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Giancarlo Fisichella joins fellow former F1 drivers in United SportsCar Championship

In business or in politics, those driven by their careers typically aim for the highest position they can get to, and after they're done there, they typically retire. But not in motor racing. With an expiration date hovering in their mid-30s at best, Formula One drivers typically seek out other racing series to compete in once they've outlived their career on the grand prix circuit. And there is no lack of racing disciplines that are glad to welcome them in with open arms as motor racing royalty. With the calendar announced and the teams lined up, the roster of drivers is taking shape for the inaugural United SportsCar Championship. And while there hasn't been a large number of former F1 drivers – much less grand prix winners – lining up for the series, there have been some. Risi Competizione, the team that typically fields Ferrari entrants in American GT racing, has just announced that Giancarlo Fisichella will be driving for them in the United SportsCar Championship this season. The veteran of 231 grands prix has driven for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. In the case of the latter, he filled in for an injured Felipe Massa, and remains a Ferrari factory driver. Over the course of his fourteen years on the grid, he won three grands prix and landed on the podium 19 times. That makes Fisichella, who just turned 41 on Tuesday, the most accomplished former F1 driver to sign on for the American series, but he's not the only one. Other drivers already lined up include David Brabham, Max Papis and Christian Fittipaldi – each of whom contested a handful of grands prix in the 1990s – as well as Sebastian Bourdais, who drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso after dominating in Champ Cars for four years and left F1 in 2009 along with Fisichella, who currently looks to be the only driver lined up for this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona who's won a grand prix or even scored a podium finish. While Brabham, Papis, Fittipaldi and Bourdais will all be driving in the top-tier Prototype class, Fisichella will be trying to make his mark in the GTLM class. We'll be watching to see whether he can add that trophy to the class titles he's already accrued in the Le Mans Series, the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans itself in the five years since leaving F1.

Did Ferrari block Montezemolo from becoming F1 chairman?

The Formula One Group has appointed a series of new directors to its board. But while ousted Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo is among them, the latest reports suggest that he was earmarked to become the group's chairman, but that Sergio Marchionne blocked the appointment. Montezemolo, for those just joining us, served as chairman of Ferrari since 1991, but was ousted just a couple of months ago by Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles who took his place at the head of the table in Maranello. During his tenure as Ferrari chief, Montezemolo sat as the team's representative on the F1 board (and also as chairman of the Formula One Teams Association), but despite having broken ties with Ferrari, Luca was renominated to the board as an independent member. That seat on the board, however, could have been at the head of the table, according to circulating reports, had Marchionne not expressed certain reservations, if not blocked the nomination outright. Montezemolo's appointment would have meant that both the F1 Group and the FIA would have been headed up by former Ferrari men, although Marchionne was quoted as saying that if it had been his call, he would have prevented Jean Todt from being elected to the presidency of the FIA as well. The chairmanship of the Formula One Group is separate from the role held by Bernie Ecclestone, who will continue to run the sport's day-to-day operations. Ecclestone has also rejoined the board along with Paul Walsh, the former head of distilling giant Diageo who was also tipped as a favorite to chair the F1 board. That role instead will return to Peter Brabeck, the former head of Nestle, who had previously stepped down from the chair of the Formula One Group.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO with $45M estimate most expensive car offered at auction

Not long after a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO was sold for a staggering $70 million, another is coming up for sale. At RM Sotheby's Monterey sale in late August, a 1962 250 GTO carries a pre-auction estimate of more than $45 million. Reportedly all original 250 GTOs built between 1962 and 1964 have survived, and they are all worth serious money. This 250 GTO, chassis number 3413GT, started its life as a works car tested by American racer Phil Hill at the 1962 Targa Florio road race. The third one built in a 36-unit production run, the car won numerous races in the hands of its first private owner, Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi, who won the Italian National GT championship with it. Later on, Gianni Bulgari of Bulgari jewelry fame continued to race the car, and miraculously it was never crashed, nor did it have to discontinue a race. Despite that, 3413GT received a new, Series II specification body by Carrozzeria Scaglietti in 1964. The Ferrari was last sold in 2000 for an already respectable $7 million, and it wasn't stowed away for two decades: it's been seen at countless classic events and vintage races. RM Sotheby's says the car has been maintained in "highly original" condition, and it will be interesting to see how it performs at the auction, compared to a previous 250 GTO auction record of $38 million in 2014. At the very least, 3413GT's estimate makes it the most valuable car ever put up for auction. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO auction Image Credit: RM Sotheby's Ferrari Auctions Car Buying Racing Vehicles Performance Classics RM Sotheby's ferrari 250 gto 1962 ferrari 250 gto ferrari auction