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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.

Christian Bale quits Enzo Ferrari biopic over weight gain

Christian Bale has an unusual but rational reason for dropping the role of Enzo Ferrari in the upcoming biopic of that same name, Variety reports. The actor, famous for his role in the Dark Knight trilogy and American Psycho, apparently felt that he couldn't gain the weight necessary to start filming this spring quickly enough without putting his health in danger. As we reported last year, Bale was to play Ferrari during a dark year for the company, when 11 people died during an accident involving one of the company's race cars during the 1957 Mille Miglia, a race in Italy held on public roads. The crash led to the cancelation of the Mille Miglia entirely. The script itself is based on a book written by famous automotive journalist Brock Yates, "Enzo Ferrari, The Man, The Cars, The Races." While the director, Michael Mann, now has to scramble to find a new lead actor, Robert de Niro is reportedly developing a movie in which he will play il Commendatore over a wider span of the man's life. Nonetheless, the idea of two Enzo biopics in the offing should make gearhead movie lovers doubly happy. Related Video:

Charles Leclerc takes fourth straight pole at Russian Grand Prix

SOCHI, Russia — Charles Leclerc clinched his fourth straight pole position and championship leader Lewis Hamilton was second in qualifying at Formula One's Russian Grand Prix on Saturday. Leclerc finished 0.402 seconds clear of Hamilton, with Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel third fastest at the Sochi Autodrome. Hamilton is bidding for his first win since the summer break and his Mercedes team is often the dominant force in Russia, having won all of the five races staged here. Hamilton is 65 points ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas in his quest for a sixth world title, but looks to have his work cut out against Leclerc. Alex Albon crashed out of qualifying. The London-born Thai spun at the slow-speed Turn 13 before slamming into the barriers. The driver was unhurt. Vettel finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen but the Dutch driver will be bumped back five places following a grid penalty for changes to his engine. Ferrari, winless in the opening half of the season, is now the team to beat as it seeks a fourth consecutive victory. While Vettel ended his 13-month losing streak in Singapore last weekend, it is Leclerc who continues to impress in his opening season with the Scuderia. This marked his sixth pole this season and it is also the 10th straight round Leclerc has out-qualified Vettel, the four-time world champion, who was 0.425 slower in qualifying. "It definitely feels great to be back on pole," said Leclerc, who became the first Ferrari driver since Michael Schumacher to claim four straight poles. Leclerc is 96 points behind Hamilton in the championship, with a total of only 156 to play for in the remaining six races. Hamilton has not been on pole since the German Grand Prix in July, a streak of five races, but was delighted to have split the Ferraris with his final effort. "I gave it everything I could in the end and I am so glad it came together," Hamilton said. "I wasn't expecting to be on the front row so I am really happy." Bottas finished fifth in qualifying. The Finn will join Vettel on the second row following Verstappen's penalty. Earlier Saturday, McLaren said the team will be powered by Mercedes from 2021, ending its association with Renault at the end of the 2020 campaign. The long-term agreement will run until at least 2024.