Sunday should have been spent celebrating the 50th anniversary of America's proudest moment in Formula One.
Instead, September 11 will for ever be overshadowed by the distressing memories of two horrific and avoidable incidents: the attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the deadliest accident in F1 history.
Phil Hill remains the only American-born driver to win the world championship, powering his Ferrari to victory at the Italian manufacturers' home grand prix of 1961.
Everybody who can recall the race, however, remembers not Hill's triumph but rather the fatal accident of his teammate, Count Wolfgang Berghe von Trips.
The German aristocrat needed to finish third to become his country's first world champion, but when his car was launched into the crowd at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza while travelling at 240kph, he died instantly.
Eleven spectators were also killed.
Depending on reports, one to four other spectators died later.
It remains the sport's deadliest accident.
Michael Schumacher, who would claim Germany's first drivers' title 33 years later, honed his talents at a karting circuit at Kerpen created by Von Trips.
"Of course, I was always grateful for the opportunities that this experience gave me," Schumacher said.
"This is a very special thing, which I'm still proud."
Sebastian Vettel, the reigning world champion, also raced at Kerpen, and both drivers have undoubtedly benefited from the increased safety measures that have been implemented since 1961.
It often takes a breaching of safety or security to prompt an overhaul and the hijacking of two planes 10 years ago also resulted in widespread changes in airport customs.
Vettel, who became the youngest champion in the sport's history following his triumph at Yas Marina Circuit last season, was 14 when the attacks on the Twin Towers took place on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
Saturday, the Red Bull Racing driver recalled his memories of the day.
"I remember I was going mountain biking and, just before I left, I saw on TV a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center," he said. "I thought, 'It's not true, something is wrong', so I left. When you are 14, you don't think about these things too much. Two hours later I came back and, obviously, I saw the pictures again. It's something we will never forget."
Vettel watched the 2001 Italian Grand Prix the following weekend, a race that almost took place without the inclusion of Ferrari, who contemplated withdrawing as a sign of solidarity with the United States.
Instead, the Italians raced with black nose cones. Schumacher was so badly affected, psychologically, that he recorded his worst finish of the season.
"I remember that we thought it was correct to race, and we did something on the nose," Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team principal, said earlier this week. "It was the first time in our history that we did something so special. We felt it was really important to show to all the Americans that we were close to them in that moment."
Domenicali confirmed that nothing special will be added to the two cars today, but added: "it is still part of our big memories."
McLaren-Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are also unlikely to adapt their cars for the occasion, with the latter saying "it is important to remember, but also time to move on".
Alex Zanardi agrees. The former Formula One driver lost both his legs in a Champ Car World Series accident the weekend immediately after 9/11, but time, as ever, proved itself a great healer. Within two years, Zanardi was driving with prosthetic legs. The Italian now has decided to compete for a place in his country's 2012 Paralympic handbiking team.
"Out of all the things I could do with what I had left, I discovered this activity," he said in a recent interview.
"When, in 2009, I didn't find a fantastic programme in motor racing, I decided to stop and dedicate more time to this activity. Basically, to realise a dream: London 2012."
@ For more FORMULA ONE, visit thenational.ae/topics
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Sterling 46', De Bruyne 65', Gundogan 70')
Aston Villa 0
Red card: Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
The%20specs
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Mrs%20Chatterjee%20Vs%20Norway
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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.”
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz