Final result throws us a welcome surprise

The complexities of Formula One are such that, very often, you don’t know the final result until well after the chequered flag. That was the case for us today in Melbourne, where having finished outside the points, David Coulthard ended up in the points after a Stewards Enquiry.

At some grand prix venues we won’t mention, you’re lucky to get one support race all weekend to keep the paying spectators entertained. However, here in Melbourne, the action gets underway on the Thursday before the race and by the time the last fan staggers home from Albert Park, over 70 different events have taken place, from the big V8 saloons to tiny karts, not to mention the overhead aerial displays.

Leo Sayer is now a resident of Sydney and made a welcome return to the F1 scene after an absence of around 15 years. His old mate and similarly sized pocket dynamo, Bernie Ecclestone sorted him out a pass. “I’m dancing on my desk for you,” said the sport’s supremo as he discussed Sayer’s unexpected return to the top of the music charts. Bernie dancing on a desk? Now there’s a thought.

Actually, Bernie was not in Melbourne and most surprisingly neither was his henchman, Pasquale Lattuneddu. The man who has the job of policing the F1 paddock at every race, ensuring everything is nice and tidy, stayed at home in Sardinia to be with his companion for the birth of their first child. No Bernie, no Pasquale, no wonder the atmosphere in Melbourne was very relaxed! Only kidding Pasquale.

The race itself was very chaotic, what with all those Safety Car periods, crashes and allegations of drivers illegally passing one another under the yellow flags. Usually, after a race like this, the official FIA Drivers Briefing at the following round of the championship is an exciting one. But the one in Imola will be hard pressed to match the Melbourne meeting, where a man repairing overhead ducting fell through the polystyrene ceiling tiles into the room where all the drivers were present.