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Bahrain Grand Prix proves that Formula 1 finally has parity

Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel claimed victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix 6.6 seconds in front of Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton. In so doing, Vettel vaulted into first place in the driver standings ahead of Hamilton, with two race victories to the Mercedes driver's one. The decisive moment in the race came with 16 laps remaining, as Hamilton served a 5-second penalty for holding up Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in the pit lane in an earlier pit stop during a safety car period. Hamilton was able to reclaim second place in front of teammate Valtteri Bottas with 10 laps remaining, and he cut Vettel's lead from 13 seconds to 6.6 seconds at the finish. Bottas went on to finish third, followed by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in fourth. Ricciardo crossed the line in fifth, meaning there were three constructors in the top five places in Bahrain. Perhaps more than anything else, the 2017 season has been unpredictable and entertaining, marking a break from the last several years in F1 where one marque has been dominant. Here's hoping the rest of the year provides similar thrills and spectacle. Related Video: Image Credit: Lars Baron/Getty Motorsports Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Racing Vehicles F1 Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari 250 TR recreation channels the spirit of Fangio

Peter Giacobbi grew up watching the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Phil Hill race cars like the Ferrari 250 TRs when he was a kid. Once he grew up – or at least grew older – he knew he had to have one to call his own. The trouble is that original Testa Rossas sell for tens of millions these days, and as accomplished as he may have been in his life and career, Giacobbi didn't have that kind of money to spend on a car. So he did the next best thing and built one of his own. Fortunately Giacobbi had some experience building exotic sports cars. He formed half of the duo that created the Sinthesis 2000, a one-off concept that he and designer Tom Tjaarda unveiled at the 1970 Turin Motor Show. And that project ended up serving as his interview for the job of chief engineer for DeLorean. So when he set to building his own Testa Rossa, he knew how to go about it. His recreation may not be 100 percent authentic, but then it's not entirely fake, either. The bodywork is genuine, as are many of the parts. The rest he faithfully reproduced or had made specially. The result, as you can see, is quite stunning – especially left bare in its hand-beaten aluminum form. Hear his story, see his project, and listen to that Colombo V12 engine sing in this latest video installment from the cinematographic artisans at Petrolicious.

Ferrari to debut new twin-turbo California in the spring

Ferrari hadn't made a turbocharged engine since the F40 ended its production cycle in 1992. But that all changed when it helped Maserati develop its new 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. That turbo engine has so far been shoehorned into the Quattroporte, along with its 3.0-liter V6 cousin that also powers the smaller Ghibli. But soon it'll wear the Prancing Horse badge as further details emerge on the next-generation California.
Set to arrive in time for the spring (likely to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March), the new California will reportedly ditch its naturally-aspirated V8 in favor of a reworked version of the Quattroporte's twin-turbo unit, which at 523 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque is already considerably more muscular than the current California's 483 hp and 372 lb-ft.
The new California will likely be closely based on the outgoing model, but benefit from revised aluminum sheetmetal and an updated cabin with a new infotainment system - two areas in which the current model has scored low marks.