McLaren and Ferrari deliver big spectacle in Abu Dhabi
The Straits Times|December 10, 2024
If ever there was a great screenplay to showcase the history of Formula One, it's a showdown between the sport's two longest-established contestants: Ferrari versus McLaren.
David Tremayne

Enzo Ferrari's purist company prided itself on making its own chassis, engine and gearbox. Bruce McLaren's team, who followed Ferrari 16 years later, in 1966, mated a self-built chassis with proprietary engines and gearboxes and achieved similar or better results.

But since 2009, when the private Brawn team won the drivers' and constructors' titles, both oldies have been overshadowed and no championship has fallen to any team other than Red Bull or Mercedes.

On Dec 8, in the Abu Dhabi twilight, it was most certainly not the first rodeo when it came to Ferrari and McLaren fighting for the ultimate glory, however. Ferrari had won 16 of them; McLaren were tied with Mercedes on eight.

This year the papaya orange cars have been extraordinarily competitive, building relentless momentum from the fresh foundation that chief executive Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella started creating in 2023 when an astonished Lewis Hamilton described their car as "a rocket ship".

Esta historia es de la edición December 10, 2024 de The Straits Times.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 10, 2024 de The Straits Times.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE STRAITS TIMESVer todo
FIRING UP OLD TRADITIONS
The Straits Times

FIRING UP OLD TRADITIONS

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Mr Dimitris Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honoured with inclusion in Unesco's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
The Straits Times

Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly may have split

American actress Megan Fox has reportedly split with American rapper Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), just weeks after the couple announced they are expecting.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
Shares linked to Squid Game star soar after Golden Globe nomination
The Straits Times

Shares linked to Squid Game star soar after Golden Globe nomination

SEOUL - Shares linked to South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae are soaring after the announcement that hit Netflix K-drama Squid Game 2, in which the star will reprise his leading role, has been nominated for Best Television Series in the drama category at the Golden Globes, ahead of its premiere on Dec 26.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Actor Dick Van Dyke, approaching 99, dances in Coldplay's latest music video
The Straits Times

Actor Dick Van Dyke, approaching 99, dances in Coldplay's latest music video

LOS ANGELES - American actor Dick Van Dyke, the lithe and witty nonagenarian whose career spans more than seven decades, has added yet another role to his lengthy resume: music video star.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
High website traffic on Disney cruise booking launch day causes delays
The Straits Times

High website traffic on Disney cruise booking launch day causes delays

Bookings for Disney Adventure – Asia's first Disney Cruise which will be homeporting in Singapore for at least five years – opened on Dec 10 to overwhelming demand, with its inaugural sailing selling out within the day.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Pharrell Williams' exuberant biopic Piece By Piece, Hellboy's faithful reboot
The Straits Times

Pharrell Williams' exuberant biopic Piece By Piece, Hellboy's faithful reboot

The life and career of American rapper-songwriter-producer-entrepreneur Pharrell Williams are reconstructed in Lego animation.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
At The Movies In horror film Heretic, Hugh Grant makes niceness feel nightmarish
The Straits Times

At The Movies In horror film Heretic, Hugh Grant makes niceness feel nightmarish

Two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), call at the home of Mr Reed (Hugh Grant), who claims to be interested in their religion. The women, to their horror, discover that they have walked into a carefully laid trap.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Hugh Grant Is enjoying the 'freak show era' of his career
The Straits Times

Hugh Grant Is enjoying the 'freak show era' of his career

The seemingly droll, breezy star is utterly serious about his work, including his villainous turn in the horror film Heretic

time-read
4 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
A bewitching tale of power
The Straits Times

A bewitching tale of power

Set 10,000 years before the events of the two Dune films (2021 and 2024), this six-episode series streaming on Max chronicles the goings-on at the Bene Gesserit, a religious order whose sisters serve as advisers to the aristocrats leading the Great Houses of the galactic empire.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Villain with a moral compass
The Straits Times

Villain with a moral compass

That is the take of British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Kraven The Hunter in a film on the antagonist from the Spider-Man comic books

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 12, 2024