Something quite extraordinary has been announced.

An event that no motor racing enthusiast can afford to miss, that nobody ever dreamed would actually happen. Beg, borrow or steal the cash to be there.

The Silver Arrows will race again. Yes, the real ones, the original Silberpfeil, not the cars that are painted silver and described as ‘silver arrows’ by creative marketing departments these days. We are talking pre-war Auto Unions and Mercedes-Benz, last seen in action in the 1930s when men were men and motor racing was horribly dangerous.

The last time we in Britain saw an Auto Union race a Mercedes-Benz was in October 1938 when Tazio Nuvolari (above), in an Auto Union D-type, won the Donington Grand Prix from Hermann Lang (below) in a Mercedes-Benz W154 with Dick Seaman third in another W154. These cars made their final race appearance at the Yugoslavian Grand Prix in September 1939, the day after war broke out in Europe.

True, Mercedes was back in 1954 with the W196, but the Auto Unions had gone and Juan Manuel Fangio, having forsaken his Maserati 250F in mid-season, won the World Championship for Mercedes-Benz, a feat he repeated in 1955 before winning two more in ’56 and ’57 with Lancia-Ferrari and Maserati respectively. But that is another story for another day.

Your chance to see the Silver Arrows driven at race speed on a circuit comes in September when the Goodwood Revival will stage a ‘demo’ race for which both Merc and Auto Union have entered their priceless cars. This is surely a sight not be missed, even if the drivers are advised that an all-out, fully fledged race would be a step too far for such valuable racing cars. Competition in this demo race will come from the more frequently seen cars of Maserati, ERA, and Bugatti. A mouth-watering prospect, no?

We will see Auto Union types C and D, and from Mercedes the W25,W125, W154 and W165. We are still waiting for details of who will have the privilege of being in the cockpits, but you can be sure they will be tried and trusted friends of the Merc and Audi museums. Surely Hans Stuck Jnr will be in the frame for one of the Auto Unions. Goodwood, just as it was in its heyday, will be the perfect place to see these mighty machines in action, howling down the straights or drifting through the long, sweeping corners of this genuinely unspoilt racing circuit.

I make no apology for waxing lyrical about this extraordinary happening. If you’re not sure what I’m raving about, there are films of these cars racing in period on the internet. Alright, we won’t see cloth caps and shirtsleeves, but these cars are a handful however the drivers may be dressed. Word is that the Silver Arrows will have their own special place in the paddock so that we, the fans, can get a really close look at some of the most exciting Grand Prix cars ever made. You may have seen them run on the Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

When the Silver Arrows came to Donington (above) the crowd, more used to watching Rileys, MGs and ERAs, was astounded by the power and speed of the German cars Built with little regard for cost, the silver cars dominated Grand Prix racing from 1934 to the outbreak of war in 1939. More recently, when a BRM V16 raced at an early Revival, grown men were reduced to tears. It’s going to be that kind of occasion. And, depending on the outcome, this may well be the first, and last, time you will ever see an Auto Union race a Mercedes-Benz on British soil. Start saving your pennies now.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“Racing’s comin’ at ya” proclaimed the headline on the front page of the Daytona Beach News-Journal as I made my jet-lagged journey to work last Friday morning.

“Let’s go racin’” yelled the banners in Bill France Boulevard as we approached the Daytona International Speedway, a bull ring of a racetrack just inland from what the locals assure me is the “best beach in the world”.

Now, I might argue with the description of the beach, but not with any of the claims made about the 24-hour race that has made Daytona famous all over the world.

This was my first trip to Daytona, just as it was for young Brazilian racing driver Felipe Nasr. Have you heard about Felipe Nasr? If not, let me tell you that you are going to be very aware of him in years to come. He is 19 years old, comes from Brasilia and is the reigning British Formula 3 Champion. And, since last Sunday afternoon, the subject of a great deal of attention. This guy is very talented, as you will discover.

Last December Nasr went to the speedway to test his Riley-Ford Daytona Prototype having won his drive through a Sunoco competition to find a suitable young driver. Boy, did they find one. He was immediately quick, raising eyebrows right down the pitlane. Before the race on Sunday I sat down with him to talk about the experience.

“You know, coming here is unbelievable, such a great opportunity for me,” he says, a grin all over his face. “I’m just amazed by everything, I’ve only raced in Europe before, I’ve never before raced a car with a roof, something so big and heavy compared to my F3 car. First laps out in practice I was laughing inside my helmet, I was enjoying myself so much. Wow, I couldn’t see where I was going because I don’t see my front wheels like in a single-seater, and there’s 600bhp and the thing is pulling me pretty hard.

“Then I got in the banking, just kept my foot down and, wow, that was something special. The infield is quite narrow and cars will be three abreast, you know, but hey, I’m ready for that. I’m not used to so many cars on the track and I reckon I will overtake more cars than ever before in my life. The key, I think, will be patience, not damaging the car, and keeping up the pace, bringing the car home.

“My goal is Formula One but this race is more time in a racing car, a chance to learn new things, to do long stints, learn about tyre degradation, to deal with traffic, and to race against really good teams and drivers. We have good plans for the future, I just need to make the right decisions, but right now, here at Daytona, I want to be in good shape for the race and I can’t wait to get out there.”

The result on Sunday afternoon could hardly have been more impressive. Late on Saturday night he was dicing with Juan Pablo Montoya, took the lead for a while, he and JPM weaving in and out of the traffic. Standing on the podium in third place, he looked surprised, delighted, elated and just a little bit tired.

The following day I met him as he sat down for lunch at the North Turn restaurant by the beach where Bill France staged his first ever races, on sand, in 1936. This is a haven for any NASCAR fan, a museum as well as a place to eat.

“You know, it was incredible, just incredible,” says Felipe. “Unless you were in the car I cannot really describe what it was like. The darkness, the lights, the traffic, and flat out all the time. Just a fantastic result for me.”

As I said earlier, you will hear and see a great deal more of Felipe Nasr. Yet another hugely talented Brazilian joins the fray.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

We are in the silly season, a period of posturing and positioning.

The Grand Prix teams, and their drivers, are setting out their stores, limbering up for the battles that lie ahead.

Testing starts next month, then we will have some idea of what to expect in the first few races. For now, however, there are plenty of words flying about, scraps for the media to chew over, before engines are fired up and the cars roll out into the Spanish sunshine.

At McLaren the talk is already of young Mr Lewis Hamilton who took his baggage into the winter promising to return a new man. Back at Woking managing director Jonathan Neale says that “Lewis is in the right place, doing all the things he should be doing, and training hard. I speak to him most weeks and he is back on track”. So what we can read into that? Not much at all, try as we might.

Meanwhile arch-rival Fernando Alonso, never one to beat around the bush, has popped up in high spirits. “There will be some good races, with some good emotion”, he predicts, “this is a golden era, there are six World Champions on the grid, it will be exciting, and the spectators will enjoy it.” Hear, hear to that Fernando. Team chief Stefano Domenicali has promised that Ferrari will not repeat the mistakes of last year, that they will not be slow off the mark this time around. President Luca Montezemolo will be pleased to hear that.

In Milton Keynes a new Red Bull is taking shape and that’s always an intriguing prospect. Sebastian Vettel says waiting for his new car is like having a baby and he can’t wait to see what Mr Newey produces for 2012. At least nobody has to wait nine months to find out.

Lotus, formerly Lotus-Renault, have invented an adjustable ride height system which the FIA has inspected and approved. Could this be the start of another double diffuser saga? Will all the teams have to follow suit? Far too soon to say, but one to watch.

The other Lotus team, now called Caterham, has announced that it will be taking another step forward this year and will move closer to the midfield. No big surprises there. What else are they going to say? On the driver front, rumours persist that Vitaly Petrov will replace Jarno Trulli who is perceived, by some, to have reached end of his F1 career.

Moving on to beleaguered Williams, all the winter chat had, until Tuesday, been about drivers. The signing of Bruno Senna leaves only one spare seat, alongside Pedro de la Rosa at HRT. But that’s unlikely to attract a big name. Senna at Williams has emotive connotations, for obvious reasons, but is a big chance for Ayrton’s nephew to prove he has what it takes. Dropping Barrichello in favour of Senna will have triggered some heated debate in the bars of São Paulo and surely marks the end of Rubens’ distinguished career in Grand Prix racing. He will be much missed in the paddock, if not by everyone at Williams.

What else? Not much, apart from the on-going worries about the rights and wrongs of going to Bahrain, the possible cancellation of Valencia and the imminent appearance in court of Adrian Sutil on a charge of GBH which goes back to the Chinese GP last year.

All this, and more, will keep Grand Prix racing in the headlines until the flag drops and the bulls**t stops in Melbourne. And that’s good news for Sky TV and the BBC who will be competing for the ratings this season.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Today, in case you had not noticed, is Friday the thirteenth of January. Lucky for some, not so for others.

If you were unaware, or simply don’t care, it is likely that you are not a superstitious person. You are fortunate because superstition can, at its worst, be an affliction.

Over the years there have been a surprising number of superstitious racing drivers. They did not go out of their way to make this information public, but if you spend time close to drivers you can’t help noticing their habits and foibles as they go about their business.

Of the current participants in Grand Prix racing, we know that Michael Schumacher likes to race with odd numbers on his car. Apart from 13, of course, which does not even appear on the grid. Nico Hulkenberg always gets into his car from the left-hand side and I think, from memory, so does Mark Webber.

In Moto GP, Valentino Rossi surprised many by revealing that he always puts one boot on before the other, one glove before the other, and mounts the bike the same way every time. Some do say that even Sebastien Vettel keeps a lucky coin somewhere about his person. Worth checking out.

In the old days Tazio Nuvolari always raced with his lucky charm – a tortoise pin. There will be others who do that today, though the precious object may be hidden under layers of fireproof clothing. Not to mention Stefano Modena who used to wear one of his gloves inside out, amongst many other superstitions.

More recently David Coulthard had his lucky underpants, though they surely must have worn out before his retirement. Alex Wurz always wore different coloured racing boots, right from his earliest days in Formula Ford.

