Alfa Romeo breaks its own embargo

You might expect a rogue motoring journo to break the odd publication embargo from time to time. Sometimes through deliberate devil- may- care- ishness or just plain old time- zone confusion, a car’s carefully guarded news will occasionally make it out into the ether slightly before anticipated.

In this case it’s the car company to blame.

The car company in question is Alfa Romeo. The car? The forthcoming Stelvio SUV, which was spotted by a media outlet in an official Fiat Chrysler Automobile video. Needless to say the video in question has since disappeared, possibly just as quickly as the Christmas bonus of the marketing manager who signed off its release.

The Stelvio apparently made only a fleeting appearance in the corporate clip, shown in its rudimentary form and devoid of panels on an assembly line.

Actually, the car has been seen ( and shared) in more complete form already, having been spied testing in Europe, albeit wearing the heavy rubberised disguise of a test mule venturing out into public. It’s only a couple of months shy of its anticipated public reveal too, at this year’s LA Auto Show in November.

In saying that, it could still be a while before we get to sample the SUV; the Stelvio ( which looks to be about the same size as a Porsche Macan or Audi Q5) isn’t expected to be offered for sale in the Northern Hemisphere until late 2017, meaning Kiwi Alfa aficionados might not see it here for 18 months.

Red Bull’s newest recruit, Max Verstappen, could manage only a sixth place at last week’s Singapore Grand Prix. Rather than anything to do with his open- wheeler’s dynamic performance during the race though, perhaps the sight of an ungodly giant lizard — the stuff of cult Japanese horror films — seen during qualifying put him off his stride.

You what? Giant lizards stalking the Singapore street circuit? Has one too many sugary energy drinks given our imagination wings, you may ask?

No, it’s true; during the third qualifying session, a rather large monitor lizard was seen ambling — then galloping — across the Marina Bay circuit as a clutch of F1 cars barrelled down upon it.

First to come across the carnivorous judder bar was Dutch wunderkind Verstappen, who felt compelled to send what must surely be one of the oddest radio messages an F1 pit wall has ever received: “Woah, there's a giant lizard on the track!”

Perhaps concerned team principal Christian Horner might assume the 18- year- old had been out partying on a race night, he quickly followed up this assertion with “I’m not joking”. The lizard got away unscathed, as did Verstappen's car, the front of which we can only assume would probably come off second best in a collision with Godzilla Junior.