In Formula 1, they are currently on the way to triple.
After the Emir of Qatar, the Saudi royal family will be honored this Sunday (6.30 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker on Formula 1, on RTL and Sky), and next week it will be the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
The teams hunt across the Arabian Peninsula, human rights activists send their information through the mailing list, the press conferences have something like rabbits and hedgehogs: when the drivers arrive, the questions about the questionability of the performance are already there.
Lewis Hamilton is doing best, including in Jeddah.
Does he feel at home in Saudi Arabia, which bought his performance with a record sum?
"I wouldn't say," said Hamilton, referring to "pretty terrible" laws that forbid homosexuality and the women who fought to drive years ago and are still punished for it today - while royalty themselves boasts of the lifting of the ban.
"It's not my choice to be here," said Hamilton.
“But while we're here, rightly or wrongly, it's important to create awareness.
A lot has to change and our sport has to do more. ”The uncomfortable discussions should be started.
Alone: Before they are led, Formula 1 has already raced on.