It may be a two-hour drive south-west of London, deep in the heart of the English countryside in West Sussex, but the 4,450-hectare Goodwood Estate is the centre of the automotive world at least once a year.
While the estate is on every motorsport nerd’s bucket list, with racing there dating back to 1948, Goodwood’s annual Festival of Speed brings massive mainstream appeal with stunning hospitality and star cars and drivers – each of whom power up its world-famous hill one at a time for no boring bits – all within the manicured grounds of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox’s home.
This year's event, though, took things to new levels – and not only at the Surtees Pavilion, the new super-luxe enclave, where trackside thrills meet VIP experiences, including incredible haute cuisine from chef Ollie Dabbous of Michelin-starred Hide.
On the ground, it was like the Met Gala for motorsports – with appearances from racing royalty such as several F1 World champions Sir Jackie Stewart, Mika Hakkinen in the McLaren Solus and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin Valiant. From elsewhere in the world of motorsport, fans were delighted by Nascar racer Richard Petty in Fiat’s “Beast of Turin” from 1910, and World Rally Championship and Dakar top gun Carlos Sainz in the Ford Raptor T1+.
As always at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, the machinery is just as important – and there was no shortage of launches this year. The hottest production models and concepts include Mercedes-AMG’s tweaked GT63 Pro 4Matic+, MG’s Cyber GTS concept, Polestar’s Concept BST, and the Porsche 911 Hybrid.
For limited-edition, you only had to look at the one-off Pagani Epitome, Lotus’s all-electric Evija X (which crashed shortly after the startline in a multimillion dollar, carbon-fibre crunch), McLaren’s F1 GTR, and Gordon Murray’s T.50S “Niki Lauda” that screamed up the hill to rapturous applause.
Red Bull Racing, which joined to celebrate its 20 years in F1, wowed the crowds with the unveiling of its Grand Prix car for the road, the RB17.
Sleek lines and astonishing performance define F1 design guru Adrian Newey’s final project for the energy drinks giant, which team boss Christian Horner said features the greatest hits from the Newey’s technical wheelhouse as part of his legacy to the brand.
“This car is literally Adrian off the lead,” Horner told The National. “So, there are no constraints by the [governing body of F1] FIA, and there are no cost caps. Basically this is the ultimate car, and it’s been fantastic to see it come to life.
“We’re very proud of it. It’s basically a piece of art.”
Only 50 pieces will be made (each priced at $7.7 million), with the owners all provided access to the F1 team's state-of-the-art simulators, vehicle programme development and on-track training.
For Newey, the RB17 was all about creating the ultimate track car, based on his design expertise and own time behind the wheel; with aircraft-level downforce to drag ratio and prodigious power that would likely see it outrace an F1 car at certain circuits on the calendar.
“The key numbers for the car are 1000 brake horsepower from the V10 [engine], 250 brake horsepower from the electric motor, so a combined output of around 1250. In its lightest form, it is 875 kilos ready to go,” Newey says.
Naturally, F1 featured heavily at the Festival of Speed. Ferrari, Mercedes (celebrating 130 years in motorsport), McLaren, Alpine and Williams all brought Grand Prix cars of various vintages to Goodwood.
But, Red Bull – in celebration mode – trumped its on-track rivals, with the single biggest display of F1 cars to the estate.
The brand had its own paddock and an all-star cast of both its cars and drivers, from its first pairing of David Coulthard and Christian Klien, through to its latest in Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. There was even Emirati representation in the form of F1 Academy Red Bull driver Hamda Al Qubaisi, in her first-ever appearance at Goodwood.
The Red Bull festivities were capped off with a procession of the brand’s F1 cars, the largest ever at the Festival of Speed, led by team boss Horner.
“[Red Bull’s maiden F1 World Champion] Sebastian Vettel, unfortunately, couldn’t make it. So the team asked if I could jump in his place,” he said.
“So having never driven a Red Bull car before, it was a hugely proud moment to drive one that had been designed and built by all the men and women at Milton Keynes, and that we won our championship with in 2012. It was a very special moment to see all the cars lined up.”
The V8-powered RB8 from 2012 left quite an impression on Horner, too.
“My respect for these drivers has gone up significantly,” he said. “Because there’s no space [in the car]. How Mark Webber drove that car around Monaco, I have no idea.”
Horner wasn't the only one leaving the event with a newfound level of respect for top-flight drivers and the marvels of the automotive world. With this event riding off the growing worldwide popularity of motorsports and the lifestyle around it, the only way forward for Goodwood is screeching uphill at full speed.
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8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Jawan
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
Racecard
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
