Motor racing-Red Bull give Vettel new chassis for Spain
Sebastian Vettel will have a new Red Bull chassis for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in a switch that could give the quadruple Formula One champion a boost even if the team said it was unrelated to his lack of form so far this season.
Chief designer Rob Marshall told the Red Bull website on Wednesday that the change, replacing the central tub that the driver sits in, had been scheduled at the start of the season. (Reuters)
Hamilton ready to make his move on Rosberg
Formula One's European season kicks off in Spain this weekend with Lewis Hamilton on a roll and ready to wrest the championship lead from Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.
Hamilton has never won a grand prix in Spain but, after racking up three successive victories for the first time, the 2008 world champion can break new boundaries at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday.
"I'm in a good place right now and I'm hoping that this will be the year," said the Briton, who is four points behind Rosberg despite winning three races to the German's one. (Reuters)
Charlotte Motor Speedway celebrates 20th anniversary of Jeff Gordon's Coca-Cola 600 victory
It's been 20 years since Jeff Gordon's first career Cup victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the prestigious Coca-Cola 600. He was struggling to contain his emotions long before he took the checkered flag, and by the time the 22-year-old got to Victory Lane, he was weeping.
"I tried to hold it back as much as I could because I wanted to stay focused and didn't want to make any mistakes," Gordon recalled as the speedway celebrated the anniversary at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "It did start to take over and that chill in my spine was definitely there with taking the white flag. I got to Victory Lane, and it all just kind of erupted." (Jenna Fryer/Associated Press)
Russian rookie clears first hurdle in testing for Indianapolis 500
Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin was the fastest of the five rookies on the track Monday at Indianapolis.
The Moscow native had a fast lap of 219.170 mph (352.72 km/h) and was one of three rookies to complete the rookie orientation program. Jack Hawksworth and Carlos Huertas also passed. Jacques Villeneuve, the 1995 Indy winner, and former Cup champion Kurt Busch completed their rookie tests last week.
The race is scheduled for May 25. (Associated Press)
Formula One: World championship standings
Standings going into the Spanish Grand Prix, which takes place Sunday, May 11
Position | Drivers | Nationality | Team | Points |
1 | Nico Rosberg | German | Mercedes | 79 |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | British | Mercedes | 75 |
3 | Fernando Alonso | Spanish | Ferrari | 41 |
4 | Nico Hulkenberg | German | Force India-Mercedes | 36 |
5 | Sebastian Vettel | German | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 33 |
6 | Daniel Ricciardo | Australian | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 24 |
7 | Valtteri Bottas | Finnish | Williams-Mercedes | 24 |
8 | Jenson Button | British | McLaren-Mercedes | 23 |
9 | Kevin Magnussen | Danish | McLaren-Mercedes | 20 |
10 | Sergio Perez | Mexican | Force India-Mercedes | 18 |
11 | Felipe Massa | Brazilian | Williams-Mercedes | 12 |
12 | Kimi Raikkonen | Finnish | Ferrari | 11 |
13 | Jean-Eric Vergne | French | STR-Renault | 4 |
14 | Daniil Kvyat | Russian | STR-Renault | 4 |
Source: FormulaOne.com