Evo’s Editorial Director and Founder Harry Metcalfe visits the Pagani Factory in Italy to drive the 763bhp Zonda 760 RS. The pinnacle of all road going Zondas.

Check out Sami Haidar in this video driving the winning lap of GulfRun recording a 2:17 on the GP circuit, Bahrain GP. Watching the video, you can clearly see the skills and techniques that Sami possesses, from the smoothness in steering control and braking, consistency in the racing line, to the beautiful up and heel and toe down shifting. Bravo Sami, you deserve it.

Lamborghini unveiled the Urus, a new concept car to enter the market of high end SUVs. Will Lamborghini ever produce this car? will have to wait and see.

Have you ever wondered what it would it be like to drive a World Rally Championship car on public roads? Well, Vicky Parrott did and here’s the result.

Event schedule

Fernando Alonso took the lead of the championship after two events, with the McLaren drivers following behind him. It’s still close at the top, which is a good sign – particularly after last year’s experiences! There’s still plenty of racing to be had though, and another stash of 101 points available at Shanghai.

Support racing for this event includes Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.

The weather

Looking at the weather from a couple of day’s distance, it appears as though there are showers on the horizon. Friday looks set to be a rainy day, and Sunday also could hold some moisture in the air. Saturday may escape from the rain, but the sun might still be hiding away behind those clouds.

Circuit map

We’re continuing on with single DRS here in China, with the detection coming on the twisting turn 12. The activation will be halfway down the long straight, which will give any passers plenty of time to make their position stick before reaching the tight turn 14.

The zones are in the same place as this time last year, and there were plenty of overtaking moves to behold there – 67, according to F1.com. That made it the third highest of the year, although the weather may have played a part!

The circuit

China brings to the table some of the longest straights on the calendar and some of the more complex corner combinations. The first sector can prove particularly challenging, with the initial corner turning in on itself to almost become a complete circle. The high speeds and tight turns provide high g forces for the drivers to deal with, so new or out of practice drivers could struggle.

We’re looking at a high downforce circuit, where the strategies will fall somewhere in the 2 to 3 stop range. Look for Sauber to be one-stopping! The track can be tough on brakes, so keep an eye on the drivers who are still getting to grips with their cars or aren’t happy with the setup when Sunday comes rolling around.

Tyre compounds

It’s back to the medium and soft compounds like we had at the start of the season, with the white and yellow sidewalls making a reappearance. Motorsport boss Paul Hembery is intrigued to find out how the rubber will work around the circuit, as he quite enjoyed last year’s eventful race!

Motor Trend’s Jessi Lang offers up an exclusive in-depth look at the hotly anticipated 2013 SRT Viper.
Plus Motor Trend’s Scott Evans heads to Detroit to interview the brains behind the Viper brawn, SRT President and CEO Ralph Gilles.

HRE wheels, one of the top manufacturers for forged wheels recently came out with a new Vintage line, wheels designed with the 80s style. A lucky Ferrari 458 owner got and installed one of them which made his 458 look incredible. I would definitely buy those wheels if I ever get a 458.

G-Force Autoworx hosted their first Cars & Coffee meet at their location in Free Zone. The turn out was great with some amazing cars, lots of food, great music, and awesome people. The list of cars included a Mclaren mp4-12C, Ferrari Scuderia, Lambo Murcielago SV, a dozen of GTRs with one of them at more than 1200whp, 2 Evo Xs, and some heavily tuned Porsches.

Check out the cars after the jump.

The new SL 500 is the consummate all-rounder with an unrivalled heritage. Chris traces its roots from the classic W198 300 SL to the Pagoda W113 and the classic R107.

Event schedule

Jenson Button jumped his teammate off the start line of the Australian Grand Prix, and secured himself a very nice victory to take an early lead in the championship. Mercedes showed good pace but had a difficult afternoon on track, whilst Sauber proved their unusual strategy calls were not just a one-season things. For the race ahead, we’re looking to see if Ferrari can make any headway with what appears to be a very unstable car, and if Williams can turn their improved pace into better results.

