ABU DHABI // There were two reasons for Lewis Hamilton to be upbeat on Friday after practice had been completed for the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The triple world champion was quickest in both sessions for Sunday’s final race of the season to boost his hopes of claiming a fourth world title and third in succession.
But it would not have been just the raw pace of his Mercedes-GP that would have given the Briton satisfaction.
While his teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second quickest, and only 0.079 seconds behind his best time of 1 minute, 40.861 seconds, it would have the pace of the team’s nearest rivals that would have given him encouragement.
Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari was third, just 0.269 seconds off Hamilton, with the two Red Bull Racing cars of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo both fractionally over half-a-second adrift of the Briton.
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• Lance Stroll: Teenager ready for step up to Formula One
A fourth win in a row, and a third at Yas Marina Circuit, will not be enough for Hamilton to become champion if Rosberg, who is 12 points ahead of him in the standings, finishes second or third.
What Hamilton needs is either mechanical problems, a track incident or for some of his rivals to get ahead of Rosberg.
Both Red Bulls had been within a tenth of a second of Rosberg in the opening practice to suggest that they, along with Vettel, can be a threat during the 55-lap race.
“We got a lot of work done both on the short and long runs,” Hamilton said.
“I’m really happy with the car and we’re in a good position for tomorrow.”
Hamilton has taken pole at the past three races, but has not taken top spot in qualifying in Abu Dhabi since 2012, something he aims to change on Saturday.
“I haven’t managed it at this track for a long time, but I know I’m quick here,” he said.
“The car feels great and there’s still time in it, so that’s my absolute focus.”
A content Rosberg said of his efforts in practice: “It’s always interesting going from the hot to the cold, from lunch time to the evening, and how to adapt to that, and what to expect, but our car was working well in both conditions.”
Verstappen believes Red Bull’s focus is still on trying to beat Ferrari to be best of the rest behind Mercedes.
“Our race pace was not bad, and the balance was under control,” the Dutch teenager said.
“It will be tight with Ferrari, as they’re quite strong this weekend, but I’m sure we can be even stronger.”
Vettel’s impressive pace was blighted by a gearbox problem late in the second session that forced him to stop on the piece on track that runs under the Yas Viceroy.
However, the team who had the most troubled day were Toro Rosso.
Daniil Kvyat suffered a left-rear puncture in each session, the second pitching him into a high-speed spin at Turn 17 where the Russian was fortunate to avoid making contact with the barriers.
Though he was able to return to the pits, neither he or teammate Carlos Sainz Jr returned to the track for the rest of the day as the team looked to understand why two failures on the same side of the car had happened.
For more from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including exclusive interviews, information guides, videos and much more, visit our dedicated microsite.
1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes-GP 1:40.861
2. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes-GP 1:40.940
3. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari 1:41.130
4. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull Racing 1:41.389
5. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Red Bull Racing 1:41.390
6. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:41.464
7. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams 1:41.959
8. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India 1:42.041
9. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India 1:42.264
10. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams 1:42.268
11. Fernando Alonso (Spain) McLaren 1:42.366
12. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:42.823
13. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Haas 1:43.012
14. Romain Grosjean (France) Haas 1:43.108
15. Jolyon Palmer (Britain) Renault 1:43.272
16. Esteban Ocon (France) Manor 1:43.600
17. Pascal Wehrlein (Germany) Manor 1:43.754
18. Felipe Nasr (Brazil) Sauber 1:43.903
19. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Sauber 1:44.045
20. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) Renault 1:44.117
21. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain) Toro Rosso 1:44.478
22. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso 1:45.948
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
The%20specs
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Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
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