Lewis Hamilton 'blown away' as Silverstone name start-finish straight in his honour


  • English
  • Arabic

Lewis Hamilton said he is "blown away" by the decision to rename Silverstone's start-finish straight in his name.

The British Racing Drivers' Club, owners of the Northamptonshire circuit, have announced that the International Pits Straight will now become the Hamilton Straight in tribute to the seven-time Formula One world champion.

"That is insane," said Hamilton, when BRDC chairman David Coulthard informed him of the honour. "That is definitely a curveball. I don't even know what to say."

Speaking on Channel 4, Hamilton added: "I remember going to Silverstone and watching Nigel Mansell and seeing that incredible crowd and I have also experienced it year-on-year. It is something so close to my heart.

"I am blown away. No driver has had that, so I am very grateful, very humbled, and a big thank you to everyone for supporting me. I hope I can continue to make the BRDC and the Brits proud for the time I am racing."

Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's championship haul at the Turkish Grand Prix last month. The 35-year-old also has more wins (95) pole positions (98) and podiums (164) than any other driver in the sport's history. He has also won his home race on seven occasions.

Coulthard, a 13-time grand prix winner, said: "I was delighted, in my capacity as President of the BRDC, to share this news with Lewis today.

"Lewis has become a huge part of this history and the directors of the Club and I felt there was no better way to mark this than to rename the iconic pits straight in recognition of his record-breaking achievements."

Hamilton will bid to close out his record-breaking season with his 12th win of the year. He starts Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from third on the grid.

Lewis Hamilton after qualifying third for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton after qualifying third for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Getty Images
What is an ETF?

An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.

There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.

The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash. 

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House 

What is 'Soft Power'?

Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye. 
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength. 
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force. 
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.