The opening day of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022 may be the calm before the storm, but it has a lot to offer serious petrolheads.
With no practice and qualifying session on the cards, it is a chance for all teams to set up their garages and work away on millions of dollars worth of aerodynamic machinery without the pressure of a packed stadium.
It is also a chance for select ticket holders to venture into parts of the track and gauge the temperature of the teams before the official action begins, from Friday to Sunday.
A stroll through the pit lane revealed a small glimpse into the work culture of some of the teams, and perhaps some insight into how they feel about this season, which ends on Sunday.
The vibe at Mercedes, who had a horror run this year due to a weak-performing car, was understandably mute.
Car inspections were done in relative silence and I felt sorry for the poor and sweaty team member pumping a mountain of more than a dozen tyres.
As a former kitchen hand, I wondered if this was the F1 equivalent of peeling potatoes.
Meanwhile, next door at Red Bull, the atmosphere was expectedly jubilant.
After years of coming second place to Mercedes, team members were all smiles as they wallowed in the success of winning the constructors title and having the world champion, Max Verstappen, in their navy blue uniforms.
Further down the lane, you can hear more light-hearted sounds.
Perhaps it was typical Italian exuberance or the fact they had a solid season, but the Ferrari garage was rocking with house music blaring from the speakers and team members, clad in red, exchanging jokes and chatting with the public.
While smiles will be replaced with concentration — and even some consternation — from Friday, these are the kind of enriching low-key experiences that makes the Grand Prix’s “Super Thursday,” a worthy visit.
Dress to impress
Meanwhile, on the other side of the circuit and accessible through an underground tunnel is the F1 Fan Zone.
Normally a flurry of activity and long snaking lines for food and beverage, Thursday is also the ideal time to see the new additions to the site.
It is also the time to do your F1 shopping without the crowds.
This is also recommended as you will need moments to catch your breath when looking at some of the eye-watering prices of official merchandise.
Team caps are Dh400 while jerseys and polo shirts are subject to laws of demand.
Where relatively average teams, such as the tangerine McLaren and the sky blue Alpine, are an average of Dh550, printed polo shirts of crowd favourites and rivals Red Bull and Mercedes can fetch up to Dh850.
When enquiring about the most expensive clothing item in the store, I am pointed towards the green Aston Martin bomber jacket at Dh1,600.
“Wait, didn’t they come seventh this year?” I ask, to which the attendant replies: “If you have an Aston Martin, you can afford this.”
The official store is full of international tourists with Spanish, French and Italian accents amid a sedate cover version of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You being played on the live music stage nearby.
This clientele is the target market of the Abu Dhabi Residents Office, a government entity designed to support aspiring and prospective international Abu Dhabi residents with various services including visa applications and relocation.
In addition to a film showcasing the emirate's rich cultural attributes and economic opportunities, a large message board is available for visitors to scribble their thoughts.
These scrollings, from international variations of "hello" to best wishes, not only encapsulates the global entertainment behemoth that Formula One has become, but the open-hearted spirit of the UAE capital.
“Abu Dhabi rocks,” indeed.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
