Winner Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, centre, second-placed Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, left, and third-placed Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stand on the podium after the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on May 24, 2015, at the Monaco street circuit in Monte-Carlo. AFP PHOTO / BORIS HORVAT
Winner Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, centre, second-placed Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, left, and third-placed Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stand on the podium after the Monaco Formula One GrandShow more

Shady deal under the sun costs Lewis Hamilton at Monaco Grand Prix



Monte Carlo, so said English playwright W Somerset Maugham, is a sunny place full of shady people.

Sunday afternoon, under an incandescent ball in the sky, Lewis Hamilton was robbed of victory in the Monaco Grand Prix because of a strategic error by his Mercedes-GP team.

The reigning world champion had led from the start on the streets of the principality and had built up a gap of 21 seconds when a safety car was employed with 14 laps remaining following a crash involving Max Verstappen of Toro Rosso.

Confusion resulted in Mercedes calling Hamilton into the pits, but with neither teammate Nico Rosberg nor Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel stopping, the Briton relinquished the lead.

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“We’ve lost this haven’t we?” Hamilton asked his radio engineer as he rejoined the field in third place.

He had. Rosberg took his second straight win of the season and a third successive victory in Monaco, the city in which he went to school.

There were no allegations of any­thing underhand at play, but it was clear that the fallout will be severe: heads could roll.

Niki Lauda, Mercedes’ non-executive chairman, said the mistake was “totally unacceptable”, while Toto Wolff, the marque’s motorsport boss, apologised profusely on behalf of the team.

“We have lost Lewis the grand prix,” Wolff said. “We thought the gap was different to what it actually was. A complete misjudgement. I am just so sorry. It was a win for Lewis to take home – an easy run – and we have just screwed it up for him. There is nothing we can do but apologise, apologise and apologise.”

Hamilton, to his credit, spoke calmly – even if his actions betrayed his even temper.

After stopping on track after the chequered flag, he crawled slowly back to parc-ferme, where he knocked over his third-place parking board with the nose of his car.

As his teammate sprayed the Mercedes team with bubbles, Hamilton walked away alone with a face as stony as the rocks that loom over the lavish harbour.

“The team has done amazing all year long and we win and we lose together, so I’m just grateful for the job that I did and congratulations to Nico and Sebastian,” Hamilton, 30, said curtly. “This is a race that’s been close to my heart for years and it’s special to me, so I really wanted to win. The team have been brilliant all year, so I don’t blame them.

“We’ll analyse and work out what went wrong, but we’ll do that collectively and try to improve for the future. I always say to my team and my fans, we win and we lose together. You live to fight another day.”

Rosberg conceded he had been gifted the win, which closed the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings to 10 points.

The German said he must improve before the next race of the season in Canada on June 7.

“That was my luckiest experience in racing so far – what a crazy race,” he said. “Until the safety car Lewis has done a perfect job. He was better than me over the weekend, so he definitely deserved the win. I know how horrible he must feel now.

“For sure, I feel happy to win again here in Monaco. It’s always so special and one part of me will celebrate that victory because a win is a win.

“This weekend was a warning for me though that I have to work even harder for the next race in Montreal.”

Monaco Grand Prix report card

Star performer Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) The world champion did not put a foot wrong all afternoon and deserved to take the victory. He led for 64 laps before his team made a massive mistake and called him in to the pits, resulting in him being jumped by both teammate Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Underperformer Fernando Alonso (McLaren) Received a five-second time penalty for a first-lap collision with Nico Hulkenberg and his afternoon got worse when a gearbox problem saw the two-time champion's race end prematurely.

Key moment With only 14 laps left, Max Verstappen's attempted pass on Lotus's Romain Grosjean resulted in the nose of the Dutchman's Toro Rosso buried in a barrier and a safety car, which changed the shape of the podium as Hamilton slipped back and Rosberg climbed to the front ahead of Vettel.

Low point Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado continued his lamentable 2015 race record after colliding with Felipe Massa on the opening lap, resulting in the Venezuelan being forced to retire for the fifth time in six races this season.

Move of the race Daniel Ricciardo's tight pass on Kimi Raikkonen in the late stages earned the Australian a fifth-place finish and a round of applause from the fans, who had been desperate for some on-track action since the lights went out.

Our verdict There is a sense of disillusionment surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix. A fantastic atmosphere surrounds the race weekend, but when the lights go out it is ultimately an annual letdown. A poor call from Mercedes should not mask what was a dull race.

gmeenaghan@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

MATCH SCHEDULE

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)

Liverpool v Roma

Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)

Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26

Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs

A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.

The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.

Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.

Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.

Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

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Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

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Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

While you're here
SPEC%20SHEET
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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs

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Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

Dubai Rugby Sevens

November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai

Gulf Under 19

Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy

Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2

Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina

Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School