With Fernando Alonso taking advantage in South Korea, Mark Webber must cut out errors to win the title
Red Bull-Renault could have made a huge mistake in not asking Sebastian Vettel to play second fiddle to Mark Webber.
Webber is their best hope of claiming the world title and it would be useful to have his teammate watching his back.
There has been friction between the two this year and, for the early part of the season, the team management seemed to be favouring the German.
Red Bull initially blamed the Australian for the crash between the two in Turkey and then the team took Webber's newly designed wing and fitted it on Vettel's car ahead of qualifying for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Vettel then took pole but Webber went on to win the race and sent the sarcastic message, "Not bad for a No 2 driver," on the radio to Christian Horner, the team principal.
Now the shoe is on the other foot with Webber sitting 11 points behind Fernando Alonso in the drivers' championship while Vettel is 25 points adrift of the leader in fourth place in the standing with just two races to go.
I was surprised to hear Horner say after the Korean Grand Prix that they were still going to support both drivers equally.
That may have been a knee-jerk reaction because Vettel now has, at best, an outside chance of being champion while things are still in Webber's hands. If he wins in Brazil and Abu Dhabi he is champion - regardless of what Alonso does.
I admire Red Bull's determination not to favour a driver and if they had it would have been harsh on Vettel, who had been excellent at the two previous races.
I am convinced that the title will be decided in Abu Dhabi, especially after what we saw in South Korea on Sunday, but Webber needs to get the better of his Ferrari rival in Sao Paulo to give himself a good chance.
We saw a dramatic shift in fortune in the wet in Yeongam.
Going into the race, Webber led the standings, but he crashed out. Then Vettel looked on target to take the championship lead until his engine blew.
It was Alonso who triumphed and took the top spot in the drivers' standings for the first time since the second round in Australia.
The Spaniard has come on strong in the second half of the campaign and is driving superbly.
Without the engine problem I think Vettel would have won, but it was a good drive. His car is not as quick as the Red Bull but he kept up the pressure and was in position to take advantage when the problems did arise.
Alonso has been here before. He knows how to win titles having done it in 2005 and 2006. The Ferrari is not the quickest car, but it is good enough for him to be a factor and he is going to be very hard to beat, especially now he has the momentum with him.
Of the two circuits remaining, I think Ferrari will go well in Sao Paulo, as they have done before, while the Yas Marina Circuit should be a Red Bull track.
But if Webber is going to claw back Alonso, he needs to race aggressively at Interlagos.
Webber will not want to have to rely on an Alonso engine problem - the Spaniard has used his quota of eight for the season - or him not being on the podium in the capital.
I think that it is realistically between those two, although Vettel and Lewis Hamilton both are still mathematically in with a chance.
Vettel was superb in South Korea until his engine went. And, having praised Webber's consistency in my last column, it was typical that he then made an unforced error by running wide and crashing out.
It was a huge error to make and he has put himself under massive pressure now.
Things could also have been better for Hamilton. Without his error, where he ran wide and allowed Alonso through, I think he would have taken 25 points.
If that had happened he would have been seven points off the lead. Instead he is 21 and I do not think his McLaren-Mercedes will be fast enough in Brazil or Abu Dhabi for him to win unless his rivals have serious problems.
Jenson Button also still has an outside chance - he is 42 points behind - but his championship defence is virtually over.
I think he has driven well on occasions, especially at the start of the season, but he had already left himself with too much to do before his poor 12th place in Korea.
Johnny Herbert is a former F1 driver who won three races. His column is written with the assistance of staff writer Graham Caygill
sports@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
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Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
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
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20UAE%20men%E2%80%99s%20cricketer%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWhen%20he%20debuted%20against%20Bangladesh%20aged%2016%20years%20and%20314%20days%2C%20he%20became%20the%20youngest%20ever%20to%20play%20for%20the%20men%E2%80%99s%20senior%20team.%20He%20broke%20the%20record%20set%20by%20his%20World%20Cup%20squad-mate%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20of%2017%20years%20and%2044%20days.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20wicket-taker%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20taking%20the%20wicket%20of%20Bangladesh%E2%80%99s%20Litton%20Das%20on%20debut%20in%20Dubai%2C%20Aayan%20became%20the%20youngest%20male%20cricketer%20to%20take%20a%20wicket%20against%20a%20Full%20Member%20nation%20in%20a%20T20%20international.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20in%20T20%20World%20Cup%20history%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAayan%20does%20not%20turn%2017%20until%20November%2015%20%E2%80%93%20which%20is%20two%20days%20after%20the%20T20%20World%20Cup%20final%20at%20the%20MCG.%20If%20he%20does%20play%20in%20the%20competition%2C%20he%20will%20be%20its%20youngest%20ever%20player.%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20Mohammed%20Amir%2C%20who%20was%2017%20years%20and%2055%20days%20when%20he%20played%20in%202009%2C%20currently%20holds%20the%20record.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
