Editorial: No professionalism

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The Jeddah street circuit turned the first race of the season into an edifying story, marked by chaos and narrowly avoided accidents. While qualifying produced some breathtaking images—Max Verstappen's final flying lap seemed to be in contention for the title of “lap of the century”—the race itself resembled a video game lobby more than a refined Grand Prix.

From the outset, the stewards acted as negotiators, granting Red Bull a last-minute gearbox change option linked to an obscure prize from a now-banned Chinese website, before imposing a ten-second penalty and a two-point loss on Verstappen's license. The two title contenders, Hamilton and Verstappen, seemed to blur the lines between a kindergarten brawl, a demolition derby, and a genuine Formula 1 competition, endangering not only themselves but also the stewards and the numerous debris littering the track. Verstappen's repeated brake tests and Hamilton's breathtaking overtakes could easily have sent a car into the wall, with Esteban Ocon caught up in the turmoil at the second restart.

The safety systems proved their worth in the chaos. The halo, for example, probably saved Nikita Mazepin during the chaotic restart, and the array of modern protective measures allowed the drivers to emerge virtually unscathed despite the extreme nature of the circuit. But the drama continued beyond the safety net: Ocon was on course to finish on the podium until Valtteri Bottas overtook him by just a few meters at the finish line.

As the season heads to Abu Dhabi, the battle for the championship is coming down to Max and Lewis tied on points. Fans are hoping that the next showdown will offer a fair and fierce fight for the title, leaving behind the fiasco in Jeddah as a stark reminder of how thin the line is between spectacle and disaster.