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.
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Points Classification after Stage 1
1. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
2. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
3. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus / Team Sky) 15
4. Tony Martin (Germany / Katusha) 13
5. Matteo Trentin (Italy / Quick-Step) 11
6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 10
7. Jos van Emden (Netherlands / LottoNL) 9
8. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland / Team Sky) 8
9. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 7
10. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway / Dimension Data) 6
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Summer special
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)
Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
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Masters%20of%20the%20Air
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cary%20Joji%20Fukunaga%2C%20Dee%20Rees%2C%20Anna%20Boden%2C%20Ryan%20Fleck%2C%20Tim%20Van%20Patten%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Austin%20Butler%2C%20Callum%20Turner%2C%20Anthony%20Boyle%2C%20Barry%20Keoghan%2C%20Sawyer%20Spielberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
