Live updates: Follow the latest on the 2024 Abu Dhabi F1
Lando Norris secured victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, garnering the constructors' title for his team McLaren and the runner-up spot in the drivers' championship in the process.
The British driver led from the start, avoiding the collisions and barging among some of the other drivers when the lights went green, which caused chaos right from the off.
The pressure was all on Norris as his teammate Oscar Piastri was sent spinning to the back of the grid following one of those early nudges with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Second-placed Carlos Sainz chased the lead car doggedly in a bid to give his Ferrari team a fighting chance in the constructors' championship, but Norris looked safe through much of the race. Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc took third.
Verstappen already had the drivers' title in the bag, but never looked likely to trouble the podium, particularly after the early knock with Piastri that saw the Red Bull driver given a 10-second penalty.
Lewis Hamilton weaved his way through the field to climb from 16th to take fourth in his final drive with Mercedes ahead of his switch to Ferrari.
Earlier in the weekend, Norris seemed sanguine, despite solid performances from both himself, Piastri and the team as a whole. The Briton was visibly delighted by his win at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“It feels incredible,” he said immediately after the race. “Not for myself but for the whole team. They’ve done an amazing job this year to come from where we were at the beginning.”
Norris said he was proud of the team and the journey they had taken to get to this point.
“To end the season like this is perfect,” he said.
The feeling in the McLaren camp – as they celebrated wildly and not for the first time this weekend – was summed up by team CEO Zak Brown who said over the team radio as Norris crossed the line: “That was simply lovely.”
Sainz tried his best to keep Ferrari's hopes alive in the constructors' championship, but Norris held his nerve.
During his last message on the team radio, the Spaniard poignantly said: "Thank you Ferrari. It's been a pleasure driving for you guys. Forza Ferrari."
Sainz openly showed his dejection as he drank water with his head held low after the race.
His disappointment cannot have been in connection with his teammate who showed incredible tenacity.
Leclerc put in a storming performance – having started second-to-last on the grid, he fought his way past almost the entire field for his podium finish.
One can only wonder what might have happened if the driver had started the race without his 10-place penalty.
After the race, Leclerc talked of his sadness at the departure of Sainz, who will be joining Williams, and how their pairing had been good for them as drivers and for the team as a whole.
“We’ve had an amazing relationship,” he said. “We’ve pushed each other."
Hamilton, meanwhile, managed a fourth placing following a gutsy drive. Team radio messages suggested both he and his crew thought third position was in his grasp, but, in his last race for Mercedes, it was not to be.
However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff lauded his effort. "Lewis, that was the drive of a world champion," Wolff said.
Hamilton showed no signs of disappointment though, working his way round the tarmac after the race, congratulating the other drivers.
Hamilton’s teammate George Russell came in fifth, followed by championship winner Verstappen.
A decent drive from Pierre Gasly in the Alpine saw him take seventh place, followed by Haas’s Niko Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin and Norris’s teammate Piastri.
There was some concern among the spectators about what was likely to happen over the course of the race.
The start was properly chaotic – Verstappen tried to tear up the inside of Piastri right from the off, nudging into the McLaren. Predictably, this sent both vehicles spinning off the track.
The Dutchman earned a 10-second penalty for that manoeuvre which caused Norris’s McLaren teammate to drop to last.
Piastri himself then accidentally ran into the back of Franco Colapinto in the Williams, earning his own 10-second penalty.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
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- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
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- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
