Max Verstappen laid down an early marker on the opening day of pre-season Formula One testing in Bahrain on Lewis Hamilton suffered a nightmare start as a sandstorm swept across the Sakhir track.
Verstappen, long regarded as heir apparent to seven-time world champion Hamilton, clocked a best time of 1min 30.674sec in the Red Bull as he piled up an eye-watering 139 laps.
"We had a very positive day and managed a lot of laps even though the track conditions were quite difficult," said Verstappen, who was third in the championship last year.
"We don't need to talk about pace yet and it isn't really a discussion until we get to Q3 at the first race weekend - it's only then you see the real pace in all the cars."
In stark contrast, Hamilton was only 10th fastest in 1:32.912 although his 42 laps dwarfed the six managed by Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, the slowest man on the track in 1:36.850.
Bottas, runner-up to Hamilton in the 2020 championship, even finished behind Haas rookies Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher.
"It was not a good start," admitted Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "We had a gearbox problem that came out of nowhere which we haven't been able to identify yet."
However, Wolff didn't appear too concerned over his team's struggles with two more days of testing to go.
With just three days testing in total compared to six and eight in Barcelona in recent years, Wolff said the brief Gulf visit offers only a "vague picture" of each team's readiness for the new season, which starts in Bahrain on March 28.
Hamilton shrugged off what proved to be a frustrating day. "I've never seen a sandstorm come through here before in all the years that I've driven at this circuit," said the 36-year-old Briton.
"The sand was moving like rain would move. Having sand on the tyres isn't good for their longevity and getting consistency on long runs is difficult."
He added: "We only have a day and a half in the car before the first race. I'd like to think my nine years' experience with this team will help me get the best out of it."
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
HAJJAN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
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
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
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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.
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