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2015 Austrian F1 Grand Prix switches to alternating current

It's called the Red Bull Ring, guests are welcomed by a statue of a leaping bull, and dominating its layout demands powerful cars that can run it hard. Perhaps all that aggression is what led both Mercedes-AMG Petronas cars to run off the track in the final qualifying session on their final hot laps, a little too aggressive on the charge. Lewis Hamilton was first into the gravel at Turn 1 when he lost his car under braking, but he was still fast enough to get pole ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, who spun at Turn 8. Rosberg started second. Or perhaps it wasn't the red bull but the scarlet horse that caused The Silver Arrows to muck it up: Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel had Mercedes' attention all weekend, and he'd line up in third just 0.355 off Hamilton's time. Williams truly rediscovered its power, Felipe Massa going fourth fastest, teammate Valtteri Bottas in sixth. Between them was newly-minted Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg, yet again – can we say that enough? – pulling the still-not-updated Force India to fifth place on the grid. Max Verstappen led the Renault-powered top-ten duo in his Toro Rosso in seventh, Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver Daniil Kvyat behind him in eighth. Kvyat, however, would start down the order because of a ten-place grid penalty for needing a fifth Renault engine. After that it's back to Mercedes Ferrari power, Felipe Nasr in the Sauber in ninth, Romain Grosjean in with Mercedes power in the Lotus in tenth – but fellow Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado actually started in tenth because of Kvyat's demotion. Before we get to the race, can we take a moment to talk about the shenanigans and gaudy penalties? Kimi Raikkonen waved the Ferrari flag in Canada after a season that's been full of "We didn't get it right this time," and we thought he was back. But no. In Austria the refrain returned, the Finn kicked out of Q1 after another miscommunication with the team – he qualified 18th. If the scenario plays to form, we'll now wait for team boss Mauricio Arrivabene to issue a clarification that suggests Raikkonen missed a step. Daniel Ricciardo parachutes ten spots back for the same reason as his teammate Kvyat, needing a fifth Renault power unit, dropping him to 18th on the grid and forcing him into a five-second time penalty when he comes in to pit.

Why all of this year's F1 noses are so ugly [w/video]

If you're a serious fan of Formula One, you already know all about The Great Nosecone Conundrum of 2014. Those given to parsing each year's F1 regulations predicted the strong possibility of the so-called "anteater" noses as far back as early December 2013. Highly suggestive visual evidence first came after Caterham's crash test in early January, with further proof coming as soon as Williams showed a rendering of the FW36 challenger for this year's championship. That car earned a name that wasn't nearly so kind as "anteater."
Casual followers of the sport - or anyone who gets the feed from this site - probably don't know what's happening, except to wonder why the current year's F1 cars are led by appendages that would make Cyrano de Bergerac feel a whole lot better about himself.
The short answer to the question of ugsome F1 noses is "FIA regulations and safety." The reason there are various kinds of ugsome noses is simpler: engineers. The same boffins who have given us advances including carbon fiber monocoques, six-wheeled cars, double diffusers and Drag Reduction Systems are bred to do everything in their power to exploit every possible freedom in the regulations to make the cars they're building go faster - the caveat being that those advances have to work within the overall philosophy of the whole car.

Lego provides one of the cheapest ways to own a Bugatti Chiron

Just over a month ago, we got a look at one of the latest Lego Speed Champions sets when Ford revealed the GT and GT40 kit. Now we get to see the rest of the lineup, and it's chock full of F1 and supercar goodness. The official Lego images show that the Bugatti Chiron, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Ferrari FXX K, and F1 cars from Ferrari and Mercedes all made the cut. Each set gets some unique features and most include interchangeable wheel covers. The Chiron comes with some tiny cones suitable for desk slaloms and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 gets an alternate nose. The FXX K comes has the most impressive selection of accessories, though, as it includes a dyno and engine run stand. The F1 sets are divided similarly, but with Mercedes getting more extras. The Brick Fan also reports that the Mercedes kit may be exclusive to select stores. The Ferrari kit only comes with a starting light, but the Mercedes set includes a garage, starting lights, and winner's circle. It'll be up to you whether you put Hamilton or Rosberg in that winner's circle. According to The Brick Fan, these kits are set for release in winter 2017. Since the Ford GT set has a release of March 1, we expect the rest will hit stores in the next couple of months. They're sure to be great additions to anyone's existing Lego garage. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Lego Speed Champions sets News Source: The Brick FanImage Credit: Lego / The Brick Fan Toys/Games Bugatti Ferrari Ford Mercedes-Benz Lego Bugatti Chiron ferrari fxx k