Formula One Features — June 2006

Most of us who live in the first world now take international travel for granted. Millions can afford to fly regularly, and those who are involved in the business of F1 racing do so several times each month.

I have a 12-year-old son and so going to see Pixar's new animated movie Cars was never really an option. And, if the truth be told, I went with some trepidation that I would be America-ed to death with the usual gooey schmaltz that one finds in Disney movies of all kinds.

Lewis Hamilton's dominance in the GP2 series continued at Silverstone and took him ever closer to the tantalizing prospect of the young British driver jumping straight into a McLaren F1 seat next year.

Since the very first Canadian GP, at Quebec's gorgeous Circuit Mont Tremblant in 1967, the race has only taken place at three venues: Mont Tremblant, Mosport and Montreal. The first two may have been dodgy in terms of safety, but when it comes to visual appeal, no other country can challenge Canada's claim to have had the prettiest F1 race tracks in the world.

Kazuo Okamoto is a big cheese in the Toyota Motor Corporation. At 62 he is the head of the company's Research and Development and an executive vice-president and member of the board.