Lewis Hamilton's bulky, bling-bling Tag Heuer watch was running 10 minutes fast at the Monaco Grand Prix. He explained that rather than it being a tactic to prevent poor punctuality, it was simply down to a fault with the device's inner mechanism.
Re-setting it, he said, only solved the problem for a limited time before it would inevitably proceed to run fast again.
Hamilton, like his timepiece, has also recently proved to be excessively quick; appearing at times to be in a reckless rush to get to where he wants to go.
Two flash points in Monte Carlo saw him end the races of Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado as he tried to barge his way through a congested field.
At the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight later, the 26 year old arrived promising to have learnt from his Monegasque mistakes, and yet any tweaking of his aggressive style proved to have as long-lasting an effect as the resetting of his watch.
In the seven laps he completed before being forced to retire, his optimistic overtaking manoeuvres saw him collide with first Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing and later Jenson Button, his own teammate at McLaren-Mercedes.
Webber, after recovering to finish third, adroitly described Hamilton's drive as that of a man who "thought the chequered flag was in Turn Three".
Nikki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi, both former world champions, were more severe, condemning the Briton's aggressive nature and Lauda called for authoritative action to curb his combative style.
The calls echoed those made by Massa, who had earlier demanded the FIA impose sanctions upon his rival. Thankfully, the sport's governing body exercised commonsense and did not bow to the calls of the critics, for as much as Tag Heuer pride themselves on precision, Hamilton prides himself on his racing ability.
Remove a wristwatch's ability to relay the correct time and it effectively becomes an overelaborate bracelet; remove Hamilton's aggressive instincts and he effectively becomes just another uninspiring driver.
And Formula One does not want another boring, cautious driver. As Hamilton said himself: "If it ever comes to a stage where I have to pull back and just cruise around, that would not excite me and I probably wouldn't stay around for that."
The most bewildering issue with all of this is that it once was not an issue at all.
Since securing his seat with McLaren in 2007, Hamilton has built his career - as well as a loyal fan base spreading from Melbourne to Montreal - on a willingness to fight on the track and never accept his place in a procession. His forcefulness is not unfamiliar. His driving style has not changed.
When he won the world championship in 2008, he did so by using the same aggressive approach that he uses today, yet three years after Lauda hailed him as "unbeatable", "outstanding" and "Senna-like", the Austrian is now branding Hamilton "completely mad" and "dangerous".
Why, all of a sudden, does his style pose problems, warrant warnings and require ramifications?
The fact is, Hamilton's problem - if it can even be called a problem in a season where he is one of only three drivers to have won a grand prix and has finished second twice already - is not his driving approach, but rather his lack of a competitive car.
While in 2008 Hamilton had the best car in the field on route to becoming the sport's youngest champion, this year his McLaren is vastly inferior to Sebastian Vettel's championship-leading Red Bull. The result is he is being forced to fight his way past more drivers on a more regular basis and take increasingly more calculated risks: it is mere mathematics that mistakes will materialise.
The fact Vettel usurped him as the sport's youngest champion when he won the 2010 title in Abu Dhabi last year, will also grate on the mind of a driver who is desperate to leave a legacy.
And so it is hardly surprising he is being rumoured with a move to a rival racing marque.
Hamilton, despite his driving being deemed dangerous and aggressive and worthy of sanctions, remains in high demand.
Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal, recently refused to rule out reuniting him with Fernando Alonso, describing him as "one of the top three best drivers at the moment", while he also met with Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, last weekend in Canada.
Hamilton's contract expires at the end of 2012 and a departure from the team he has been with his entire career is developing into a very real possibility.
McLaren need to provide their protege with a winning car and they need to do so without delay or they risk losing him. The clock is ticking, and ticking fast.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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And%20Just%20Like%20That...
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Vikram%20Vedha
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Company%20Profile
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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ELECTION%20RESULTS
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.