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FOM boss Bernie Ecclestone has been making the news lately with a few interviews at F1.com and now the Guardian. His approach to F1 management is explored in both articles and while the F1.com story is a tad more gracious than the Guardian’s tabloid-style, complimentary back-stab, it still prompts good discussion as to who Mr. Ecclestone is and what motivates a man to continue his work even at the soon-to-be ripe age of 80.

I’ve often been accused of being an Ecclestone sycophant and quite honestly, I admit that I like Mr. E. I certainly don’t always agree with him but I am sure he rarely agrees with me and that makes us even. Ecclestone represents the brain of F1 and it would be no easy task to separate my love of the sport while gnawing at the brain that steers it. Ecclestone, as the head of F1, is too easy a target for the presses derision and it takes very little to blame a guy who admired Hitler and Saddam Hussein for their ability to” get things done”. Without context, the comments are a terse and insensitive as they sound but Eccelstone rarely says anything without it being controversial and often leaves context at the door when making such statements.

There are several takeaways from these two articles and one of them, for me, is Ecclestone’s issue with the Olympics. For the past few years he’s been vocal about the waste of money a country engages in when hosting the Olympics and most notably the British government. He insinuates that F1 is a better investment than the Olympics because it’s a long-term revenue generator and cost less to build the infrastructure. He has always likened F1 to the Olympics and feels that governments should be backing F1 ventures and not the bombastic expense and ego-driven bravado that comes with playing host to the Olympics.

That model of government backing has worked for F1 in AsiaPac and it’s no mystery that the F1 show has moved east for that reason. Eccelstone maintains that F1 is a global sport and it should be just that—global and in the east. The counter argument is that the East has no history for F1 racing in which to pad the investment and garner the excitement. That’s a true and salient point but F1 doesn’t race for history or passion, it races for profit and entertainment via TV contracts. Ecclestone’s comment to the Guardian says it all; “I do it because I enjoy it. And yesterday is gone. I don’t care what happened yesterday.”

The dictatorial nature of his reign is something he has always maintained as the only way to govern. He means that sincerely, I believe, and often equates it to governments as well as business—hence the Hitler and Hussein comments—and often says that his friend and former FIA president Max Mosley would have been a good Prime Minister for that very reason. They both lead best in dictatorial roles and they both get things done. Is it controversial to mention Hitler while admiring Mosley or himself as equally effective people that get jobs done? Absolutely but then Ecclestone knows the value of bad press.

To Ecclestone, no circuit is sacred. No track is beyond the chopping block to make way for governments who are willing to invest in the F1 program. Spa Francorchamps, Monza, Silverstone, Monaco, Canada, United States, Nurburgring or Turkey. None of them have any sway over the economics of the system and while fans heap vitriol on Ecclestone for even thinking of removing some of F1’s most storied circuits, he says it takes “courage” to move to new venues and find new revenue sources to support the system. It’s not draconian, it’s just good business in his mind and from a pure business perspective, he’s right. From a passionate fan’s perspective he’s wrong, Spa and other famous circuits are irreplaceable and represent to soul of F1. The battle rages on.

Contradictory is Ecclestone’s statement about his position in life and how he views the quality of life he currently enjoys. There is no trophy or championship awarded to him for doing his job. The only measuring stick of accomplishment is the money CVC/FOM makes at the end of the year and while money doesn’t hold anything for him, per his comments at F1.com, he seems to suggest it is the only real reason for waking each morning and continuing his job:

“No, it’s not. I don’t get any individual pleasure because we don’t win races or titles in this job. I’m like most business people. You look back at the end of the year and you see what you’ve achieved by working out how much money the company has made. That’s it.”

Ultimately you may or may not agree with Ecclestone on many things but measuring his personal value is not as easy as running a hack piece in a paper or denouncing his love of profit or making fun of his failed marriage and estranged relationship with his children. The nuances of the series and sport are way too big to marginalize the complexities that make this man a definitive voice in the world of sport. He’s unique, odd, iron-fisted, shrewd, calculative, reactionary and controversial. He’s also made F1 what it is and will have a large hand in fashioning its future even at the future-defying age of 80.

I tend to avoid the bravery of being out of range when discussing Ecclestone because I understand the enormous magnitude of the task before him and at 80-years-old, we should all be so lucky as to have a mission and goal that keeps us thriving and in healthy spirits as we work toward building a better beast. He is no one’s clown and even with age has remained relatively in-touch with his surroundings. Has he embraced Twitter? No, but then which of us have billion-dollar enterprises because we opened a Twitter account? Practical, pragmatic and parochial is Ecclestone. I don’t always agree but I do respect and that is earned and not given away.

