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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.

Italian police foil plot to snatch Enzo Ferrari's body

Italian authorities on Tuesday said they had foiled a plot to steal the body of automotive legend Enzo Ferrari. That's Enzo Ferrari the man, not Ferrari Enzo Ferrari the supercar. Ferrari died in 1988 at age 90. He founded the company that produces some of the world's fastest and most expensive cars. Police in Nuoro on the island of Sardinia told a news conference that a gang had planned to snatch the body and demand a ransom from the Ferrari family or the company, Reuters and Italian news outlets reported. Authorities said the plot was discovered during an investigation into arms and drug trafficking. Helicopters and parachute regiment officers were used to execute 34 arrest warrants. Ferrari's body is interred above ground in a family mausoleum in Modena, near the Ferrari plant at Maranello in central Italy. Gang members had allegedly conducted several inspections of the burial site to plan the operation. The Ferrari founder has been in the news a lot recently. Two movie biopics are coming out, in which Robert De Niro and Hugh Jackman will each play the racing great.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Auto News Government/Legal Weird Car News Ferrari enzo ferrari

2012 Brazilian Grand Prix: The circle is complete, and what a circle it's been [spoilers]

The track between the lakes, the Circuit d'Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yet again served up a fitting finale to the Formula One season. There were all kinds of ways for the two Driver's Championship contenders - Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull and Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari - to win and lose during the 71 laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix, and that was before the rain, before the yellow flags and safety car periods, and before the accidents.
The World Championship lead swapped hands at least three times during the race. By the end of Lap One, in fact, it was a fair question if either driver would have hands, or a car, steady enough to hold it...