Red Bull led the way in the third and final practice session for the Etihad Airways Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday as Max Verstappen led teammate Alexander Albon but dominant Mercedes found themselves in unfamiliar territory.
Dutchman Verstappen lapped the Yas Marina Circuit in one minute, 36.251 seconds, 0.501 seconds clear of his British-born Thai teammate Albon.
Daniel Ricciardo was third for Renault with his teammate Esteban Ocon in fourth.
World champion Lewis Hamilton, back in action after missing last week's Sakhir Grand Prix due to Covid-19, was the lead Mercedes in sixth, 0.761 seconds slower than Verstappen. Teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had set the fastest time on Friday, was ninth.
Mercedes, running a special livery with the names of about 2,000 team personnel on their cars, have taken pole in Abu Dhabi every year since 2014. They have started every race but one this season from the front of the grid.
Hamilton indicated on Friday that the team, who this year wrapped up a record seventh straight title double, could use Saturday’s hour-long session to run their cars on higher fuel loads, suggesting normal order could be restored come qualifying.
Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren ahead of Hamilton, who has wrapped up a record-equalling seventh title.
Lance Stroll was seventh for Racing Point ahead of Carlos Sainz in the other McLaren.
Sergio Perez, winner in Sakhir last week who is set to start Sunday's race from the back of the grid thanks to engine-related penalties, rounded out the top 10 for Racing Point.
George Russell, who stood in for Hamilton in Sakhir and nearly won the race, was 15th on his Williams return behind Sebastian Vettel who took part in his final practice session for Ferrari.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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%3Cp%3EDungeons%20%26amp%3B%20Dragons%20began%20as%20an%20interactive%20game%20which%20would%20be%20set%20up%20on%20a%20table%20in%201974.%20One%20player%20takes%20on%20the%20role%20of%20dungeon%20master%2C%20who%20directs%20the%20game%2C%20while%20the%20other%20players%20each%20portray%20a%20character%2C%20determining%20its%20species%2C%20occupation%20and%20moral%20and%20ethical%20outlook.%20They%20can%20choose%20the%20character%E2%80%99s%20abilities%2C%20such%20as%20strength%2C%20constitution%2C%20dexterity%2C%20intelligence%2C%20wisdom%20and%20charisma.%20In%20layman%E2%80%99s%20terms%2C%20the%20winner%20is%20the%20one%20who%20amasses%20the%20highest%20score.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