I’m not sure I have the stomach for this so early in the morning.

But I know Grace doesn’t, and I know I can’t let Negative Camber be the one to politely comment on the subject of this post. So here goes:

Michael Schumacher is the latest subject of the Formula 1 official site’s ongoing “Secret Life of…” series. Needless to say, most of the answers are four words or less and he effectively grinds the whole endeavor to a halt. I wonder if he is the last driver they are profiling?

And… they’re off:

Q: Are you a ‘Plan-B’ kind of guy?
Michael Schumacher: No.

Q: Driving a Formula One car aside, what is your favourite buzz?
MS: At the moment it is skydiving.

Wait! There is news! We now know how Schumacher will get out of his Mercedes contract early: injuries from a skydiving accident! I’m feeling better, I might make it through this.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
MS: The engineers.

Q: Who is your dream date?
MS: She is also my dream come true – Corinna.

Huh. In 10 words, I think Michael has just totally summed himself up. Part of him is all about racing and being with the “guys” and now he’s also got the half of him pulling him to his “life.” (I’ll let Grace comment on the sappy nature of that answer, though.)

Q: What are you afraid of – and why?
MS: It was heights, but not anymore.

I was confused here for a second, but then I remembered answer No. 2. OK, now for a string of improbably short answers:

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
MS: A glass of red wine and a cigar.

Q: Five things that you hate?
MS: I don’t really hate anything.

Q: Have you ever – or would you ever – dye your hair?
MS: Sure. Why not?

Q: What was the first CD that you bought?
MS: It was an LP – I think some hard rock, metal stuff.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
MS: Only temporary ones.

Q: What did teachers say about you in your school report?
MS: Not nice things.

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
MS: Hard to tell. I did not really have any.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
MS: Cigars? Poker? I don’t think I should feel guilty about it.

Q: Do you collect anything?
MS: Watches maybe. But not madly.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
MS: My family.

Q: What was your worst-ever buy?
MS: That changes with every fashion change.

Oh. My. God. Michael just destroyed Paul Charsley’s favorite podcast feature. Can we really make fun of his fashion sense if he knows it’s bad?

Wait. Of course we can.

Alright, we are in the home stretch, and he hasn’t yet totaled the words that Kamui Kobayashi used to answer the question about his biggest fear.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
MS: With hot milk.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
MS: A long breakfast with my family.

Q: What was the first car or machine you drove?
MS: A Fiat 500 – well, actually I drove a lot of karts before that.

Q: What was the most embarrassing mistake you have made?
MS: Choose one.

Q: What is the best thing that you can cook?
MS: Italian pasta probably.

I’m like Mike. I prefer my Italian pasta to my German or English pasta.

OK. You’re tired, if you’re like me. But there is one question and answer left. And it is worth it:

Q: When was the last time you were really furious?
MS: Really, really furious? In Spa, 1998 [when he crashed into the rear of David Coulthard’s McLaren while leading a very wet Belgian Grand Prix. Coulthard was a lap down and Schumacher blamed the Scot for the incident.]

Twelve years on, and he’s still all about it! Score!

Memo to young drivers: THAT is how you handle the official “media” requests from F1. You make them earn every answer, and you make them bleed out their ears while doing it.*

* Note: I’m assuming this was full of painful, awkward moments mainly because Schumacher has done 15 million of these types of interviews and they must drive him crazy. And the short answers just feel… Michaelesque. And no hate intended. The guy’s pretty much earned the right to blow off the F1 communications staff at this point.

No one tell Pedro the teams will be looking at his 2010 performance in grand prixs, OK?!

Alright, that might be harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts. And I think the truth is that Pedro de la Rosa’s opportunity to return to racing in Formula 1 came and went with Sauber this season.

Still, de la Rosa isn’t counting out a seat in 2011. If you can call driving for HRT “a seat.” Here’s what he has to say, via Autosport from Spanish radio. (Note to Todd: Told you we needed to invest in a Spanish radio capability. We are missing big news!)

Pedro de la Rosa is hoping his role as Pirelli’s test driver will help him land a racing seat for next year.

But the Spaniard concedes his knowledge of the Italian tyres will not be a determining factor to secure a drive for 2011.

“It’s not going to be a determining factor. It’s not going to get me a drive, but it could get me close to one,” de la Rosa told Spanish radio Onda Cero.

