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Race Recap: 2016 Austrian GP is mishaps from start to finish

At the 2015 US Formula 1 Grand Prix, rain mixed up the grid and a first-lap incident cast the die for the race. The Austin, Texas event made highlight reels for those reasons and because it decided the Driver's Championship. At the 2016 Austrian F1 Grand Prix, rain mixed up the grid and a last-lap incident cast the die for the race. The Spielbergring race will feature in this year's highlight reel because it might force Mercedes-AMG Petronas to make some hard decisions about the rest of the season. For the first time this season, Lewis Hamilton converted pole position into a lead through Turn 1, and began slowly pulling away from the field. Teammate Nico Rosberg started from sixth because of a gearbox penalty, but was up to third when he pitted on Lap 11. Mercedes normally pits the lead driver first, in this case being Hamilton, but Mercedes wanted to get Rosberg ahead of the two Ferraris. Hamilton pitted on Lap 22, emerging behind Rosberg because of a slow stop. Sebastian Vettel led the race for Ferrari on Lap 27 when his right rear tire exploded coming down the start-finish straight – an eerie reminder of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix. The Safety Car rolled out, yet when racing resumed Rosberg stayed ahead. After the two Mercs came in for second stops everyone expected Hamilton to lead, but Hamilton had messed up his in-lap and lost a cumulative 3.3 seconds during his actual stops compared to Rosberg's pit-stop times. The Brit remained second. Hamilton chased his teammate for the final 15 laps. At the beginning of the last lap Rosberg messed up Turn 1 and Hamilton closed in. Rosberg took the inside line into Turn 2 as Hamilton pulled up on the outside, then Rosberg appeared to drive straight on as if he simply wasn't going to turn. Hamilton turned in, colliding with Rosberg and driving over the German's front wing. By the end of Turn 2, Hamilton had the lead and Rosberg had a broken car. The Brit won, the German puttered home to finish fourth. The incident promoted Max Verstappen to second and Kimi Raikkonen to third. Verstappen scored his second podium for Red Bull after his victory in Spain. Conversely, Raikkonen's third place for Ferrari was more gifted scraps for the scuderia. Daniel Ricciardo came fifth in the second Red Bull, Jenson Button delivered a terrific sixth for McLaren- Honda, Romain Grosjean got Haas back in the points, Carlos Sainz, Jr. secured eighth for Toro Rosso, and Valtteri Bottas in ninth for Williams.

The BMW 8 Series leads this month's list of discounts

Whether you prefer the sleek looks of a sport coupe, the wind-in-your-hair exhilaration of a convertible or the flexible practicality of a four-door sedan, BMW has an 8 Series to suit your fancy. And if you're in the market right now, you may find that your local BMW dealership is willing to take $18,124 off the sticker price. That figure comes courtesy of TrueCar, and it reflects the discount buyers are getting off the 8 Series' average $122,395 retail price. Most of the 8 Series models in American showrooms today are 2019 models, and that's the model year to which the discount above applies. This represents the largest discount on a new car in America this month, based on the dollar amount off the car's sticker price, and the third largest discount by percentage. And it means the average transaction price for a 2019 BMW 8 Series is hovering at $104,271. 2020 BMW 840i Gran Coupe View 38 Photos BMW offers two distinct versions of the 8 Series, the 335-horsepower 840i with rear- or all-wheel drive, and the 523-horsepower 850i, which comes standard with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. If you want to step even further up the performance ladder, there's the M8, but that 600-horsepower monster is getting a much smaller $6,150 discount. If you're not into BMWs, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT boasts the second largest monetary discount this month, with buyers averaging $16,713 off the Benz's $176,035 sticker price. Another Mercedes, the S-Class, is next with a $11,452 discount. After that comes a pair of Maserati sedans, the Quattroporte and Ghibli, each with discounts of around $11,000. Since the Ghibli's base price is so much lower than that of its larger sibling, that represents a much larger 13.5% cut from its average retail price of $81,384 for an out-the-door cost of $70,373. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related Video:

Mercedes-Benz teases SL-Class for LA Auto Show

There's no better place in the world to unveil a styling update for the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class than at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. The luxury droptop's combination of handsome style, big power, and a huge price tag also makes it a perfect fit for stylish, wealthy Southern California. Mercedes is getting us excited to see the rest of the SL's facelift thanks to this shadowy preview. We can spy a redesigned hood in the image above, and it's smoother and simpler than the current design. You can also spot the restyled headlights at each corner that seem thinner than the present units. The updated bumper now features four inlets: one on each side and a double-decker one in the center. Spy shots from earlier this year suggest even more updates for the refreshed SL, like a new rear bumper and redesigned exhaust tips. Keep an eye out for possible improvements to the infotainment system and other interior upgrades. The 2015 LA Auto Show begins in about a week, so we won't have to wait long to see all of Mercedes' tweaks. Related Video: