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Will F1's budget engine even happen?

While a hurricane disrupted events on track at Austin, the political storm over Formula 1's future engine supplies had much greater ramifications. DIETER RENCKEN tracks the latest developments

Last Sunday's United States Grand Prix will go down in history as the race that delivered Lewis Hamilton's third world title (and the only consecutive crown for a British driver to date) after a thrilling event made that way (predominantly) by the vagaries of Hurricane Patricia.

The weekend disruption caused by the cyclonic weather pattern camouflaged, though, a host of backstage developments, all of which have the potential to alter the face of F1 - some not even obviously so - assuming they come to fruition. However, as will become clear, not all was instantly comprehendible, certain nuances playing out all weekend, at times in the strangest of ways.