Forget Formula One, it's the public roads where all the action is
The Formula One season got interesting last weekend in Germany as Michael Schumacher finally got within touching distance of Fernando Alonso in the world championship. Shame then that this weekend's race is in Hungary. The Hungaroring is perhaps the worst circuit for overtaking in the whole season. There may well be more entertaining driving amongst the punters heading to the track on the public roads.
Hungary is not alone in this. I haven't had the pleasure of driving in this eastern European country, but I have in some other Formula One venues, and often the result is distinctly scary. Take Bahrain for example. The race may be forgettable, but driving on their roads is an experience imprinted on my memory forever.
Drive in the outside lane of a dual carriageway for just a short distance and you will soon find a car flying towards you at high speed, flashing its lights until it's so close you can't see the bonnet in the rear-view mirror. If you are unable to get out of the way in the required few seconds, the budding nutter will squeeze past on the waste ground between you and the crash barrier.
In fact, I'm not sure why the authorities bother with painting lines on the roads, there is so much swerving across three lanes.
Mind you, it wasn't the first time I've found a car three inches away from my boot, flashing madly to get past. Apparently it's the polite way of doing things in Italy. And being Italians they always do it in style, in an Alfa Romeo or such like (the small Fiat I was driving was no match in either the engine or fashion stakes). I found the Italians drive a bit like Valentino Rossi - they're fast and ever so slightly mad.
Malaysians (like the Italians) love Ferrari and can be a bit partial to speed too. I knew I was getting old when, on a shoot for Star Sports I found myself politely negotiating the speed of the people carrier back down to a relatively boring 120km/h. My producer and director were polite, but I could tell they were disappointed in me.