Red Bull's Max Verstappen, right, lost his pole position for the Qatar GP to George Russell of Mercedes. Getty Images
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, right, lost his pole position for the Qatar GP to George Russell of Mercedes. Getty Images
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, right, lost his pole position for the Qatar GP to George Russell of Mercedes. Getty Images
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, right, lost his pole position for the Qatar GP to George Russell of Mercedes. Getty Images

Max Verstappen handed grid penalty as George Russell gets pole position for Qatar GP


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Newly-crowned world champion Max Verstappen was stripped of pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix for impeding Mercedes driver George Russell in qualifying on Saturday.

Red Bull's Verstappen was given a one-place grid penalty for blocking Russell with the British driver starting on pole instead of the Dutchman.

Hours after Verstappen claimed his first pole position for five months, a one-place penalty was imposed for driving unnecessarily slowly, a manouevre that pushed Russell into the gravel.

The Red Bull driver clocked the fastest lap in one minute and 20.520 seconds and Russell was originally second for Mercedes just 0.055 seconds adrift.

However, the British driver complained immediately about the champion's session.

"Super-dangerous by Verstappen," said the Mercedes driver.

"I ended up going through the gravel and all over the floor it felt like it was scraping," said Russell.

McLaren's Lando Norris remains third while sprint-race winner Oscar Piastri of McLaren was fourth with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the third row along with Lewis Hamilton in sixth for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Stewards said the case was complicated but agreed that Verstappen, who clinched his fourth title in a row in Las Vegas last weekend, was going too slow on a cool down lap when Russell suddenly came up behind him.

Speaking before the stewards' verdict, Russell said he believed Verstappen's tactics cost him outright pole.

"I had a really scrappy out lap with the near collision with Max and I ended up going through the gravel two corners prior to opening my lap," said the British driver. "It was not a good start to the lap, so that was probably the 55 milliseconds.

"I hope it didn't damage the car, but maybe that's the reason why we didn't improve, I don't know. It was a bit of a hairy one, two corners before we start the lap."

Verstappen said: "There were two cars in front of me also making a gap, so I had to make a gap. And I knew that everyone was on a slow lap, not on a push lap.

"George got excited. He wanted to pass and get around. That's fine. I mean everyone, of course, tries to get their position, you know, to have the best possible start to the lap."

Meanwhile, Norris ignored team orders and handed his McLaren teammate Piastri the sprint race in Qatar.

Qatar's high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim with qualifying winner Max Verstappen at the Lusail International Circuit. EPA
Qatar's high jump star Mutaz Essa Barshim with qualifying winner Max Verstappen at the Lusail International Circuit. EPA

With McLaren eyeing its first F1 constructors' title in 26 years and Russell close behind for Mercedes, Norris was told by the team over the radio to “finish in this order,” ahead of Piastri.

He chose to gift his teammate the win anyway, easing off to the right on the exit of the final corner and then swooping back across in front of Russell, who finished third.

“The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it and we did,” Norris said. "Honestly, I don’t mind. I’m not here to win sprint races. I’m here to win races and the championship, but that’s not gone to plan."

Norris was paying Piastri back for doing the same in the sprint race in Brazil when Norris was still fighting Verstappen for the drivers’ title.

“I made my mind up in Brazil when it happened,” Norris said. “I needed to do something to give it back.”

Piastri said he hadn't expected Norris to take the risk.

“I was aware it could happen. I was a bit surprised that with George half a second (away) it did,” Piastri said. “It just shows off our teamwork and the lack of egos within the team.”

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While you're here
What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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.

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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

RESULTS

2.15pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m

Winner Shawall, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)

2.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Anna Bella Aa, Fabrice Veron, Abdelkhir Adam

3.15pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

3.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m

Winner Taajer, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

4.15pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 (D) 1,700m

Winner Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri

4.45pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner Maqaadeer, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
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Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari

Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam

Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai

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Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Updated: December 01, 2024, 5:17 AM`