Elite Formula One drivers from around the world will be gearing up for glory at the 17th annual Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Yas Island in December.
The now traditional finale to the high-octane racing calendar is a proud UAE success story – but you might be surprised to learn Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris are not alone in supplying British grit to go with the glitz and glamour.
A key ingredient in the sporting spectacle's road to success is greywacke, a sandstone rock noted for its hardness, which was laid down up to 600 million years ago as the Earth was forming.
The name originates from Germany, where it comprises a significant portion of the northern Harz Mountains.
Deposits are found across northern Europe, especially Britain, where it is used as a building material, in New Zealand’s Southern Alps and in Egypt, where it was once used to carve 3,000-year pharaonic statues.
Paving the way
So how, then, did thousands of tonnes end up on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island?
The answer can be found near the village of Bayson Hill, on the outskirts of the medieval county town of Shrewsbury in England. Under the Shropshire Hills is a large deposit of greywacke rocks, extracted and sold as gritstone by Tarmac, the company which owns the quarry.
Gritstone has been dug up here since the 18th century, but its use has considerably increased since the advent of the car. Mixed with tarmac, it creates a remarkably durable road surface, especially where there is high traffic, such as on motorways. And this is where Abu Dhabi comes in.
Back in January 2007, and in front of an enthusiastic crowd, it was announced that Abu Dhabi would now host a Formula One Grand Prix. The first race would be held at the end of 2009 at a new Yas Marina Circuit. There was only one small hitch ... the race track did not exist.
The story of how a Formula One circuit was built in just over two years is one of the marvels of modern construction and planning. There could have been no delays, for the race was already in the Grand Prix calendar.
Designed by the New York-based Egyptian architect Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture. it featured a hotel that formed a bridge over the race and innovative lighting to ensure the race would finish after dark.
The track was the work of Hermann Tilke, a German engineer and designer responsible for the Bahrain and Shanghai circuits, among many others. And the whole thing was built on an island made of sand.
The stability of the actual track, then, was crucial. And for that they turned to the gold standard of durability: Shropshire greywacke.
An order was placed for 4,000 tonnes of “conglomerate” stone, with small pieces of greywacke unsuitable for building but excellent for other uses such as roads. Each piece was graded in industrial sieves to ensure it was a standard 11mm – about the size of a blueberry.
Once dug up, it was transported first in lorryloads of one-tonne bags and then by sea to Abu Dhabi, where it arrived in January 2009, only 10 months before the inaugural race. Laid down in time, it has now survived 16 races, winning praise from racing drivers for its excellent grip, as has the Bahrain circuit, which uses the same stone.
But when you have lasted 600 million years, what difference does the extra decade and a half make?
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 - in pictures
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Results
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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