Seriously, is it just me and my semi-man love for Nick Heidfeld, but isn’t Nick the better choice if a team wants to get a little extra Pirelli information in the garage?

Pedro goes on to say that he’d be OK with driving for HRT, which makes sense given he’s, you know, Spanish. Kind of like having an American driver at an American F1 team. (Too soon?)

“I’m in touch with the [team owners] Carabantes and we talk a lot and in fact they inform me about how the project is going,” he said.

“If the project is interesting and ambitious I would be glad to be with them. They know it, but at the moment there is no rush.”

I bet there’s no rush! Heck, he might be checking to see if there’s a decent Le Mans drive before settling into HRT. (I do wonder what, if any, line-up we’ll see at HRT next year. They’ll need a paid, if not two, paid drivers, right? I mean, realistically, won’t they need all the extra cash they can get? I wonder if Petrov could drop to there, depending on what Renault does. But here’s my thought: I think HRT should run a platoon of three paid drivers, somewhat like what they started with Sakon Yamamoto but make it up front from the first race. One will rotate out each race weekend. That way the team would get 2/3s sponsorship from three drivers. It would add a seat for all that young talent, well, the talent that could bring some money along.)

Finally, Pedro talks about the decision to kick him aside for Heidfeld and the driver who is kicking Nick out, Sergio Perez:

De la Rosa, who was replaced by Nick Heidfeld for the final five races of the season, said the decision seemed stranger after Sauber decided to sign Mexican Sergio Perez to partner Kamui Kobayashi next year.

“It’s weird but I’m not going to judge other people’s decisions,” he said. “I have my opinion about it, Peter Sauber knows it, which is what counts to me. I respect the decision, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it. Now I’m moving on with Pirelli.”

The Spanish driver, however, believes that Perez is a good choice for the Swiss squad.

“He’s a good choice for Sauber. He’s a good driver, with a good record and with the important backing from Telmex.”

It’s a strange decision, indeed. Although in just a few races, Nick’s already got 4 points to Pedro’s 6. So… not so strange?

It’s not easy hosting a grand prix…just ask China or Turkey. The tasks to be completed, vending, maintenance, safety, crowd control, security; they all play a huge role in the details of a race weekend. Imagine the cost for host nations to cover these details and then imagine an enterprising idea.

In the United States, some events team with local organizations to garner a quick labor force to man the event and these charitable organizations receive a stipend to their cause for the labor and effort. My recent visit to the Petit Le Mans proved this once again as the security woman at the press entrance was actually a parent of a local high school band department raising money for the group. Need a new Tuba for Billy? Volunteer for a race. Need a violin for Suzi? Volunteer at the next NHRA drag race.

It was a noble cause and Road Atlanta got quality people to work their event for a fraction of what it would normally costs to hire a full-fledged security company to manage the event. The people were all very nice and I managed to chat to a few of them and get their impression on the race. Actually, they were bereft of the details or failed to show any care whatsoever about the Audi’s versus the Peugeot’s but they did take their particular job seriously. Good on them.

This is also the case for the final race of the season at the Abu Dhabi Yas Marina circuit. Taking a page from the charitable labor force, the organizers of the Yas Marina circuit have found an answer to the question of labor and event coverage. Takatof National Volunteering Programme and Yas Marina Circuit have agreed to a three-year strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) whereby Takatof volunteers will take part in all the sport events organized by Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM).

Over 1750 people will take part in the 2010 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This agreement comes on the heels of a successful program in 2009 which saw around 1,118 volunteers participated in the event. They completed more than 47,000 hours of voluntary work, which was admired by all and contributed to the overall success. The Takatof organization’s 1,100 volunteers provided voluntary services for Grandstand information and assistance, hospitality, media support, and information stands at Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports.

Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit, said:

“This partnership between Takatof and Yas Marina Circuit will provide a valuable opportunity for Emiratis to develop new skills and be involved in some of the region’s most important sporting events,”

“We are all extremely excited about the Grand Prix in November, and the support from this partnership will help to ensure we provide first-class service to all international and local visitors.”

Takatof members volunteer for humanitarian, social and community programs and specific training is used in order to help develop technical training on public safety, client services and protocol.

Takatof Executive Director Maytha Al Habsi said:

“The 2010 Formula 1™ Etihad AirwaysEtihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will offer a new and unique experiment for our volunteers to deal responsibly with large numbers of the public.

“The volunteers,” she added, “are very ardent to take part in this event as it gives them a real chance to develop their administrative skills.”

