Well, they just have to put up with it, because the desert is where the ~~fans are~~ money is. /s

Hearing that was pretty mind blowing. I can't comprehend that and I'm not sure I want to watch the on board....

Talk about dedication.

They also just mentioned that Sargeant had flu like symptoms before the GP but seems to be fine now.

Most of the traditional tracks are also in the middle of nowhere, old airfields near a bit of forest hardly have "bustling nightlife" and I'd argue that some nice shots of the desert are pretty cool scenery. There are plenty of reasons to dislike this track (soulless cash grab, dangerous conditions, sport-washing), no need to have a go at the location itself!

I think you can argue this is also partially why Piastri could finish ahead of Norris. That and team orders, but McLaren would have let Norris true if he was so much faster to challenge Max I think.

That's the problem with team orders in a race like today's. Lando was setting fastest laps at will behind Oscar. After Max's slow stop the gap was something like 4 seconds back to Oscar. What happens if instead of maintaining a small gap back to Piastri, Max is forced to push harder because of a charging Lando? Maybe Lando is closer during Max's pit window, etc.

I understand the McLaren reasoning for team orders to secure a solid result for both drivers, but Lando was out for redemption today after a tough start to the weekend and the fans potentially lost a chance to see someone challenge Max on pure pace.

Hopefully we'll get to see a lot more wheel to wheel racing for the lead before the end of the season.