Nico Rosberg, the last driver to defeat Lewis Hamilton in a title battle, has predicted his former rival and teammate will come out on top against Max Verstappen this weekend.
The Formula One season goes down to the wire in this Sunday's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Hamilton and Verstappen level on points going into the season's final race.
Hamilton has won the last four drivers' championships and the 36-year-old Mercedes driver is chasing a record eighth crown, with the Dutchman, 24, his first.
The pair have collided three times already and are level on points going into the final race — only the second time that has happened and first since 1974 — with Verstappen 9-8 ahead on wins.
In 2016, Rosberg sealed the title in Abi Dhabi ahead of Hamilton — then his Mercedes teammate — and retired days later. The German believes Hamilton has hit form at the right time but knows the pressure the duo will be under all too well.
“Lewis is on fire, he has such great form, winning three [races] in a row and he’s brought it into free practice here,” Rosberg told Sky Sports on Saturday. “You kind of feel he has to be a little bit the favourite at the moment.
“I was in such a title battle in 2016 and it’s a lot, just the intensity. The nerves. Someone like Max, from outside sometimes you think ‘This guy doesn’t even get nervous’ but that’s not true. Inside we’re still all humans … and both of them will be on the edge of their seats this weekend.”
Rosberg described trying to get some sleep ahead of the race five years ago in Abu Dhabi as “an absolute disaster” and even eating food became a problem.
“It was like two, maximum three, hours per night. I couldn’t even eat properly. The food wouldn’t go down. So I had to revert back to my childhood food which was Frosties and milk,” he said. “That was the only thing that would go down.
“And it’s all these troubles that you are then fighting throughout the weekend, you just have to try and spare the energy to when it matters.”
Rosberg also described Hamilton as a skilled operator when it comes to dealing with the media. “The media game is something you have to play if you want to win a world championship. It’s always like that because the media has such a power, even internally in the team,” said Rosberg.
“Lewis is very, very good at that. His latest strategy has been to stay out of things, stay very low profile and just let the attention and pressure build on Max’s shoulders. And that has worked very well.
“Christian has to try and do what he can because for young Max it’s the first time he’s in a championship fight. It’s a big ask, against one of the greatest of all time.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
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- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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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
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Install an air filter in your home.
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Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
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Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
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RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
