McLaren's Oscar Piastri won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday from Red Bull polesitter Max Verstappen to take a lead in the world championship for the first time in his career.
Charles Leclerc's Ferrari completed the podium for this fifth round of the season at a floodlit Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Piastri's third win this year was in large part decided at the first turn, when Verstappen picked up a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage after going off the track.
He becomes the first Australian to lead the drivers' standings since his agent, Mark Webber, 15 years ago.
"Very happy to have won, made the difference at the start. Great race. Max was still a bit too close for my liking," Piastri said after crossing the line 2.843 seconds clear of the four-time world champion.
His McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who went into the weekend leading the standings, took fourth ahead of the two Mercedes of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Piastri made it back-to-back wins to move 10 points ahead of team-mate Norris at the top of the standings.
Norris labelled himself an "idiot" after crashing in qualifying and admitted he'd made life difficult for himself starting from 10th.
But he limited the damage with a strong race to finish fourth and is two points ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen's Red Bull future dominated the pre-race build-up after a disappointing weekend in Bahrain sparked more speculation that he may wish to leave the team.
The four-time world champion banished that talk and issues with his car with a flawless lap to take pole on Saturday.
Every previous race this season, including China's sprint, had been won from pole but Piastri made an early bid to change that as he got a great launch off the line and moved to the inside of Verstappen.
The Dutchman dived across the run-off area and stayed ahead, with Piastri on the radio to say: "He needs to give that back, I was ahead."
Verstappen's view was: "He forced me off, there was no intention from him to make that corner."
The stewards sided with Piastri as Verstappen received a five-second penalty. "Well that is lovely," said Verstappen.
Further back, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly banged wheels and were both out - forcing a first-lap safety car.
Verstappen got the jump on Piastri at the restart as the McLaren was forced to defend from Russell.
Piastri pitted on lap 19, trailing by nearly three seconds, with Verstappen in two laps later. The Dutchman served his penalty and emerged three seconds behind.
On his out lap, Piastri completed a sensational overtake on Lewis Hamilton.
Once he gained clean air ahead of Verstappen, Piastri showcased the might of the McLaren to cruise to victory.
"It was a pretty tough race. I’m very, very happy to have won. Made the difference at the start. Made my case into turn one, and that was enough," said the race winner.
"Definitely one of the toughest races I've had in my career," he added after 50 laps in 30° Celsius around a super-fast track.
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
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Why seagrass matters
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- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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Specs
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Saudi National Day
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Director: Michael Bay
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2.5 / 5 stars
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
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West Indies v England ODI series:
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas.
Fixtures:
1st ODI - February 20, Bridgetown
2nd ODI - February 22, Bridgetown
3rd ODI - February 25, St George's
4th ODI - February 27, St George's
5th ODI - March 2, Gros Islet
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
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Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
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Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Lexus LX700h specs
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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Oppenheimer
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Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Investing in the future
School uniforms report
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
