World champion Max Verstappen has said a switch to Aston Martin could be an option “for the future” after team principal Mike Krack said they were always open to the Dutchman joining them.
A switch to the Lawrence Stroll-owned team would see Verstappen reunite with British design genius Adrian Newey, who joined Aston in a deal that will see him earn around £20 million a year.
The 65-year-old Newey, who is regarded as the greatest Formula One technical mastermind of his generation, spent nearly two decades at Verstappen’s Red Bull outfit.
The Dutch driver, who is under contract at Red Bull until 2028, has clinched the last three world championships in a Newey-designed car.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Krack was open to the possibility of a move for Verstappen and the latter did not dismiss the idea of linking up with Newey again.
“That is something maybe for the future that I think about, but not now,” Verstappen said.
“It [Newey’s departure] is fine, Adrian and I have a very good understanding. I sent him a message after the news came out so I am happy for him.
“I always said I would have loved him to stay but you cannot overturn these things. I am just excited for people seeking new challenges.
“I know Lawrence [Stroll] is pushing flat out to make it a success at Aston Martin.”
Krack believes that the arrival of Newey, who has won world championships at Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, is a signal of intent from owner Stroll and will make the team an attractive proposition.
“The door for Max Verstappen is always open I think, for everything,” Krack said. “We will be more attractive for every area just for that signing, due to the increased credibility. It is proof that this project can achieve its targets.”
Newey will team up with Stroll’s 25-year-old son, Lance, and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, 43, who is under contract until the end of 2026.
Alonso will turn 45 during the 2026 season – the first in which Newey will have had a full input into the car design.
But Krack believes Alonso will be invigorated by the chance to work with Newey and hinted he could remain at the Silverstone-based team beyond his current deal.
“He may want to stay longer now. We have not had these conversations but it is clear Fernando has a long future in this team,” Krack added.
“You can see the huge respect that these two people have for each other and I think that Adrian has always wanted to work with someone like Fernando and vice versa.”
Newey was widely linked with a move to Ferrari, where he would have teamed up with incoming seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Asked if he was disappointed that Newey would not be joining the Scuderia, Hamilton said: “Honestly, no. While I have said before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been part of two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.
“Any team would have been happy to have him. At the end of the day he had to do what is right for him.
“It doesn’t change my goal or my focus for my next move. I still believe 100 per cent that there is lots we can do.”
Meanwhile, McLaren are poised to introduce team orders to support Lando Norris's bid to beat Verstappen to the drivers' world title in this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said the team were abandoning a policy of non-interference. “The overall concept is we are incredibly determined to win, but we want to win in the right way,” Stella said. “We [will] bias our support to Lando, but we want to do it without too much compromise on our principles.
“Our principles are that the team interest always comes first. Sportsmanship for us is important in the overall way we go racing. And then we want to be fair to both drivers.”
Briton Norris is 62 points behind three-time champion Verstappen with eight Grand Prix races left this year, plus three sprint races but insisted he was not expecting Piastri to gift him race wins despite McLaren's decision
“He's still fighting for his own racing. He's still going out and doing his stuff. And it could be that there's no time this year that he needs to help me,” said Norris. “It's more that I've got Oscar's help when needs be. If he's fought for a win and he's deserving of a win, then he deserves to win.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
More on animal trafficking
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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