Spa rarely disappoints. On Sunday, the Belgian circuit threw up another interesting Grand Prix.
Who would have guessed Kimi Raikkonen could win a race in this year's Ferrari? Not me, that's for sure - I couldn't see a Ferrari bettering Kimi's third place in Valencia. It's good to see Kimi back and I'm surprised how competitive the Ferrari was.
Likewise, Force India fastest in qualifying? Giancarlo Fisichella finishing second? Unbelievable. It was a total shock. The shock of the year, of any year! Not since the heady days of Jackie Stewart and Eddie Jordan has a back-of-the-grid team produced such a strong showing. I never expected to see it again in modern day F1.
If Fisichella and Force India can keep it going, there could be another car in the championship mix, taking valuable points and influencing the final standings.
Looking further ahead, next year's new teams will be buoyed by seeing how limited-budget teams can still cause upsets. It instills a 'if they can do it, why can't we' mentality and gives smaller teams a feel-good factor. But it's not easy to do, even once, and to keep it going would be a truly remarkable feat considering the facilities at hand.
Back to the race, and clearly Kimi was helped by other on-track events, especially those in the crazy first lap. Kimi, courtesy of Robert Kubica, got a small bump, but the optimistic passing attempt by Renault's Romain Grosjean - which ended the races of Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari - was pure drama.
It was a rookie mistake, but I do not agree with the many F1 observers blasting the young Frenchman. Crashes are part of motorsport; mistakes are part of a driver's growing up process. Yes, Romain is new to the paddock, but he has race craft, knowledge, understanding and experience honed from years in GP2 and Formula 3. Stepping up to the mark in F1 is a daunting task and hundreds of drivers have failed to make the transition. I hope Grosjean learns from it because I firmly believe he will be a force in future years.
The incident has been made worse because it involved Button and Hamilton. Taking out the reigning and would-be champions has inevitably made the post-race fall-out a lot worse. However, both put themselves in that position with poor qualifying positions. Being back on the grid leaves you susceptible to first-lap incidents.
I'm sure Hamiton and Button's initial rage was spurred on by the crash being avoidable, but any anger will have evaporated by now. At the end of the day, both will know they should have been at the front, chasing top-six starting berths.
Button's not had a strong finish in months now. If he wins the championship, no one can doubt that he has been the best over the course of a season, but he is having a lean patch at present.
I feel Ross Brawn needs to sit down and talk to him; he needs to try and get his concentration back. The team's performances dropped when questions were raised about their problems on cold tyres. It's almost as if they were over-concentrating on that aspect.
It became more mental than mechanical. They simply forgot about the racing.
Now is the time to go back to their roots and get some results to stop the negativity becoming endemic. Speed and points are the cure.
Rubens Barrichello has shown the car is capable, now Button needs to get back in the zone and realise everyone else has upped their game. He cannot afford to be over-relaxed.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Results
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Superliminal%20
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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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)
Racecard
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MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?