“A major talking point for the new season surrounds the arrival of the Standardised Electronic Control Unit, or SECU, and with it the elimination of driver aids such as traction control and engine braking systems…

…the driver shall drive the car alone and unaided…

…how difficult is it to tame a 2008-spec Formula One car?…

…The loss of the driver aids represents a loss of between three and four tenths per lap, a difference that is unnoticeable to the naked eye.

More important, perhaps, is what the fans now know they are watching: 22 of the world’s best drivers, in total control of the most demanding racing cars on the planet.”