The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closed the curtain on the 2015 Formula One season. Paul Gilham / Getty Images
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closed the curtain on the 2015 Formula One season. Paul Gilham / Getty Images

Standings, times and driver verdict from 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix



Following the conclusion of the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Graham Caygill provides the race standings, times, and his verdict of each driver’s performance.

Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP) — 1:38.30.175

The German’s third win in a row and he looked after his tyres well. The question is can he take this level of consistency into 2016?

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) — +8.271 secs

Closed to within 1.3 seconds mid-race, but a bizarre decision to extend his middle stint by 10 laps compared to Rosberg ended his bid for a third win.

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +19.430

Was never going to be able to beat the Mercedes in a straight fight, so third was almost like a win for the 2007 world champion.

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) +43.725

Fine overtaking and a good strategy gave the four-time world champion good damage limitation after the error in qualifying that had left him 16th.

Sergio Perez (Force India) +1:03.952

The Mexican backed up a great effort in qualifying with a strong race. Was no match for the first four cars on raw pace, but was the best of the rest.

Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) +1:33.618

Not what the Australian had been hoping for. Had believed he could challenge Ferrari for a podium spot, but was beaten fair and square to fifth by Perez.

Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) +1:38.201

On paper a good result for the German, his third straight top-seven finish, but to be more than 30 seconds behind teammate Perez will sting.

Felipe Massa (Williams) +1:37.751

No repeat of last year’s second place for the Brazilian. Looked quick early on as he pulled off some fine overtakes, but was unable to maintain momentum

Romain Grosjean (Lotus) +1:38.201

A very strong drive from the Frenchman as he came through from 18th on the grid to score two points in his last race for Lotus.

Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull) +1:42.371

Seemed to be stuck in traffic for much of the afternoon, and he never looked like challenging for a top-six spot, which his car was capable of.

Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso) +1:43.525

Will be disappointed having started in the top 10, but he lost out on the final points position after being overtaken by Grosjean at the end.

Jenson Button (McLaren) +1 lap

Started and finished 12th. The 2009 champion fought others cars when he could, but the lack of power on the straights from the Honda engine hurt.

Valtteri Bottas (Wiliams) +1 lap

Broke his front wing on the back of Button’s car in the pit lane and had to make an extra stop for repairs. His chance of points went.

Marcus Ericsson (Sauber) +1 lap

An impressive result given how much he had struggled for pace earlier in the weekend. A long first stint on the hard tyre helped him.

Felipe Nasr (Sauber) +1 lap

An anti-climatic end to a fine rookie season. Looked competitive in the opening laps as he tussled with Button and the Toro Rossos, but then fell away.

Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) +1 lap

The teenager was outside top 10 for most of the race. To compound a poor day, was given a 20-second time penalty post-race for going off track.

Fernando Alonso (McLaren) +1 lap

The double world champion ruined his race by colliding with Maldonado at the start. Was given a drive-through penalty and never recovered.

Will Stevens (Manor) +2 laps

Did all he could, with the limited machinery at his disposal, by comfortably out-performing his teammate to finish for the 15th time this season.

Roberto Merhi (Manor) +3 laps

The Spaniard started from the pit lane after Manor had made a change to his car overnight. Not on the pace of teammate Stevens.

P Maldonado (Lotus)Retired

An innocent victim of the first corner collision with Alonso’s McLaren. The Lotus driver’s suspension was broken in the impact, ending his race.

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Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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.

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.

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

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Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 400hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000

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What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

About Proto21

Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group

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

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Rating: 3.5/5

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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 

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
At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

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Price: From Dh439,000

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India cancels school-leaving examinations
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE