Nobody knew what to expect before Sunday's season-opening grand prix: not the drivers, not the teams and certainly not the fans. The only thing anybody was willing to predict was that something unpredictable would happen - and so it did.
But while Sebastian Vettel's broken exhaust, sustained while leading the race, ruined his chances of a maiden win in Bahrain, Ferrari's frosty duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa secured a one-two finish.
But what of the 41-year-old Michael Schumacher? And did a driver really compete in his first grand prix after just seven practice laps - in qualifying? We look at what we have learned from the first race.
1. McLaren do not have the pace expected of them - even with a controversial wing. When Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton occupied two of the top four positions following Friday's second practice session, much was made of the speed of the new MP4-25.
Here was a team with two world champions and a very fast car. Oh, and also a regulation-bending rear wing. Rival teams were not happy. However, post-qualifying, the mood changed as they struggled to fourth and eighth and then a distant third and seventh in the race. Turns out the McLaren-Mercedes' are not as quick as first suspected, and that rear wing? Well, the teams can live with it, after all.
2. The Germans are primed to prosper, but F1's fastest is no longer called Schumacher
The throngs of German media who travelled to Bahrain for the return of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher were given a golden glimpse of their homeland's future in motorsport.
Adrian Sutil topped the first practice session, while at one stage of second practice, five of the top eight drivers were flying the Deutsch tricolor. Vettel claimed pole in qualifying and later led the first 34 laps before suffering an exhaust malfunction. But while the young Germans impressed, the old German, Schumacher, eventually finish in sixth, one place behind his compatriot - and teammate - Nico Rosberg.
3. Indians do follow Formula One and Karun Chandhok will increase the following.
With all the hype surrounding cricket's Indian Premier League, Karun Chandhok, HRT's rookie driver from Chennai, was expected to glide into Formula One under the radar of his fellow countrymen.
No chance - especially when Bollywood-stars-turn-IPL-owners Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra are praising your achievements.
It seems motorsport is catching the attention of India's 1.2 billion population and, despite missing three practice sessions and only managing two laps in Sunday's race before being forced to retire, Chandhok is undoubtedly going to be a major name by the time the inaugural Indian Grand Prix swings around next year.
4. More regulations do not equate to more excitement.
The new regulations that prohibit in-race refuelling were imposed to improve Formula One, so why is it that before the hip-hop star Timbaland had even take to the stage to close the Bahrain Grand Prix, discussions were underway to change the rules once more?
Each car started Sunday's race laden with 160kg of fuel, giving the drivers the task of controlling these, to steal a phrase from Sir Jackie Stewart, "pregnant elephants".
The result was overtaking was limited to technical problems and Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren boss, is already calling for a mandatory two-stop rule, which is unlikely to be implemented any time soon.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
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%3Cp%3ESixteen%20boys%20and%2015%20girls%20have%20gone%20on%20from%20Go-Pro%20Academy%20in%20Dubai%20to%20either%20professional%20contracts%20abroad%20or%20scholarships%20in%20the%20United%20States.%20Here%20are%20two%20of%20the%20most%20prominent.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeorgia%20Gibson%20(Newcastle%20United)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20reason%20the%20academy%20in%20Dubai%20first%20set%20up%20a%20girls%E2%80%99%20programme%20was%20to%20help%20Gibson%20reach%20her%20potential.%20Now%20she%20plays%20professionally%20for%20Newcastle%20United%20in%20the%20UK.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMackenzie%20Hunt%20(Everton)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAttended%20DESS%20in%20Dubai%2C%20before%20heading%20to%20the%20UK%20to%20join%20Everton%20full%20time%20as%20a%20teenager.%20He%20was%20on%20the%20bench%20for%20the%20first%20team%20as%20recently%20as%20their%20fixture%20against%20Brighton%20on%20February%2024.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million