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Model waves checkered flag too soon at F1's Canadian Grand Prix

MONTREAL — Formula One said on Sunday it will review its procedures after the Canadian Grand Prix ended in confusion and embarrassment when a celebrity waved the checkered flag a lap too soon. The gaffe did not affect the outcome of the race, which was won by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, but the German said he was left double-checking his lap counter while checking in with his pit before carrying on to run the full 70 laps. "Fortunately we had radio, fortunately I had the lap count in the car, and the pitboard was accurate — but if you lose radio and maybe the pitboard is not there, then you back off," said Vettel after notching his 50th career win. "I was just worried, I told them also on the last lap, then people don't jump on the track, waving flags and celebrating, because we're still going at full pace." The official results were later determined based on the 68th lap to avoid any impact the early flag might have had. Formula One race director Charlie Whiting said the error was caused by simple miscommunication between the official starter and crew in the starter's tower, which resulted in model Winnie Harlow — a friend of Mercedes world champion Lewis Hamilton — waving the flag prematurely. "It was a miscommunication between the start platform and the guy they call the starter here," explained Whiting. "He thought it was the last lap and asked them at the top to confirm it, they confirmed it. "They thought he was making a statement when in fact he was asking a question. "He told the flag waver to wave it a lap early. It was as simple as that, it wasn't anything to do with the fact it was a celebrity flag waver. "The celebrity was not to blame." Celebrities are often given the honor of waving the checkered flag at motor races, which has occasionally resulted in unintended flubs. Brazilian soccer great Pele famously reacted too late when Ferrari's Michael Schumacher won at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit in 2002, brandishing the flag instead as the later finishers appeared. While the incident on Sunday produced shrugs and even a few chuckles, there were also very real safety concerns, as course workers often come out of their safety areas to stand alongside the track waving flags. "We need to review procedures and make sure we have a very simple procedure for every circuit," added Whiting. "We're dealing with different human beings, different countries, different languages and it's not always absolutely perfect.

Fiat Chrysler's Marchionne being treated in Zurich

ZURICH — Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne was being treated in a Zurich hospital on Sunday with a serious illness after suffering complications following shoulder surgery. A Fiat Chrysler spokesman confirmed Marchionne was in Zurich's University Hospital, one of Switzerland's largest medical centers. The FCA spokesman did not give the 66-year-old Italian-Canadian executive's condition or say in which of the hospital's 43 divisions he was being treated. Italian news outlets said he has been in a coma since Friday, is breathing with the help of a ventilator, and that attempts to have him breath on his own were unsuccessful. Fiat Chrysler named its Jeep division boss Mike Manley on Saturday to take over immediately from Marchionne, who had been due to step down next April. SGS, the Swiss logistics services company, also announced on Sunday that it had named a new acting chairman to take over for Marchionne, since his illness prevented him from fulfilling the role's obligations. SGS said in a statement it was "deeply saddened" by the news, as did Lausanne, Switzerland-based Philip Morris International, where Marchionne is also on the board. Marchionne was credited with rescuing Fiat and Chrysler from bankruptcy after taking the Italian carmaker's wheel in 2004. On Saturday he was also replaced as chairman and CEO of Ferrari and chairman of tractor maker CNH Industrial — both spun off from FCA in recent years. In additional management changes linked to Marchionne's illness, Ferrari named FCA Chairman and Agnelli family scion John Elkann as new chairman and Louis Camilleri becomes chief executive. Reporting by John Miller in ZurichRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Chrysler Ferrari Fiat US

Nigel Mansell's Ferrari F40 sells for $870k

If you look at the $1.35 million price tag on the new LaFerrari and wonder how Ferrari can possibly charge that much for a single car, you could look at the prices of its competitors like the McLaren P1 that lists for almost as much at $1.15 million, you could look to the $2.5 million which Ferrari is said to have charged for the exclusive F60 America - or you could look at the prices at which LaFerrari's predecessors are still trading. Take, for example, this Ferrari F40 which, 25 years since it was built, just sold for nearly $870,000 at auction.
The F40 in question, a 1989 model, may be just one of 1,315 examples made, but it has a rather noteworthy provenance: the car once belonged to Nigel Mansell, the only driver ever to hold both the Formula One and Indy titles at the same time. That Mansell - a man who had access to some of the fastest and most capable racing cars ever made - selected the F40 as his personal ride of choice speaks volumes about the car's abilities and appeal. But then he did, after all, drive for the Scuderia that season, winning the Brazilian and Hungarian grands prix.
The celebrity provenance, however, may not have actually jacked the price up at all. While it may rank towards the top of the list, this was hardly the highest price paid for an F40 at auction. According to Sports Car Market, which tracks such sales, the record currently belongs to a 1993 Ferrari F40 LM that Bonhams also sold for $2.2 million at Monterey. The highest price for a standard, non-LM model was recorded at the same event at $1.43 million.