Max Verstappen hints he may walk away from F1 over swearing row

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen hinted that he may consider his future in the wake of his community service order for swearing.

Verstappen was sanctioned by the FIA, the sport’s governing body, after he used an expletive to describe his Red Bull car in a televised press conference prior to Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix where title rival Lando Norris of McLaren triumphed to cut the Dutchman's lead in the drivers' standings to 52 points.

Verstappen effectively boycotted the mandatory post-qualifying media call on Saturday, in response to his punishment, and then kept his answers to a minimum after he finished second in Sunday's race.

Away from the FIA’s official press conference, the triple world champion, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, was asked if the punishment – the finer details of which are yet to be determined – have left him considering his future.

“These kind of things definitely decide my future, if you can’t be yourself or you have to deal with these silly things,” Verstappen, 26, said. “I’m now at the stage of my career that you don’t want to be dealing with this all the time. It’s really tiring.

“Of course it’s great to have success and win races, but once you’ve accomplished all of that, then you want to just have a good time as well.

“Everyone is pushing to the limit, everyone in this paddock, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kinds of silly things, for me that is not a way of continuing in this sport, that’s for sure.”

Norris wins Singapore GP

It is not the first time Verstappen has hinted that he is considering his future in F1. Following last month's Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen said he is already halfway through his career and has previously questioned the demands of the ever-expanding calendar.

“I will always be myself. I will not change how I am in my life," Verstappen added. "At one point when it’s enough it’s enough. Racing will go on, and F1 will go on without me.

“If you can’t really be yourself to the fullest, then it’s better not to speak. But that’s not what anyone wants, because then you become a robot, and that’s not how you should be going about it in this sport.”

Verstappen, bidding to win a fourth consecutive title, will return to action at the next round in Austin, Texas on October 20.

Ricciardo admits Singapore could be his last race

One driver unlikely to be at the Circuit of the Americas is Daniel Ricciardo who admitted that Sunday's Singapore GP may have been his last in F1.

The likable Aussie was voted "driver of the day" by global TV viewers as he finished last of the 18 finishers in his RB at the Marina Bay Circuit, but not before he had managed to snatch the fastest lap from race winner Lando Norris.

That could prove crucial for former teammate Verstappen's title race as Norris had been set to grab the bonus point.

Verstappen's lead in the title race is down to 52 points after he came second and he was grateful to Ricciardo and the junior Red Bull team for preventing it being whittled further.

"Thank you, Daniel," Verstappen said over team radio after crossing the finish line.

The Australian is widely loved as one of the most affable drivers in the paddock, with an infectious permanent smile and great sense of humour.

"If Max wins [the title] by a point, then I just guaranteed myself a nice Christmas present," he joked after the race.

Ricciardo, who won eight GPs in 13 years on the grid, will be missed but is reportedly expected to be replaced by New Zealand's Liam Lawson from the next race in Austin.

He bows out with 32 podium appearances during stints with Toro Rosso (later AlphaTauri and now RB), Red Bull, Renault and McLaren, scoring 1,329 points.

"Typically the driver of the day thing is maybe not something us drivers look too much into," said an emotional Ricciardo. "But today I can say it's something I'm appreciative of. So that one means a little something.

"Let's say maybe the fairytale ending didn't happen, but I also have to look back on what's been 13 or so years and I'm proud."

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback

Price, base: Dh315,000

Engine: 3.0-litre V6

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm

Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km

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Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK

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Air Force Intelligence Agency
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Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
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General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Six large-scale objects on show

Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
The 17^th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
Torrijos Palace dome

Sole survivors

Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.

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Match info

Uefa Champions League Group F

Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)

RESULTS

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Honeymoonish

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

RESULTS

Men – semi-finals

57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.

67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.

60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28

63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.

71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28

81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27

86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?

Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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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.