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Ferrari's Vettel sets lap record and take pole position for Chinese Grand Prix

SHANGHAI – Ferrari made Formula One rivals sit up and take notice after an ominous show of speed in qualifying for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix. World championship leader Sebastian Vettel took pole position with a lap more than half a second faster than that of Valtteri Bottas, the fastest of the two Mercedes drivers in third place. The German's best time of one minute, 31.095 seconds – a Shanghai circuit record – turned up the heat on a chilly afternoon with Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen joining him on the front row. "We thought coming into today that we would be fighting for the pole position," said Bottas, whose reigning champion team mate Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth after aborting his final flying lap. "But it was definitely out of reach today, there was nothing in the lap that we could have gained that much." "I don't know if we can challenge, we're half a second behind today," added Hamilton. "We were quicker in the race in the last race (Bahrain) but they (Ferrari) were able to hold on. They will probably do the same tomorrow." Dominant isn't a word that has been used to describe Ferrari since they chalked up five straight drivers' titles and six consecutive constructors' crowns with Michael Schumacher, but they were imperious on Saturday. The front row lockout was their second in a row after Vettel beat Raikkonen to pole last weekend in Bahrain. "Ferrari were just way too quick," said Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was fifth fastest but a hefty 0.701 seconds off Vettel's pace. "Somehow they've found a turbo button on the straight because they are really quick and still in the corners they are reasonably quick." Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo added, "Ferrari has had really good pace all weekend and I can't say honestly now that we're going to have their pace tomorrow, but Mercedes definitely look within reach." Ferrari's speed had already stunned rivals after Friday's opening day of practice pointed to a close battle, even if Hamilton was top of the timesheets. With temperatures plunging on Saturday, the scarlet cars seemed to come into their own. Vettel, who holds a 17-point lead over Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton after winning in Australia and Bahrain, is looking good for a hat-trick. No driver has ever won the season's first three races without being crowned champion that year, and the last Ferrari driver to do it was Schumacher in 2004 when he was at the peak of his powers and won the opening five.

Chris Harris falls in love with Mercedes-AMG GT at Laguna Seca

It's not every day that an automaker goes down a market segment and still comes off as even more ambitious, but that's exactly what Mercedes has done with the new AMG GT. While the SLS was bigger and more expensive, with the new GT, Mercedes has set its sights on one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. That, of course, would be the Porsche 911, and the big question is whether Benz has achieved its target. For the answer, we turn to none other than the Monkey himself – the inimitable Chris Harris, who recently went solo with his own YouTube channel. And for his latest segment, he took the latest German sports car around no less suitable a track than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

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