As I watched the race last year, I kept wondering who the people wandering around on the bridge overlooking the track were. During the actual race, there were random people just walking back and forth on the bridge and I thought to myself, “who the heck just walks around on a bridge while the race is going on?” and “Go sit somewhere dude! The race is on!”. I think I know who they were now.

A dearth of Formula 1 news typically means one thing: Bernie Ecclestone is bound to appear to fill the void.

This week (during a dearth of F1 news), Bernie has done it officially with an “exclusive” interview at the F1 website. (I think that is somehow akin to having an “exclusive” interview with your company’s CEO because he had to use the employee bathroom while the executive ones were being refurbished.)

Here are the highlights:

Q: Bernie, there are hundreds of stories about you and still people find it hard to work out who you are. Who is Bernie Ecclestone?
Bernie Ecclestone: An ex-used car dealer. (laughs)

Q: But there must have a moment when you realized that you were smarter than your surroundings, that you could see opportunities quicker than most…
BE: You don’t think about these things. You are in business and you do whatever you think is right. I don’t think that an artist would suddenly think, ‘well, from today on, I am an artist’. A painter starts to paint without knowing if he will be famous some day. That grows. It’s as simple as that.

Wow, it took all of two questions to introduce Bernie’s backside to a thousand rays of sunshine. Well done, F1 site!

Q: Your racing career was a short-lived one. Was it disappointing when you realised you weren’t good enough? It seems to be the only thing you have struggled with…
BE: It was not a case of not being as good as I wanted to be. It was a case of how much effort you put into it. I was running a business, and running that business was more important than racing. So I concentrated on running a business and not on racing. That’s why I stopped.

Q: Did you ever have a role model?
BE: No. Because you can never say that you want to be like somebody else. Otherwise I would say I would like to be like Robert Redford. But these things don’t happen.

Seriously, that is some serious butt kissing. I hope everyone is taking notes.

Oh, and little know fact: Robert Redford? Only 51 inches tall. True fact.

Q: Is there a difference between Formula One racing’s Bernie Ecclestone and Bernie Ecclestone, the human being?
BE: I hope I am a human being in Formula One. So the answer is no.

OK… so anyone want to bet if they follow up that answer with the question we all want asked: “Well, you *hope* you’re a human, but we know you are a greedy, life-sucking troll. So, the answer is more, ‘Yes,’ correct?”

Yeah… don’t take that bet. Here’s the next question:

Q: Have you followed any guiding principles over the years?
BE: I have never had any intention to plan anything. Things happen and I try to do the best with what’s available. Probably that’s a natural gift – one that many people have.

Q: But there are not many people around who have achieved what you have…
BE: I’ve been lucky.

Q: Is it really only luck? Some say you make your own luck…
BE: What you have to do, when an opportunity is there, is to take it. A lot of people stumble through life saying ‘I could have done this’ and ‘I could have done that’. I took opportunities.

I think he meant to say: “I took opportunities and crushed hundreds of people who got in my way. So, sure, you could say I’ve been lucky.”

OK, yes, I’m having a little fun at Bernie’s expense. Can you blame me? You can? OK… tell me if you can blame me after you read this:

Q: Can you say what these three things mean to you – money, power and success? Let’s start with money…
BE: It means zero to me.

Q: Power?
BE: Zero.

Q: Success?
BE: Zero. I just do what I think I have to do. If you send me to do a job, I would do the best that I could for you. Is that being successful?

Hello, credibility? Here’s the window. You’re free to go.

Q: But wherever you go there is a limousine waiting and a police escort – the attributes of a successful man. Are there moments when it dawns on you just how successful you are?
BE: Ah, the police escort… I think they just want to make sure that I get there.

OK, that answer I buy.

Q: Can you remember a situation where you really felt you had been touched by luck?
BE: I cannot remember. It has happened to me so often. Ah, one thing I do remember was during the war and I was out picking potatoes to make some money when a German warplane went down just metres from where I was. The impact picked me up and blew me metres away – but that was it – I didn’t even have minor injuries! That was luck! And this luck had nothing to do with me. I had no ego, I was not successful – I was just bloody lucky. Obviously, a lot of people must feel that they were unlucky on that day… (laughs)

Wow. He is truly a maniacal, evil genius. And a lucky one, at that.

