From shameless cigarette advertising to stiletto-heeled grid girls in skimpy outfits to spending almost the GDP of a developing nation per team ... Formula One never operated in a way that could be described as politically correct.
Maybe that was part of its appeal: Formula One was bold, extravagant, and, yes, a little gaudy in a 1970s kind of way, with drivers like dashing daredevils who raced fast, partied hard but respected the rules.
But the landscape changed. Tobacco sponsorship was finally phased out before the start of the 2008 season. With four races now in the Muslim world, the female window dressing at some circuits became less revealing. And team budgets have been mercilessly slashed in the wake of a global recession.
At the same time, fair play seems to have been forgotten, with 'Crashgate' following 'Spygate' and other assorted controversies as the sport lurches from one scandal to another.
The c-word - cheating - now walks hand-in-hand in with Formula One, as tonight's Singapore Grand Prix marks the sombre one-year anniversary of Renault's pre-mediated crash in the inaugural race and the end of a week of embarrassing revelations.
As the FIA handed out sanctions to Renault ahead of the race, Red Bull-Renault driver Mark Webber sat on the 32nd floor of the Ritz Carlton Millenia Hotel, looking down on the spot where Nelson Piquet Jnr deliberately slammed into the circuit wall at turn-17 on the 14th lap to help secure victory for teammate Fernando Alonso.