IF ever a single corner was a microcosm of the entire season it was Turn 1 in Mexico City.
Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton – having surprised even themselves by annexing the front row – thundered up to the first corner as Max Verstappen drew alongside.
As the moment to brake approached the Mercedes duo were virtually tripping over each other trying to decide what to do next.
Should Bottas let Hamilton go ahead? Or wait until later? A moment’s hesitation was all their Red Bull rival needed. The Dutchman sluiced up the outside, braked latest, chopped through the racing line and grabbed the lead.
Both Hamilton and Red Bull boss Christian Horner were open-mouthed in admiration, believing he had missed his braking point.
And it’s a long time since I’ve seen a move of such bravado. It was Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher. It was, well, Lewis Hamilton.
It was reminiscent of Turn 1 of the 2007 Australian Grand Prix when a rookie announced himself to the world by dishing out a racing lesson on the first corner of his very first Grand Prix.
He braked startlingly late and raced around the outside of a whole host of veteran F1 racers.
He put the world on notice there and then and, of course, has gone on to live up to every ounce of the expectation by winning seven world titles.
Nine times out of 10 the three abreast scenario ends badly for the driver on the outside.
Even if Bottas had ‘only’ hit Hamilton, the momentum towards the outside would surely have made Verstappen collateral damage.
Afterwards Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was clearly furious Bottas had given up his position to the Dutchman so easily.
And he has a fair point but it’s difficult to blame Bottas who was, presumably, hoping the other two would collide in their desperation and emerge the benefactor.
Poor Bottas. He has become less than a teammate, again a servant to Hamilton’s ambitions. He’s done his bit, surely, having already helped his teammate to four world titles.
Verstappen’s skill and courage were what made the difference on that day – and are showing every sign of making the difference in this championship. He appears to be getting stronger while Hamilton and Mercedes are finding it difficult to keep up.
The Dutchman’s precision is relentless, only failing to finish on the podium four times; three times involved in Mercedes crashes and in Azebaijan the victim of a puncture.
The champion left Mexico knowing his best chance lies on the new tracks of Qatar and Saudi Arabia but, first, Brazil on Sunday.
The chaotic, dangerous, stunning, passionate F1-mad metropolis of 28 million people that live in Sao Paulo.
Hamilton has a complex relationship with Interlagos, home to Ayrton Senna, the racer he idolises so much. The great Brazilian is buried a handful of miles away beneath a touching square bronze plaque inscribed with the words ‘Never separate me from the love of God’.
Hamilton was just nine when his hero died at Imola in 1994. To hide his pain and tears from his father Anthony, who had given him the news while they were karting in England, he hid behind a nearby car and cried.
Of course Hamilton won his first world title at Sao Paulo in only his second F1 season but the natural speed so evident in those early years seems, to my mind, to be tangled up in his passion to do as well on the circuit and city that echoes of Senna.
Overdriving is the curse of racers the world over.
It took him six years to collar pole and 10 to win the race he treasures above most except Silverstone and Monaco. He triumphed at 21 other tracks before this one. He’d won at Canada and Hungary five times, China and Silverstone four. Austin’s layout is not dissimilar and he had won there on four occasions too before adding Brazil in 2016 as win number 52.
It has a particularly, long uphill pit straight and a very technical infield which favours his rivals and is, unusually, run counter-clockwise. The unpredictable climate can deliver chaotic races and this year it hosts the season’s final sprint race to cut set-up time further and increase the jeopardy.
But Hamilton can take comfort from the fact that Mexico may have been won in an instant on that first corner but with the points difference just 19 an entire championship could still be undone just as quickly. Especially in Brazil.
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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.
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