Historically, green cars have been a worry for many drivers. Before the days of widespread sponsorship, some even refused to race a green car. Mind you, such trivia never bothered Stirling Moss who liked nothing more than to win in a British Racing Green machine. More bizarrely, many NASCAR drivers have had an aversion to peanuts in their shells, banning them from garage or pitlane at a race meeting. Shelled peanuts are, however, acceptable. This, according to legend, goes back to pre-war days when peanuts shells were found in the wrecks of cars involved in serious accidents.

Yes, superstition is weird. But it won’t go away. Underpants or peanuts, every racer wants to arrive at the grid feeling totally comfortable, relaxed and in control. If that means his race numbers do not add up to eight, or he has a coin up his sleeve, then so be it.

And, by the way, practice for the Grand Prix of China in Shanghai is on Friday 13 of April this year. Keep your eyes peeled for any strange rituals in the pitlane…

Am I superstitious? Well, let’s just say I won’t be walking under any ladders today. And if I see a magpie I will bid him Good Morning! Have a good day.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

The New Year’s honours list for 2012 was, as ever, a matter of interest for the motor racing industry.

This is one of those British traditions that never fails to be controversial. Only recently, in this magazine, Patrick Head expressed his surprise that designers and engineers such as John Barnard and Gordon Murray have so far not been recognised by the British establishment.

On my travels away from my homeland I find that the majority of folk are amused and intrigued by this ancient custom, by our love of titles. In the main they go back to the days of the British Empire, as in Order of the British Empire (OBE) or Member of the British Empire (MBE), both of which are sporadically awarded to British racing drivers. In case you’re wondering, Lords and Ladies are traditionally inherited titles, although the House of Lords also includes those who have been elevated on account of their good works for the nation.

Anyway, all that aside, this year saw Nigel Mansell, already an OBE in recognition of his achievements on track, receive a CBE. This stands for Commander of the British Empire and was given in honour of his work for the young people’s charity UK Youth. His efforts have included going on an extremely long and arduous bicycle ride around the country. For clarification, you do not now refer to Nigel as Commander Mansell.

Also on the list for 2012 was Adrian Newey who received an OBE for his ‘services to motor racing’ which are self-explanatory and include the design of world-championship winning Grand Prix cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, not to mention his success in Indycar and the fact that the man is a genius.

And there is of course a connection here as Nigel Mansell won his 1992 World Championship at the wheel of a Williams FW14B which was, in part at least, designed by Adrian Newey. So far, so good, then.

But what is perhaps more interesting is why certain other motor racing people have not been recognised. The most obviously glaring omission is the only man ever to win world titles on motorcycles and in cars. I refer, of course to John Surtees who should long ago have received a knighthood, entitling him to be called Sir John Surtees. I have no idea why John has not been honoured in this way and I can think of no logical explanation.

For Christmas I received an excellent new book by Stuart Codling called ‘Real Racers – Formula 1 Racing in the 1950s and 1960s’. The book is notable for, among other things, some truly wonderful images from the collection of the great photographer Louis Klementaski.

‘Real Racers’ is also notable for a list of contributors printed on the front cover.

Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Frank Williams, all of them quite rightly Knights of the Realm, and John Surtees, the lack of a ‘Sir’ in front of his name standing out like a – well, like a sore thumb, as we say, in this land of traditions.

I hereby call upon the British government to confer a knighthood upon Mr Surtees or, at the very least, to explain to us why this British rider, driver and engineer has for so long been overlooked.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Oh no, I hear you groan, he’s surely not going to give us another list of his favourite moments of the racing season just gone by.

Oh yes he is. (Sorry, I’m in pre-Christmas panto mode this week.)

Just so you can come up with a better list, I’m getting the ball rolling by taking a look back at the 2011 season. You might even agree with some of my highlights.

If you don’t, tell me why. Maybe you were there, maybe you saw it on television. Anyway, these are a few of my favourite things from the year that is coming to a wintry close.

In no particular order, I remember these with a smile:

1. Sebastian Vettel on the edge of his Red Bull’s capabilities. His pole laps, his early laps away from the grid, the joy of a man at the top of his game.

2. Fernando Alonso’s demo laps in Bernie Ecclestone’s Ferrari 375 at Silverstone, especially the extra lap that left him late for the drivers’ parade. Hola!

3. Jenson Button’s races in Canada and Japan.

4. Casey Stoner. Just watching him – another man in a league of his own.

5. Dan Wheldon winning at Indy. Sadly, a year of triumph and tragedy.

6. BBC TV coverage of the Grand Prix season. I am disappointed that Martin Brundle is going to Sky.

7. The Goodwood Revival. Historic racing doesn’t get any better than this.

8. The end of exhaust-blown diffusers. They make a horrible noise.

9. The Algarve Historic Festival. Portimão is simply a sensational modern racing circuit.

10. Volkswagen joining the World Rally Championship with Sébastien Ogier. They will provide badly needed extra excitement.

Before I put away my notebooks, shut down my laptop and set off for the Christmas holiday I’d like to thank everybody who has joined in with my ramblings this year. Without your comments the whole exercise would be rather pointless. So I hope you all have a happy and peaceful holiday wherever you are and all my best wishes for a terrific new year, with lots of great racing, no stupid pitlane politics and some good jokes.

My predictions for the new season? No thanks. My last lot were so wide of the mark they were a good joke in themselves.

Happy Christmas!

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Why on earth does the Renault-soon-to-be-Lotus Grand Prix team allow its new number one driver Kimi Räikkönen to race a snowmobile? Are you as puzzled as I am?

Last Saturday, barely two weeks after signing his contract, Kimi was in Austria to take his place in a Swatch-sponsored snowmobile race at Saalbach Hinterglemm. The fact that he was driving a Red Bull entry suggests that this was a commitment left over from his contract with the World Rally Championship team. If this be the case, surely Renault was aware and happy for him to proceed. There may, of course, be legal and contractual considerations on the Red Bull side here.

Anyway, Kimi crashed the snowmobile and injured his left hand. Nothing too serious, but it could have been. A ‘tweet’ from Renault told us: “There’s nothing to worry about, he only has a sore wrist.”

But surely there is something to worry about. Its new star driver is replacing a driver who could not take any part in the 2011 season because… he injured himself in an accident. OK, we learnt that Renault had been quite happy for Robert Kubica to take part in a rally, and that it wanted a real racer, not a ‘robot’ who only lived for Formula 1. Well, they’ve certainly got that with Kimi Räikkönen, which is surely even more reason to keep him away from potentially dangerous sports. Finns like going fast in the snow, they know how to do that, but accidents do happen. Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna must have been intrigued when they heard that Kimi had come a cropper.

Last week Eric Boullier, the team principal at Renault, or Lotus, or whatever it is currently called, said that the team’s relationship with Kubica was now at “point zero”. I am assuming this is not a misquote because the Pole has thus far refused to sign on the line for a return to the team. Maybe he wants to go to Ferrari in 2013 when, more than likely, Felipe Massa will be replaced. Maybe he no longer sees what he wants to see at the French F1 team. Whatever the facts, the team lost no time in signing Räikkönen for 2012. Monsieur Boullier (below) has declared that he wants to be in a position to win the World Championship within the next three years, so let’s hope that Kimi doesn’t develop a taste for hang-gliding.

What about the prospects for 2012? Well, it’s up to McLaren and Ferrari to build cars that can take on another Newey Red Bull right from the first day in Australia. If they do, we’re in for a great year. If they don’t, Sebastian Vettel will be marching towards Schumacher/Ferrari territory. Luckily Alonso, Button, Hamilton and Webber are very keen indeed to prevent that happening.

What of the others? It’s too soon to say, but Williams will surely improve with Mike Coughlan and Renault power. Badly bruised, the team will fight harder than ever to get back. Force India is making big strides forward and looks like continuing to do so. No lack of ambition there. Toro Rosso will produce a good car and the good news is that Jean-Eric Vergne will be driving one of them next season. Lotus will improve, but I reckon that may be about the extent of it. Money is tight, budgets are getting tougher to raise and the others will struggle. If I am wrong, that’s great, because it will be more exciting still.

Meanwhile let’s hope Kim is safely tucked away in the gym. I guess that’s where he’ll be in preparation for his much-publicised return. He says he has an “overwhelming hunger” for F1 again which is good news. The past is an unreliable guide to the future but, given a good car, he will be right on the pace very quickly.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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I was like so many people very sad to hear that Peter Gethin had died.

The news came to me on my mobile phone while I was at the charity karting event held in memory of Dan Wheldon in Milton Keynes on Monday. Peter had been unwell for some months so it wasn’t a shock, just very sad, because I’d known him a long time.

Gethin, or Geth as he was known, is most famous for that extraordinary victory for BRM at Monza in 1971, when he came barrelling out of Parabolica on the last lap and somehow managed to hang on to win by the cat’s whiskers from Ronnie Peterson (see Paul Fearnley’s The Power of One).

What Gethin should be famous for is his sense of humour. When I think of Geth I think of jokes, pranks and wind-ups. He was a very funny man and a great storyteller – partly because he had so many stories to tell after finding himself embroiled in so many japes and scrapes. In a racing car, however, he was serious and highly competitive. The son of a jockey, he was small in stature but big in skill and bravery. In 1969 he completely dominated Formula 5000 with Mike Earle’s Church Farm Racing team, winning the championship that year and the next. In 1973 he won the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in an F5000 car, a performance that raised a few eyebrows in the F1 garages.

Church Farm Racing, based at Pagham in Sussex and supported by Derek Bell’s stepfather Bernard Hender, was a happy team, highly professional and competitive but also such a fun place to be. Earle and Gethin was the perfect double act, both quick to see the funny side, both committed to winning. If you wanted a beer and a good laugh at the end of a day, this was the only place to be.

I got to know Geth again when he came to Goodwood to run his driving school, latterly in association with Ferrari. By this time he’d been team manager at Toleman and had run his own Peter Gethin Racing outfit. Like many of his generation he was happiest in the cockpit, racing was what he did best, and becoming the businessman was simply what he had to do to pay the bills.

Peter Gethin will be much missed by all who remember him.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Life on a monthly motor racing magazine can sometimes be a little disorientating. This is because we are constantly thinking, and working, a month ahead of ourselves. Right now, for example, I am preparing my story that will appear in the February edition, which confusingly goes on sale in January. See what I mean?

