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LaFerrari racing prototype spotted in Southern Europe

Rumors have been circulating for a few months now that Ferrari could be gearing up to challenge for outright victory at Le Mans once again with an LMP1 racer of its own. First the head of the sports racing division hinted at the prospect, then the head of the Formula One team lent it more credence, and most recently, the chairman of the company itself confirmed the possibility. We've even heard some rumors over who could drive the thing. But what we haven't seen yet is any solid proof that the Prancing Horse marque has actually been working on such a racecar.
That could be what we're looking at it here, but then again, it might not be. Spied undergoing testing in Southern Europe, this camouflaged test mule appears to be based on the new LaFerrari supercar, but with some key modifications that indicate this isn't the road-going version. The revised aero is a dead giveaway, with that giant front splitter jutting out like a swollen lip and a massive rear wing protruding from the back. The headlights are different, it's got center-lock wheels fitted at each corner and there's a big snorkel air scoop protruding from the engine bay.
What's clear is that this is test mule has definitely been set up for the race track. The only question is, to what end? Even with all the add-ons, it's still nowhere near as extreme as the purpose-built prototypes that Audi, Toyota and Porsche will be fielding in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, and it's missing key features like the mandatory center tailfin. It could be a platform for testing components to use on an upcoming LMP1, but if not for the aforementioned Le Mans rumors, our money would have been on something else - be it a GT racing version of LaFerrari like Maserati did with the Enzo-based MC12, or a customer track toy to follow in the footsteps of the (also Enzo-based) FXX and the 599XX that followed.

Ferrari extends Kimi Raikkonen's contract for 2016

Veteran Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen's second stint with Ferrari will continue in 2016, and the team announced Wednesday it's extending the Finn's contract for another season. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 35-year-old is fifth in the driver's standings this year with 76 points heading into this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. Nicknamed the "Ice Man," Raikkonen won the 2007 World Championship with Ferrari. He left the Scuderia in 2009 and dabbled in World Rally Championship and NASCAR competition, before returning to F1 in 2012 with Lotus. He's been back with Ferrari since the 2014 season. "We believe that extending Kimi's contract into the next season will provide further stability to the team," team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said in statement. "This has been our guideline, also considering the very good relationship between Kimi and Seb [Sebastian Vettel]. On our side, this shows our great confidence in him, and I expect this confidence to be well-rewarded." Raikkonen has teamed with Vettel (who's third in driver's points) to key the Scuderia's bounce-back season. Ferrari, the sport's oldest and most successful team, is second in the constructor's standings this year with 236 points, trailing Mercedes (383). "For me, to be able to stay another year at Ferrari means that the dream goes on," Raikkonen said in a statement. "The Scuderia is my family, as I always said, it's here I want to end my career. I am more committed than ever and I want to say thank you to the people who gave me this chance." The announcement comes as Ferrari prepares for its historic 900th grand prix. It's won 16 races in Belgium, including 12 victories as Spa-Francorchamps. The team's most recent win there was in 2009 – by Raikkonen. Related Video:

FIA approves new F1 elimination qualifying rules

The FIA has confirmed the new regulations for Formula 1's elimination qualifying, after the rules cleared the final approval for introduction on Thursday. As Motorsport.com revealed, the F1 Commission unanimously approved changes to the sport's Sporting Regulations that will result in a tweak to the qualifying format from the season opening race in Australia. It came despite concerns that Ferrari could opt to block the change, amid its skepticism about the benefits of moving away from the previous qualifying format that had proved popular. With the changes approved, the new rules have now been declared official in changes to Article 33 of F1's Sporting Regulations. The new rules are: a) From 14.00 to 14.16 (Q1) all cars will be permitted on the track. Seven minutes after the start of the session the driver last in the classification will be eliminated and will no longer be timed, he must then return to the pit lane and may take no further part in the qualifying practice session. The same procedure will then apply after 8m30s, 10m0s, 11m30s, 13m0s and 14m30s leaving sixteen cars eligible to continue. At the end of the session all drivers on the track may complete the lap they are on and, once these final laps have been completed, the driver last in the classification may take no further part in the qualifying practice session. Lap times achieved by the fifteen remaining cars will then be deleted. b) From 14.24 to 14.39 (Q2) the fifteen remaining cars will be permitted on the track. Six minutes after the start of the session the driver last in the classification will be eliminated and will no longer be timed, he must then return to the pit lane and may take no further part in the qualifying practice session. The same procedure will then apply after 7m30s, 9m0s, 10m30s, 12m0s and 13m30s leaving nine cars eligible to continue. At the end of the session all drivers on the track may complete the lap they are on and, once these final laps have been completed, the driver last in the classification may take no further part in the qualifying practice session. Lap times achieved by the eight remaining cars will then be deleted. c) From 14.46 to 15.00 (Q3) the eight remaining cars will be permitted on the track. Five minutes after the start of the session the driver last in the classification will be eliminated and will no longer be timed, he must then return to the pit lane and may take no further part in the qualifying practice session.