Force India’s Paul Di Resta is in danger of being the man who misses out on a 2014 race seat as the tempo quickens in Formula One’s game of musical chairs.
The Scot wants to stay for a fourth season, but with more drivers than places available and talk of others already being lined up for his job, he does not sound overly confident about his prospects.
“I have no idea. I need everybody’s help if I can get it,” Di Resta said after finishing 11th in Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. “I’ve done what’s asked of me when the car is under me and who knows? I’ll be in competitive racing ... but remaining part of Formula One has to be my ultimate goal.”
Di Resta, a cousin of three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, said he would be open to a switch to Indy Cars and the Ganassi seat vacated on medical grounds by Franchitti, a fellow Scot.
Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg, Di Resta’s teammate at Force India last year before moving to Sauber, has been tipped for a return to the Silverstone-based outfit, reportedly with an agreement already in place.
The indications are Mexican Sergio Perez will be joining him there.
Perez, whose place at McLaren is being handed to Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen, 21, signed off on Sunday with a sixth-place finish among the 19 cars on the starting grid and warm words from principal Martin Whitmarsh. Asked about the Mexican’s prospects of ending up at Force India, Whitmarsh indicated a deal was close.
“We have done what we can to help out getting him in there and he deserves to be in F1,” he said, expressing sympathy for Di Resta.
“It’s a complicated sport these days and there are drivers with less talent than Paul who will be in the sport, either entering the sport or remaining in the sport. That’s sad.”
“It hasn’t been announced yet, but I think it’s been fairly well speculated that is what is likely to happen,” he said of Di Resta being replaced.
Perez sounded optimistic about finding a job with Force India.
“It’s not confirmed yet,” he said. “Obviously it is one of the options, but there are also other options out there. I hope in the next few days we are going to have some news.”
Well-funded Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado is seen as the man who will stop the music and trigger a dash for seats once he has decided whether to opt for Lotus or Sauber. Until then, everyone else must wait.
Lotus have enjoyed a winning car this season, but with financial difficulties, there are no guarantees of that continuing next season when the regulations undergo dramatic change with a new V6 turbocharged engine being introduced.
Maldonado, whose place at Williams has been taken by Ferrari’s Brazilian Felipe Massa, told autosport.com he was close to a decision.
“We have been working very hard since many months ago and now we are just waiting for confirmation – all the stuff that you need to do with contracts,” he said. “But until you sign, you never know.”
Lotus are sure to retain Frenchman Romain Grosjean, while Force India’s Adrian Sutil has been linked to Sauber if he does not stay at his current team.
sports@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
How%20champions%20are%20made
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The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
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Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
