It may seem a nasty business but F1Â’s current industrial espionage scandal has certainly stirred up the general public. People you wouldnÂ’t expect to give motor racing a thought keep asking me about it. TheyÂ’re fascinated but puzzled by the FIAÂ’s decision on September 13 to fine McLaren and remove the team from this yearÂ’s ManufacturersÂ’ title whilst leaving Alonso and Hamilton to fight on in the DriversÂ’ Championship.

The FIAÂ’s ruling, however, looks like the judgement of Solomon to me. Neither the drivers, nor Mercedes-Benz whose engines they use, deserve to be punished over such an affair and itÂ’s the DriversÂ’ title which the world at large takes most seriously by far. However, I would accept that IÂ’m no more qualified to comment on modern F1 than anybody else in my local pub and, anyway, I have much older Mercedes-Benz F1 machinery in mind this month.

"Perhaps we need a
committee of drivers, rather like those in American vintage racing,
with the power to suspend or ban anybody who causes trouble on track"

First, though, just remember that things werenÂ’t so different in the past. Back in the 1950s, when private entrants could buy new F1 machinery and go Grand Prix racing, at least one British team quietly borrowed a top Italian F1 car from its owner. With his agreement, they stripped it to copy the bits they liked and if thatÂ’s not an underhand trick I donÂ’t know what is.

Meanwhile, the magnificent Goodwood Revival canÂ’t pass without a mention. The Beatles tribute band at the 40 Years of Sergeant Pepper party were brilliant musicians, I thought, who sounded just like the Fab Four themselves. After a non-stop stream of Merseyside originals, I was in the gentsÂ’ when suddenly they struck up the opening chord of the StonesÂ’ Satisfaction.

‘Now they’re getting down to some proper music,’ I remarked to the man standing next to me, who happened to be fellow Octane scribe, Nick Mason. He let out an enigmatic grunt, which might have been a laugh, but all he said was, ‘Don’t.’
What did he mean? It was bit like that moment earlier in the day when I made one of my humorous comments to Rowan Atkinson, without thinking. He smiled very politely, leaving me to ponder that perhaps at my age I should know when to keep my mouth shut.

Yes, the Revival was like a series of wonderful parties, with ever more of the spectators dressed in period, but it was a pity that one of my races was red-flagged after a multiple accident. Then, in my other race, I spent all but two laps trundling along behind the safety car while they rescued somebody from his wrecked car.
Something needs to be done about these accidents, but what? ItÂ’s not the fault of Goodwood circuit, which is a lot safer than many people imagine anyway. You might not believe this but when Goodwood opened for motor racing in 1948 the RAC was very concerned. They thought that with all that grass, it was too safe and would thus encourage reckless driving. No kidding, thatÂ’s a fact.

Obviously, itÂ’s either mechanical failure or driver error which causes accidents, and in most cases itÂ’s the latter. Perhaps we need a committee of drivers, rather like those in American vintage racing, with the power to suspend or ban anybody who causes trouble on track. To be fair to the vast majority of drivers, I should add that most of the races at Goodwood were extremely entertaining and free of incidents and it was just bad luck that my two events were affected.

The last word this month comes from the VSCCÂ’s outstandingly great SeeRed meeting at Donington and IÂ’m writing this in the paddock there, just hours before the Octane presses start to roll out this issue. Incredibly enough, I was invited to demonstrate the ex-Dick Seaman Mercedes-Benz W125 Formula One car in two five-lap sessions alone on the track. This is the very same car which Seaman raced 70 years ago in the 1937 Donington GP. ItÂ’s also the same car that I was lucky enough to drive in this yearÂ’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and which was featured in the September issue.

ItÂ’s one thing to drive this astonishing car for a minute up a hillclimb but itÂ’s something else to get a much longer go in it on a circuit, which is why I must mention it again. Remember, it weighs just 750kg and produces close on 600bhp.

At Donington, I could really let it go. As predicted by Jochen Mass, and as I later found for myself on the hill at Goodwood, the W125 is very driveable when you get to know it. The wheels spin and the tail comes out progressively when you get on the central loud pedal. The handling is superb, the tricky bit being the engine which delivers its huge power with violence. Also, progressive throttle openings are essential to avoid drowning the plugs so you have to learn the carÂ’s ways and drive it with positive confidence.

Surprisingly enough, the centre throttle was no trouble and heel-and-toe down changes felt unusually easy. It was possible to power away from corners, even the fast ones, under power with the tail just out, plus occasional tyre smoke. On the straights, with that extraordinary power to weight, the W125 leapt ahead and I got that light, wandery feeling under the Dunlop Bridge which only happens to very fast cars. Yes, I was careful not to damage it but I did give it a proper go.

What an amazing and emotive privilege. What else can I say? Seaman was this countryÂ’s GP superstar, but how did he fare in that Donington GP 70 years ago? Well, he got punted up the back and into the trees at Coppice Corner on the second lap by Auto Union driver, Hermann Paul Müller. He got going again but a damaged damper collapsed, forcing his retirement. Now, what were we saying earlier about unnecessary accidents? Maybe nothing changes.