Born with a passion for auto-mobiles and a surname synonymous with speed, as a young fan of Formula One I was always aware of the personalities present on the starting grid of each race. By their nature, every driver who has ever been strapped into the cockpit of a racing car believes themselves to be the fastest among their peers, but outspoken proponents like Frank Williams, Eddie Jordan, Flavio Briatore, Ron Dennis and, indeed, Bernie Ecclestone each played a role in theatre that was F1. The difference between then and now is that the opinions, mood swings and theatrics of this supporting cast used to be reserved for before or after a race, once the television cameras turned their attention away from the heroics of the drivers and the on-track…
