Brits on Pole

The BBC has finally got around to confirming what we all knew already - that David Coulthard and Martin Brundle will make up the crux of its next year’s F1 team.

Gosh, what a week. You’d never know we were in the F1 close season, would you? Join us in ignoring the credit crisis, the ugly-duckling cars and the loss of races, and instead searching out some of the more fun and interesting things to happen this week.

F1 fans worrying that they might have to face the new season without the wit, insight and occasional dogged determination of Martin Brundle, fear not! He’ll be on the BBC - but hopefully without the damn grid walk…

The story about Lewis Hamilton featuring at this year’s Race of Champions just refuses to go away - despite receiving absolutely no public encouragement whatsoever from the driver or his team.

We’ve all moaned and complained, cursed the ad breaks and laughed uproariously at the unintended bloopers. But the Brits on Pole team has thoroughly enjoyed the last 12 years of Formula One coverage from ITV - and we’d like to say thank you.

David Coulthard’s Formula One career ended on the first corner at Interlagos when he found himself buffeted by the two cars of his former boss Sir Frank Williams.

Lewis Hamilton broke the hearts of 80,000 Brazilians at Interlagos by sneaking the Formula One world championship in the last few yards of the season’s final lap while Ferrari were already celebrating for Felipe Massa.

Well, that was squeaky-bum time for every Lewis Hamilton and McLaren fan in the country. But, now our powers of communication are restored, here are our six-word summaries of what happened for race, drivers and teams.

It’s now almost eight months since Lewis Hamilton cruised to unruffled victory and Felipe Massa ended up by the side of the road in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix - now the pair face off in Brazil to decide the championship.

Fans cheering on Lewis Hamilton’s title challenge face a nervous start to the Brazilian Grand Prix as the British driver was only able to qualify fourth, behind title rival Felipe Massa who took a dominant pole position.