What follow is a series of, I think, fairly uninteresting questions. And then this comes:

Q: There are still many who believe your biggest motivation is money…
BE: I have never done anything for money. Money is a by-product of what I do. From the early days onwards. I had a very successful business when I was 20 years-old. What motivated me even then was to do good deals – not to make money. Money comes out of good deals, which people don’t understand. I don’t think that you will find anyone who is more than comfortably off doing what he does just to make more money.

I’m trying to decide if he really is able to separate these two things: a good deal from making money. I can’t believe he thinks people will buy that. But then again, I suppose it is clear he doesn’t car what people think.

Finally, Bernie looks to the future:

Q: Do you have any vision of where Formula One racing could go in the next decade?
BE: No. I am worried about next year! Anyone who starts telling you today what is going to happen in three years is wrong. Otherwise we wouldn’t have the problems we are just going through.

Q: There is a notion in the paddock that it still takes 12 team principals to make one Bernie Ecclestone. What do you think when you hear something like that?
BE: We will see! (laughs) They should probably all see that they run their own businesses properly and not worry about others’. What is good for Formula One is good for everybody involved – teams and companies. Too many people only think about what is good for them. It’s the same with the rules – they only think about what can make them win.

Q: Is it all about ego?
BE: I wouldn’t call it ego but stupidity. They should think about the whole global side of it. All the teams are very competitive and want to win, which I support completely, but they need to want to win on level terms and not try to get a big advantage. If they get an advantage because somebody designs a better car or they have a better driver or strategy, then super. But they should not try to devise things so that they can go in knowing that they have an advantage. Lots of them would like to go in and have a little bit of a bigger engine than the others, which is not really the way to go.

If I’m not wrong, I think Bernie is saying: “Red Bull’s engines are down on power.”

OK, we’re nearly done. Last, and least, is the question we all keep asking ourselves:

Q: Do you have any idea about who will come after you?
BE: I have no idea. They should probably look out for another used car dealer!

And with that, I’m going to have a drink. And maybe give Nascar another go.

What are we Formula 1 fans to do between races and during slow news weeks? We had a test of our fortitude this week. Santa and his elves must be busy building PlayStations and XBoxes, and burning copies of the F1 2010 game, to fill the Christmas stockings of good little Formula 1 boys and girls. Anything to keep us entertained and well-behaved as we endure the upcoming winter.

But never fear. Even during weeks of slow news there is at least some news — and a few interesting topics for this week’s #F1Chat. So here we go:

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix is Sunday. A “rush job” to say the least. No doubt we (or 88%+ of “we”) agree about that. So could Korea crumble? Literally? Are you nervous about the condition of the circuit itself? Or do you anticipate a successful first run and a race that will begin to separate the best from the rest?

It seems that McLaren is now focused on 2011 and The Car of Next Year. Your thoughts? Is this a good strategy? Or is hope alive with Lewis or Jenson surprising us in the home stretch?

What? The incredible “Hulk” without a seat next year? “Williams delaying final decision”. Do you anticipate Pastor Maldonado winning the seat as rumored? Does Nico H. have a future in F1?

Lots of interesting chatter about Mark Webber. Will he or won’t he? A seat in a Red Bull next year? A reversal of 1 and 2? Or more contention on and off circuits with RBR’s “golden boy”?

And what about Virgin Racing? Richard Branson renews his commitment to the team. Lotus is coming into its own. We understand, excuse and forgive HRT. But what about the Virgins?

You are invited to join our weekly #F1Chat on Twitter this evening at 4:00 p.m. Eastern US/Canada, 5:00 p.m. Brazil, 9:00 p.m. UK. Follow and participate in the chat by including the hashtag #F1Chat in your tweets. Or you are invited to share your comments and opinions below and follow the feed here.

I’m jumping far ahead of things, so you’ll have to forgive the atypical optimism.

I’ve been thinking through the announcement that DTM is going to try to operate a 12-race series in the U.S. beginning in 2013, basically with NASCAR. (Half the races run at NASCAR events, half at the NASCAR-owner Grand-Am series.)

What might it mean for NASCAR? What could it do for or against the Formula 1 USGP? What does it say that DTM would come to NASCAR and not Indycar? (It reinforces where both series are in term of popularity and influence, sadly to Indycar and its fans.)

And then this idea crossed my mind: With the DTM announcement, plus the USGP (fingers crossed) coming in 2012, is there any possibility we are at the front end of a renaissance for motor racing in the U.S.?

Before you answer, add to the mix Le Mans’ profile rising, and lifting with it ALMS. (ALMS seems the hands-down winner of the F1B staff poll for “best racing in America.”) Rallying has a bit of a boost among x-treme sports. And we’re getting a Top Gear. (Plus amateur weekend racing might be as strong as ever.)

