While Sebastian Vettel boosted his hopes of extending his 46-point lead in the drivers' championship with pole position for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix, it was another German who provided the talking point of the day.
Nico Hulkenberg took third place on the grid in his Sauber, and the 26 year old said he hoped the performance would help boost his chances of getting a more competitive drive next season.
Hulkenberg and Sauber have toiled in 2013 thus far, scoring only 11 points in the first seven races, and the German, who has been linked with drives at Ferrari and Lotus, said: "I can only influence the future by performing very well and today's result is not the worst.
"For me it is important to focus on my competitiveness, on my performance and that will make the rest easier. Probably the timing is not the worst at this moment."
Hulkenberg, whose previous best qualifying effort of the season was ninth, was beaten by the two Red Bull Racing cars, and he added: "It is a nice surprise for ourselves, especially after a difficult Friday, with the car changed with some bits and bobs.
"The guys did a great job to give me a competitive car today and I had a good lap which made this surprise happen."
His Sauber team chief Monisha Kaltenborn said: "We couldn't believe it ourselves. This is fantastic. Nico said it himself, it was the perfect lap. I think he did a great job."
At the front Vettel was happy with the 40th pole of his career, ahead of his Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber at a venue which he said was close to his heart as it was where he won his first race with Toro Rosso in 2008.
"This is a special track for me and it is always nice to come back here. My memories of 2008 are great," he said.
"I had another win in 2011, but your first win is always special. This weekend, the car was fantastic.
"We had a really strong pace on Saturday and we were able to take that into qualifying today."
Despite being the dominant force in F1 for the past four years, Red Bull's record at Monza is not great, with just Vettel's 2011 success to their name.
The triple world champion added: "It's a bit of a surprise to have both cars on the front row at a place, historically where we've had bad years."
Hamilton highly critical ... of himself
Lewis Hamilton admonished himself after enduring his worst qualifying display for 67 races in Italy as he was only 12th quickest. The Mercedes-GP driver, who has taken five pole positions this season, said: "I drove like an idiot. That's the worst I've driven for a long, long time."
Raikkonen's title chance looks finished
Kimi Raikkonen's slim title hopes took a further blow after he qualified only 11th. The Finn, who is 63 points adrift of Vettel, said: "I was expecting to have a difficult weekend because it was last year. We were close to getting into Q3 but I think the end result would've been very similar."
Ricciardo gambles on straightline speed
Daniel Ricciardo is confident a decision to go for high straightline speed on his Toro Rosso car will pay off in Sundayday's race. The Australian, who will drive for Red Bull Racing next season, lines up seventh on Sunday on the grid and he said: "[Sunday] it should help us for defending or attacking."
Penalty for Sutil
Force India's Adrian Sutil was given a three-place grid penalty by stewards Saturday after being judged to have impeded Hamilton during the second part of qualifying.
The German, who had qualified 14th, will now start 17th on Sunday’s grid.
Italian GP qualifying results
1 Vettel, Red Bull 1m23.755secs
2 Webber, Red Bull 1.23.968
3 Hulkenberg, Sauber 1.24.065
4 Massa, Ferrari 1.24.132
5 Alonso, Ferrari 1.24.142
6 Rosberg, Mercedes 1.24.192
7 Ricciardo, Toro Rosso 1.24.209
8 Perez, McLaren 1.24.502
9 Button, McLaren 1.24.515
10 Vergne, Toro Rosso 1.28.050
Top 10 must start the race on the tyres with which they completed qualifying
11 Raikkonen, Lotus 1.24.610
12 Hamilton, Mercedes 1.24.803
13 Grosjean, Lotus 1.24.848
14 Maldonado, Williams 1.25.011
15 Di Resta, Force India 1.25.077
16 Gutierrez, Sauber 1.25.226
*17 Sutil, Force India 1.24.932
18 Bottas, Williams 1.25.291
19 V der Garde, Caterham 1.26.406
20 Pic, Caterham 1.26.563
21 Bianchi, Marussia 1.27.085
22 Chilton, Marussia 1.27.480
*Sutil given a three-place grid penalty for impeding another car
Drivers’ championship
Sebastian Vettel, Germany 197 pts
Fernando Alonso, Spain 151
Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain 139
Kimi Raikkonen, Finland 134
Mark Webber, Australia 115
Nico Rosberg, Germany 96
Felipe Massa, Brazil 67
Romain Grosjean, France 53
Jenson Button, Great Britain 47
Paul di Resta, Great Britain 36
Adrian Sutil, Germany 25
Sergio Perez, Mexico 18
Jean-Eric Vergne, France 13
Daniel Ricciardo, Australia 12
Nico Hulkenberg, Germany 7
Pastor Maldonado, Venezuela 1
Valtteri Bottas, Finland 0
Esteban Gutierrez, Mexico 0
Jules Bianchi, France 0
Charles Pic, France 0
Giedo van der Garde, Netherlands 0
Max Chilton, Great Britain 0
Constructors’ championship
Red Bull Racing-Renault 312 pts
Mercedes-GP 235
Ferrari 218
Lotus-Renault 187
McLaren-Mercedes 65
Force India-Mercedes 61
Toro Rosso-Ferrari 25
Sauber-Ferrari 7
Williams-Renault 1
Marussia-Cosworth 0
Caterham-Renault 0
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Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 2,000m - Winner: Powderhouse, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 2,200m - Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Conditions Dh240,000 1,600m - Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 2,000m - Winner: Key Bid, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 1,200m - Winner: Drafted, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.25pm: Handicap Dh170,000 1,600m - Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh190,000 1,400m - Winner: Rodaini, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
