Ferrari fans celebrated a famous victory on Sunday as Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix while Red Bull's Max Verstappen saw his Formula One championship lead cut further.
Leclerc claimed victory at Monza for the second time after winning in 2019, holding off McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in a thrilling race in which Verstappen finished nearly 38 seconds off the pace in sixth, signalling serious trouble in the Red Bull camp.
Leclerc gave Ferrari a stunning home win after managing his tyres on a one-stop strategy to hold off favourites Piastri and Norris.
Leclerc, who did a mighty 38 laps around Monza on a set of hard tyres, sent the crowd wild when he took the chequered flag 2.6 seconds clear of Australian Piastri with Britain's Norris third after starting on pole position.
Verstappen started seventh and improved by just one position with Norris, who took a bonus point for the fastest lap, reducing the Dutch driver's championship lead from 70 points to 62 with eight races remaining.
Norris has never led a lap after starting from pole, and that forgettable run continued on Sunday.
Verstappen has now failed to win any of the last six GPs after claiming the honours in seven of the first 10, and his and Red Bull's dominance of F1 looks increasingly in question.
A fourth straight world title looked a near certainty when Verstappen won in Spain back in June, but since then he has only finished on the podium twice.
The day, however, belonged to Ferrari and Leclerc was over the moon after his stunning win.
“It’s an incredible feeling, I thought the first time felt like this, and the second time wouldn’t feel as special, but the emotions in the last few laps were exactly the same as in 2019, just watching the grandstand inside of the track which is tricky, just incredible,” Leclerc said.
“Monaco and Monza are the two races I want to win every year. Obviously I want to win as many races as possible and the world championship as soon as possible, but these are the two most important races of the season and I managed to win them both so it’s so, so special.”
Leclerc was 11 seconds clear with seven laps to go and 8.3 ahead with five remaining as the massed ranks of 'tifosi' willed him on. He crossed the line 2.664 ahead.
“We considered a one-stop strategy the whole race but it was not possible with the amount of tyre graining I had,” said Norris, who had started the day 70 points behind Verstappen and hoping to gain far more.
“We are disappointed but Ferrari drove a better race.”
McLaren could also have taken the lead in the constructors' championship but ended the day still eight points behind Red Bull, down from a previous 30.
Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari with the Italian team's future driver Lewis Hamilton fifth for Mercedes. George Russell was seventh for Mercedes with Red Bull's Sergio Perez eighth and Alex Albon taking precious points for Williams in ninth.
Kevin Magnussen was 10th for Haas despite a 10 second penalty for causing a collision.
Leclerc started fourth at Monza, with the McLaren duo locking out the front of the grid.
With Norris chasing the title, there were questions over whether team orders would come into play.
Both McLarens got a good start but Piastri managed to get a slipstream and overtake his teammate into the second chicane, with Norris slipping into third as Leclerc also managed to get past.
Norris managed to undercut Leclerc as he pitted first and, as the others stopped, he set off in pursuit of his teammate.
After the first set of pit stops, Piastri was leading Norris and the duo were told on team radio that they were free to race.
But the battle between the two for the victory never emerged because of Ferrari’s audacious move.
As more and more drivers came in for their second set of pit stops, and the laps continued to tick down, it became clear that Ferrari were going to try to nurse their hard tires all the way to the end.
And so it proved, with Leclerc managing to hold off Piastri despite being on tires that were nearly 40 laps old.
The%20specs%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jawan
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AT%20A%20GLANCE
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INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich 1
Kimmich (27')
Real Madrid 2
Marcelo (43'), Asensio (56')
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
