Australian Grand Prix (2014): RESULT

The 2014 Australian Grand Prix gets underway It’s all new cars for the first Grand Prix of the 2014 F1 season in Melbourne, but the expectation was that Mercedes would dominate, with Lewis Hamilton sitting on pole and Nico Rosberg sitting third, separated by Red Bull’s new boy, Daniel Ricciardo. In fact, because of engine problems, Hamilton was sidelined from the start and down to fourth by the first corner, with Rosberg making the most of his team mate’s woes and storming through to take the lead, a lead he kept until the end for a dominant win in Melbourne. Behind Hamilton, home boy Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull managed to make the 2014 Red Bull car look immensely promising to take second place, a welcome boost for the troubled Red Bull team, even if world champion Sebastian Vettel suffered the same fate as Hamilton, retiring with engine problems.

Mazda to recall 400,000 vehicles globally for possible wiper defect

More than 400,000 Mazda3 and MazdaSpeed3 vehicles worldwide could be subject to recall by Mazda Motor Corp. after drivers reported defective windshield wiper motors. In documents posted Monday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site, Mazda said it’s recalling 103,300 vehicles in the United States manufactured between Jan.

Missed Shift? American Top Gear struggles to find its own identity

"What happened to Top Gear?" my favorite bartender asked this past weekend. "Somebody took the BBC's scripts and wrote Tanner, Rutledge and Adam over cues which previously said Jeremy, Richard and James," I replied. It's an easy sideswipe I admit, but for me--and I'm guessing for the automotive enthusiasts who constitute AutoWeek's audience--it largely tells the tale.