Not surprisingly then, we are already filling our 2012 diaries with events and occasions that we don’t want to miss, that you may want to put on your own calendars for the New Year.

So what do we know? Firstly, Lord March has already announced his Goodwood dates for the Festival of Speed and the Revival. This is unusually early because the Goodwood team waits for the international calendar to be confirmed before fitting their two events into the schedule. It’s important that they don’t clash with a Grand Prix or a WRC round, the F1 and rally elements of the Festival being a big ticket seller.

So, it’s June 28 to July 1 for the Festival of Speed, the 2012 theme being ‘Young Guns – Born to Win’. This will see Goodwood celebrating drivers, riders, designers and engineers whose talent immediately set them apart from the rest at an early stage in their careers. Throughout the history of the sport there have been those exceptional talents that have burst onto the scene and made an instant impact. Overnight sensations, if you like, some of who go on to forge great careers, others who shine brightly, briefly, and then disappear. Another feature of the 2012 Festival will be a spectacular collection of Lotus cars in recognition of the company’s 60^th anniversary. Lotus fans should not miss this.

Later in the year comes the wonderful Goodwood Revival on September 14 to 16. A highlight of the Revival will be a tribute to the great American racer Dan Gurney whose Eagle Grand Prix car remains one of the most beautiful racing cars ever made. A race for AC Cobras is in the early planning stage and if that comes off it will be a reason for being there. You can expect all the other races we’ve come to enjoy, the St Mary’s Trophy for saloon cars going back to the 1950s for 2012. Whatever the plans may be, this is simply one of the absolute best race weekends anywhere in the world.

Away from the circuits, we’re looking forward to Autosport International, or the Racing Car Show as it used to be known, at the NEC in Birmingham on January 12-15. Lots of drivers will be there, so a chance for autographs, and of course an opportunity to get close to some great cars, catch up with some New Year gossip and check out the latest news ahead of a new season. Trains from London go right to the NEC itself, making journeys to the show a lot less stressful than otherwise they might be.

Another opportunity to beat the winter blues comes with Race Retro, the show for fans of historic racing cars and motorcycles, at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on February 24 to 26. This is a good day out, access and parking are easy, and there’s a huge amount to see, genuinely something for everyone. Best to get to Race Retro early as there’s always a big crowd and the hundreds of stalls and exhibitions will be packed with enthusiasts searching out their favourite haunts.

As I said at the beginning, we’re constantly looking ahead, and there’s plenty to look forward to between now and the start of another season. Time to jot a few special events into your 2012 diaries. If another ‘Big Freeze’ brings good old Britain to a halt, well – we can always stay at home and read our Christmas books. And remember, Motor Sport will be on the shelves every month, whatever the weather.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

It’s that time of year again – time to head west for Wales Rally GB, the final round in the 2011 World Rally Championship. And this one will be a thriller because it’s pretty tight at the top of the table – just eight points separate leader Sébastien Loeb from Mikko Hirvonen with 25 on offer for a win. One of them will be World Champion by the end of Sunday November 13.

Citroën has already won the manufacturers’ title but Hirvonen and his Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will be throwing everything they’ve got at Monsieur Loeb in the Welsh valleys. We know that the Frenchman remains remarkably calm under pressure, but the Finn has had a good season with two wins under his belt and has a real chance of knocking Loeb off his perch. Amazingly, only three men have won a rally this year – Hirvonen, Loeb and his team-mate Sébastien Ogier.

One thing is certain at the title decider – dust will not be a problem in Wales in November. At the last round in Spain the drivers – except Loeb, who won – complained bitterly about dust on some of the stages. They simply couldn’t see where they were going – not ideal when you’re flat out on a single-track road. But this is the challenge of rallying, what makes it so special, and unpredictable. In Wales, however, mud is more likely to be the problem.

For the Brits, of whom there will be a huge number out on the windswept stages, there is positive news. In Spain Kris Meeke won a Power Stage in the Mini and said he had the pace to stay with the leaders had it not been for the dust. The MINI World Rally Team has had a pretty good first season all in all, with podiums and encouraging stage times despite not competing in every round. Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle could go well in Wales, and being on home turf always helps to shave a few tenths off the times…

Hirvonen needs nothing less than a perfect rally if he is to prevent Loeb from winning an eighth straight world title. The Ford Fiesta RS WRC is a very good rally car, but so is Citroën’s DS3 WRC. As ever it will be down to perfect preparation, mechanical reliability and being ‘in the zone’ from stage one on day one.

There will be tactics too. Citroën may have captured the manufacturers’ crown, but no doubt it will want Ogier to stay ahead of Hirvonen and, more importantly, behind Loeb. This is not as straightforward as it sounds because the two Frenchmen are not, shall we say, the best of buddies. Many people, including Ogier, reckoned he would stop the express train that is Loeb this season. But it has not happened that way and there has been some tension in the camp.

Wales Rally GB is one of the toughest events of the year. The weather will play a part, as always, and stages such as Sweet Lamb and Great Orme – a twisty Tarmac test last used in 1981 – are among the sport’s most demanding.

There are many reasons to pack your woolly hat, boots and anorak and head to Wales in a week’s time. Can Loeb do it again? Probably.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

A funny thing happened on the way to the chequered flag in a two-hour race for Sports & GT cars at Portimão last weekend. In fact, I have rarely heard of such a bizarre thing, and may never do so again.

Aston Martin specialist Martin Brewer, of the Runnymede Motor Company, was waiting for his final stint in the replica Project 214 car that he races with co-driver Pete Foster. In comes the car on schedule. Out steps Foster. But where is Brewer? Long-time girlfriend Paula Marklew has given him a good luck kiss and now he’s fumbling in his overall pocket from which he produces a small box. “Will you marry me?” he asks, as he steps towards the car. “Yes,” she says, and he hands her the box before strapping in for his final stint.

After the race, in which Brewer/Foster spent 20 minutes in the pits to fix a broken trailing arm, the ring was duly placed on her finger and the happy couple are officially engaged. This could only happen at the Algarve Historic Festival. Bended knee on the beach at sunset? No. Over dinner under the stars? No. In the midst of a pitstop? Oh, yes, why not?

Even Hollywood scriptwriters might have been pushed to include such a sequence as this. Your correspondent would therefore like to thank Nicki Gray, wife of historic racer Cliff, for alerting me to this romantic interlude in an otherwise fairly serious motor race.

All sorts of weird and wonderful things happen at this end-of-season event at the magnificent Portimão circuit on the sunshine coast of Portugal. Before the business of racing got underway members of the Anciens Pilotes, senior citizens of our parish, went on a boat trip along the coast. Kiwi Howden Ganley loved the rolling Atlantic waves, while David Piper puffed his pipe and Maria Teresa de Filippis gazed out at the sea, dreaming perhaps of exploits gone by. Andy Wallace, not a member yet (too young), sat steadfastly on the bow getting soaked by the breaking waves.

Back in the paddock, the Anciens Pilotes autograph session had a touch of Beatlemania about it. Fans queued three-deep to pick up a poster signed by their heroes, who by now included Reine Wissell and the evergreen Tony Brooks. One man had driven from the north of Portugal to get de Filippis to sign her recent book. This man is one of only 1200 people lucky enough to have bought it while stocks lasted.

A highlight of the weekend for me was sitting down with de Filippis. She will be 85 next month but is as spirited and sparky as ever, telling me tales of life with the Maserati Grand Prix team in the 1950s. Maria Teresa has little patience with younger members of the media and took great exception to being asked how she dealt with her sponsors in Formula 1. Sponsors? The lady came from one of Italy’s wealthiest families and famously raced on her own terms…

Then late on Sunday New Zealander Roger Wills, a key player on the historic motor racing scene, survived a nasty accident in his Cooper T51. Wills lost control of the car at the exit of one of the fastest corners, the Cooper rolling several times before catching fire. Thanks to the speed and bravery of a marshal, who deserves some kind of medal for his expert response, the fire was extinguished and Wills came away with bruising and minor burns. Yet another reminder that yes, motor racing is still dangerous.

As I prepare to send this dispatch to London, a man called Luis Garcao is doing quite extraordinary things with a Pitts Special in the sky. Mind-boggling stuff that defies every law of gravity. Must have been a little distracting for the Formula Junior racers who were finishing their contest on the track below, but this is Portimão, where there is always something to catch the eye.

Race details of the 2011 festival will follow in the January issue of the magazine.

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So, what did we think about the manner in which Sebastian Vettel departed the grid at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix? I would guess that fans of Jenson Button were not impressed.

Now that the dust – and the grass – has settled, perhaps we can take an objective view while setting aside our allegiances.

What I hope, above all else, is that these are not the early signs of the emergence of Schumacher-style tactics. Why do I say this? Because until now, Vettel has built a reputation for being a sportsman, a cheerful and approachable young man who has deservedly won two titles – becoming the youngest ever double World Champion – and appears not to be spoilt by the adulation. Further, he has given credit where credit is assuredly due. He has had not only the best car but also the sharpest team in the 2011 pitlane. This has been a potent combination.

He is, of course, a very determined, ambitious and serious man when the lights go out. In recent months he has had little to fear when leaving the grid having made a habit of grabbing pole position on Saturday afternoons. As we all know, when a tough competitor lets the man in P2 get alongside him the first thing he does – instinctively – is to move across in an attempt to ‘intimidate’ his front-row rival. But there’s a fine line between intimidation and forcing a car off the asphalt.

There is blocking and there is forcing the other car to leave the track. The latter is not only dangerous but against the rules. And Vettel knows this because he has read the rulebook and has made similar moves before when under pressure. In Japan last Sunday he made a reasonable getaway from pole but it was immediately clear that Button had made a stronger start and a pass looked to be on. Vettel had known since Friday that the McLaren was, at Suzuka, a match for the Red Bull. A blink separated them on Saturday afternoon. So he veered to the right, forcing Button to back out of the throttle at a critical moment in the start procedure.

