Rule changes to liven up the show in Formula One have become a regularity in recent years.
Bernie Ecclestone, the chief executive officer of the F1 Group, and the sport’s international governing body, FIA, have rarely stood still in their push to avoid one-sided championships and to keep things exciting.
Changes to qualifying formats, asking tyre manufacturers to make compounds that degrade quicker and introducing the drag reduction system (DRS) to give cars a better chance to overtake have been introduced in recent years, all in the name of adding to the entertainment.
Yet, despite that, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing dominated last season and won the drivers’ title with three rounds of the season to spare.
Enter double points for the final round of the season, which, this season for the first time since 2010, is the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Rather than the normal 25 points, it is 50 available for the winner in what was designed to guarantee that the drivers’ title would still be at stake to create a thrilling finale to the season. The move has gone down rather badly with sporting purists, who believe that manufacturing a final showdown goes against the grain of sport and makes it more about entertainment.
It is certainly a good thing that the close fight between the Mercedes-GP drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg ensured that the championship would still be at stake in Abu Dhabi under the normal points system.
Hamilton will bring a 17-point lead to Yas Marina and still has work to do to seal his world title, despite having won 10 of the 18 races this season.
Double points remains a factor for the race on November 23 because it has minimised the margin of error that Hamilton has to be champion.
Under the normal points system, a sixth-place finish, worth eight points, would have been enough for Hamilton.
Now he will be forced to push hard in the 55-lap race as, if Rosberg wins, he must be second to prevent the German taking the crown.
Certainly makes things more interesting and the real beneficiaries will be the 60,000 fans at Yas Marina, who will get to see the conclusion to one of the most exciting title fights in years.
Ironically, the real thrust for the double points idea comes from the manner in which Hamilton won his 2008 title.
The Briton had only needed to finish fifth in Brazil to take the crown – which is where he finished – although there were still dramatic circumstances as he had to pass the Toyota of Timo Glock at the last corner of the last lap.
But it had rankled with Ecclestone that Hamilton had been able to run a largely conservative race in the finale and that any chance his bid to win the title would falter was because of a late rain shower. Felipe Massa, Hamilton’s title rival that weekend, had needed to win to have any chance of becoming champion, and he did.
But while Massa stood on the top step of the podium, putting a brave face on a victory overshadowed by crushing disappointment, Hamilton celebrated in parc ferme despite having finished almost 40 seconds adrift of his opponent.
That year Hamilton had a seven-point lead going into the race, at a time when F1 ran under a different points scoring system with only 10 points for a win.
He had earned the right to drive how he wanted to in his bid to claim the title, but it was a little anti-climatic that he did not have to go all out to fight Massa.
Ecclestone then had an idea for the 2009 season that the championship be decided on race wins – namely the driver with the most victories would be crowned champion, regardless of points.
At the time, Ecclestone said in English newspaper The Guardian that, “it’s just not on that someone can win the world championship without trying to win the race”.
The race wins format was never accepted by the F1 fraternity and was never brought in, but the flavour of it is clear in the double-points format. Expectations are it will be dropped after just one season, such has been the negative reaction from international media and on social networks, in which case the sixth staging of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will become a notable race, regardless of the track action.
Double points may be around for only one race, but, like it or not, it has added extra unpredictability to next weekend’s action and achieved Ecclestone’s aim of ensuring both championship protagonists cannot afford to cruise around in their respective bids to take the title.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Honeymoonish
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
CREW
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
