Paul Aron signs as 2025 BWT Alpine Formula One Team Reserve Driver
BWT Alpine Formula One Team is pleased to announce Paul Aron will become its 2025 Reserve Driver. The 20-year-old Estonian is currently competing in his first season of the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Hitech Pulse-Eight. With seven podiums in 2024, Paul is fourth in the Championship and second-best rookie as it stands. He will line-up on pole position for Sunday’s penultimate Formula 2 Feature Race in Qatar as he remains in the mix for the Drivers’ Championship. Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor: “We are very pleased to have Paul join BWT Alpine Formula One Team as our 2025 Reserve Driver. There is a generational shift in Formula 1 at the moment, as we see with many young drivers coming into the sport and making an impact. We believe Paul is one of the best talents and we look forward to developing him into an F1 driver.” Paul Aron: “It’s incredibly special to be joining BWT Alpine Formula One Team. It is clear that this is a great place to be for any young driver and I’m really pleased that Flavio and Oliver [Oakes] have given me this opportunity. Before 2025 and the hard work that will come with being the team’s Reserve Driver, I have a Championship to focus on for the remainder of this year and I will be giving it my all to compete for the title. I’m looking forward to really beginning the work and continuing my career pathway in motorsport.”
Celestyal Sets Sail from Qatar for Maiden Voyage into the Arabian Gulf
Doha, Qatar 30 November, 2024: Celestyal, an award-winning cruise line that provides all-inclusive experiences has proudly confirmed its flagship, the ‘Celestyal Journey’, has arrived in Doha, Qatar, marking the beginning of the line’s inaugural Arabian Gulf season. This exciting new chapter kicks off with two specially themed F1 voyages taking in the Qatar and Abu Dhabi grand prix events. To celebrate the occasion, Celestyal, in partnership with visit Qatar, Qatar Tourism, Mwani Qatar and Qatar Airways hosted an exclusive event onboard the Celestyal Journey while docked at Doha Port on November 30. Local dignitaries, members of the media and influencers, and key partners gathered for a day of presentations, ship tours, the traditional plaque exchange ceremony, and a celebratory luncheon—all capturing the spirit of Celestyal’s famously warm hospitality. The line has previously announced that they will host a special five-day F1-themed event for global travel agents. This experience includes a three-night land stay with local excursions to the Arabian Travel Market, followed by two days aboard the Celestyal Journey while docked at Doha’s Grand Cruise Terminal. During this time, guests can attend the Qatar Grand Prix and enjoy an intimate speaking session with Formula 1 legends David Coulthard and Laura Winter in the ship’s impressive Amphitheatre. Subsequent departures will then comprise of seven-night ‘Desert Days’ itineraries, sailing roundtrip from Doha, up to March 2025. Each cruise features visits to the iconic destinations of Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi, an overnight stay in Dubai Marina, along with stops at hidden gems like Khasab and Sir Bani Yas Island. The Celestyal Journey will call Doha its winter home for the next three consecutive years, following a collaboration between Celestyal and Visit Qatar that aims to bring the region’s stunning offerings to the world. The remarkable ship boasts 630 suites and staterooms, seven restaurants, eight bars and lounges, two pools and jacuzzis, and an entire deck dedicated to wellness—complete with a spa, fitness, and wellness areas. After a multi-million Euro refurbishment in September 2023, the Celestyal Journey received additional upgrades en route to Doha, including enhancements to the Junior Dream Suites and the addition of Café Nation, a popular coffee bar introduced on its sister ship earlier this year. Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see our first ever Arabian Gulf season get underway. I want to thank our partners at Visit Qatar, Mwani Port Authority, Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways for their continued support and warm welcome to the region. We are confident that our special FI-themed cruises will ensure we have a roaring start to the season, while the Desert Days itinerary offers the very best of the local region. Whether guests are familiar with the destinations we visit or are sampling them for the first time, there will be a wealth of authentic experiences available to everyone.” The Celestyal Discovery will also join Celestyal Journey in the region at the end of 2025. She will sail three-night long weekend ‘Iconic Arabia’ cruises roundtrip from Abu Dhabi, calling at Doha Port, Khalifa Bin Salman Port (Bahrain) and Dubai Marina Port, and four-night midweek ‘Iconic Arabia’ cruises, sailing roundtrip from Abu Dhabi, calling at Fujairah, Muscat and Kasab. Chris Theophilides, CEO at Celestyal, adds: “We’re delighted to be commencing our season in the Arabian Gulf, with this momentous arrival into Doha. I want to thank our teams and partners who have made this a reality. It marks a significant milestone in Celestyal’s journey, operating a fully refreshed fleet across year-round operations and two regions. We listened to our guests, and 86% tell us they want to return after they have spent time onboard. And with our new Desert Days itinerary, as well as our additional Iconic Arabia itineraries on Celestyal Discovery from next year, we are expanding the many reasons for them to return to sea with us.” The Desert Days itinerary prices start from €359 / $409 / £319 / A$579 per person, representing a 67% saving, and the Iconic Arabia cruises start from €239 / £219 / $279 / A$389 per person, representing a 57% saving—both available at these rates as part of the cruise line’s Black Friday sale, ending December 3. For more information, visit celestyal.com or call 0808 258 4170.
