ABU DHABI // Many people milling around the Formula One paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit yesterday made for tired-looking figures.
An exhausting 19-race season reaches its climax with Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which completes a particularly gruelling seven-week period of five races outside of Europe, the home of all the 12 teams in F1.
But one person who still looked fresh-faced as he strode around yesterday was Nico Hulkenberg, who is enjoying a strong ending to his first year in the highest echelon of motorsport.
The 23-year-old German made the headlines last weekend by taking pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix in his Williams-Cosworth, briefly overshadowing the championship contenders.
"I am kind of happy and sad, a bit of both, that the season is ending," he told The National yesterday. "It has been a long season but we are here to race and we love racing. It is only a two-month break, so it is not too bad, but still I will be looking forward to when testing begins again next year after the break."
Having graduated from GP2, in which he was champion last year, there were high expectations for the man from Germany to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel and make a strong entry into the sport.
That was not the case and it took until the 12th race in Hungary for him to score his first championship points as he finished sixth at the Hungaroring.
Of how he felt his year had gone, he said: "I was not so happy with first part of season, it was quite tough it was not as I wished and as the team wished. Obviously I have done some mistakes as a rookie.
"But since Montreal [for the Canadian Grand Prix in June] the second half of the season has been good with a steep learning curve and I am pleased with how I did."
Being a newcomer to F1 is especially difficult these days as there is no testing during the season due to cost-cutting regulations, so Hulkenberg has had to learn as he has gone along at each race.
"It is not easy for sure with no testing, but it is the situation for all the rookies and we can't change it," he said.
Looking back at his campaign, it is not surprising that qualifying in pole in Sao Paulo is the high point, though there were other moments.
"It [Brazil] was probably the biggest highlight, Monza [Italy, where he was seventh] was a very good weekend for me and in Singapore [where he was sixth] I had a strong race. The second half of the season was strong for me in my point of view, but for sure Brazil was the best moment."
That pole in drying track conditions in Brazil did came as a shock to him as his team did not tell him just how quickly he was going.
"It felt very good to be honest how I was going, but I have that feeling before and been wrong," he said. "There have been times before in qualifying where I have done a fantastic lap and I think that is the fastest I can go in that car right now only for my engineer to come on the radio and say you are P8 or P9 and you are like 'ah, what can I do?'
"This time he told me before the last lap that I had a good pace, but he did not tell me that I had P1 already and I was able to put together another clean lap and it was a great feeling to know I was fastest."
Hulkenberg's place with the Williams team is not yet secured for next season as the British team try to confirm funding and their revenue availability as they have lost sponsors during the season.
But having had a taste of F1, Hulkenberg is unequivocal on what his goal is for next year.
"There is still no news from Williams but obviously for me the most important thing is to be in Formula One in 2011."
gcaygill@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Company%20Profile
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
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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
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.
Richard Jewell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
