August 26th Throttle 🏎️💨

What’s up Throttle Heads 😎. Welcome back to another newsletter.

Lando Norris Wins Dutch Grand Prix 22.9 Seconds Ahead Of Verstappen

Lando has done it again ‼️ The Mclaren Driver has won his second race this year and of all time after a stunning performance in Zandvoort. Norris won the race 22.9 seconds ahead of Verstappen. This race and this year's Formula One season have certainly been some of the most exciting ones in recent years and the once-dominant Red Bul has now begun to falter and other teams like Redbull and Mclaren are now beginning to win races and have a shot at securing the driver championship.

Norris had a slow start as Verstappen passed him to take position one just after Turn 1. However, Norris was able to successfully hunt him down just a few laps later on Lap 18. After overtaking Verstappen, Norris dominated the rest of the race. The MCL38 was an outstanding performer at Zandvoort and throughout the entire race had more pace than the Red Bull Cars. Norris’s win in Zandvoort allowed Mclaren to inch closer to Red Bull in the championship standings. McLaren is now only 30 points behind Red Bull with 434 compared to 404. Verstappen will probably win the drivers championship but McLaren does have a very decent shot at winning the constructors championship. Especially with Oscar performing so well and Checo’s performance being lackluster all year.

Aston Martin Teases New V-12 Vanquish

Aston has answered our prays ‼️ Instead of being boring and removing V-12s from their lineup to meet emission standards, Aston is doing the baller thing and keeping them around in the next generation of the V-12 Vanquish. When the last Vanquish had the plug pulled in 2018, it seemed as if it would never return. With there being a huge push for electrification in the 2020s, many, including myself thought the only way we would see a Vanquish again would be through a fully electric sports car.

This all changed with Aston dropped a sneak peek on their YouTube channel titled “A Dawn Of A New V12 Era: All Will Be Vanquished”. The video is honestly really sick with some great visuals. Not to mention you get to hear some amazing V-12 audio. The new engine sounds very lively with a lot of pops and burbles. This sneak peek honestly has gotten me excited for what will come next and I can’t wait to see when Aston releases the new Vanquish. If I had the money, I would 100% be picking up the Vanquish as soon as the order books open.

Infiniti Becomes An All-SUV Brand After Killing the Q50

Americans really do not want to buy sedans as luxury car manufacturer Infinity has sent the Q50, its last remaining sedan to the chopping block. Now the manufacturer has an all-SUV lineup with not a single sedan in sight for the 2025 model year. The Q50 was the new kid on the block back in 2014 and it has honestly been the unloved child of the Infinity lineup. In its eleven-year run, the sedan only had one minor refresh with a second generation having never been introduced.

The Q50 was exclusively found with a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine connected to a seven-speed gearbox that made 300 horsepower. The Red Sport 400 model kicked that number up to 400 with a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. Infinity once sold a sports sedan meant to trivial BMW M and Mercedes AMG cars dubbed the Eau Rogue. Teased as Circut de Spa-Franchorchops in 2014, it was based on the Nissan GTR. However, it never made it to production and was scrapped in 2015. While Infiniti will be sedanless for a few years, they have teased a Qe electric sedan which may be hitting dealer lots as soon as 2026. The Q50 will not be missed as like the rest of Infiniti’s lineup, it was honestly pretty outdated. Infiniti will need to update its lineup if it wishes to sell its EVs in mass.

Canada To Impose 100% Tariff On Chinese EVs

Justin Trudeau and Canada have just declared war on Chinese-manufactured EVs with the Canadian Prime Minister having recently announced Canada will charge 100% tariffs on all imported Chinese-made EVs. The Canadian providence of Ottawa also announced they will be charging a 20% Tariff on imported steel and aluminum from China. This comes after a 30-day consultation period on the topic of leveling tariffs against Chinese manufactured goods.

This decision puts Canada in line with the United States and the European Union when it comes to tariff policy towards Chinese EVs. Trudeau explained how China is not playing by the same rules as the rest of the world nesscisting the need for these tariffs to level the playing field. Trudeau is right as the Chinese government has been known to use subsidies to prop up companies when they would otherwise be unprofitable. Canada is positioning itself to be a major supplier of EV components as they have already integrated itself into the supply chain of major European manufacturers. These tariffs will be useful in protecting the homegrown industry.