Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
The 10th staging of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 5.10pm at Yas Marina Circuit.
World champion Lewis Hamilton was the quickest driver in qualifying and he starts as favourite to clinch an 11th win in 2018 and a 73rd of his career.
Here are some things to watch for ahead of the action.
Mercedes duel
There was little to choose between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in qualifying on Saturday, 0.162 seconds to be precise, as the world champion's lap record of 1 minute, 34.794 seconds took pole.
Hamilton got quicker as the race weekend progressed and, having been slower then Bottas on Friday, stepped it up when it mattered.
If Hamilton leads out of Turn 1 then he could be very difficult to beat.
Bottas, who has not won since he triumphed in Abu Dhabi 12 months ago, has not finished ahead of his teammate in their two seasons together when he has trailed the Briton at the end of the first lap.
So getting ahead when the five red lights go out will be arguably Bottas's best chance. Only twice in the past nine races in Abu Dhabi, and not since 2012, has the man who led at the end of the first lap not gone on to win.
Other than the start, the other hope for Bottas will be to stay close to Hamilton and try to exploit a gap when they start to lap cars mid race.
Traffic can be a challenge at Yas Marina Circuit and if Bottas can keep Hamilton in range he will stay in the hunt.
Bottas gave up his best chance of victory in Russia last month to team orders as he slowed to allow Hamilton to aid his championship quest.
Hamilton now has that fifth title but returning the favour is unlikely on Sunday, simply as Mercedes hated doing it in Russia and Bottas has shown, certainly in public, no enthusiasm for wanting to be given first place in that manner.
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Read more
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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weekend - all the latest updates on and off the track
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Verstappen's charge
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen starts in sixth but he may well be the man to watch in the opening laps.
He starts on Pirelli's Hypersoft compound, the softest of the three options available to the teams.
With the Mercedes drivers, the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and his teammate Daniel Ricciardo all starting on the medium Ultrasoft tyre, the Dutchman should have a grip advantage in the opening laps.
His tyres may be faster wearing then his rivals, and he may be even be forced into a two-stopper, but if Verstappen can make up early ground he can still be a major threat to the podium.
Leclerc's comeback
Given he damaged his car, with his rear wing falling off after he crashed at Turn 19 in final practice, eighth in qualifying for Sauber was a terrific effort from Charles Leclerc.
A points finish is a realistic goal before the 21 year departs to Ferrari, with his first test for his new employers coming next week at Yas Marina.
"It has been a great year and I aim to finish it with a strong result."
End of an era
Leclerc is not the only driver who is departing their current employer after Sunday's race.
Twelve of the 20 drivers lining up at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday will be in different surroundings, either in F1 or in another form of motorsport next season.
The most high-profile of these departures will be Fernando Alonso. The double world champion is leaving the sport, at least for now, and the McLaren driver starts 15th.
The F1 paddock paid tribute to the Spaniard with a party in his honour on Saturday night, and while a points finish looks a tall order, given the pace of his car compared to others, it would certainly be one of the most popular results of the day.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Results
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
