Lewis Hamilton and some other drivers in Sunday's Malaysia Grand Prix paid the penalty for being too aggressive on their tyres.
Whenever Hamilton, or the Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, made a stop, they would immediately start setting fast lap times and new personal bests.
But, judging by the results, it appears that proved to be a mistake. In Hamilton's case, he was struggling on his tyres toward the end of a stint and it hurt his result.
He was forced to make an extra stop and dropped down the order to seventh - which would later become eighth because he was judged by the stewards to have changed his racing line more than once while defending. He was also unlucky that Alonso clipped his rear wheel, damaging his car's floor.
Considering he had qualified second, to finish so far back was a massive disappointment, especially given that his McLaren-Mercedes teammate, Jenson Button, drove well to finish second and looked after his tyres much better.
Going back to my original point, it seems in hindsight that one of Hamilton's problems was that maybe he was asking too much of the Pirelli tyres too soon.
I am not too familiar with these new tyres, but judging from what I saw, it seemed odd that the 2008 world champion was not able to make the harder tyre last in the final stint when no one else had that problem with that compound, leading to him making a fourth change with less than five laps to go.
I am not saying that Hamilton, and to a lesser extent the Ferraris, should have backed off completely on new tyres when they came back out on the Sepang circuit.
It is more a case of being a little circumspect, maybe holding back by a couple of tenths a lap or so for two or three laps just to take a little pressure off the tyres as they begin their stint.
You lose a small amount of time, but gain that back and more by not having to make an additional tyre change.
The tyres are different to what I raced on, but the approach of a driver to using them should not have changed too much.
You learn how they feel as you drive, but you react to what you see in the cockpit, what the car is telling you, and equally what you see from your rivals.
This is a very new challenge for the teams and drivers this year, especially after last year when at almost every race you only needed the one tyre change to successfully complete the race distance.
It will take a while for everyone to work out what works and what doesn't, and that means there will be more strategy variations and mixed up race orders, which can only be a good thing.
Button, who has been well known for his ability to look after tyres thanks to his smooth style, did a much better job in that regard and it paid off in the second half of the race as he was able to pull away from his teammate thanks to his superior grip levels.
Sebastian Vettel also did a terrific job and he and the Red Bull Racing team were well worth their second win in a row, and they looked like they still had plenty in hand.
Vettel seemed comfortable with his tyre wear and, like Button, he made one less stop than his teammate, Mark Webber, who did very well to come back from a slow start to finish fourth.
Hamilton will have learnt a lot from Malaysia, but the problem is that some of that experience will not be much use in China next weekend.
You have different temperatures and a different track layout, which will create new tests for the tyres and the cars to face and it should set up another unpredictable race.
Johnny Herbert is a former F1 driver with three career victories. His column is written with the assistance of staff writer Graham Caygill.
sports@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Scoreline
Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'
Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
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ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
