Nico Rosberg celebrates after clinching pole for the German Grand Prix. Ronald Wittek /  EPA
Nico Rosberg celebrates after clinching pole for the German Grand Prix. Ronald Wittek / EPA

Nico Rosberg produces ‘fantastic lap’ to claim pole for German Grand Prix



Nico Rosberg grabbed pole position ahead of his world championship leading Mercedes-GP teammate Lewis Hamilton for Sunday’s German Grand Prix with a bold fastest lap in the final minutes of a tense qualifying session.

Rosberg, 31, produced a startling best lap of one minute and 14.323 seconds to outpace defending three-time champion Hamilton by 0.123 seconds, having been forced to abort his first flying lap in the third qualifying session due to electrical problems.

When Hamilton went for his final lap, he was unable to improve and regain the initiative as Rosberg, on home soil, set himself up for a chance to regain the lead in the drivers’ championship.

“Well done, Nico, a fantastic lap and well done under the circumstances,” said Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe, who revealed that Rosberg’s car was heavily fuelled.

It was Rosberg’s 27th career pole.

Behind the two Mercedes came Australian Daniel Ricciardo, in his 100th grand prix. He was third fastest for Red Bull Racing ahead of his teammate Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, the pair slightly more than three-tenths behind.

The two Ferraris of four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Finn Kimi Raikkonen were fifth and sixth ahead of another German Nico Hulkenberg of Force India, Finn Valtteri Bottas of Williams, Mexican Sergio Perez in the second Force India and Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Williams.

STARTING GRID FOR SUNDAY’S GERMAN GRAND PRIX:

1st row

Nico Rosberg (GER/Mercedes-GP)

Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes-GP)

2nd row

Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull Racing)

Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull Racing)

3rd row

Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari)

Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari)

4th row

Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Force India)

Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Williams)

5th row

Sergio Perez (MEX/Force India)

Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams)

6th row

Esteban Gutierrez (MEX/Haas)

Jenson Button (GBR/McLaren)

7th row

Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP/Toro Rosso)

Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren)

8th row

Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault)

Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Renault)

9th row

Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Manor)

Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso)

10th row

Rio Haryanto (INA/Manor)

Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas)

11th row

Felipe Nasr (BRA/Sauber)

Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber)

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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.

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Previous men's records
  • 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
  • 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
  • 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
  • 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
  • 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
  • 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
  • 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
  • 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
  • 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
  • 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
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
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

MATCH INFO

Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')

Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')

Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)

What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.

MATCH INFO

Leeds United 0

Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')

Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

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Asia Cup Qualifier

Final
UAE v Hong Kong

Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Rest

(Because Music)