Both the World Championships may already be decided but I believe there are enough ingredients and interesting elements attached to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to make it one of the best races of the season.
You have the new drivers' championship winner in Jenson Button, who will be keen to prove that he is worthy of the crown, and he will be up against Lewis Hamilton, who won the drivers' title in 2008 and is in his last race as Formula One's reigning champion.
Then you have Sebastian Vettel, who will be eager to beat the guy who beat him to the championship, as will Rubens Barrichello, Jenson's teammate, who will be keen to beat him in what could be his last race for BrawnGP.
I think the most interesting thing for people to look out for at Yas Marina is what kind of performance Jenson delivers in his first race as a world champion.
He would be the first to admit that he had a disappointing second half of the season and you could visibly see the relief and delight in his face when he finally claimed the title in Brazil.
I know he has criticism in some quarters for his below-par results and qualifying displays, and I am sure he will be keen to put in a very strong performance to say: "Bang, I am back and I'm the new world champion."
I think he is capable of doing that and on a new track that no one has raced on before it will be wide open, and I expect to see Jenson pushing hard and being back to his best.
But it may not be enough for him to be ahead of the best car in the field, which I feel is the Red Bull with Vettel and Mark Webber driving, and Hamilton's McLaren-Mercedes, which I think will be suited to the design of Yas Marina.
The Red Bulls will be very tough to beat, having won in Japan and Brazil, and I expect Vettel and Webber to be very strong again, with Hamilton pushing them hard.
It is not just at the front of the race that there will be fascinating stories which will be played out over the race weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen will be keen to have a strong end to his career at Ferrari and he will also be anxious to put on a good show as he has yet to sign with a team for the 2010 season.
The situation is the same at Toyota, where Jarno Trulli will need to put in a good display if he is to either stay on with his current team or get a race seat elsewhere. Timo Glock is unfortunately not going to be able to race because of his injury and that gives another chance to Kamui Kobayashi, who put in an impressive performance in Brazil.
There are stories up and down the grid and usually in these circumstances, when there is no championship at stake, you see the drivers roll up their sleeves and look to simply put on a good race and go all out for the win.
That is what I expect to see here and I think we could see a very tight race which will be helped by the excellent new Yas Marina Circuit.
Looking at the track I think the organisers have to take a lot of credit as they have done a great job in creating a circuit that presents a lot of overtaking opportunities.
There are a number of long straights which are followed by tight corners and that usually allows for drivers to try to get past a car in front if they are being held up.
I think the hotel section which they go under is going to be great visually, especially when the lights are on when it is dark.
Those long straights will bring a lot to the racing and I am confident they will create overtaking chances that will give the thousands of watching fans plenty of entertainment.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Company%20Profile
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RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
