Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull Racing driver, discusses the UFC’s Ronda Rousey, his season, what change he would like to see in Formula One and this weekend’s Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix during a conversation with Graham Caygill.
On his race hopes
“Hopefully, we don’t start from the back!” he said, referring to starting from pit lane, because of penalties for an illegal wing, to finish fourth a year ago. “I think we can have a strong race. Here, it is always pretty key with the tyres. If you can stop them overheating then it can go a long way to helping you have a good race. So if we can manage that, like we did last year, then we can have a good race.”
Season review
“I think, personally, I have still been happy with how I have driven,” he said, reflecting on his eighth-place position in the drivers’ standings compared to his third-place finish, with three victories, a year ago. “Sure, there have been a few more races this year that have been not as great, not as special, but I don’t really feel too down about it.”
Taking their chances
The Red Bull has lacked the horsepower to fight Mercedes-GP and Ferrari at most tracks, but on slow-speed tracks and in the wet they have been quick: Ricciardo was third in Hungary, second in Singapore and led for a period in the rain in the United States. He said: “I think when we had our opportunities in Singapore and Budapest, races where it was ours for the taking, I think I was still maximising my chances.”
Raising his game
Asked if he fights harder when his car is more competitive, he said: “I don’t want to be like I try harder when I am fighting for a win. I am always trying as hard as I can but I do feel that, let’s say when the spotlight is on and this is your chance to become a hero, I do feel I shine and do very well in those high pressure situations. I enjoy that a lot.”
Engine situation
After threatening to quit the sport, Red Bull have confirmed they will race next season, but it is unclear which power package they will have, after their Renault engine failed to deliver and requests to use Mercedes or Ferrari engines were rejected. Ricciardo said: “Looking ahead to next year, we are curious to know what we got. Curious to know if we can be competitive.”
Power-sharing agreement
Asked what rule change he would make if he were in charge of F1, Ricciardo kept it short and blunt. He said: “Same powered engines. Just engines with the equivalent horsepower.”
Rousey
Ricciardo is a big UFC fan and, like much of the rest of the mixed-martial-arts world, was shocked when Ronda Rousey lost her UFC women’s bantamweight title to Holly Holm at UFC193 in Australia this month. He said: “I think she will come back a different fighter. She got rattled, in a way, manipulated from the weigh-in. Her attention was elsewhere and I just think Holly lured her in and used her experience. I don’t know Ronda personally but I am sure she will come back a different fighter from this and the rematch will be epic.”
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Review: Tomb Raider
Dir: Roar Uthaug
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Walter Goggins
two stars
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
