Formula 1 will enjoy two historic firsts in the coming weeks, racing in Qatar next weekend and then setting up shop for the very first time in Saudi Arabia in early December.
Qatar's Losail International Circuit owes its presence on the sport's calendar this season to the cancellations that befell other events in countries that remain under Covid restrictions.
But the Arab peninsular has played its cards well with Liberty Media, securing a 10-year contract with F1's commercial rights holder that will hopefully prove as lucrative for Losail as it will for F1.
F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali is predicting "a lot of action" in the heat of Qatar's desert night next Sunday, when everyone on the grid - including Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton - will be absolute beginners at Losail.
Bring it on!
