Spa remains one of Formula One’s most demanding venues and Sunday proved no exception, with Oscar Piastri rising to the challenge on a wet weekend in Belgium.
After a cautious rolling start, he made a bold move on teammate Lando Norris to seize the lead and never looked back, delivering another clinical victory.
Behind him, Lewis Hamilton carved through the field with a series of brilliant overtakes, climbing from deep on the grid into the points with a drive that showcased his experience and control.
After another memorable weekend in Belgium, here are the key talking points.
Piastri's prediction comes true
A portrait of calm in the eye of the storm, Piastri drove with quiet authority and flawless execution at Spa-Francorchamps, mastering the conditions to take his sixth win of the season and tighten his grip on the championship lead.
After missing out on the Sprint win and qualifying second for the Grand Prix, Piastri arrived on Sunday looking to reassert control. When the lights finally went out after a rain-delayed start, he did exactly that.
Having started on pole for the Sprint, Piastri joked: “Spa’s probably one of the worst places to have pole position. It is what it is.”
On Sunday, from second, he proved himself right. Despite the limitations of the rolling start, he breezed past teammate Norris on the straight in the first racing lap with a clean and confident move. The British driver would later report a battery issue, but by then Piastri had already taken charge.
At one stage, it looked as though Norris’ one stop strategy might tilt the race in his favour. Piastri, who had stopped a lap earlier for mediums, expressed concern that his tyres would not last the distance.
The prospect of a second stop lingered in the background, while Norris, running long on hards, looked to close the gap. But as the laps wore on, Piastri managed his pace, never allowing the threat to fully materialise.
Norris gradually closed the gap, reducing Piastri’s advantage to under four seconds in the final stint.
But small mistakes, such as the one at Pouhon and later at La Source, stalled his momentum just as it began to build.
Piastri remained composed and crossed the line 3.415 seconds clear to seal McLaren’s sixth one-two finish of the season.
“I knew that Lap 1 was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race,” Piastri said. “I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge, and then it was enough.”
Red Bull begin new era without Horner
For the first time in over two decades, Red Bull arrived at a Grand Prix without Christian Horner in charge. Laurent Mekies, the French engineer and former Racing Bulls team principal, took the reins for the first time.
Speaking on Friday, he acknowledged Horner’s legacy and confirmed the two had remained in contact. “Yes, we have spoken, he has been nothing other than supportive,” Mekies said. “Even this morning and yesterday, we texted. It’s very impressive in the context.”
Max Verstappen began the weekend on the front foot, winning the Sprint with a well-timed move on Piastri up the Kemmel Straight and securing his first victory since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. For Sunday’s race, however, Red Bull opted for a higher downforce set up in anticipation of sustained rain.
When the race finally got under way after an 80-minute delay and the track dried more quickly than expected, that decision proved costly. Verstappen spent the afternoon chasing Charles Leclerc but lacked the straight line speed to mount a serious challenge, eventually crossing the line in fourth.
“All in all, with the decision making and the set up that we chose with the wing didn’t help,” he said. “P3 was probably the maximum possible with the ideal scenario and, unfortunately, this didn’t happen today.”
Ferrari's upgrades paying off
Ferrari arrived at Spa having implemented another development package, including a revised rear suspension.
Building on the new floor rolled out in Austria, the upgrades appeared to offer immediate benefits – at least for Leclerc. He capitalised on the improvements with a composed and consistent weekend, securing his fifth podium of the season and a third straight third-place finish at Spa.
“Max was behind for the whole race, within two seconds, so it is never easy, and the first part of the race was the trickiest for us,” said Leclerc after spending the whole afternoon holding off Verstappen.
Hamilton, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to the weekend. He was eliminated in the first round of both Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying, starting near the back in both races and finishing 15th in Saturday’s short run.
But on Sunday, in mixed conditions and with a pit-lane start, Hamilton produced a dazzling recovery race. Pulling off a string of decisive overtakes in the early laps, he worked his way up to seventh and was voted Driver of the Day. It wasn’t the outcome he had hoped for, but it was a determined recovery from a weekend that had come close to falling apart.
Russell bemoans 'worst' weekend
George Russell left Spa with growing concerns about Mercedes’ direction, describing it as the team’s worst performance of the season after finishing a distant fifth.
He crossed the line nearly 35 seconds behind Piastri and well off the pace of Verstappen's fourth-placed Red Bull.
Russell attributed the team’s recent struggles to a development shift made earlier in the year, which he now believes has backfired. “We made a clear change of direction a couple of months ago and it’s been since that point we’ve taken a step backwards,” he said.
MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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
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)
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
