Formula One has been part of the Abu Dhabi scene for just over a decade. The first race took place on November 1, 2009, and in one way at least, the journey to the Yas Island venue this year will be as much of a voyage into the unknown as it was 10 years ago.
This week The National reported that racegoers will be asked to park their cars at Yas Mall before making their way to the track, whereas in 2009 we all wondered how we would get to the island in the first place and whether the traffic would tailback for hours. The organisers advised all racegoers to be in their seats by 2pm, three hours before the start of what was then the first day-night race in F1's history. It all turned out just fine. I imagine it will be the same this weekend.
Looking back to 2009 and comparing Yas Island to how it is now is not just a nostalgic walk back to how we were, but a reminder of how much of the vision of Yas has been delivered and how much the city has changed since then.
Formula One weekend in 2009 marked a moment of formal introduction for residents to the big idea of the cultural island of Saadiyat and the entertainment hub that is Yas Island.
The kilometre-long Sheikh Khalifa Bridge from Port Zayed to Saadiyat and beyond opened just two weeks before the race, connecting the Corniche with the islands and providing a tiny taste of what Abu Dhabi might become. For many who journeyed to the track that weekend, it was the first time they had come into proper contact with either island, firmly shifting their perspective beyond the renderings and scale models of how the areas would eventually look.
Back then, the verges had been landscaped on the Saadiyat highway, but the big pieces of the jigsaw such as the first of the museums, hotels, housing projects and a university campus were some way from completion. Even the award-winning Norman Foster-designed pavilion, now such a distinctive feature of Saadiyat, was yet to open at Expo 2010 Shanghai, let alone be transported back to the UAE and reconstructed in the cultural district.
As for Yas itself, there was the track, the marina, the brooding mass of the yet-to-open Ferrari World and the quiet-calm of the not-yet-played-upon Yas Links golf course, the hotels and the exquisite attention to detail in the street furniture surrounding the track. So much for the tangibles; it was the intangibles that felt most at play in that moment.
As the sun set on the Yas Marina Circuit on race day in 2009, it felt like the start of a new era in F1. Not just because Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber swept to a one-two finish, marking the beginning of Red Bull's moment of supremacy in the sport, or because Jenson Button picked up the world title for BrawnGP, completing a perfect year for a team that would become Mercedes GP for 2010 and begin its own period of domination four years later, or even because the twilight race had proven a unique experience with the teams and fans.
More than that, the race-day weekend felt like a days-long festival of the city. It was a moment when Abu Dhabi announced itself to a global TV audience and was an occasion, as experts said at the time, to confirm its place as both a capital city of the future and one of the centres of the new Arab world.
Read More from Nick March
Free concerts on the Corniche and megastars such as Beyonce, performing to F1 ticketholders at Yas Arena, underlined the turbocharged moment Abu Dhabi was living in. New islands were opening up. The vision that had been outlined earlier in the decade was fast becoming reality.
The weekend was also a gathering of the kaleidoscopic communities that make up this country and of the band of diehard F1 fans who were curious to see if a world-class circuit and associated infrastructure could really have been pulled from the sand in a matter of months. They have kept returning ever since, drawn back by the "mind-blowing" facilities on Yas, as F1 expert and former team boss Eddie Jordan was prompted to describe the circuit this week.
Having climbed a mountain to meet that deadline a decade ago, Yas Island is still moving forward. If the fixed requirements of the Formula One calendar required development of the circuit at hyperspeed, the story of Yas since 2009 has been one of managed growth. Tomorrow the world's largest indoor air-conditioned climbing wall will open to the public. Clymb joins three theme parks, the largest mall in the emirate and other tourism assets. More is still to come.
There was an element of "if you build it, they will come" about Yas Island 10 years ago, to plunder that oft-used line from the 1989 film Field of Dreams. A decade on, they are still building and we are still coming back for more.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief for The National
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Overall standings
1. Christopher Froome (GBR/Sky) 68hr 18min 36sec,
2. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) at 0:18.
3. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 0:23.
4. Rigoberto Uran (COL/CAN) 0:29.
5. Mikel Landa (ESP/SKY) 1:17.
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
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
