Sergio Perez clinches chaotic Sakhir Grand Prix for his first Formula One win


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Sergio Perez remained calm at a remarkable Sakhir Grand Prix to clinch his first Formula One career win Sunday in his 190th race.

The Racing Point driver finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Renault’s Esteban Ocon and 11.9 clear of teammate Lance Stroll.

“I’m speechless,” Perez said. “I hope I’m not dreaming.”

The Mexican does not even have an F1 seat next year after being replaced by Sebastian Vettel.

“I want to keep going,” Perez said. “If I’m not on the grid next year I will be in 2022.”

George Russell looked like capping a remarkable Mercedes debut with a confident win until his team made a terrible blunder after bringing him and Valtteri Bottas in for another change when the safety car was out on track with about 25 laps to go.

Russell’s stop was a bit slow but nothing compared to the one for Bottas, which took an agonising 27 seconds as the mechanics could not fit his left front tire properly.

Remarkably, Russell was then called in again because the team had fitted him with a mixed set of compound tires.

It was a rare failure for a Mercedes team which has dominated F1 since 2014 by winning every drivers’ and constructors’ championship.

Still, even with that mishap, Russell roared back brilliantly from fifth to second place and was closing on Perez when his rear tire punctured with eight laps remaining.

Perez, who made his debut in 2011, had a clear run to victory and clinched his 10th career podium, while Ocon got his first.

“I have no words,” Ocon said. “I was crying on the line.”

Russell finished ninth while Bottas was eighth on a humiliating night for F1 powerhouse Mercedes, which almost never makes mistakes. The illegal mixed compound tire change for Russell was being investigated by stewards after the race.

Russell is under contract with Williams but replaced Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time world champion recovers from the coronavirus. Hamilton, who sealed the title last month, remains doubtful for next weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.

The race was halted after a first-lap crash caused by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who broke too early and clipped Perez’s car. That forced Verstappen to go wide in order to avoid Perez and he went off into some gravel and crashed into a wall.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

How Beautiful this world is!
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Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm

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Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

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Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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