Qatar Grand Prix, what’s the point?

Officially to respond to the enthusiasm of the Qataris who, from the first doubts concerning the Australian Grand Prix, applied. For several years already, they had been looking for the lever capable of forcing the last barriers preventing them from joining the ranks of a Formula 1 until then keen not to offend its historical allies in this part of the world. Qatar was then at the center of a serious diplomatic crisis born in June 2017, with Saudi Arabia and three allied countries – United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – accusing it of supporting Islamist groups. A crisis during which F1 was very discreet about the links they could maintain – or not – with the Qatari authorities. In January of