Now, we can argue until the HRTs come home about who was fractionally ahead of whom and who, if either, was to blame for what could have become an accident. For me, this is not the point. The point is that a driver of Vettel’s supreme talent, with a second title in the bag, should not have felt the need to be so aggressive in the first few yards of a Grand Prix that was virtually certain to end with him clinching the 2011 World Championship with four races still to be run. He did not need to do it, it was an extreme move and Button did well to back off, keep calm and stay in the race. Jenson’s result last Sunday said it all.

To conclude, I do not want to see Vettel driving like this in years to come. He doesn’t need to. I believe that Michael Schumacher’s quite exceptional achievements as a Grand Prix driver will always be tainted by his occasionally forcing others off the road. Let us hope that his young countryman will use his talent and not his elbows to win races. He may not always have the best car and will have to learn to lose on the odd occasion. Learning to give, as well as take, is part of becoming a great driver. Especially in the first few metres of a 90-minute race.

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Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull. Possibly the four most typed, texted and tweeted words in the world of Formula 1 racing these past few weeks. I make no apology, then, for veering away from the talk of the town to a very different part of our racing universe.

But before I do, may I simply add a thought, without using those four words? This young man has been a pure joy to watch, an athlete absolutely at the top of his game in a supremely clever car. He will, in my view, be a deservedly popular World Champion for the second year running. Would he be dominant in a McLaren or perhaps a Ferrari? Who knows? Probably not, but that simply isn’t the point. All great champions have been given a near-perfect car in which to display their talent. This young lad is on his way to claiming a place among the ‘greats’ of our sport.

Anyway, away from all this, we are less than a month from one of the best events in the calendar and one which looks like being better than ever in 2011. For an increasing number of drivers, mechanics – and writers – the start of autumn means a visit to the coast of Portugal. From October 20-23 the magnificent Portimao circuit will host the third Algarve Historic Festival, an event that is rapidly establishing itself as the perfect way to combine some thrilling racing with a short holiday in the Portuguese sunshine. This year the festival coincides with half term, so we can expect the paddock to be full of wide-eyed youngsters who missed out in previous years.

One of the best things about the event is the circuit. The Autodromo Internacional Algarve, or Portimao as it’s better known, is a giant of a race track, a true drivers’ circuit that is just crying out to be used for a Grand Prix. But that’s not likely to happen any time soon. It is fast and very demanding, dipping and climbing around an amphitheatre that gives spectators a fantastic view of the action. This is a track of the old school, but with modern facilities and safety measures. Which is just as well because it is not a place for the faint-hearted. The best of the historic racers climb from their cars beaming from ear to ear.

This year most of the 250 cars already entered will come from Britain where, as we know, historic racing is on an all-time high thanks to events such as the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic.

Promoter Francisco Santos, a former Ford works rally driver, is bullish despite the economic woes of the Eurozone. “We still need more cars for the F2 race,” he tells me on the phone from Lisbon, “but all the other grids are just about full and we will have 300 cars for our third festival. Of course it is also a big party, a chance to enjoy the sunshine, and Motor Sport readers will love to see the Anciens Pilotes, who include Tony Brooks, Richard Attwood and Maria de Filippis (above).” So will this Motor Sport writer.

If you still have some euros, get yourself down to the Algarve and enjoy some great racing before the nights close in and we head into winter. See you there.

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Monza on my mind. Sounds like some kind of Italian country and western song, if you can imagine such a thing. But this is not a race report – you can read that elsewhere on the website. This is about the piece of theatre that is mighty Monza as seen from the paddock at Silverstone. All will be explained.

Monza has always been on my mind in September, ever since my first visit to the Autodromo Nazionale in the Royal Parco di Monza just a few miles from Milan – and even when I’m 1000 miles away watching the Le Mans Series cars in the Autosport Six Hours at a windswept Silverstone. The Gran Premio d’Italia at Monza remains one of my all-time favourites. No matter if the race is less than exciting, if the magnificent old circuit has been ‘reduced’ from its former glory. Well, they’ve put in chicanes and taken away the tree that stood in the run-off at the Ascari chicane. Ascari is by far the best of the ‘squiggles’ that were introduced to take some of the heat out of the place. But what matters is the place, the electrifying atmosphere, the history that oozes from the buildings, the trees that line the Lesmos and the old concrete banking that still lurks in the woods above the new track. And Parabolica – now there’s a big, bad, brave old corner in any car.

When first I went to Monza, in 1966, our grandstand seats had been double-booked. No matter, we squeezed in among the tifosi, stood and cheered when the Ferraris streaked past on that seemingly endless straight. It was like finding yourself sitting with the Barcelona fans when you’ve gone to Spain to see Manchester United. Best not to cheer for the Brits or you might find your space has disappeared. I say space because in those days we sat on concrete steps that stretched back from the trackside and up into the semi-darkness of the vast old grandstand opposite the pits. The noise was – and still is – quite incredible. The cars at full throttle all the way from the Parabolica, the crazy tifosi at full volume, and a commentator going mad because the red cars are not on the pace. And that’s worse than not going to Mass.

That’s how it was and that’s pretty much how it is. Yes, the grandstands have been made more comfortable, the pits are bigger and smarter, but the race day traffic is even worse. Patience is a virtue when making your way from Milan to Monza.

So, seeing Monza on the TV screens at Silverstone, the feeling remains. The cars coming out to practice on Friday brings it all back, even if the Audis and Peugeots are whistling round Silverstone just yards away. Monza is fast, the fastest in the world in fact, but an Audi or a Peugeot flat out at Silverstone is an impressive sight. They are so much quicker than the rest of field in this multi-class championship, in a different league technically, financially and philosophically from the petrol-engined cars. The best of both worlds then last weekend – Audis and Peugeots braking impossibly late, gobbling up the straights, headlights on to wake up the backmarkers – and then on TV there’s Sebastian Vettel power-sliding the Red Bull through Ascari and streaking down to Parabolica. Untouchable on this form, Vettel is simply a joy to watch this season.

One of the most over-used words in the English language these days is passion. But passion is truly what Monza means – whether or not you support the Scuderia. There is no other race where you feel such devotion. It is one thing to see a Grand Prix car brake from 210mph, point to the apex and disappear again in the blink of an eye. It’s quite another to see it surrounded by the noisiest, most passionate racing fans in the world. On Sunday Vettel led home four World Champions while, for me, there was another champion – magnificent Monza itself.

If you saw the scenes below the podium, you’ll know what I mean. And this on a day when Red Bull beat Ferrari. Meanwhile, another Sébastien – Bourdais, teamed with Simon Pagenaud – won at Silverstone for Peugeot after a dogged battle with Audi.

Hope you made the most of Monza because next we go under the floodlights in the virtual reality of Singapore where the crowd is invisible.

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Spa-Francorchamps. The very words have a sense of excitement, of anticipation, don’t they? Grand Prix cars howling and wailing through the Ardennes, swooping up and down across the valley. Oh yeah, Eau Rouge may be easy flat in a modern car, but Spa is Spa, and it’s good.

And another thing. It is five hours by road from the south of England, the Channel Tunnel making this trip the simplest it’s ever been. Lots of Brits will be there, waving their flags and banners every time ‘our Lewis’ or ‘our Jenson’ go screaming by on another lap of what is still a magnificent racing circuit, even if it’s not the spooky challenge it was in days gone by.

This year the teams go to Belgium after a month’s holiday, an enforced shutdown when – for two weeks – no work may be done on the cars. The drivers will be chomping at the bit, the mechanics will be refreshed and the engineers will have been dreaming up yet more tweaks in the quest to beat those pesky Red Bulls. Just as McLaren, and possibly Ferrari, began to catch up along came a month’s break in the season. It is now or never if anyone is to have the faintest hope of catching Herr Vettel before they go to Brazil in November.

So what makes Spa-Francorchamps one of the great circuits, one of the races you always anticipate with pleasure? Many things, really, but above all it’s the chance to see Formula 1 cars let loose at full chat around a naturally flowing piece of asphalt that dips, dives, climbs and snakes through a valley in the dark green forests of the Ardennes.

Arriving is good. As you wind your way through the woods you can tune in to the circuit radio station, start to get excited. Then you hear the cars, like wild beasts rampaging around beyond the trees that encircle the car parks. These days, sadly, you can’t tell which car is which from the engine noise like you could when Ferraris made their own music and Matras, or Cosworths, sang another kind of song. But despite the homogeny of modern times, this is still a wonderful place to watch an F1 driver at work.

I go in, not to the paddock or pits, but to the top of the hill at Eau Rouge, known as Raidillon, where the cars appear as if about to fly into the sky. Then it’s up into sixth, seventh and flat out down the long straight to Les Combes where Mika Häkkinen so famously outfoxed Michael Schumacher in 2000 when faced with a backmarker at nearly 200mph. From here you may walk as far as you please, pausing to goggle at the sheer grip and grunt of these machines, the commitment of the drivers, and the ridiculous speed with which they change direction. Or walk the other way to Blanchimont where the raw speed beggars belief.

I first saw Jenson Button in a Grand Prix car here in 2000, in a competitive Williams, in tricky weather conditions. He qualified a superb third and finished fifth. It was clear to me and countless others that – given the right opportunities – here was a very talented driver who had earned his rapid rise through Formula 3 to the top level. Took him nine years to get his title… no wonder he looks so much more at ease these days.

So, once you’ve had your fill of the skills on display at a proper circuit, you return – ears ringing – to your hostelry, study the times over a good Belgian beer, eat too many chips with mayonnaise and wonder how we ever ended up in places like Abu Dhabi or Sepang. All Grand Prix racing is good, and fascinating, but European races remain the best.

And Monza is next. Joy. Pure joy. Racing cars, pasta, Parmesan and Chianti. But that’s another story for another day.

Who will win at Spa on Sunday? I have no idea. A month is a long time in modern F1 racing. But, forced to predict, I reckon it’ll be a McLaren.

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The big question as we approach the German Grand Prix is this: can Ferrari win another one? Has Fernando Alonso finally got his hands on a winning car to go with his five-year contract?

Before the Spaniard won at Silverstone he had his well insured fingers on another Ferrari steering wheel – a much bigger and simpler one than that to which he is accustomed. Before going out to race he climbed aboard the car which took José Froilán González to victory at Silverstone in 1951 – the Scuderia’s first World Championship win.

