The bosses of Formula 1 and the local authorities managed to talk the drivers into racing at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but there is a lot more work to do to convince some people in the sport that the race should be on the calendar at all. Committing to a race in Saudi Arabia was always going to be controversial, given the country’s human rights record. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “The drivers were pretty united in their initial discussions but, when they heard from us and the officials, we were able to convince them that the race was the best thing to do.”. We inform the teams and drivers and we need to move on.”. “I think it’s time to focus on the race,” Sainz said.

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