Lewis Hamilton has called out what he believes to be hypocrisy in relation to the status of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix and F1's recent trip to Azerbaijan.
The status of the Lusail and Yas Marina races remains uncertain amid the ongoing Iran War in the Middle East, with a new deadline in place by mid-October for F1 to make a decision on whether the races will take place as scheduled on the final weekend in November and first weekend in December, respectively.
It is currently understood that F1 intends to race at both venues for a 23-race season, with the only race falling by the wayside then being the Saudi Arabian GP, as the Bahrain GP was rearranged and is being held in Malaysia.
However, F1 recently raced in Azerbaijan, which shares a direct land border with Iran, something neither Qatar nor Abu Dhabi does.
Baku (around 350 miles) is also considerably closer to the Iranian capital Tehran than either Doha (around 700 miles) or Abu Dhabi (around 800 miles) as the crow flies - with Hamilton picking up on the fact that no concerns were raised around racing in Baku when asked about Imola potentially standing in to host the season-finale.
"Imola is a beautiful track to drive, but it would not be very interesting to have the last race there," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.
"I drove there recently, and it's very bumpy when you've got [straight mode] open, and there won't be overtaking.
"I think people talk a lot about the two, and I don't know everything that is going on in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as far as Qatar and Abu Dhabi seem okay.
"No one seems to mention that we were just in Azerbaijan, which is right next to Iran, and no one said anything about it.
"So I hope there is peace and we can go to those last two, because they're beautiful, and particularly Abu Dhabi, I really like."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the Azerbaijan GP but also look ahead to F1's return this weekend to Malaysia! Rumours linking Christian Horner with a return to the sport is a major talking point.
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