The Ferrari 375, also used by Alberto Ascari, has a V12 engine, four-speed gearbox, drum brakes, narrow tyres and lots of power. And no seat belts. More significantly, the throttle pedal is in the middle, the brake on the right… Not something you’d wish to forget at the end of the Hangar Straight.

Another planet, then, for the double World Champion from Oviedo in the Asturias region of northern Spain. But the Asturians are made of stern stuff; they are fighters, having had to defend their mountainous homeland from a series of invaders. Alonso therefore relished the challenge of learning to double de-clutch Bernie Ecclestone’s priceless old racer.

“He had to learn to bump-start it first,” laughed Robert Dean, who cares for Ecclestone’s car collection. “As we pushed-started him on the grid he casually looked over his shoulder and said ‘tell me what to do’. We were shouting ‘clutch! drop the clutch!’ but he got away beautifully. He was great, he followed instructions to the letter, and I don’t think he missed a single gear during his laps. I was very impressed at how easily he got to know the 375, but I did warn him about the brakes and double de-clutching when changing down. I’m not sure he really used the brakes – except once when he was so busy waving to the crowd he ran a bit wide.”

Most modern-day Grand Prix drivers have little or no interest in the history of the sport, or the cars that went before them. But Alonso was keen to know about the Ferrari’s performance – and its limitations – before venturing on track 60 years after the 375 finally beat the all-conquering Alfa Romeos.

“When Felipe Massa drove it at Fiorano he didn’t seem interested in the history,” Dean told me, “whereas Luca Badoer loved it, wanted to do more and more laps. Today’s drivers can learn something from the history of the sport.”

Alonso, as you would expect, was ready for some fun. “Oh yes, he was all smiles, very friendly, not at all the rather glum chap you sometimes see on TV,” said Dean (above in the Brabham BT46B at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2001). “He was most interested in getting out there, driving it, and he certainly knows the history. It’s a bizarre thing, but I’ve now shown both Michael Schumacher and Alonso how to drive a Grand Prix Ferrari – and not many people can say that. They don’t know what magnetos are, of course, but when you say ignition they understand. I’m not sure Fernando had ever done much double de-clutching or bump-starting, not since he was a student anyway. But I gave him a 6000rpm rev limit which is nice and safe for that engine.”

So what did Signor Alonso think of this experience? “Afterwards, he said he couldn’t believe how powerful the car was, he was smiling like mad, telling Bernie how fantastic the car felt, assessing it like great drivers do,” said Robert. “Mr E loved it too, and said he was trying to persuade Vettel to drive what he calls a ‘proper car’.” Clearly it set Alonso up well for the Grand Prix in the afternoon.

Unfathomably BBC TV did not show any of Alonso’s laps in the Ferrari, but you can see the British Grand Prix winner at work in the 375 on YouTube. Fast-forward to 4mins and you’ll see him pressing on…

Click here to view the embedded video.

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The British Grand Prix at Silverstone. What a wonderful event it is, and what a race it was. As with so many things British, the weather played its part in a tumultuous weekend.

Ferrari is back in the game. Fernando Alonso began his day in the Ferrari 375 in which José Froilán González scored the Scuderia’s first Grand Prix victory at Silverstone in 1951, finally beating the previously all-conquering Alfa Romeos. That day González completed 90 laps in not much less than three hours, while 60 years on Alonso was home and dry after 52 laps in a little over 90 minutes.

The Commendatore would have been proud of the Scuderia in Northamptonshire. I wonder how much difference it has made to put Englishman Pat Fry in charge on the pitwall.

As has become my custom, I headed for the banks around the circuit from which you can best feel the cars, gauge the relative performances around this challenging track.

The man standing next to me had one of these new-fangled telephones which somehow receives the internet. So we knew roughly what was going on from our vantage point on the bank at Maggotts. Only the British could name a corner on their Grand Prix circuit after those horrid little squirmy things that some folk use for fishing bait…

To walk from Copse down to Maggotts and Becketts during qualifying is still one of the great motor racing moments. The noise, the speed, the way these cars change direction, the sheer grip produced by all that downforce. I mean, Copse and Maggotts are ‘easy’ flat in a balanced car with the weight of several small elephants pushing it into the asphalt.

The British GP at Silverstone survives as a very special sporting event because Formula 1 cars on this circuit are at the limit of their performance, demanding absolute precision from the drivers. Not wanting to get involved in the trek backwards and forwards from the new pits and paddock, I preferred to stand with my fellow fans and join in the banter about who looked quickest and who looked to be struggling for grip and balance. And here the British weather played its customary joker.

Practice on Friday was a washout. In the middle of July! So the teams went into Saturday with precious little meaningful tyre or fuel data. And then it rained again – in the last few minutes of Q3, if you please. At Maggotts we were the last to feel it. Red Bull captured the front row but Alonso lurked ominously close in a much-improved Ferrari. That evening the ever-enthusiastic Robert Dean, who looks after Bernie Ecclestone’s car collection, showed Signor Alonso the essentials of the 1951 Ferrari he was to drive on a parade lap on Sunday morning. Needless to say, the double World Champion was soon comfortable with clutch, gearbox and bump-starting the glorious red car. On Sunday he had it power-sliding. Forza!

Lots of good things happened at Silverstone. For us in the crowd, we can thank Damon Hill for encouraging the FIA to allow spectators onto the track after the race. It was a good move and a great end to a great day. In the paddock not everyone was happy. A hairline crack appeared in the perfection that has been Red Bull, the strain showing on the faces of Messrs Newey and Horner, mistakes in the pitlane and team orders visibly angering Mark Webber. And there was mounting frustration at McLaren, which has a lot of work to do to get back in the hunt. Neither driver is happy and, like Webber, must be considering their options. Meanwhile Ferrari, with a clearly defined number one driver and new updates pouring out of Maranello, won the race on pace, and not because the others fell over themselves. Intriguingly, its cars were fastest of all in the middle sector of a track that on paper suited Red Bull.

As this increasingly unpredictable season reaches half-time, Alonso is a staggering 92 points behind Vettel, but there’s half a season to run. Let’s just hope it’s all as thrilling as Sunday at Silverstone. The gloves are off, as are all bets. Anything can happen from here on in, blown diffusers or no blown diffusers.

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Nelson Piquet described driving a Grand Prix car in Monte Carlo as like trying to ride your bicycle around your living room. A victory on the streets of the Principality, he declared, was worth two anywhere else.

Keke Rosberg once likened the flat-out dive down the hill from Casino Square to Mirabeau to being on a toboggan without any snow to cushion the bumps. And Keke was not afraid of anything.
Both these men were racing cars with a manual gearbox, slick tyres and an excess of mechanical grip over aerodynamic downforce. Hence they were very busy in the cockpit, constantly changing gear and correcting slides on the changes of camber. They’d wear out the glove on the right hand, and the sole of the boot on the right foot. Blisters were commonplace at the chequered flag.

Men like Graham Hill – they called him Mister Monaco – and Ayrton Senna made it their own, stamping their authority on the twists, turns and bumps of the streets. And that’s what a great driver does – he takes the little place by the scruff of its impossibly glamorous neck. It is not a place for the faint-hearted.

The Monte Carlo circuit is easier now, but still a huge challenge in a Formula 1 car. As we head towards the race this coming Sunday, I feel as excited and expectant as ever, this Grand Prix being one of my all-time favourite occasions. There is simply nothing like it, there being an element of total madness. Were such an idea to be put forward now it would probably be dismissed on grounds of ‘health and safety’ and lack of palatial facilities. But Monaco survives, and let us rejoice that it does.

The race is something of a lottery, of course, but no less thrilling for that. Despite protestations to the contrary, overtaking is possible, this being proved each year by those with absolute skill and bravery. The streets are the ultimate test of a driver and nowhere else can you get so close to the action on the track. No longer are you able to walk through the tunnel, or stand behind the barriers, but a seat at the swimming pool section, or in Casino Square, is as good a view of an F1 driver in action as you will find.

Every time I walk down to the circuit at the start of practice on Thursday I get goosebumps and feel that surge of excitement as the cars scream up the hill from Ste Devote. I quicken my pace, get out my stopwatch, and make a dash for the nearest vantage point. The media centre is not the place to be. No, you want to be out there, drinking it in, as the cars skim the barriers, blast into blind corners and wail away towards the harbour where they will dash past the yachts in a crazy blur of noise, colour and raw speed. One split second of distraction and the car will be off-line and into the scenery. It is a magical experience for both driver and spectator.

Who will be at the front on Sunday? I have no idea, but all things being equal the best drivers will prevail. So expect Vettel, Hamilton, Button, Alonso and Webber to shine. Red Bull’s aerodynamic advantage will be somewhat constrained in Monte Carlo, while the McLaren is nimble and Alonso will squeeze something out of his Ferrari. If it rains, well, then all predictions are set aside. For once this season a good grid position will be important, with drivers unlikely to be able to storm through the field, so Saturday should be as thrilling as ever. Traffic is the bogey in Monaco, new tyres or not, soft option or hard.

If you have never been to the Grand Prix du Monaco, you have not completed your motor racing initiation. You don’t have to stay in a fancy hotel or visit the Casino, you just have to be there. Yes, it looks pretty on the TV, but on the side of the track, or leaning from a window above, this is a gut-bashingly great motor racing spectacle.

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There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Really? Like many correspondents I have, over the decades, enjoyed a fair few free lunches. Only last month I dined at Williams in Grove, the food prepared by two-star Michelin chef Michael Caines. Very Formula 1. There, now you know, this is the world in which I am privileged to live.

The word ‘free’ is, however, easily misunderstood. As you will know to your cost if you’ve been seduced by those dishonest bits of junk that come through the letter box.

Why am I going through this preamble? Because I am concerned about both KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) and DRS (downforce reduction system) in Grand Prix racing. These two devices, or systems, are seen by many as some kind of key to a puzzle – the magical answer to a lack of overtaking. But they are not and never have been the gift of free power, or the gift of a free passing manoeuvre.

Firstly, we cannot possibly judge the effectiveness, or otherwise, of these devices from what we saw in Melbourne. Nor will we be able to make a sensible judgement after Sepang. It will be mid-season before we can talk about how wonderful they are – or how they should be immediately banned. Or, more likely, how they have suddenly disappeared from the headlines.

