Formula 1 needs to reconfigure the end of the season

This season’s Formula 1 championship battle is the most tightly contested in years, but the final three races are run at venues inaccessible to most fans.

Lewis Hamilton drove his Mercedes to another Formula 1 win in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, and he now trails his rival by just eight points as they head to Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi to finish out the tightest championship battle in years.

But in a year when Formula 1 has enjoyed landmark success in North America and Europe, it’s a shame to see both the driver and constructor champions decided at the least tradition-laden and accessible venues on the calendar.

SkyOne and digital video recording have made start times in the wee hours of the morning less of an issue in recent years, and these races will get the attention they deserve no matter where they are run.

But imagine the final battles of this legendary season coming at Imola or Silverstone, or (and this will be sacrilege to Eurocentric Formula 1 purists) perhaps even Austin or Miami.

Formula 1 needs to respond to a growing western fan base.

In recent years, both Formula 1 leadership and the teams themselves have proven to be open to new ideas, such as sprint qualifying and last-minute calendar changes — and going back a bit further, a Black driver. It’s time they got more open-minded about the appropriate way to conclude a season.

And yes, Formula 1 always wants to position itself as the sport of elites. Part of the success of this year’s United States Grand Prix was the presence of celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallion and Serena Williams, who may be the closest thing there is to American royalty.

I’m not suggesting they stop racing at Monaco or Yas Marina, but the sport has much more room for growth among people who can afford to see a race at Monza or Spa. And having the season-closing races at one of Europe’s legendary tracks could add new meaning and prestige to one of the sport’s older races.

But while the rain can be a nice equalizer from time to time throughout the calendar, we want the championship to be decided by merit and not the weather – it’s why the NFL plays the Super Bowl exclusively in fair-weather winter locations or domes – and most of Europe isn’t terribly hospitable to racing that late in the year.

Enter the United States. The Middle East regional races are run at night and could easily be moved up a month and swapped with the three late-season North American races (United States, Mexico and Brazil).

All three locations are still temperate into late November, and all three tracks have provided exciting racing, even for the current generation of six-foot wide cars that can’t stick to the track in dirty air.

So come on, Liberty. Close your eyes, and imagine with me Verstappen, George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, all within 15 points entering the 2023 United States Grand Prix in mid-December, charging down the long main straight on the final lap, separated by just a few seconds, while Beyonce and Barack Obama cheer on Hamilton and newcomer Wallace Martins.

I did say it was a dream.