How and where to watch F1 in the UAE

The 2022 Formula One season got off to an unexpected start as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won the Bahrain Grand Prix after world champion Max Verstappen retired with just three laps remaining.

Leclerc led teammate Carlos Sainz home in a one-two for a resurgent Ferrari.

Red Bull driver Verstappen, who went wheel-to-wheel with Leclerc on several occasions, was on course for second but was forced to retire after losing power. Teammate Sergio Perez appeared to suffer the same fate from third place on the final lap.

Mercedes' seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had reasons to celebrate as a third-place finish at Sakhir exceeded his expectations.

"This is really the best result we could have got," said Hamilton.

"A big, big congratulations to Ferrari, it's so good to see them doing well again," he added. "It was such a difficult race - we've struggled throughout practice and this was the best result we could hope for. We're grateful for these points."

Ferrari's return to form is expected to boost Formula One and help sell more tickets, according to chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

The Maranello-based team are F1's most decorated team but Leclerc's win at Sakhir was their first since 2019.

Sunday's win raised hopes that Ferrari have mastered this season's radical rules overhaul and are back in contention.

The action moves to Saudi Arabia for the next race this weekend. With the cars heavier and with bigger wheels, in a change aimed at making overtaking easier and the racing more competitive and exciting, expect more drama as the season unfolds.

How and where to watch F1 in the UAE?

Formula One fans can watch the F1 action MBC’s streaming platform www.shahid.net under the sports package of Shahid VIP. The entire season will be available only on Shahid VIP as part of the sports package. However, this weekend's Saudi Arabian GP will also air on MBC Action. Also, race highlights are available on Formula One's YouTube channel.

Formula One 2022 calendar

March 18-20: Bahrain GP

March 25-27: Saudi Arabian GP

April 8-10: Australian GP

April 22-24: Romagna GP

May 6-8: Miami GP

May 20-22: Spanish GP

May 27-29: Monaco GP

June 10-12: Azerbaijan GP

June 17-19: Canadian GP

July 1-3: British GP

July 8-10: Austrian GP

July 22-24: French GP

July 29-31: Hungarian GP

August 26-28: Belgian GP

September 2-4: Dutch GP

September 9-11: Italian GP

September 23-25: Russian GP (cancelled)

September 30-October 2: Singapore GP

October 7-9: Japanese GP

October 21-23: United States GP

October 28-30: Mexico GP

November 11-13: Brazilian GP

November 18-20: Abu Dhabi GP

The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

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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.

RESULTS

6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

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7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m

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7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

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Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara

8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m

Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.

Company Profile

Company name: Big Farm Brothers

Started: September 2020

Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur

Based: Dubai Investment Park 1

Industry: food and agriculture

Initial investment: $205,000

Current staff: eight to 10

Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets

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Turkish Ladies

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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.”

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE