F1 going off track

Motor-racing (Formula 1 to be precise) is one of those sports I dip in and out of. It depends on whether a Brit is doing well or if it's a particularly exciting season – or if I'm spending time with my father-in-law!

This season has been particularly crazy for F1 and unfortunately it's been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. After Lewis' brilliant win last October, snatching the title in the final seconds of the season, it's all gone a bit wrong for F1.

Before the season started, proposed rule changes got laughed out of becoming a reality. When things got underway Lewis Hamilton and MacLaren got into a lying scandal after misleading race stewards in the opening race in Belgium. Then last month, eight of the major F1 teams announced they are planning to set up a breakaway championship next year.

Sadly, F1 is all about the money and the greed – just like every sport. Where's the sportsmanship gone? My father-in-law is lamenting the decline of F1 – "it's not like the good old days" is often wheeled out at occasions like this but it's oh so true with this sport.

The injury to Felipe Massa on Saturday puts all of this nonsense into perspective – and raises questions about the safety of this high-speed, high-risk sport. As I write, Massa's in 48 hours' sedation following emergency surgery on the fractured scull he sustained during the freak accident in qualifying. I really hope his recovery goes well and that he's back on the track soon. And when he returns, presumably in 2010 now, F1 might look a very different sport.

(Photo credit: B Givens)