Lewis Hamilton says he has the pace to match Michael Schumacher's pole record and engrave his name into Formula One folklore.
Hamilton, a single point adrift of his title rival Sebastian Vettel in this season's topsy-turvy title race, will earn his first shot at matching Schumacher's incredible haul of 68 poles in qualifying on Saturday for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Hungaroring is a circuit where Hamilton has flourished and his winning record is unrivalled. He has triumphed on five occasions, and been on pole here five times, too.
A sixth on Saturday would see Hamilton jointly crowned, statistically at least, as the fastest man the sport has ever seen over one lap. But standing in Hamilton's way could be the surprise figure of Daniel Ricciardo after the Red Bull driver topped both practice sessions on Friday.
Also read:
Graham Caygill: Rollercoaster week for Hamilton ends in delight at British GP
Hamilton casts doubt on Formula One future amid Ferrari speculation
Indeed Hamilton was only fifth in the day's second running, but the Mercedes driver did not set a lap on the supersoft tyre, the fastest rubber available here.
"It wasn't the easiest start to the weekend, with the conditions very gusty," Hamilton said. "We ended the day in fifth but there's clearly good pace in the car.
"It's super tight between Ferrari, Red Bull and ourselves at the top of the leaderboard, so it's looking like it will be an exciting weekend.
"There's some more work to do to fine-tune the balance to get the car just where we want it, and I believe the pace is in there. We just need to unlock it ahead of qualifying because every tenth is going to be crucial with three teams in the mix."
Following the conclusion of Sunday's race, the sport will head for its now traditional four-week summer break, and Hamilton will be in charge of the championship should he follow up his masterclass at the British Grand Prix with another victory.
Hamilton took 19 points out of Vettel's lead at Silverstone after the Ferrari driver suffered a penultimate-lap puncture.
"I'm just really grateful that it's close," Hamilton said as he reflected on his bid to win a fourth crown. "I've been 43 points down before, and I do not give up, but 20 points still felt like quite a decent gap.
"It's not the most important thing to go away form here leading. It would be great, but there's a long, long way to go and what happened at Silverstone just shows that it can shift.
"So, for me I'm just really focused on ultimately doing the best job I can and score the most points I can to make sure I remain in that fight and when push comes to shove, hope I've got the upper hand."
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
