SILVERSTONE // When Sebastian Vettel swept to a stunning success for unfancied Toro Rosso last September in the Italian backyard of Ferrari at Monza, it confirmed his rich potential. As he became Formula One's youngest winner at 21 years and 74 days, he was a world champion in the making.
Vettel, who will be 22 next month, will surpass Lewis Hamilton's record by a year if he claims the title in this campaign. Hopes are now high again following his outstanding British Grand Prix victory and Christian Horner, the Red Bull principal, says the team will do everything possible to aid his quest. When Jenson Button won six of the first seven races this season, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Briton would be crowned champion.
With a 23-point lead from Rubens Barrichello and Vettel two points further behind, the Brawn GP driver remains in command, but Horner says his rivals will be worried and remains confident they can still take the championship race to a final showdown at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Nov 1. "I would be worried if I saw a performance like that from another team," he said after Vettel and Mark Webber led a Red Bull one-two at Silverstone.
"It was quite a dominant display by Red Bull Racing. The really encouraging factor is that we have been quick in all three sectors of the circuit, the high speed and the low speed, so hopefully we can take that into the next races. "This championship is not over by a long way and we never believed it was. We will try to take the fight to Abu Dhabi. I hope it will come down to the final race. "There is a determination within the team. They see we have a fantastic car and the team is working together tremendously well.
"I believe the foundations we put in place a couple of years ago are now coming to fruition. "It's a very talented group of people that are working very well together." While the Australian Webber claimed a third podium in four races, he still waits for a first win. Vettel now has three in just 34 races, highlighting why he is the man most likely to challenge Button. A single-minded focus and winning mentality on the track has earned him comparisons with his fellow German and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
But Horner has revealed another side of his young charge and believes he will make his own mark. "Sebastian is constantly cracking jokes, and he is very popular member of the team," he said. "He also understands English humour, which is quite remarkable. I think it's way too early to start comparing him with Schumacher. "Sebastian Vettel is Sebastian Vettel and he will lay his own footprint in the future. He just gets better and better. He is doing an awesome job. For such a young age, he's extremely mature and he has a tremendous amount of spare capacity when driving a car.
As he gains more experience, he will continue to improve. You can't try to curb his enthusiasm or his attacking instincts. "He's young and will occasionally make mistakes, but he will learn from those mistakes. He's been faultless this weekend." Vettel is hoping for more of the same when he returns home for the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring on July 12. He said: "I hope to try to repeat what we did here, which won't be easy, but, for sure, that's what we're aiming for."
akhan@thenational.ae
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Predictions
Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:
- Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
- Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
- Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
- Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
- Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai
Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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