As excitement continues to grow over the climax to the Formula One championship, Yas Marina Circuit officials have confirmed it is not too late to get tickets for next weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final round of the season.
The title battle is delicately poised going into this weekend's penultimate race in Brazil, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso leading the championships on 231 points, 11 ahead of Mark Webber, the Red Bull-Renault driver.
Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel and both the McLaren-Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, can also still be crowned world champion, and it looks increasingly likely that the winner will be decided in Abu Dhabi.
With final preparations being completed ahead of the F1 circus arriving in town next Tuesday, Peter Rae, the director of communications at Yas Marina Circuit, explained what options are still available to people hoping to see the cars and drivers in action.
He said: "There are still tickets on sale but they are selling very quickly now.
"There are literally a handful of normal grandstand seats left at Dh1,800 for two days and Dh2,000 for three days. We also have a few hundred seats left in the Al Jood hospitality area of the North Grandstand. These cost Dh4,250 for the weekend and offer an air-conditioned suite, balcony seats, large-screen TV, plus a food and non-alcoholic beverage service.
"The advice to any fans who still do not have tickets is to buy now."
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins on November 12 with two 90-minute practice sessions, with qualifying on November 13 and the race on November 14. On November 11, there is a pit lane walk for people with three-day tickets.
Tickets can be bought by visiting www.yasmarinacircuit.ae
[ gcaygill@thenational.ae ]
AL BOOM
Director:Assad Al Waslati
Starring: Omar Al Mulla, Badr Hakami and Rehab Al Attar
Streaming on: ADtv
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Supy
Started: 2021
Founders: Dani El-Zein, Yazeed bin Busayyis, Ibrahim Bou Ncoula
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food and beverage, tech, hospitality software, Saas
Funding size: Bootstrapped for six months; pre-seed round of $1.5 million; seed round of $8 million
Investors: Beco Capital, Cotu Ventures, Valia Ventures and Global Ventures
Results
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8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund