Is there a crisis?*
And the world spins on as Artemis II heads towards the moon, putting paid to the doubts surrounding 1969 and the recent exploratory flights by the Chinese.
Further back on Earth, the planet waits to see what the errant leader of the free world will throw at it next.
The fuel crisis brings to light the questioning of legitimacy around car racing in its various forms, while combustion engines the world over are being switched off because of blockades around the Strait of Hormuz — preventing the steady distribution, at a reasonable cost, of man's mechanical 'lifeblood'.
And what of F1?
The young Italian not only repeated his heroics of China, but stretched his talents even further to win again in Japan, becoming the youngest ever driver to lead a world championship. If there was ever any doubt, the proof is now there — much as rising star Max Verstappen won his first F1 race on his first drive in the Red Bull car in 2016, the newest pretender has achieved just as much, and more, in only his second season in the main game. Congratulations, Kimi Antonelli.
While it is easy to celebrate such talent coming to the fore, much still needs to be said about this new formula. All teams, including this new, mighty Mercedes, are struggling to master the intricacies of such different technology. There have been outstanding performances from unexpected quarters, and just as many failures from those who never fail.
The McLaren papaya prowess is still to shine. Even with Piastri managing a healthy second place in Japan, the world champion Norris still has to find the skills and consistency he needs to take their game to Mercedes.
Ferrari, on the other hand, have shown how willing they are to take their game to the very front, and push whoever is claiming the throne to look carefully in their rear-view mirrors — because a prancing horse is often seen stampeding closely behind.
With titbits to tell from every team, and the expected month of Middle-East racing cancelled due to the current crisis, F1 will return in May with new faces and a reset as welcome as any European début of old. Miami is not Europe — but it will do nicely.
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