Double first for Uihlein with International Series Qatar win and Rankings lead
(Doha, Qatar, 30 November 2024) Peter Uihlein proved simply too strong at the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar today, marching to a five-shot victory at Doha Golf Club. The American, the leader since day two, shot a final round three-under-par 69 to finish on 16-under, for his second victory on The International Series this year. The result also saw him move to number one on The International Series Rankings. South African Charl Schwartzel came home in second place after a 68, while his close friend and compatriot Louis Oosthuizen tied for third two shots back with Filipino Miguel Tabuena. Oosthuizen fired a 71 and Tabuena a 70 – in the penultimate event of the season on the Asian Tour and The International Series. Peter Uihlein hits a tee shot in the final round on his way to a five-shot victory in the US$2.5 million International Series Qatar at Doha Golf Club. Photo by Asian Tour American John Catlin tied for 19th after a 71 to wrap up the Asian Tour Order of Merit title with one event remaining, next week’s US$5million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Advisers. He is now second on The International Series Rankings having led for most of the year. Uihlein’s one-stroke lead at the start of the day became four at the turn. He was coasting before Schwartzel, playing three groups ahead, made a late charge with birdies on 16 and 17. Uihlein holed a clutch putt for par from 12-feet on 15 to leave the gap at three, and then birdied on 16 and 18 to put the icing on the cake. It was an impressive finish considering the wind was up again and the greens were hard and fast. He said: “Yeah, it was a good day and yesterday was good as well, it was a very solid weekend. I think I only missed a total of five greens for the weekend around here. When the wind is blowing, that’s pretty good. Felt pretty solid, felt in control. “The putt on 15 was nice, to get up and down there, and I got a nice break in the rough. It was funny, I tried to do a little different mindset for me this week, at least on the back nine. I saw the leaderboard, and that I had like a four-shot lead, and I was basically just trying to play match play against the golf course and par was a good score. I felt like if I could beat the back nine, I was going to be in good position, so making those birdies at the end was nice for my little mini goal.” Uihlein claimed International Series England in August by the sizeable margin of seven shots for his maiden title on the Asian Tour and The International Series. It looked like he was also going to win the International Series Thailand two months later, but he bogeyed the final hole to hand victory to Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei. Today’s victory is redemption for that near miss and gives the Range Goats GC player a chance of winning the rankings next week, although with a wealth of points on offer the race is wide open. “I feel like my game is trending, it’s just getting better,” he added. “Like stuff I’ve been working on even before, all that stuff feels like it’s kind of getting easier under the gun, which was nice. But yeah, it’s 1,000 points to the winner next week so it’s obviously all still up in the air.” Schwartzel’s round, which started with an eagle on the par-five first, was the lowest of the day. “It was a fantastic putting round today, I made so many feet of putts,” said the 2011 Masters champion. “It was tough again you know; the wind hasn’t stopped blowing for the last three days. And you know, the golf course has been quite penalising when you miss the fairways and it’s hard to hit the fairways with the crosswinds and stuff. So, it was always going to be a grind, and I needed a good putting round. I putted well and yeah, I was happy with my round.” South African Dean Burmester (69), India’s Anirban Lahiri (70), Eugenio Chacarra (71) from Spain, and Thai Suteepat Prateeptienchai (72) were next best placed on eight under. In the battle to retain playing rights for next year and finish in the top 65 on the Merit list Australian Jed Morgan was the big mover. He carded a 71 to finish joint 37th and move from 66th to 64th to ensure he is safe for the new season.
Tennis icon Novak Djokovic has now embraced the sport firsthand with Premier Padel
Tennis icon Novak Djokovic – who recently highlighted padel’s rapid growth and its impact on tennis – has now embraced the sport firsthand with Premier Padel. He joined Premier Padel Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi for a padel match at the Premier Padel courts in Doha, once again showing the sport’s dynamic appeal. This also follows Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri all taking a break from the track to visit the same Premier Padel x Qatar Airways courts in Doha ahead of the Formula 1 Qatar GP.
