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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

Sunday Drive: Classic American nameplates and one exciting new German

Our look back at last week's biggest automotive stories focuses first on the Jeep Wagoneer, an unequivocal American classic. Not only did the Wagoneer play a pivotal role in kicking off America's current love affair with the sport utility vehicle, it legitimized the Jeep brand in the mind of consumers looking not just for something to ably take them off the beaten path, but to do so in comfort, with the entire family along for the ride. So it comes as little surprise that Jeep decided to take one vintage Wagoneer, modernize it with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, and put the thing on display as part of its annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. We're in love. Our next two stories focus on Cadillac. First up is news that the striking Escala Concept is headed for production in 2021 to serve as the brand's flagship luxury sedan. The second story involves Caddy's current top rung, the CT6, which gets a new twin-turbo V8 engine as part of its V-Sport package. And finally, we round out this look at last week's headlines with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. We're mighty keen to try out Benz's new AMG-fettered turbocharged inline-six engine, and the C Coupe looks like a fine point of entry. As always stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the latest automotive news. Jeep delivers basketful of concepts for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari Cadillac's striking Escala concept is reportedly headed for production Cadillac CT6 V-Sport wants to take prisoners with 550-hp 4.2L TT V8 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet revealed ahead of New York

Mercedes Concept IAA shows its mighty morphing aero aids

Modern supercars are utilizing more active aerodynamic elements that constantly adjust, to make them some of the fastest things on the road. The Mercedes-Benz Concept Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile is using them too, but the know-how is applied here for ultimate efficiency rather than turning better lap times. In the standard design mode, the four-door luxury coupe looks like a CLS from the near future with styling that's mixed with a little of the F 015 concept. However at the press of a button or upon hitting about 50 miles per hour, the IAA transforms into aero mode to have an insanely low drag coefficent of just 0.19. To achieve the ultra-efficient shape, the rear of the concept stretches over 15 inches to guide air down the tail. Flaps in the bumpers also extend outward, and the wheels adjust to improve the flow around the sides. To trim things out underneath, a portion inside the front bumper moves, as well. Inside, passengers sit in organically shaped leather seats, but occupants have to look at a vast array of purple and blue LED accent lights. The big panoramic roof is a nice touch, though. It would be interesting to watch water tumble over this slippery shape when driving in the rain. To maximize efficiency, Mercedes powers the IAA with a plug-in hybrid that's hooked up to a gasoline engine. The result is 275 horsepower and an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. On the European testing cycle, the company figures the concept could cover 41 miles solely on electric power in aero mode. Showing the gains of the swoopy transformation, that figure falls to 38.5 miles in design mode.