Felipe Massa is ninth in the F1 drivers' standings this season, with 71 points. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters
Felipe Massa is ninth in the F1 drivers' standings this season, with 71 points. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters
Felipe Massa is ninth in the F1 drivers' standings this season, with 71 points. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters
Felipe Massa is ninth in the F1 drivers' standings this season, with 71 points. Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

Williams’ Felipe Massa on Interlagos tyre choice: ‘Dangerous, very dangerous’


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Brazilian driver Felipe Massa says Pirelli’s choice of tyres for his home Formula One grand prix next month is “very dangerous”.

The Italian company announced last week it would be taking its two hardest compounds to Interlagos – the hard and medium tyres – due to the high energy demands of the anti-clockwise Sao Paulo circuit.

“Dangerous, very dangerous,” Massa told reporters when asked at the Russian Grand Prix for his opinion on the choice.

“I have no idea why they chose medium and hard and it’s completely unacceptable.”

Formula One’s only current Brazilian driver said the conditions at the circuit could be wet and cold and a hard tyre might not provide enough grip in circumstances where drivers needed to take a gamble on dry tyres.

Massa, whose concerns about safety have been heightened by the horrific accident suffered by friend and fellow driver Jules Bianchi in Japan this month, also said the track had been resurfaced, which might cause additional problems.

“I already spoke to most of the drivers, I spoke to the FIA, I spoke to everybody, so more than what I did I think is difficult,” said the Brazilian. “We wait and see.”

Pirelli’s motorsport head Paul Hembery was puzzled by Massa’s comments, pointing out the hard tyre had been raced previously at Interlagos, which hosts the penultimate race of the season.

“It’s one of the more aggressive circuits we have on the calendar and has the risk of creating blistering problems. We know that the soft tyre under extreme loads has the potential to blister,” he said.

Hembery agreed however that the new asphalt could be a factor and said the company would double check that before the next meeting of the sport’s tyre working group.

“If there’s unanimous agreement, we can reconsider,” he added, although any change would be based solely on the technical data.

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Name: buybackbazaar.com

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Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech, micro finance

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Scores

Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand

Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy. 

 

UFC Fight Night 2

1am – Early prelims

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4am-7am – Main card

7:30am-9am – press cons

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

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Price: Dh13,400,000

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