KERS is painfully expensive. And DRS is horribly complicated, fraught with software glitches and electronic bugs that, for example, would not let Williams open the gap in the rear wings for some laps in Albert Park. Remember, the FIA is in charge of when they may be used, and Charlie Whiting makes the call, not the man in the cockpit. There are going to be toys hurled from prams before too long…

The expense of KERS is universally unpopular, up and down the pitlane, whether you’re Red Bull or Virgin. Some have designed and built their own systems rather than buy one in ready-made. This saves money but, for many teams, has disrupted pre-season testing and therefore reliability. So much time was spent on making KERS work that other areas like durability, efficiency and outright performance were compromised.

Red Bull didn’t use KERS at Albert Park, at least not in any meaningful way. That team, too, has had problems with the device and only got away without using it because the rest of the car is so incredibly good. The installation of this system is not only complex but also involves just about the whole of the rest of the design – because the weight has to be accounted for, and space made for battery packs. And, as we know, weight distribution is God.

Don’t be too surprised if, mid-season, KERS is the subject of robust debate. The teams don’t like it, the costs are hideous and the benefit remains open to question. As for DRS, we wait to see how it works on a circuit with a very long straight and a sharp corner at the end – like Malaysia. But the truth is that neither of these devices will solve the problem of overtaking. Only major changes to the rules governing aerodynamics – and a return to circuits designed for actual racing – will achieve an increase in overtaking.

I am simply concerned that Grand Prix racing has gone one step further into a technological labyrinth, and it should back out again before it gets completely mired in gizmos and post-race arguments. The vast majority of spectators are not bothered about when the KERS battery is charging, or when the rear wing is open or closed. They are there, and in their millions in front of the TV, to be entertained by Grand Prix racing that is worthy of its name, that justifies it being the pinnacle of motor racing.

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Testing, testing, one-two-three. We are now in the midst of the fourth and final pre-season Formula 1 test at the Catalunya circuit in southern Spain, where it has been unusually grey and chilly. This is the test that should have been in hot and dusty Bahrain…

Pre-season testing can, as we have so often seen over the years, be not only inconclusive but also misleading. This is because there is always a certain amount of smoke and mirrors, some deliberate sandbagging and insufficient accurate information forthcoming on fuel loads and set-ups.

And this year, we should remember, we are dealing with totally new tyre compounds from Pirelli, which has not yet got a race under its belt in any kind of climate. Rubber is likely to be a major factor in early 2011.

Popular opinion – and many engineers agree – is that we are going to see a lot more tyre degradation in the early races than we have previously been used to. Three pitstops are predicted, some saying more, especially if the weather is hot, the surface abrasive. Added to this unknown we have KERS, moveable rear wings and new cars to consider.

Logic says that Red Bull will the early pacesetters, and so it proved on Tuesday in Spain, with Mark Webber (above) top of the timesheets from Jenson Button – by some margin. This does not mean Red Bull is going to disappear into the distance at Melbourne on March 27, but simply that on March 8 the new Red Bull was more sorted than the new McLaren. And that’s no surprise at this stage. In an era when aerodynamics is key, you can expect an Adrian Newey-designed car to be at or near the top of the times.

What will be in many ways more interesting to see is how the two most radical cars shape up against the rest. These are the Williams (below), with its radical rear end and new transmission, and the Lotus-Renault, with its forward-facing exhaust system. If either of these two risky design ideas prove to be the way to go, then the others will have to follow suit, just as we saw two years ago with the Brawn’s double diffuser, when Button’s pre-season testing pace had alarm bells ringing right down the pitlane.

This year we have seen no such clear advantage, although Red Bull is predictably fast. Not far behind is Ferrari, smarting from its title defeat in Abu Dhabi. All Grand Prix teams of any stature play their cards close to their chests, saving their best until the first afternoon of qualifying. And, just to complicate matters, testing is not what it used to be.

In days gone by there was virtually unlimited mileage, the teams under no pressure to get it all sorted in just four short sessions in February and March. And there’s another difference. Test drivers, or reserve drivers as they are now known, have to get some mileage now or never, whereas before they could do their testing while the teams were away racing. And this means – as we have seen in Spain – lots of new, young drivers being given time in the cars when, in a perfect world, they’d be waiting until the race drivers went away to race.

So, we should not be surprised if Red Bull, Ferrari – and possibly McLaren – are at the front of the grid in Melbourne. Button (above) says we should not expect too much, that the car is not the equal of Red Bull or Ferrari, and they don’t have time to catch up before the end of the month. Bad news for McLaren fans.

Oh yes, and we also know that Mercedes-Benz has a great deal of work to do if Schumacher and Rosberg are to be anywhere near the podium. Unless, of course, Mr Brawn has been keeping something up his sleeve…

So end the ifs, buts and maybes. Soon it will be time to race…

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There is much to like about the Williams Formula 1 team. Fondly remembered as Williams Grand Prix Engineering, known affectionately as Team Willy, now called Williams F1 and soon to be known as Williams Grand Prix Holdings plc, this is a quintessentially British team. And long may that last.

The Williams folk are big-hearted racers, and that comes from the very top, Frank and Patrick setting the tone and staying true to their values.

This week, at its headquarters at Grove in Oxfordshire, the team held its ‘livery launch’ for 2011, the car itself having already been seen and examined at Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona.

Underneath a smart navy blue livery, boldly featuring new sponsor PDVSA (the Venezuelan state oil company), FW33 is the most radical Williams for a long time. These days, explained technical director Sam Michael, you have to take risks to get ahead.

There was much talk of ‘tight rear ends’, stirring not a little mirth and banter among the assembled British journalists. “Let’s face it,” said the eloquent Sam, “everyone likes a tight rear end.” He is referring, of course, to the back of FW33 which is notably compact, low and neat.

This has meant designing and building a new gearbox (the smallest the team has ever produced) and angling the driveshafts upwards towards the wheels, that being a radical move and entailing use of a recently developed technology. Like all teams, Williams is searching for downforce in the wake of a ban on double diffusers. The success of the new gearbox will be important because this year it must be used for five races rather than four as in 2010.

Rubens Barrichello did not come to Grove, the date clashing with his 14^th wedding anniversary. Sir Frank missed it too, not yet back from Qatar where he’d been helping Prime Minister David Cameron to promote British engineering excellence in the Gulf, while co-founder Patrick Head, we were told, was away on a ‘secret mission’ in the USA. But F1 rookie Pastor Maldonado was there (above) and heard Sam Michael tell the assembled company how well he’s shown in testing thus far. The GP2 champion brought much-needed sponsorship to Williams, hence PDVSA writ large on the car, and it is clear that the Venezuelan has every intention of proving that he is there because of his talent and not simply because of what he brings from his homeland.

“It’s not so different from GP2,” he told me, “but everything is bigger – more people, more technology, more buttons on the steering wheel. At first it was difficult, being faced with all the functions controlled from the car, but now it’s no problem. It’s a new season, new rules, so anything is possible and I will compete as hard as I can. I am focused, I’m not worried.” It will be intriguing to see how he fares against the speed and experience of Barrichello.

There was, naturally, plenty of talk about tyres. And yes, Michael confirmed, they have seen far more degradation with the Pirellis than with Bridgestone, and he predicts three pitstops in the early races. There was also mention of Michelin. Why? Because a five-course lunch was provided by two-star Michelin chef Michael Caines MBE, with whom Williams has forged an official partnership for 2011. VIP guests and sponsors will eat extremely well this year. Though perhaps it’s not such good news for Barrichello, who has lost a lot of weight over the winter in his efforts to stay ahead of the game.

As I said, there is much to like about Williams. All the photos on the walls of the bar in the Conference Centre at Grove feature Alan Jones. There’s one of him and Frank on a training run at the old factory in nearby Didcot. Happy days. Certainly the team has pinned its hopes on FW33, quietly confident that this car can take it another step back towards the front of the grid where many fans around the world would like the team to be.

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Civil unrest has led to the cancellation of the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain. The decision has been taken by the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who has stated that his country must “focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date.” The race was due to take place on March 13. The F1 season will now begin in Australia on March 27.

Our correspondent Rob Widdows posted the blog below, before the cancellation of the Bahrain GP had been confirmed.

At the time of sending this dispatch there remains a great deal of uncertainty over the running of the first Grand Prix of the year in Bahrain on March 13.

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few weeks, you will know that unrest in Tunisia and in Egypt has gathered pace across the Arab world, including the Kingdom of Bahrain where there have been riots in the capital city of Manama.

A decision on whether or not to run the race must be made this week if those involved are to get themselves organised. But this is not a decision for Bernie Ecclestone, it is a decision that must be made by the Crown Prince of Bahrain himself, for it is he who will best understand the safety – or otherwise – of his kingdom. And it is he who has been the driving force behind bringing Formula 1 to the Gulf, not to mention the investment his country has made in the McLaren Group. This will not be an easy decision.

Grand Prix racing is not what is important here, nor is its future at stake. There are 19 other races on the 2011 calendar. Global politics, and the stability of Bahrain society, are what are important, not least because the little desert kingdom is absolutely in alliance with both Britain and the United States. The Grand Prix is but one small, and recent, example of Bahrain’s wide-ranging connections with the outside world.

The Sakhir circuit is some way from the centre of Manama, out in the desert on the way to the beach resort of Zallaq, making it more of a challenge to protect the great and good of F1 from potential kidnap or attack. All things considered, circumstances are not ideal for a major international sporting event.

But this is not only about politics – it is almost as much about money. Ecclestone is handsomely rewarded for taking his business to Bahrain, just as the kingdom is rewarded with global exposure and not a few incoming dollars. Unlike Abu Dhabi, whose wealth is virtually without limit, Bahrain does not have such deep resources under the desert sand. It is not a poor country, far from it, but it needs F1 like it needs the international banks, investment houses, oil companies and hotels that will be the foundation of its wealth in decades to come.

There will be teams who’ll be pleased to do one less race, relieved to gain further development time. But should the race be cancelled, the leading players will have to wait even longer to find out how far they have caught up with the Red Bulls. The money will be of secondary importance, this being a fraction of the whole compared to the disruption of schedules and the risk of taking such an extravagant circus into a city filled with disgruntled natives.

