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Sebastian Vettel signs with Racing Point for the 2021 F1 season

LONDON — Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel will drive for Racing Point starting next season. The team, which will be renamed Aston Martin, announced the move Thursday, a day after driver Sergio Perez said he was on his way out. The team said Vettel has signed for the 2021 season “and beyond" but did not reveal the length of the contract. “The signing of Sebastian is a clear statement of the teamÂ’s ambition to establish itself as one of the most competitive names in the sport," the team said in a statement. “As a four-time world champion, Sebastian brings a fresh mindset to the team." One of the most successful drivers in F1, Vettel is leaving Ferrari at the end of this season after he was not offered a new contract. He will be replaced by McLaren driver Carlos Sainz at Ferrari next year. Vettel has won 53 grand prix races, a tally only surpassed by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. He won four consecutive titles with Red Bull from 2010-13 and joined Ferrari in 2015 with the aim to win another. But he never had a car really capable of challenging Mercedes during his stint with the Scuderia, where he lost his No. 1 status as teammate Charles Leclerc came to prominence. “ItÂ’s a new adventure for me with a truly legendary car company," Vettel said. “I have been impressed with the results the team has achieved this year, and I believe the future looks even brighter. I still have so much love for Formula One and my only motivation is to race at the front of the grid." Currently fourth in the constructors' standings, Racing Point was handed a 400,000 euro ($470,000) fine and docked 15 points last month for copying a Mercedes design for its brake ducts. The team, however, was allowed to continue to use the offending components this season. Racing PointÂ’s other driver is Lance Stroll, the son of co-owner Lawrence Stroll. Motorsports Aston Martin Ferrari F1 Sebastian Vettel

Race recap: 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix was everything good and bad about F1

Nothing was as it seemed heading into Bahrain. We were told team bosses had nixed the qualifying experiment that flunked every test by every measure in Australia, but that didn't happen. The FIA didn't give the teams the option of a wholesale return to the old format, the governing body only held a vote on whether to revert back to the old format in Q3 but stick with elimination gimmicks in Q1 and Q2. McLaren and Red Bull dissented, denying the chance for hybrid rounds. We're surprised none of the smaller teams voted against since elimination qualifying is hardest on them. Given the chance to fix the system again in Bahrain, Formula 1 failed again. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone don't want to go back to the old system – because the race promoters don't want to go back to the old system – so all we know for sure is that there will be more meetings. We also thought Fernando Alonso would race in Bahrain after being given medical clearance, but a follow-up scan by the FIA showed fractured ribs and a damaged lung, ruling him out. And we thought Ferrari might have the pace to conquer Mercedes-AMG Petronas this year – and they might yet, but not on Saturday. That's why the Bahrain race began with another Mercedes one-two, Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg, Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen behind. The Australian outback is plagued with rabbits, which must have something to do with how Daniel Ricciardo keeps pulling them out of his helmet; the Aussie got his Red Bull up to a surprising fifth on the grid. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas in sixth and Felipe Massa in seventh would need to get him out of the way quickly to show what the car can do after an unsatisfying race in Australia. Nico Hulkenberg lined up in eighth for Sahara Force India. As proof the qualifying format failed again with its sophomore attempt, the last five minutes of Q2 were disappointing. Hulkenberg had the track completely to himself for his quali run, the only two cars on track after him were the Williams duo who weren't setting a time, but getting a set of soft tires ready to start the race on. As for Q1, the only reason for on-track action in the last three minutes was because Hamilton flubbed his first timed run. Romain Grosjean continued Haas F1's fruitful start to the season with ninth place, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso closing out the top ten. At the end of a long red light to start the race, Rosberg claimed his right to victory before Turn 1.

Novitec shows off its version of the Ferrari 812 Superfast

It's hard to imagine improving upon the unbelievable Ferrari 812 Superfast, but Novitec now offers a way to do just that. Performance upgrades to the 789 horsepower 6.5-liter V12 are scheduled to come later, but there's no shortage of things you can tack on now. To begin, Novitec developed an aero package using carbon fiber. Developed in a wind tunnel, Novitec claims its package reduces front-axle lift after fitment of the front spoiler lip and surround for the center air intake. Carbon fiber rocker panels, a rear spoiler lip and carbon fiber rear fascia are all fitted to complete the carbon aero look. Novitec offers a lowering spring package that takes it down 1.37 inches, but improved dampers are not paired with. Since it's lowered, a lift kit can be installed, which can raise the front end by 1.57 inches with the press of a button. You'll be wanting this to save the very expensive carbon front lip we mentioned earlier. Larger wheels are added with a staggered 21-inch-front and 22-inch-rear setup. Novitec goes to the trouble of using a separate dye for each wheel so the shape of the spokes are tailored to the specific corner of the car the wheel goes on. This is cool because not only do you get a minute gain in brake cooling, but you also get to brag about your wild wheel setup. A couple different exhausts are available to make the 812 Superfast even louder than it already is. The one you'll want is made of Inconel, which is the same stuff used in Formula 1. This exhaust saves just over 24 pounds over the stock Ferrari exhaust system. A version with controlled exhaust flaps is possible, as well. We wish we could tell you how much a Novitec 812 Superfast costs with everything on it, but prices aren't available for it yet. Needless to say, Novitec knows it's pricing them for Ferrari owners, so you can bet everything will be expensive. A base 812 Superfast goes for about $335,000, but we imagine there aren't many of those in the world. Related video: