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Race recap: 2016 Belgian Grand Prix is a dozen angry laps

The calm of the Formula One summer break ended with the tumult of the Belgian Grand Prix. The first two days included unusual tire pressures and grid penalties; Mercedes-AMG Petronas' Lewis Hamilton started 21st because of a 55-place grid penalty for engine and gearbox changes, McLaren's Fernando Alonso started 22nd due to a 60-place penalty for the same offenses. The bedlam rolled right into what was effectively an 11-or 12-lap race. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took off from pole and the cameras barely bothered with him until he took the checkered flag 44 laps later. Red Bull's Max Verstappen bogged from second on the grid, got swallowed by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen on the way to Turn 1, then attempted to recover by sticking his Red Bull's nose between Raikkonen's sidepod and the apex at the first corner. Vettel, who didn't see Verstappen, turned into La Source leaving only enough room for Raikkonen. Three cars don't fit in a space for two cars. Vettel spun, Raikkonen and Verstappen clobbered one another and all three drivers had to pit for repairs. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg zig-zagged his way into second ahead of Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, Williams' Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez in the second Force India. On Lap 6 Kevin Magnussen lost his Renault at Raidillon at the top of Eau Rouge and flew backward into an enormous crash. Magnussen escaped with just a cut ankle. The Safety Car paraded the field for four laps before officials red flagged the race to repair the barriers. When racing resumed on Lap 10, Rosberg led Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Alonso, and Hamilton. Ricciardo stayed ahead of Hamilton to keep second place at the end of the race, Hamilton easily got around Alonso and Hulkenberg to lock up third. Hulkenberg – who'd given up second to Ricciardo by pitting during the Safety Car period – earned another career-best fourth position ahead of teammate Perez in fifth, followed by Vettel and Alonso on recovery drives, Bottas, Raikkonen, and Felipe Massa taking 10th in the second Williams. Rosberg reignited his Driver's Championship charge with the victory, closing to nine points of leader Hamilton. We could argue that Hamilton had an equally good day by driving from 21st to third, limiting his loss to only 10 points. About that Verstappen, though... We've seen far more experienced drivers attempt the same move Verstappen made into Turn 1 – Raikkonen on Bottas in Russia in 2015, for instance.

Vehicles awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick awards skyrockets for 2015 [w/video]

By practically every measure, passenger vehicles in the US are continuing to get safer. With the year rapidly coming to an end, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing its annual list tallying of the scores for the latest vehicles to see how they compare to last year. Judging by the agency's evaluations, the numbers look quite positive. According to the institute, 71 vehicles earned either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating so far in its testing for 2015. Among the latest winners, there have been 33 TSP+ awards and 38 TSP medalists. That's a healthy increase over the 22 TSP+ and 17 TSP grades in 2014. The figures appear even more impressive when you consider that it keeps getting harder to earn the + designation. In the latest round of testing, a vehicle must offer some form of front crash prevention automatic braking to get the mark. Previously, just a warning to drivers was necessary. This list also illustrates the ways that automakers adapt to new testing procedures. In 2013 there were 117 TSP ratings and 13 TSP+ awards. Then, the IIHS mandated that to be a safety pick, a model had to score Good in the institute's four crash tests, plus a Good or Acceptable in the small overlap front test. That brought a plunge in 2014 to just 17 TSP grades. With the numbers climbing again, companies apparently have deciphered how to perform better. Some brands especially stood out on this year's list. The IIHS praised Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura for offering standard front crash prevention systems on some models. Subaru received at least one of the awards for all seven of its models. Toyota also had seven, and the Honda brand did too – though the institute counts the two- and four-door versions of the Civic and Accord separately. Check out the full announcement below and a video about this year's winners. The full list can be viewed, here. Safety gains ground: More vehicles earn top honors from IIHS The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute's two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier - TOP SAFETY PICK+ - has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention. "This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet," says IIHS President Adrian Lund.

2015 Pikes Peak Hill Climb: Practice Day 1

Based on what we learned from the first day of practice for the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the quickest race pace up the paved road to more than 14,000 feet above sea level may not be from internal combustion locomotion anymore. "If it all goes well, and the planets align, [under nine minutes] shouldn't be out of the question," said Paul Wilding, team manager for Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima's Rimac Automobili Monster Sport E-Runner entry. Wilding added that if Tajima's car held up during the week it could finish first overall, which would be the first time an EV takes the overall crown at the hill climb. Last year, the gap between overall winner Romain Dumas' Norma M20 RD Limited and the fastest EV was just over two seconds. In the 2014 race, Tajima finished third in his class. "We think this car is the fastest way up now," said Wilding. "There's no affect from the altitude – this car is a monster, our driver is a monster." The practice, which isn't mandatory but is sanctioned by race officials, concluded Tuesday morning with a few surprises ahead of Sunday's race. Tajima will be racing for the fourth consecutive year in the all-electric modified division. Wilding said today's conditions weren't ideal and the race Sunday could be more challenging than initially expected. "It was a lot bumpier than we expected today," he said. "But today means nothing. It was all [reconnaissance]. Tomorrow means everything." The Honda ARX-04B LMP2 prototype brought to Pikes Peak had a difficult start to the week. Honda Racing spokesman Eric Mauck said the car struggled and didn't run in practice Tuesday. "We're looking for data and research more than anything else," Mauck said. "We're not going for Sebestain's record this year, we're just looking to gather information for years to come." Colorado-native, Honda driver, and Formula E racer Justin Wilson will pilot the LMP2 up the mountain Wednesday – assuming the car is ready. "He's obviously a guy that Honda thinks very highly of. Anytime we have an opportunity to put Justin behind the wheel of anything we want to," Mauck said. Honda driver Tetsuya Yamano, who is driving an all-electric Honda CR-Z in the exhibition class, echoed Mauck's assessment. "We're not making a racecar," Yamano said through an interpreter. "This is part of [research and development] and we're looking to get as much data back to engineers in Japan as possible ...