FERRARI FF on Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road Review

The heat is excruciating, the sun is so violent that we're starting to wonder if it's an element of nature or one of torture. Even here, in the smooth charms of the Ferrari FF's leather cabin finish, the temperature outside feels like a threat. But there's not time for such concerns to be give attention, we've got to start climbing.

We're working that V12 up front towards the beginning of the Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road. Right now we're at the foothills of the Jebel Hafeet mountains and, for the last ten minutes, we've been exposed to the extreme contrast that has come to define the United Arab Emirates in the recent past.

On our way we passed by what seemed to be a gathering of burial tombs that looked hundreds of years old. However, not long after that, we went past the entrance to one of the UAE's newly built oasis, the Green Mubazarrah. This is definitely a place where you come alive, as it defies its arid surroundings with hot water springs and swimming pools.

Here is where it all begins: you come out of a roundabout and into a wide area with four lanes. Soon one of them will fade away and we'll have two ascending lanes and a descending one, a setup that will be kept for the entire length of the road.

While fifteen minutes ago we were suffocated by the relentless, yet surging traffic in Al Ain, now it's all quiet. Come to Jebel Hafeet on an average day during the week and you'll find very few other cars here.

Of course you will, the mountain only allows you to climb the twenty one corners if this was the reason of your journey. Otherwise, you might as well turn back - the road only leads to the proximity of Jebel Hafeet's 4,098 feet (1,249 meters) summit, there's nothing on the other side.

After showing respect by performing a few "laps" of practice, we return to the base and prepare for a storming ascend. The final part of our conversation involve something about a panic button.