At this stage, one thing is sure. The Crown Prince will be working very hard indeed to bring his country under control in time for the safe arrival of a sport of which he is such a passionate enthusiast. He and his ruling family will be equally keen to show the rest of the world, in particular the UK and the USA, that their investments are safe, that Bahrain knows how to restore order to such a strategically important Gulf state. Of course we all want the race to go ahead, to see the cars come out to play after the winter, but for once F1 must play second fiddle to peace in a volatile world. And if there are two areas upon which Bernie Ecclestone has a firm grasp, they are surely money and politics.

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While reading Simon Taylor’s account of his Lunch With… Alex Wurz I was briefly transported back to New Zealand and the Peter Jackson series in which the Austrian played a spectacular part.

Arriving in Auckland just before Christmas 1990, I had been signed up by TV New Zealand for its coverage of the series which was then the highlight of the season Down Under. These were the days of cigarette sponsorship and the tobacco company had put a considerable wedge of dollars into promoting events for Formula Atlantic, Formula Ford and assorted touring cars. Essentially, it was local heroes Kenny Smith and Craig Baird (below) versus The Rest of the World, the latter camp including European racers Julian Westwood, Harry Nuttall, Guy Smith and Matt Aitken in a team run by Graham Lorrimer – and, of course, a teenager called Alex Wurz who was up against local champion Ashley Stitchbury among others.

On Christmas Day we had a barbecue, just one of the joys of leaving the English winter behind. Supplied with a new Toyota coupé I then set off for the races, the first of which was at Pukekohe, a fast and challenging little circuit on the North Island. Coming from Britain the circuits were a bit of a shock to the system. Safety standards were, shall we say, a little unsophisticated, and the facilities were basic, reminiscent of Brands Hatch in the ’60s. But the sun shone, the crowds came and veteran Kenny Smith went toe to toe with the 21-year-old Baird, as they did all season.

Double NZ champion Stitchbury set the pace in Formula Ford. Wurz reckoned him to be one of the quickest drivers he’d ever seen, but the young New Zealander tragically died far too young after a racing accident in Australia some years later. It was clear that Wurz had talent, and he was certainly the tallest, but he was on the wild side, crashing too often to feature in the final results. His command of English was minimal, meaning that he was not at the top of the TV interview list, although his different coloured boots were much filmed and photographed. By the end of the series, however, he stood out as one to watch.

Seeking some advice on the local racing scene, I went to see Denny Hulme (below) at his home near Tauranga where I found him mowing his orchard. We spent all day talking about his extraordinary career and he decided he should come to one of the races. That day was an education. He was perfect company, his mischievous humour and no-nonsense approach making for some scathing comments on the antics of some of the competitors. The former World Champion suggested that one or two would be still be looking for the apex as long as they lived, and that the circuit didn’t seem to have changed that much since he raced around it in bare feet.

In the British camp Westwood made a good impression, returning home to some good results in F3000, while both he and Nuttall (who later inherited the Nuttall Baronetcy) spent many happy hours competing with Baird for the prettiest ladies in the paddock. Baird, who later tested with Dick Bennetts’ F3 team in England, found time to win the first of his back-to-back Formula Atlantic titles.

Meanwhile, Kiwi superstar Scott Dixon was still three years away from his first single-seater race.

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For this week’s dispatch from a rather chilly south coast of England I have been asked to take a look back, as we so often do in the pages of our magazine. We have speculated here about what may or may not occur during this coming Formula 1 season, but we’ll leave that aside until we see some results from testing in Spain.

As we will have the first-ever Indian Grand Prix this year I thought it might be fun to look back on the Madras GP, an event with which many of you may not be familiar.

In the early ’90s the good people of this hot and sultry city, home of the Madras Motor Sports Club, had invited the cream of European Formula 3 to take part in what they proudly promoted as the ‘Grand Prix’ of Madras, this in fact being a mixed bag of races at the Irungattu Kottai circuit a few miles inland from the coast.

Local champion J Anand was to uphold the honour of what was then considered to be the epicentre of motor racing in India. Another notable competitor that weekend was one Vijay Mallya (above), a wealthy businessman and amateur racer from Bombay, and something of a local hero with his exploits in an Ensign. He would later bring his Force India team to the F1 paddock, and has been a driving force behind the new circuit in Delhi where he will realise his dream of putting his cars on the grid for the first-ever F1 race in his homeland.

A front-runner in the main event for F3 cars was Jamie Spence (above on the left in 2001), who had rapidly made a name for himself in Britain. In first practice the young Londoner spun wildly into the long grass at the far side of the track. There were no guardrails, sand traps or run-off areas. There was some concern when he did not get out of the car, but when he finally re-appeared in the paddock – an area shaded from the sun by colourful drapes on wooden posts – he was unusually subdued. “I popped the belts, began to climb out, and saw a f****** great snake coming towards me,” he said. “So I decided to stay in the car.”

When the cars came to the grid on race day, with Spence on pole, the grandstand – made from an inventive assembly of scaffolding, bamboo and more colourful cloth – was literally swaying with excitement. I honestly cannot recall who won. This fast and furious encounter was followed by a motorcycle race during which there were a great many accidents and general mayhem. For those who have not previously worked in India, the Grand Prix in October will be a far more smartly organised affair. I believe the passion for motor sport and the inventiveness of the Indians will produce a memorable event.

Our task was to make a film of these proceedings, setting up camp at Prahad Video in Madras where we worked all night, taking breaks during the regular power cuts. My video editor John Barrow did a sterling job until, despite my protestations, he decided to go down the road for a curry. As a result, and I spare you the details, we finished the film with just enough time to catch the plane to Bombay and onward to London. A confusion with bookings allowed a rather sickly Mr Barrow to fly ahead of me – which was fortunate for him as a bomb scare on my flight to London necessitated a rather sudden landing in snowy Ankara. This was not a happy experience, but then racing in India – while never entirely predictable – is always memorable. Those of you travelling to Delhi in October should be prepared for delights and surprises in equal measure.

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Time flies. Like many other clichés, this is undeniably true. And, believe me, the older you get the faster time flies by.

If you follow a sport your year is pretty much defined by the season, or calendar, and this seems to make the passage of time faster still. No sooner have you seen a person or team crowned champion than it all starts again.

It feels like only last week that the Formula 1 cars crossed the line in Abu Dhabi at the close of another season of Grand Prix racing. And yet, suddenly, it is launch time. Not in the Cape Canaveral sense of the word, but with stages shrouded in dry ice, covers drawn back dramatically and newly-groomed drivers blinking in the bright lights.

By the time we get to Valencia on February 1 we will already be familiar with the shape of the 2011 contenders. Gone are double diffusers, F-Ducts and Bridgestone tyres. New for this year will be the return of KERS, moveable rear wings and Pirelli tyres. But the cars will look pretty much the same as last year to the casual observer, and that’s why launches are not as dramatic as they used to be when the regulations were less prescriptive and designers had greater freedom to express themselves. As things are, the casual observer may find it hard to tell a Mercedes from a McLaren.

Speaking of these two contenders, we see two very different strategies ahead of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13. Mercedes will unveil its new MGP-W02 in the pitlane on the first morning of the three-day test in Valencia on February 1. Will this be the car that Michael Schumacher needs to prove he still has the old magic? Who knows? McLaren-Mercedes, meanwhile, will not launch its new MP4-26 until after the Valencia test on February 4. This, the team says, is because they will gather data from the new Pirellis before revealing what they consider to be the perfect solution to the media and, more importantly, their rivals.

Six days later, on February 10, the teams will transfer to Jerez for a four-day test before making the trek to Bahrain. Every team will have its own strategy, its own programme of development over the next seven weeks. But you can be sure that the 2011 Red Bull will be one of the last to show its face. Adrian Newey has always preferred to spend as much time as possible in research before committing his thoughts to carbon fibre. To match, or exceed, last year’s results will be a huge challenge. Especially as its rivals have had all winter to study where it was that the RB6 found a second a lap on them.

How much we will learn from Valencia and Jerez is debatable. Claims and counter-claims will be made, we may not be privy to fuel weights on every run, and a Brawn-type advantage, such as we saw in 2009, is a rare occurrence. There is, however, every reason to believe that we are in for another thrilling year and Ferrari, still smarting from the confusion of last November, will be throwing everything it has at the 2011 title.

Off-season? What off-season? Time flies.

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Time flies. Like many other clichés, this is undeniably true. And, believe me, the older you get the faster time flies by.
If you follow a sport your year is pretty much defined by the season, or calendar, and this seems to make the passage of time faster still. No sooner have you seen a person or team crowned champion than it all starts again.

It feels like only last week that the Formula 1 cars crossed the line in Abu Dhabi at the close of another season of Grand Prix racing. And yet, suddenly, it is launch time. Not in the Cape Canaveral sense of the word, but with stages shrouded in dry ice, covers drawn back dramatically and newly-groomed drivers blinking in the bright lights.

By the time we get to Valencia on February 1 we will already be familiar with the shape of the 2011 contenders. Gone are double diffusers, F-Ducts and Bridgestone tyres. New for this year will be the return of KERS, moveable rear wings and Pirelli tyres. But the cars will look pretty much the same as last year to the casual observer, and that’s why launches are not as dramatic as they used to be when the regulations were less prescriptive and designers had greater freedom to express themselves. As things are, the casual observer may find it hard to tell a Mercedes from a McLaren. Speaking of these two contenders, we see two very different strategies ahead of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13.

Mercedes will unveil its new MGP-W02 in the pitlane on the first morning of the three-day test in Valencia on February 1. Will this be the car that Michael Schumacher needs to prove he still has the old magic? Who knows? McLaren-Mercedes, meanwhile, will not launch its new MP4-26 until after the Valencia test on February 4. This, the team says, is because they will gather data from the new Pirellis before revealing what they consider to be the perfect solution to the media and, more importantly, their rivals.

