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New Ferrari F1 car looks like a big step up, says Sebastian Vettel

SILVERSTONE, England — Ferrari's new SF71H Formula One car already looks a big step up from last year's before it has turned a wheel in anger, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel said at Thursday's unveiling. The sport's oldest and most successful team is hoping the car, with more red and less white in the livery following the departure of sponsor Santander, will take it to a first championship in a decade. Vettel won five races last season but finished runner-up to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who is now also a four-time world champion. "Now is the time when you see the car, it's all ready and you want to get in and go out on the track and have a go," the German told guests at the Italian team's Maranello factory. "To stand here now is very special for all of us. I think they are all waiting for us to say how it feels. So we can't wait to get out on track to see how the car performs, how it behaves. "I think that's the answer that we all want to hear, and we go from there. For sure, the amount of effort that has gone in and the attention to detail in so many areas is impressive." The presentation, online and through social media channels, came on the same day that Mercedes was showing off its new F1 W09 car. In an act of sportsmanship, the British-based team made sure reporters attending their event at Silverstone could watch the Ferrari unveiling on television screens during a break for lunch. Ferrari technical head Mattia Binotto said the car, narrower and with a slightly longer wheelbase as well as more aggressive sidepods, was an evolution of the 2017 car, which performed well on slower speed circuits but lacked reliability. "Every little detail matters, every part can make a difference, and I think this year's car is a big step from last year's," declared Vettel, whose four titles were with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen, who is now 38 and out of contract at the end of the season, said it looked good despite the addition of the now-mandatory halo head-protection device. "When it looks nice, the speed is also there. But obviously we will see that next week," said the 2007 world champion who will be testing the car with Vettel at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya next week. Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video:

Ferrari pays tribute to Niki Lauda with one-off 458

Though Niki Lauda may today be chairman of the Mercedes F1 team, anyone who's seen Rush will know that he's inexorably tied to Ferrari. And it's that bond that Ferrari has celebrated with this special-edition 458 Italia.
Commissioned by an evidently dedicated fan through Maranello's Tailor Made program, this one-off 458 features a red paintjob with white roof and gold wheels. It's a livery that apes the cars Lauda drove for the Scuderia in the mid-70s, and carries through with tricolore racing stripes over the roof and throughout the red-stitched black leather interior.
Not the most subtle treatment we've seen, but then the Italia is hardly a subtle car to begin with. Lets just hope this particular example manages to steer clear of going up in flames as have so many 458s - and one notable 312 T2. Feel free to read more in the press release below.

Hamilton wins at Monza, takes Formula One lead from Vettel

MONZA, Italy (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday with an utterly dominant drive that sent the Briton clear at the top of the Formula One world championship for the first time in a year. The triple champion, who started the last race of the European season from a record 69th career pole position, led Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas to a runaway one-two finish at Ferrari's home track. "I love it here in Italy and I love the passion of the fans," Hamilton declared on the podium jutting out over a sea of red-shirted Ferrari fans, with plenty of boos coming his way amid the cheers. "We did a great job, the team did an exceptional job this weekend," he added. "Mercedes power is definitely better than Ferrari power." Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who had led the standings since he won the Australian season-opener in March, finished third in the final race of the European season and 36.3 seconds behind the winner. Bottas was 4.4 adrift of Hamilton. "It was a difficult day, a difficult start," said Vettel. "My race was fairly isolated, we tried to keep as close as possible but we simply didn't have the pace... You could say it's a bad day but I know the team is on the right way... so I am in a very positive mood despite the numbers." Hamilton is now three points clear of the German, with seven races remaining. Mercedes are 62 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors' standings. The first driver to win two races in a row this season, with Monza following on from Belgium a week ago, Hamilton now leads Vettel 6-4 on victories in 2017. He has 238 points to Vettel's 235. The last time Hamilton led the standings on his own was at Monza a year ago, with now-retired team mate Nico Rosberg emerging as the eventual champion. FEW THRILLS Hamilton and four-times champion Vettel were level on points this year after China in April, with one win and one second place each. If Sunday's race was a dull affair, there was at least plenty of sunshine in marked contrast to the steady rain that drenched fans and delayed qualifying for hours on Saturday. Hamilton pulled away cleanly from his historic pole, and fourth in a row at Monza, and was never challenged as he drove to the chequered flag with the minimum of fuss. It was his third Italian Grand Prix win in four years and 59th career victory – only Michael Schumacher, whose pole record he beat, can boast more – and few have been more straightforward.