QUICK READ

F1

RED BULL has blamed Max Verstappen’s fatefully slow Italian Grand Prix pitstop on human error resulting from a technical directive issued by Formula One’s governing body. The 11 -second stop at Monza dropped championship leader Verstappen into a position where he and Mercedes title rival Lewis Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel and collided, retiring on the spot. Verstappen was held to be predominantly to blame and collected a three place grid penalty for the next race in Russia. The FIA directive, which came into effect in August, aims to slow pitstops for safety reasons by preventing the use of any automated systems. | Reuters

Teaming up

FOUR-TIMES Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel and Canadian Lance Stroll, son of the owner, will race for Aston Martin next season in an unchanged driver line-up. Vettel, who won his titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, joined at the end of last year from Ferrari. Executive chairperson Lawrence Stroll had assured reporters this week that the German was set to stay after media speculation he might not. Stroll senior said also that he saw Lance, 22, as a potential champion. The Mercedes-powered team are building a new factory at Silverstone and hiring staff with the aim of positioning themselves as title contenders. | Reuters

Self-driving

FORD has teamed up with self-driving start-up Argo AI and Walmart to launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin and Washington, DC, the companies announced recently. Initial integration testing is expected to begin later this year, the companies added.

The multicity service will allow Walmart customers to place online orders of groceries and other popular items for autonomous delivery to their homes. Argo’s cloud-based system will integrate with Walmart’s online ordering platform to route orders and schedule package deliveries. Ford’s self-driving test vehicles with Argo’s self-driving system will then deliver the orders to customers. | Reuters

Relief

MID-MONTH fuel price data released by the Department of Energy indicates that there could be some price relief for motorists in October. Petrol is looking likely to decrease by around 18 cents a litre in the case of 95 unleaded and 20 cents a litre for 93 unleaded, while diesel is looking set for a smaller decrease or even a slight increase, if current trends persist. However, a small petrol price decrease will be of little consolation to motorists, following the 91 cents a litre increase at the beginning of August. Going forward, higher international oil prices and a weaker rand are putting SA at risk of further increases. | IOL Motoring