The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will still be an “exciting event” even if Lewis Hamilton arrives in November with the Formula One drivers’ championship already sewn up, says the chief executive of Yas Marina Circuit.
Hamilton stretched his lead over closest rival Sebastian Vettel to 50 points with victory at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, leaving the Ferrari man with an uphill task to reel in the Mercedes-GP driver with only four races remaining before the season finale in the UAE.
But Al Tareq Al Ameri, YMC chief executive, believes the 10th staging of the grand prix on November 25 will not be one to miss, even if Hamilton has already sealed a fifth world title.
“It has been an exciting season and we are still going to have an exciting race,” the Emirati said on Tuesday at the launch of YMC’s 2018-19 calendar.
“We have seen lots of good racing this year. There are two teams fighting at the front, which three or four years ago we did not have when the leading cars were spread out at the front, so I think it will deliver in Abu Dhabi.”
Of the Hamilton v Vettel duel at the front, he added: “Sometimes that is the nature of racing, that it can go one way rather than another at a certain point of the season and one driver is gaining more momentum than another one, and that is what we have seen in the recent races.”
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Al Ameri added that ticket sales for the Abu Dhabi GP "are great", with an extra batch recently released for the standing area on Abu Dhabi Hill quickly snapped up.
"They [ticket sales] are higher than they were at this stage last year and we did accommodate an additional request to make available 1,000 tickets for Abu Dhabi Hill, and they have already been sold out," he said.
“So everything is moving in the right direction and momentum is good and it is shaping up to be one of the best year’s hosting.”
A new addition to the YMC calendar this season will be the FIA World Rallycross Championship on April 5-6, the first time Rallycross has been held at the capital's track.
“This international event will help to build on the UAE’s already strong heritage of competing in major motorsports events and hosting championship races as well as inspiring a new generation of talented racing stars to compete at the highest level,” said Mohammed ben Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club UAE.
Other motorsport events include the TRD 86 Cup and the Gulf 12 Hours endurance race, while Yas Marina Circuit will again host the ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi on March 8-9.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
