole but finished fourth, after he made a bid for the lead, locked up and ran wide following a safety car re-start. In China, a collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen dropped him down the order, after the pre-race favorite had initially made a good start from pole. Hamilton has meanwhile gone 33 successive races in the points, and his off days have been less costly than the Ferrari driver's. "It's a long way to go, and it's normal some things happen along the way," said Vettel. "Obviously you are trying to push the limits. It didn't cross my mind when I was in Baku to just stay behind, surrender, and maybe wave another person past, just to collect some points," he added. "That's not how I define racing. I tried to go for the gap, I went for it, it was there, and I didn't make it. It didn't work. Sometimes it works out, and it's great. Sometimes it doesn't." Reporting by Alan Baldwin

5 highlights from the 2018 Petersen Automotive Museum Auction

From the avant garde exterior design to the collection of vehicles between the walls, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is one of the coolest car museums in the U.S., and possibly the world. Among several others, the Petersen has two featured exhibits, The Porsche Effect and Legends of L.A. But the museum has a different type of viewing coming up at which you could touch, or even buy, a variety of special vehicles. After hosting its SoCal auction on the coast in Santa Monica for several years, RM Sotheby's has moved the event to the more central location of the museum. In addition to several works of art, the auction which takes place the weekend of December 7, will show several dozens of blue-chip vehicles, chosen by RM Sotheby's 30 car specialists. After sorting through lots that range from microcars to new-age supercars, here are five of the highlights that caught our eyes. 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti Projected Value: $22,000,000-$26,000,000 Without question, this is the crown jewel of the entire show. As the eldest and most experienced of the 11 total Ferrari lots, its estimated value of $26 million is more than five times the values of the other five cars listed below combined. From the jump, Ferrari threw the 290 into the line of fire. Starting its life with a four-cylinder 860 Monza engine and a Tipo 520 chassis, its first race was the Mille Miglia. Peter Collins was behind the wheel and racing photographer Louis Klemantaski was his copilot. Ferrari took the top five spots in the race, with this car, chassis No. 0628, finishing second. It went on to see multiple races and took on multiple forms, including a V12 swap at one point. After switching through the hands of multiple owners, it was sent to Ferrari Classiche in Maranello, where it was restored to its form at the time of the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. It retains its original chassis, original bodywork, and original transmission, and houses the V12 from its 290 MM spec. The restoration was completed in 2015, and the car remains in incredible shape today. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV by Bertone Projected Value: $2,100,000-$2,500,000 Simply put, the Miura is one of the most significant supercars, and therefore one of the most important cars, of all time. Its two-seat, mid-engined configuration seismically shifted what a performance could and should look like, and its V12 gave it the power to be the fastest car in the world when it debuted.

Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa reportedly stepping down [UPDATE]

Update: In a statement to Autoblog, Ferrari USA predictably responded: "We do not comment on rumors. There is no announcement at this time." Rumors are currently swirling in the European media that Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa (pictured above) is stepping down from his position at the Prancing Horse. An exact timeframe isn't clear at this time. Motori Online from Italy indicates Felisa might not leave the company until September, whereas Autocar reports that he has already resigned from the Italian automaker. Autoblog has reached out to Ferrari for clarification, but the Maranello-based firm has not yet officially confirmed any of this speculation. Felisa has been the company's CEO since 2008 when Jean Todt stepped down. He joined Ferrari in 1990 as the director of product development and became general manager there in 2006. Felisa was also among people thought possible to take the role as chairman when Luca di Montezemolo left the Prancing Horse last year. Sergio Marchionne retained that role. If these rumors prove true, Felisa's departure would be the biggest corporate shakeup at Maranello since di Montezemolo's departure. The move would also come at a time that's not particularly pleasant for Ferrari or its corporate parent. Marchionne recently indicated that the Prancing Horse was just days away from filing the prospectus for its imminent initial public offering. The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles executive had previously put Ferrari's value at around $11 billion. So far, all we have are rumors and reports, but as soon as we know more, so will you. Stay tuned.