Have you ever driven down the freeway, spotted a Ford F-150 pickup truck and mistaken it for a Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 car? No? Well, the dusty lawyers over at the Ford Motor Company beg to differ. They filed a trademark infringement suit against Ferrari for naming their latest F1 challenger the “F-150″ to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Well, in an act of good faith, Ferrari renamed the car the “F150th Italia” a few weeks ago. In an added act of grace, they have now renamed it the “150° Italia”. Why? In an official statement, it was to “make it clear even to the thickest of people that the name of the car is a tribute to the anniversary of the unification of our country”. Take that. Full story.

Alonso on his way to The Home Depot to pick up some mulch.

Two Lotus F1 teams? Both running Renault engines? Both with the same team colors? What?? Read up on all of the confusing details here.

The 2011 Lotus Renault GP. Or is it the Team Lotus Renault?

The 2010 F1 season was awesome. The best part of it for me was seeing Mark Webber leading the Drivers’ Standings and looking like a shoe-in to become Red Bull Racing’s first World Drivers’ Champion. Well, after the Asian rounds started, good old Webber started to slump, his worst moments being crashing in Korea and getting his ass handed to him in Abu Dhabi. Turns out he had a shoulder injury right around that time from yet another bicycle crash. A man’s gotta have various interests, but come on now! Our friends at ITV have the full(er) story here.

Mark Webber

Just when we thought the 2010 SLS 63 AMG was bad ass enough, the fellas at Mercedes-Benz came up with the SLS AMG GT3. And now guess what? All of that race awesomeness is reportedly going to trickle down to a street-legal version a la Black Series. Danke schoen to the powers-that-be in Affalterbach!

Mercedes GP (formerly Brawn GP) claimed the top spot today after the second practice session at the 2010 season opening Bahrain Grand Prix. His illustrious teammate, Michael Schumacher, clocked in the third quickest time — not bad for a 41 year old retiree. Full story here.

Nico Rosberg

Well, despite constant denials, US F1 announced today that it was calling it quits to their 2010 bid to compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Sad to see this happening, but one upside is that good old Jacques Villeneuve may be making a comeback with Stefan GP if the FIA grants them the now-vacant grid slot. Full article here.

"Um, don't look now, but I think everyone is on to us."

Michael Schumacher has signed a one-year deal to return to Formula One competition in 2010 with the new Mercedes GP squad, formerly known as Brawn GP. This means that Schumacher will be reunited with Ross Brawn, the man who is largely responsible for all seven of his F1 titles. And did I mention that Brawn GP won the F1 Drivers’ and Constructor’s World Championship this past season? Oh yes, this is going to be good. Full story.

Well, the worst-kept secret in racing has come to light, and for me, it’s a real downer. The Kimster is taking a sabbatical from Formula One next season and will contest the 2010 WRC with Citroen Racing. And while he won’t be pounding the pavement in a single seater, his switch to the Red Bull-backed rally team will help fuel the rumor that he will return to F1 in 2011 with the Red Bull Racing F1 squad. Read the full article here.

WRC-bound 2007 F1 Champion Kimi Raikkonen

I did some indoor karting today to get my periodic dose of racing (well, at least lapping with traffic). I know it’s not nearly the same as when I was racing formula cars, but it is a simple, economical, clean, and fun-as-hell activity. I went to my spot in Sylmar, CA, where they use electric-powered karts. Not only does this mean goodbye to carbon monoxide poisoning, but it also means an overall greener experience. I love it so much, I’m considering joining the race league. Fun stuff!

Today, I put another notch on my awesomeness meter — I completed Level 1 at the Keith Code California Superbike School at Willow Springs Raceway. Next stop, Level 2!