The weather

The long range weather forecasts suggest rainy showers, plus the possibility of thunderstorms, which isn’t much of a surprise when it comes to racing in Malaysia. The daily downpours can play havoc with Formula One schedules, and expect to see little running if one hits at the wrong time. Hopefully, the weather will be enough to make things interesting, but not so much as to ruin the show.

Circuit map

Double DRS didn’t seem to have much of an effect in Australia, and for the Malaysian Grand Prix, the FIA have gone back to just the single DRS zone.

The activation area matches last year, and I don’t recall it being a particularly good or bad thing in 2011. Little controversy for the second race of the year can only be a good thing.

The circuit

Sepang will see the cars run with high downforce settings as the track is littered with tricky corners. Two long straights, joined by the famous hairpin, are the only real respite from the twists and turns of the 5.5km lap.

Drivers will run on full throttle for 65% of the lap, and keeping the cars running smoothly – and cool – in the humid conditions will be key.

Last year, the strategy chosen by most teams was a two stop, resulting in 59 pit stops completed. Will the record be beaten this year?

Tyre compounds

Pirelli did once say that they wouldn’t run the medium and hard compounds together, particularly as the white and silver sidewalls will be hard to distinguish from each other. They’ve obviously forgotten that, as the compounds selected for this weekend will be just that one step apart.

A chaotic Australian Grand Prix kicked off 2012 with familiar faces at the top of the podium, some interesting pit stop strategies, retirements aplenty, and some DRS action along with non-DRS overtaking. The race was bookmarked with first and last lap chaos, and punctuated with a Safety Car in the middle. Caterham suffered a double DNF with both cars troubled with power steering issues. McLaren had a good run from the start, but Vettel wasn’t going to give up easily.

We’ve been building up to this, the first race of the year, almost since the chequered flag fell in Brazil last season. Winter testing has been completed, teams have all the data they are going to get, and the drivers have made their last minute preparations. Melbourne plays host to the first round of 2012, where we’ll see action, excitement, crashes, and some great racing – but, just as testing before it, the event can’t necessarily be taken as representative of the rest of the season. That takes nothing away from it, though. Albert Park will get 2012 going in the way only Australia can. Full info after the break

Event schedule

This weekend, we’ll see Kimi Räikkönen make his comeback, watch as two new rookies hit the track for the first time, and view Sebastian Vettel’s state of mind as he returns to F1 as a double world champion. There are team name changes to behold, as Renault becomes Lotus, Lotus becomes Caterham and Virgin turns into Marussia. If you can keep track of all the new names, liveries, and driver changes, you’ll be doing well.

Support racing for this event includes Group A/C Touring Cars, Renault Challenge, V8 Supercars, and Carrera Cup.

The weather

Looking at the weather from this distance shows what appears to be changeable conditions. Whenever there are clouds over Melbourne, you have the potential for rain. We know the first race can be a crazy one, and if you throw in some precipitation as well, it could be a hectic start to the season.

Circuit map

The FIA have confirmed they will continue to tweak DRS as this new season begins, hoping to find the ultimate setup at each and every circuit.

For Albert Park, they are opting for double DRS, but with just the one activation zone. This hasn’t always produced great overtaking opportunities, but at Australia, we may find it is not so needed anyway.

The circuit

After one year stepping up to be the season opener at the last minute, Albert Park returns to its rightful place as the first race on the F1 calendar. With the impromptu track made up of public and park roads, brought together solely for the weekend and then dismantled again, the tarmac is an evolving beast. Tentative drivers hit the track early on Friday and gradually the ground beneath will come to them. By the time the race is on, grip levels should be top notch.

The race is pushed back to the evening local time, and if the event extends the full two hours, the low sun can cause some visibility issues at certain points on the track. Local fans can cheer on both Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo this weekend, as both try and impress the home crowd and make it a weekend to remember.

Tyre compounds