Oscar Piastri has extended his lead in the Formula One title race after a convincing victory in the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Australian overtook McLaren teammate and pole position winner Lando Norris on the first racing lap after the safety car pulled into the pits, following a start that was held up for more than an hour.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc came home third ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull who in turn was one place clear of Mercedes driver George Russell, with Alex Albon an impressive sixth in his Williams.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton started 18th and finished seventh following a string of fine moves in the early inclement conditions before losing momentum. Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls, with Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto ninth and Pierre Gasly 10th for Alpine.
The race at Spa-Francorchamps had been red-flagged after an initial formation lap and delayed by an hour and 20 minutes due to the weather, with standing water and heavy spray affecting visibility.
And once the racing was under way – following four precautionary laps behind the safety car – Norris was found wanting when a sloppy exit at the opening La Source corner provided Piastri with a race-winning opportunity too good to turn down.
Despite being in Norris' spray, Piastri held his nerve and kept his foot on the accelerator at 170mph up through Eau Rouge and into Raidillon before jinking to his left and sailing clear of his McLaren teammate on the Kemmel Straight.
It was brave and superb in equal measure from Piastri but one Norris will be disappointed after seeing the his rival's championship advantage increase from nine to 16 points.
“Oscar did a good job, said Norris about his start. “Nothing more to say. He committed more through Eau Rouge, but nothing to complain of, he had a better start. He deserved it today.
When asked whether mistakes had hampered his chances of winning, the British driver replied: “Shoulda, would a, coulda. Oscar deserved it. I'm sure he would have made a couple of mistakes too and I'll review my own.
“Great result for the team, our first one-two here in many years and a deserved result for the team and Oscar.”
McLaren would go on to record their sixth one-two of the season on a day when Norris's hopes of a third successive win were ended by his teammate who finished the race at Spa-Francorchamps 3.415 seconds clear.
"It w“s very lively, I knew lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race, I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and then lifted as little as I did through Eau Rouge and it was enough," sai” the race winner.
“The rest of the race we managed really well, I was struggling a bit at the end so maybe the medium wasn’t the best for the last five or six laps, but we had it mostly under control which is what I want.
“I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday but turns out starting second in Spa isn’t too bad after all.”
In Red Bull's first Grand Prix since the sacking of Christian Horner as team principal, Verstappen failed with an attempt to get past Leclerc at the start and spent the rest of the race behind the Ferrari driver.
Leclerc admitted the presence of four-time champion Verstappen meant the pressure was on throughout in the Ardennes.
“Max was behind the whole race within two seconds so it’s never easy,” said the Monegasque.
“I knew the first part of the race was trickiest one for us because we maybe didn’t have the downforce that the McLaren or that Max had because they compromised a little bit in qualifying to be better in the race today.
“Luckily it dried up pretty quickly which was good but Max was right behind the whole race. I’m pretty happy that we managed to keep that third place.
We need to keep learning on how to maximise this new upgrade, it’s still pretty new but it’s a good first weekend and I’m happy that we are on the podium.
“We keep pushing and hopefully soon we will put a bit more pressure on the McLarens.”
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari
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UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