Could the pendulum be swinging back to the days of Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill and racing that actually mattered to many Americans? When Ford’s quest to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans captivated the country? Back to times when Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney and Hill would be on the cover of Sports Illustrated?

And, if so, what would it take to push that pendulum into full motion?

Your View: What would it take for American to experience a motor racing revival?

Waaahhhhhhhhhh?

My brain is spinning faster than Coors Light rushes out of a beer bong.

DTM is planning to come to the United States in 2013, running 12 races that would constitute a U.S. championship. Half would be with Grand-Am.

And half would be with NASCAR.

There goes my brain again.

Here are some details, via Autosport. The DTM website doesn’t have anything yet (although it is touting BMW’s return to the series beginning in 2012).

ITR boss Hans Werner Aufrecht told AUTOSPORT: “In America, we are working with the NASCAR organisation. Beginning in 2013, we hope to have a championship with 12 races in the United States.

“They will be six with Grand-Am and six with NASCAR events, for a standalone championship in America. I believe this is very, very good for the future of motorsport in the United States.”

Aufrecht confirmed that the planned races would be exclusively for next-generation DTM cars, rather than running as a class in another series in America.

The series also is looking toward Asia, with a deal in the works to run in Japan.

As my spinning brain settles down, here are the questions I can grab out of the mush:

1. What’s it mean for ALMS?
2. Good move for Grand-Am?
3. NASCAR?

OK, that last one isn’t a real question. Let’s try again.

3. How might this work for NASCAR? Would they run when NASCAR is at road courses? Anyone think it might show the weaknesses of NASCAR?
4. How does this compete, if at all, with the USGP? (More so in terms of NASCAR using it to answer the threat than DTM vs. F1.)
5. Should I take a Tylenol?

OK, folks, any answers? More questions? Anyone with real knowledge of DTM (first-hand) want to comment?

The concern over next weekends race in South Korea is still mainly focused on the asphalt and any issues it may have as it was recently laid. The fear of asphalt coming up, oil seeping from it’s curing surface or grooves is still very present in the mind of many drivers.

Those are all good concerns and as FIA’s Charlie Whiting has examined the circuit and given his approval, it seems that perhaps those fears could be over stated. What if they’re not?

Lotus Racing’s Mike Gascoyne takes a very practical look at the issue:

“The big unknowns are what downforce levels to run, and how the track surface will stand up to the rigours of a full race weekend. We will find the right setup over the weekend, and any track issues are out of our control – it has been passed by the FIA so we will just go there and do our best. If there are any problems, it will be the same for everyone, so we cannot waste time worrying about what might happen”

Ultimately the issues the teams could face will be the same for everyone and the series will march forward to do its best to complete a grand prix there next week.

Many of you know that the teams utilize a simulator for training and car development and true to form, they have created the Korean circuit so the drivers can learn the layout. How effective is that type of preparation? Some drivers don’t feel it’s the most germane to their preparation and some veteran drivers, like Jarno Trulli, prefer the tried and true method of walking the circuit:

“Korea looks pretty good – Some drivers use simulators or even games to take a look at the lines, but I usually find my way around a new venue by running a few laps of the track on the Thursday. It’s a good way to work out the stresses of the plane journey, and you get a view of where the braking and turn-in points are. Whatever happens, after a couple of laps I’ll know my way around and where I can push, so it doesn’t take long to acclimatise.”

His teammate Heikki Kovalainen doesn’t think learning the circuit will be too difficult as it is a pedestrian circuit of Tilke lore:

“I’m looking forward to Korea. It’s new for all of us, and while I’ve had a bit of a look at the layout, the first couple of laps will be all about finding the right lines, and then we will focus on setups. To be honest, it won’t take long to get to grips with the track and I think the car will be ok there. It’s a pretty typical modern circuit – a couple of long straights with heavy braking at the end, and then a mix of a few tighter corners and a couple more quicker ones, so we should be about where we were in Japan. If I get another set of tyres like my second set in Suzuka it’ll be great, but whatever happens, we’re closer to tenth in the Championship now, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The big moment for Lotus Racing will be securing the 10th position in the manufacturer’s championship and you have to admit, that is a great job for a new team. I have not seen any concession from Sir Richard Branson as to when he will pull on an Air Asia flight attendant uniform and serve drinks to pay the debt for the wager he made at the beginning of this season but I am looking forward to it.

Engines!