Away from the bright lights and searing focus of a new Formula One world title fight roaring into life on Sunday the famous Schumacher name is trying to slide quietly back into frame.
Not Michael, of course, but a mild-mannered, fresh-faced 22-year-old with a wide smile and engaging manner.
This is Mick, only son of the fallen F1 superstar preparing for his debut with back of the grid American outfit, Haas.
It claws at the heart strings to reflect that his momentous milestone in Bahrain this weekend would surely have been the proudest moment of the old legend’s life.
Some are so romanced by the narrative about the son of the incapacitated seven-time Ferrari champion that they talk of a man/boy in the spitting image of his father and who even sounds like him.
It’s mawkish tripe. He’s better looking than his dad and his accent more cosmopolitan, more polished, perhaps a tad more European. Michael never got entirely away from his clipped Teutonic intonation and twisted English sentences. Mick is a little less Dick Dastardly around the jowls.
And there’s the problem for Mick. The same faced by every famous ‘son of’. How to become your own story and not another episode of your fathers’.
Jacques Villeneuve achieved it, Damon Hill and Nico Rosberg too but more have failed: a fleet of Fittipaldis, Andrettis, Brabhams and Piquets among them.
For any other driver, just reaching F1 would be the realisation of a lifelong dream. For a Schumacher it can only be the beginning. That is the weight of expectation he carries. Every lap, every word, every manoeuvre will be measured against those achieved by the ghost in Gland.
Mick arrives with more than just genes and racing pedigree. He has a hatful of victories in the two key formulae leading up to F1. So that means there is something there, even if it’s too early to divine quite what.
His father was, for all his peccadilloes, a once-in-a-generation talent. True speed allied to impressive race craft, determination and utter ruthlessness that often comes from those who started with nothing.
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, in the midst of privilege and private jets it remains to be seen which of those attributes Mick has inherited.
He was there when his father crashed while skiing and suffered the kind of crippling brain damage he is unlikely to ever entirely overcome.
The real truth of his condition remains a closely guarded secret, hidden behind the discrete wooden gates to the sprawling family estate outside Gland, Switzerland, that has been turned from a sporting superstar’s enviable mansion hideaway into a fortress hospital.
The twin guardians of the racer’s legacy, wife Corinna and former manager, Sabine Kehm, have clearly decided the world will never see Schumacher as he is. That alone can only hint at the very worst of outcomes for the great man, reputedly still a quadriplegic, unable to walk or talk probably bed-bound or confined to a wheelchair.
This is what young Schumacher carries with him into the cockpit: unspoken family secrets, unanswerable questions.
All 20 drivers on the 2021 grid
Kehm is with the family still, helping guide the new generation, ensuring questions about Michael’s health stay off the agenda.
But Mick carries the family name with pride having chosen 47 for the side of his F1 racer. The four was his F3 competition number, the seven a tribute to his father’s title tally. But he admits he prefers a fan’s take on it even more: 47 equals ‘for seven’, ie racing for his dad.
His teammate is Russian Nikita Mazepin. If Mick is F1’s new poster child Mazepin is its made-to-measure bad boy.
He was slapped with a one race ban in 2016 for punching a rival and there was a distasteful social media episode that nearly ended his F1 career before it began.
So this year’s Haas story of sons and fathers has another layer. The love of Mazepin’s billionaire father, Dimtry has stretched to upwards of £50 million to buy his son a ride on the F1 rollercoaster.
But the Russian’s links with President Vladimir Putin and his team title-sponsorship deal in the colours of the Russian flag banned from global sport over Olympic doping has sparked an investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The idea Schumacher would get to learn his craft in relative - note that word - obscurity near the back of the grid was always fanciful, even before family Mazepin added a pinch of cordite to proceedings.
But it would take a cold heart not to want this son of the old legend lying prone and unknowing in Switzerland not to have a happy ending.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
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
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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.”
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
THREE
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Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
