The Monaco Grand Prix – where overtaking is more myth than manoeuvre.
Formula One's most iconic street circuit promises a spectacle but more often than not delivers more procession than passion.
This year, the FIA introduced a new rule: Two mandatory pit stops, to introduce a little chaos to proceedings.
And while McLaren’s Lando Norris danced through the narrow streets to claim a win, fans and pundits alike were left wondering whether the new rules had the desired impact.
Here are the main talking points from Monte Carlo.
Norris grabs his chance
The McLaren driver won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time on Sunday, and said: “This is what I dreamt of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.”
A commanding race from start to finish, this was Norris’ second win this season, after the opening race in Australia, and McLaren’s first win in Monaco since Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag in 2008.
Having snatched pole position from Charles Leclerc in qualifying on Saturday, Norris was always the favourite to win, managing to do so despite a nervy ending.
The Briton trailed Max Verstappen in the closing stages as the Dutchman opted to stay out as long as possible in hope of a red flag before pitting in the penultimate lap.
With Verstappen leading, Leclerc was able to close the gap on Norris and apply the pressure. Nonetheless, Norris kept calm and, when Verstappen pitted, took his chance to clinch victory.
Norris is now just three points behind his teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri. The Australian finished third in Monaco, ensuring McLaren’s first double podium in Monaco since 2007.
Are Ferrari improving?
Ferrari’s speed this weekend came as a surprise to many, including Ferrari. After topping the three practice sessions, Leclerc just missed out on pole position.
Having suffered with low-speed corners in previous races, Ferrari believed they would suffer again in Monaco. Instead, the car performed well, and Leclerc was left annoyed they couldn’t do better in qualifying.
“I don’t quite know why we are so fast in slow speed suddenly, but we’ll analyse that after the weekend,” Leclerc said after Saturday's qualifying.
Asked on Sunday whether he was happy with second place, a downcast Leclerc replied “not really”, saying that the race was lost in qualifying. “We should have done a better job.”
Ferrari can't run the SF-25 close to the ground as it increases the risk of the car bottoming out excessively. These issues were not as exposed in Monaco as at other tracks, hence a better performance.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton secured his best result in a Ferrari, coming home fifth, but the Briton still found it hard to see the positives.
“The races here are generally, unless you're first and in the lead, even when you're in the lead, it's not that fun. Just a nice reward at the end, but other than that, anything but first is kind of empty.”
Did the new rules make an impact?
Since 1950, Monaco has traditionally been a one-stop track. The race has been won from pole position on 32 occasions, which makes for a pretty boring race.
In a bid to spice up the race, the FIA introduced a new rule. All drivers must use at least three different sets of tyres, meaning a minimum of two mandatory pit stops.
A narrow track with few opportunities to overtake, the rule was supposed to stir things up, bring team tactics into play, give the fans something to cheer about.
The truth is, nothing changed; the top four who started on the grid finished in the same order at the end.
“You can't race here,” said an exasperated Verstappen. “It doesn't matter what you do. One stop, 10 stops.”
Red Bull strategy doesn't pay off
Red Bull were aware that Monaco “was not their track” and were not hopeful coming into this weekend. All the mechanical low-speed corners were simply going to highlight the limitations of their machinery.
To offset this, Red Bull tried four-time world champion Verstappen on a different strategy. The team started the Dutchman on the hard tyre, while the rest of the top three opted for mediums. On his first stop, Verstappen switched to the medium and ran for as long as possible before pitting on the penultimate lap of the race. It was evident that the team were hoping for some chaos or a red flag, but it never materialised. It was just a straightforward race.
Asked about his strategy, Verstappen said: “We could have pitted sooner, but then you just sit there in fourth anyway.”
It seems no matter what you try, the best strategy for winning in Monaco is to ace qualifying.
Hadjar continues to impress
Both Racing Bulls finished in the points, with Isack Hadjar grabbing sixth place.
The weekend had started poorly for the French-Algerian when he collided with the barrier in his second practice session. In his third practice session, he managed only 17th place.
Hadjar admitted he went into qualifying feeling low in confidence, and yet he pushed through to earn a career-best finish that became P5 after Lewis Hamilton suffered a penalty.
On Sunday, Hadjar was grateful for the perfect execution of the team’s strategy. Teammate Liam Lawson held up the pack and slowed down the race to allow Hadjar to make two comfortable pit stops.
A great drive from the rookie ensured a smooth finish and more points. Hadjar continues to excel, and he was quick to praise his teammate, who finished eighth.
“Liam helped me massively, it was great teamwork and also he helped me, but he also got points, so I'm really happy for him,” said Hadjar.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
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6026 - Dh200
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The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
