Formula One Features — July 2006

It's Hockenheim this weekend, on a circuit which for 40 years was synonymous with pine forests, long straights and heatwaves. Bernie's friend Hermann "Hitman" Tilke vandalised the straights down to the length of a couple of cricket pitches three years ago.

Most Formula 1 technical directors are fairly high profile people. They are in the news - and that is where they like to be. The funniest thing, however, is that the technical director who is enjoying the most success at the moment, is among the least known of his breed - despite the fact that he has been in Formula 1 since 1982.

I guess there aren't many F1 reporters still around who can claim, as I can, to have seen a Grand Prix that was won at the wheel of a front-engined car. The race was the French GP of 1959, at Rheims, and the winner was Tony Brooks in a 2.5-litre Ferrari Dino V6.

David Lapworth is not a wellknown name in Formula 1 circles - at least not yet - but is a man who is well-connected in the F1 world.

At Indianapolis Kangaroo TV launched an exciting new product which the company said "truly enhances the at-race experience". That may be a long-winded expression but there is no doubt that it is true as the service allows fans to enjoy F1 with an interactive handheld video, audio and data device that gives the user a much better understanding of what is going on.