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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

LaFerrari gets shakedown from Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is quite cool behind the wheel, as evidenced by an earlier video where he gave a full interview while actively hooning a Ferrari F12 around the Nürburgring. So when you see the Spaniard somber-faced and sweating while hustling a Ferrari LaFerrari around the Scuderia's Fiorano test track, you know the new hypercar is pretty demanding.
Alonso doesn't give commentary on this one (except to the engineers at the end), but he does wrestle the 949-horsepower hybrid around the track. It does look like a handful. Take a look below for the full video.

Apple CarPlay drawing early safety concerns [w/video]

Apple's CarPlay infotainment system hasn't made it into a single vehicle yet, and it's already drawing criticism for distracting drivers among safety advocates. The new tech unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show pairs users' iPhones with the car's dashboard display to make calls, dictate messages and listen to music. Some automakers, like Volvo, also let users interact with the HVAC system from the screen.
"The idea that people want to be on their phones, and therefore let's give them a way to do that -- that's not putting safety first, that's putting convenience and the desire to be in touch first," said Bruce Hamilton, manager of research and communications at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, to CNN Money.
Distracted driving is a huge concern on modern roads with more vehicles allowing drivers to use their smartphones through Bluetooth and infotainment systems. A Texas A&M study found that drivers' reaction time doubled while dictating text messages, according to CNN Money. The new tech is certainly not making drivers pay more attention.