We saw the very best of Formula One in Canada. I don't mean a race in which saw hardly any overtaking, at least on television, though it would have been interesting to have seen how Justin Wilson made up so many places. Wilson has been doing this for race after race and we never see the guy on our screens.

Formula One is rarely at its most interesting on the track, it's in the paddock where all the action takes place and I have not known so exciting a paddock since the FISA/FOCA War was in full swing, 1980-82. First we had the press conference which starred Paul Stoddart and our own Bob Constanduros.

If you read the full transcript you will have noticed that the least voluble person at the conference was Eddie Jordan. Normally, Eddie is the easiest person in the world to interview. You can interview him without asking questions, you just say, "The mike's on, Eddie," then you wander away and read a book until the tape is finished. For once in his life, Eddie seemed lost for words.

Ron Dennis hardly gave a stellar performance either. Frank Williams refused to comment, but at least he did so in a dignified manner. Frank was smart enough to say that nobody who knew him well would expect a response. This left everyone deciding whether Frank regarded them as a buddy or not. Nobody said, "You don't know me, Frank, I am insignificant in your sight, so answer me this.."

Of course nobody said that. The mass media, with a few exceptions, suck any glory they have from the people they are assigned to that week.

For the first time in an age, the team bosses were subjected to a real grilling. They were stark naked. So much of the media is sycophantic. Watching British TV coverage, I get the distinct impression that it is policy not to rock the boat, but to make F1 seem ever more glamorous and wonderful.

Of course it may not be official policy. It may be that if a commentator makes F1 sound wonderful then he, or she, by implication, acquires more status.

Not only were the team bosses subjected to a grilling, with no idea what would be the next question, they did not have their PR minders with them.

In 1994, I conducted an interview with the late Dr. Harvey Postlethwaite. It was one of a series, called 'Working With..' that I wrote for the magazine Race Tech. We chose a top-line driver and then interviewed a team manager or engineer who had played a significant part in that driver's career. When I interviewed Harvey it was to talk about Jean Alesi with whom he had worked at both Tyrrell and Ferrari.

I arrive at Tyrrell and a PR person sits in on the interview. We weren't talking about Tyrrell, we were talking about Crazy Jean. That was nearly ten years ago.

The statements which issue from F1 teams these days are written as carefully as those which emanate from the White House. In Montreal team bosses had to work without protection and a sorry sight they made.

Then came the announcement that Bernie had bought into Minardi. The figure is rumoured to be $4 million, petty cash in Bernie's terms, but the size of the stake it has bought in the team has not been disclosed. During TV coverage, Martin Brundle implied that it is a controlling interest, and he referred to the 'Ecclestone-Minardi' team, but the fact is that we have no way of knowing. Four million bucks does not sound like a controlling interest in even a struggling F1 team.

While everyone else has been scratching their heads, wondering why Bernie has done this, I rather think that we have been here before.