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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.

Raikkonen likely to retire from F1 after 2015 [w/poll]

Though his irreverent demeanor party-goer image might suggest otherwise, make no mistake about it: at 34 years old (and with 37-year-old Mark Webber out of the race), Kimi Raikkonen is the oldest driver in Formula One. He's three months older than Jenson Button, a good year older than his former wingman Felipe Massa, three years ahead of Adrian Sutil and a good decade beyond the latest crop of up-and-comers on the grid. So it's only natural that we should start wondering how much longer he'll stick around, and now we may have our answer.
Speaking with motorsport journalists at the British Grand Prix this past weekend, the 2007 World Champion and winner of 20 grands prix, Raikkonen indicated that the next season will likely be his last. According to numerous racing news outlets, when asked how long he plans to stay on the grid, the famously terse Finn responded: "Until my contract is finished, and then I will probably stop. That is what I think is going to happen."
Kimi was a relatively unknown entity when Sauber gave him his first drive in F1 back in 2001, upon which he finished in the points on his first race. He moved to McLaren the following season, racked his first podium finishes, and took his first win the season after that. He finishes second behind Fernando Alonso the next season, well ahead of the rest of the pack, and switched to Ferrari two seasons later in 2007, winning the world championship on his first season in red. After just three seasons, Ferrari showed him the door and Kimi left F1 entirely, trying his hand at everything from the World Rally Championship to NASCAR. He returned to F1 with Lotus in 2012, and in a rare move for Maranello, was invited back for this season on a two-year contract.

2013 Ferrari FF [w/video]

The World's Fastest Four-Passenger is Frickin' Fabulous
"I miss my mommy."
Those frightened words floated from the mouth of a five-year-old boy strapped snugly into a booster seat in the backseat of the Ferrari FF I was piloting. Moments earlier, his father had allowed me to take him, and his two brothers, for their first ride in a supercar, and I had apparently failed miserably.