Graham Caygill reports from the Japanese Grand Prix, where Jenson Button addressed the media on Thursday. The 2009 Formula One drivers' world champion was coy on his future plans in Suzuka amid speculation he will retire from the sport at the end of the season.
Struggles
Button has endured a miserable 2015 as McLaren have struggled with the unreliable Honda engines, scoring only six points in the first 13 races, leaving him on target for his worst season in F1 since 2008, when he scored only three points.
On his future
“You’re going to have to wait for a little while I’m sorry to say,” the 35-year-old wheelman, who has 15 race victories in his career, said when asked what his plans for 2016 were. “We’re in good talks, the team and myself. That’s it.”
Enjoyment
Button acknowledged he had sounded downbeat in his post-race comments in Singapore, after failing to finish, and he said: “I don’t like finishing 14th. I don’t like finishing 10th. That’s not what excites me – but there are so many other things that, if they work in your favour, or if you see a future, there’s the possibility of joy coming back and that’s exciting.”
Focus
Button said his immediate thoughts were on trying to put in a good performance at Suzuka. “We’re here to concentrate on this weekend, it’s a big weekend in front of Honda’s home crowd at their circuit. Obviously, the weather mixes it up a bit, which is what we need to be competitive. I’m hoping to have a good result.”
Suzuka
Button won the 2011 race with McLaren and he has held the Suzuka circuit in a high regard since he was a teenager. “I have been coming here since 1994 when I raced in karts. I remember walking the circuit then just thinking, yeah, it was built for a Formula One car.”
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
