Formula One bosses have again delayed the decision over how the season will end, with drivers and team bosses now citing a mid-October date for a call. Sky Germany has reported that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races will go ahead as scheduled, though that has not been verified or confirmed.
It has been clear for months that hosting two races in the Middle East is too dangerous. While airstrikes have slowed down since earlier in the year, when the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races were axed, the threat remains ever-present. Just yesterday, the US said it is sending thousands more troops to the region on board Navy ships.
Financial penalty versus human cost
Stefano Domenicali originally set mid-September as a decision deadline, but has delayed again. Meanwhile, Andy Burnham said Iran is believed to have been involved in the RAF Fairford incident, while Donald Trump suggested the same was true of the FlyDubai hijacking.
Putting on F1 races within striking distance of Iran feels too much like offering up a target, yet the can keeps being kicked down the road. Clearly, the Qataris and Emiratis remain keen for their flagship annual sporting events to go ahead. They have contracts with some of the highest race-hosting fees of the year, so F1 is likely to face a significant financial penalty for axing them.
But that surely cannot trump the potential human cost if something terrible was to happen. There could be massive legal ramifications if F1 races in the region are targeted after an opportunity to switch to an alternative season finale at Imola was ignored.
Drivers' tax dispute and other news
Max Verstappen has the right attitude after some of his fellow drivers whinged about the tax implications if they race in Italy for the second time this year. Italian authorities are chasing F1 drivers for possible amounts owed from the last seven years.
Valtteri Bottas led the complaints, saying drivers wouldn't want to go there while being hounded for cash by Signor Taxman. But like Max said in response: "There is no tax issue… you just have to pay your taxes."
Malaysia last hosted a Formula One race in 2017, when Max Verstappen took only his second career victory a day after his 20th birthday. Noted circuit designer Hermann Tilke's first F1 track was Sepang, built in the late 1990s. He has gone on to design 12 more, including tracks in Sochi, Bahrain and, more recently Jeddah and Las Vegas.
As Adrian Newey scrambles to stop his reputation being tarnished, Aston Martin are planning a complete overhaul of their car for 2027 with every single component set for a redesign.