Six days later, on February 10, the teams will transfer to Jerez for a four-day test before making the trek to Bahrain. Every team will have its own strategy, its own programme of development over the next seven weeks. But you can be sure that the 2011 Red Bull will be one of the last to show its face. Adrian Newey has always preferred to spend as much time as possible in research before committing his thoughts to carbon fibre. To match, or exceed, last year’s results will be a huge challenge. Especially as its rivals have had all winter to study where it was that the RB6 found a second a lap on them.

How much we will learn from Valencia and Jerez is debatable. Claims and counter-claims will be made, we may not be privy to fuel weights on every run, and a Brawn-type advantage, such as we saw in 2009, is a rare occurrence. There is, however, every reason to believe that we are in for another thrilling year and Ferrari, still smarting from the confusion of last November, will be throwing everything it has at the 2011 title.
Off-season? What off-season? Time flies.

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It has become a custom for me to offer some predictions for the season ahead. Actually, it has become a source of much amusement and derision among my colleagues, who are never shy of reminding me how unreliable my predictions are. I will, however, continue the custom for those of you who enjoy a bit of harmless amusement.

So, here’s what may happen as we move through a new season of motor racing in 2011. In no particular order:

1. Sébastien Ogier will be a lot closer to Sébastien Loeb and will challenge for the World Rally Championship title.
2. Valentino Rossi will win a race on a Ducati.
3. Audi will win Le Mans.
4. Red Bull will start the season winning Grands Prix.
5. Paul di Resta will impress in the Force India (if he actually gets to drive one of the cars Rob… Ed).
6. Dario Franchitti will win the Indycar championship.
7. Felipe Massa will be replaced at Ferrari during the year.
8. Rubens Barrichello will retire at the end of 2011.
9. Dean Stoneman will be on the podium in GP2.
10. Ferrari will threaten to leave Grand Prix racing if the rules for 2013 are not changed to accommodate a V6 turbo engine.

All nonsense? Yes, probably, but let’s be bold this year. You will have your own thoughts on the season ahead, or you may decide to keep them to yourselves, which is probably more sensible. But remember, I did predict that Vettel would win the Formula 1 title in 2010

While we’re listing things, here’s 10 events not to miss in 2011. Again, in no particular order:

1. The Monaco Grand Prix – F1 cars are as exciting as ever they were on this circuit. Pure drama, with or without overtaking.
2. Indycars on any of the ovals. Still a thrilling spectacle.
3. IRC Ypres Rally. An easy drive from the UK and a lovely town with the service area in the main square.
4. The Goodwood Revival. Simply the best.
5. MotoGP at Mugello. Take a walk around the circuit and be amazed.
6. BTCC at Brands Hatch. Audi joins the fray this year. Great circuit.
7. WRC Rally New Zealand. Breathtaking scenery.
8. Algarve Historic Festival. Sunshine, beaches and mouth-watering cars.
9. The Brazilian Grand Prix. Crackling atmosphere, always a good race.
10. Midget cars on any dirt oval. You can combine this with the Indy 500.

Go on, treat yourself. It will only be more expensive next year. Whatever you do, wherever you are, let’s look forward to another great season.

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Moments like this are always difficult. The motor racing world has lost two good people in recent days – two very different people but both passionate about the sport.

Tom Walkinshaw, racing driver, Grand Prix team owner, entrepreneur and rugby fan has died after a long and brave battle with cancer. Walkinshaw, a successful racer in his own right, made his mark as a team manager, a man who made things happen and who was intensely competitive. In 1984 he won the European Touring Car championship in a Jaguar XJS. His own TWR team later gave Jaguar its first win at Le Mans in 30 years and a World Sportscar Championship for Martin Brundle, who recently said he’d still be selling Toyotas in Norfolk if it hadn’t been for Walkinshaw.

Tom went on to be engineering director at Benetton, with Ross Brawn as technical director, and this partnership – along with Flavio Briatore – gave Michael Schumacher the first of his seven Formula 1 world titles. He famously took a young Schumacher away from the Jordan team, causing a great deal of publicity and not a little controversy. As well as being a passionate racing fan, Walkinshaw was a tough negotiator who built up his TWR Engineering empire on the back of his success as a driver and team owner.

After Benetton he bought a 50 per cent stake in Ligier before moving on again to take over the Arrows F1 team, employing Derek Warwick and Eddie Cheever, both of whom had driven sports cars for him. Arrows was the end of his F1 career but he went on to run an Australian touring car team, putting Holden back in the winners’ circle. A devoted rugby fan, he was chairman of Gloucester Rugby Club.

A memorial service will be held at Gloucester Cathedral on February 4, 2011 at midday.

Christopher Hilton, author of a huge number of motor racing books and biographies, died suddenly at the end of last month. He was a prolific writer who did much to popularise the sport and his Grand Prix Century will remain a useful and very readable reference book, which contains not only facts and figures, but also some good tales of seasons gone by. He is also known for his biographies of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, James Hunt and Ken Tyrrell among many others, as well as a long and interesting look at the business of being a racer entitled Inside the Mind of the Grand Prix Driver.

A memorial service will be held at Harlow Crematorium at midday on December 22 followed by a celebration of his life at the Manor of Groves in Harlow.

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The season of goodwill and peace among men has begun. Readers of Autosport magazine have named Japanese Grand Prix driver Kamui Kobayashi ‘Rookie of the Year’. Well now, there’s a nice surprise for fans of feisty racing drivers.

But should we be surprised? No, not really. He’s a cool guy; he speaks his mind and drives accordingly. Flick through the overtaking moves of 2010 and a white, barely-sponsored car with a Ferrari engine features strongly.

It has been said that Japanese racers would not make footballers because they can’t take corners. Yes, they have shown flashes of brilliance, but never consistently. But because they are brave they are flat out where others fear to tread, and this is exciting – as Kobayashi showed at the Spoon corner on many occasions during this year’s Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka is not a place for the faint-hearted and Kamui was on fine form, staking his claim to be the first truly successful Japanese Formula 1 contender. Many have tried – we know who they are – and some thought this honour would go to Takuma Sato, who was also brave and feisty in a mid-grid car.

What is surprising is Kobayashi’s honesty and humour in a world that appears not to encourage such traits. How about this in a recent missive from the Sauber headquarters in Hinwil? Asked about his apparent ability to overtake other cars during a race, he said: “Because I am Japanese I have small eyes, so I cannot see the other guys. It was an interesting race at Suzuka, very nice for me, and for the Japanese fans. If I feel I can overtake, then I just do it, there is no secret.” I’ve never met Kobayashi, but I’d like to.

Rookie of the Year then, and a winter to work on his game. But first he’s off to Bali for a couple of weeks in the sun. Methinks this guy has what is known these days as a ‘work/life balance’. His ultimate wish, had he a magic lamp, is also interesting.

“In Japanese Mangas they have a ‘where do you want to go to door’,” he says, “and when you go through this door you are where you want to be. I’d like to find that.” So, all he has to do is find the door to, say, McLaren or Ferrari and through he goes. In his dreams. Would he be as quick as a Hamilton or an Alonso? I have no idea, but his way of racing has certainly won him a great many fans.

You will remember that people asked the same question of drivers like Rosberg, Mansell and Webber. Given a great car, would they get the job done? In modern times, more so than ever before, a keen intelligence is vital, an ability to do many things at once while travelling at high speeds.

This is all part of the excitement, the intrigue of sport. And it is this continuing curiosity that carries us from season to season. You never know precisely what will happen, and 2011 looks like being as thrilling as ever. Winter testing won’t provide the answers; the drama will unfold in its own time. And even then, there may be an own-goal in the final minute of extra time. Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber will be mindful of this. Maybe M Schumacher will be back with a dominant car. Now that would be interesting…

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I have been out on the road. Not having as much fun as Jack Kerouac, but nonetheless an interesting week or so. The final leg of my journey took me – via London, Wales and Littlehampton – to Goodwood where, as some of you know, I have spent a large part of my life.

On this occasion I went to see Jenson Button. Now you might imagine that a Formula 1 driver would have his feet up at home this week, that’s if he’s not testing the new Pirellis in Abu Dhabi. Wrong. Former World Champions are always on the go, their highly remunerative contracts requiring them to spend time with sponsors and other important benefactors. This is particularly true at McLaren, a team that takes its ‘sponsorship management’ very seriously.

So this week Jenson dropped in to Goodwood for a private day for title sponsor Vodafone. His task? To give its guests a ride to remember. And boy, did he deliver. It was bucketing down when JB took a silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren out onto a very wet Goodwood circuit, the big car searching for grip between the puddles. But a bit of precipitation has never bothered Button. This is a mighty car, the result of the combined technologies of McLaren and Mercedes-Benz, built in Portsmouth and Woking. Big 5.4-litre V8 engine, automatic gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Just right for thrilling those lucky enough to be his passengers on what the team calls its day of ‘hot laps’.

Were there gasps and shrieks from the passenger seat, I wondered? “No, but there were from me,” quipped JB. “It is very wet out there, almost too wet really.” Button is super-fit, relaxed, cheerful and charming, a man upon whom the World Championship has been sitting very comfortably. People take to him, especially the ladies. On this form, it’s not hard to see why. This was a day to show just why he is where he is, and you get the impression that McLaren is very pleased indeed with its new boy.

I watched in awe as the car rumbled round, waiting to interview him for a Goodwood DVD proclaiming the joys of events at Lord March’s Sussex estate. JB drove Prost’s McLaren TAG at the Festival of Speed this year and described it as the best day of his life. The rain fell incessantly as JB growled around in the Merc. Even he was lifting for the ultra-quick Fordwater corner, such was the volume of water. The silver machine is worth damn near £300,000 and there’s no point in frightening people.

The following day the 2008 World Champion flew in to have his turn. Luckily for Lewis Hamilton and his guests, it was sunny and dry. From where I was standing this looked like a happy family, a Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team very much at ease with itself despite a poor year by its standards. You can be sure that noses are already on the grindstone at Woking…

Life, as Jean-Paul Sartre suggested, is the eternal imponderable. And life on the road allows for plenty of time to ponder. If Bahrain seems just too far way, worry not, they will be out testing new cars in February. Lewis and Jenson can’t wait to get their hands on MP4-26, to renew their friendly but serious rivalry. Meanwhile they will have their holidays, do their bit for the sponsors, and return to a new car, new Pirellis and a new season.

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