The Monaco Grand Prix – where overtaking is more myth than manoeuvre.
Formula One's most iconic street circuit promises a spectacle but more often than not delivers more procession than passion.
This year, the FIA introduced a new rule: Two mandatory pit stops, to introduce a little chaos to proceedings.
And while McLaren’s Lando Norris danced through the narrow streets to claim a win, fans and pundits alike were left wondering whether the new rules had the desired impact.
Here are the main talking points from Monte Carlo.
Norris grabs his chance
The McLaren driver won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time on Sunday, and said: “This is what I dreamt of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.”
A commanding race from start to finish, this was Norris’ second win this season, after the opening race in Australia, and McLaren’s first win in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag in 2008.
Having snatched pole position from Charles Leclerc in qualifying on Saturday, Norris was always the favourite to win, managing to do so despite a nervy ending.
The Briton trailed Max Verstappen in the closing stages as the Dutchman opted to stay out as long as possible in hope of a red flag before pitting in the penultimate lap.
With Verstappen leading, Leclerc was able to close the gap on Norris and apply the pressure. Nonetheless, Norris kept calm and, when Verstappen pitted, took his chance to clinch victory.
Norris is now just three points behind his teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri. The Australian finished third in Monaco, ensuring McLaren’s first double podium in Monaco since 2007.
Are Ferrari improving?
Ferrari’s speed this weekend came as a surprise to many, including Ferrari. After topping the three practice sessions, Leclerc just missed out on pole position.
Having suffered with low-speed corners in previous races, Ferrari believed they would suffer again in Monaco. Instead, the car performed well, and Leclerc was left annoyed they couldn’t do better in qualifying.
“I don’t quite know why we are so fast in slow speed suddenly, but we’ll analyse that after the weekend,” Leclerc said after Saturday's qualifying.
Asked on Sunday whether he was happy with second place, a downcast Leclerc replied “not really”, saying that the race was lost in qualifying. “We should have done a better job.”
Ferrari can't run the SF-25 close to the ground as it increases the risk of the car bottoming out excessively. These issues were not as exposed in Monaco as at other tracks, hence a better performance.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton secured his best result in a Ferrari, coming home fifth, but the Briton still found it hard to see the positives.
“The races here are generally, unless you're first and in the lead, even when you're in the lead, it's not that fun. Just a nice reward at the end, but other than that, anything but first is kind of empty.”
Did the new rules make an impact?
Since 1950, Monaco has traditionally been a one-stop track. The race has been won from pole position on 32 occasions, which makes for a pretty boring race.
In a bid to spice up the race, the FIA introduced a new rule. All drivers must use at least three different sets of tyres, meaning a minimum of two mandatory pit stops.
A narrow track with few opportunities to overtake, the rule was supposed to stir things up, bring team tactics into play, give the fans something to cheer about.
The truth is, nothing changed; the top four who started on the grid finished in the same order at the end.
“You can't race here,” said an exasperated Verstappen. “It doesn't matter what you do. One stop, 10 stops.”
Red Bull strategy doesn't pay off
Red Bull were aware that Monaco “was not their track” and were not hopeful coming into this weekend. All the mechanical low-speed corners were simply going to highlight the limitations of their machinery.
To offset this, Red Bull tried four-time world champion Verstappen on a different strategy. The team started the Dutchman on the hard tyre, while the rest of the top three opted for mediums. On his first stop, Verstappen switched to the medium and ran for as long as possible before pitting on the penultimate lap of the race. It was evident that the team were hoping for some chaos or a red flag, but it never materialised. It was just a straightforward race.
Asked about his strategy, Verstappen said: “We could have pitted sooner, but then you just sit there in fourth anyway.”
It seems no matter what you try, the best strategy for winning in Monaco is to ace qualifying.
Hadjar continues to impress
Both Racing Bulls finished in the points, with Isack Hadjar grabbing sixth place.
The weekend had started poorly for the French-Algerian when he collided with the barrier in his second practice session. In his third practice session, he managed only 17th place.
Hadjar admitted he went into qualifying feeling low in confidence, and yet he pushed through to earn a career-best finish that became P5 after Lewis Hamilton suffered a penalty.
On Sunday, Hadjar was grateful for the perfect execution of the team’s strategy. Teammate Liam Lawson held up the pack and slowed down the race to allow Hadjar to make two comfortable pit stops.
A great drive from the rookie ensured a smooth finish and more points. Hadjar continues to excel, and he was quick to praise his teammate, who finished eighth.
“Liam helped me massively, it was great teamwork and also he helped me, but he also got points, so I'm really happy for him,” said Hadjar.
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
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Racecard
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
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.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ovasave%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Majd%20Abu%20Zant%20and%20Torkia%20Mahloul%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Healthtech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Three%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24400%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
