Opinion | Feisty and sneaky all in the F1 game
Be it drivers playing dodgems at Monaco or some dodgy tyre testing, it stops the business from being labelled as bland
Sometimes it's good for drivers that this sport entails wearing a helmet. Apart from the obvious, a driver can hide behind his headwear.
Having made a schoolboy error and exited the race embarrassingly , a driver can march down the pit lane, visor lowered and he doesn't have to talk to the media or the boss.
Threats of violence aren't so edifying, but sporting life would be dull without conflict
It might be a good idea for Sergio Perez to keep his on at all times in Montreal this weekend. The Mexican will be keeping an eye out for Kimi Raikonnen after the two played dodgems in Monaco.
Asked if drivers should have a word with the young McLaren driver, the Finn told reporters; "That won't help. Maybe someone should punch him in the face". So much for his nickname of the 'ice man'.
Putting the rights and wrongs of the incidents to one side, it's good to see a flash of unvarnished emotion. In this age of sanitised, corporatised sport you can all too easily fail to spot the raw feelings that can bubble to the surface. But surface they do, whether it's the attempt to knock seven bells out of Owen Farrell in the Lions match against the Barbarians the other day or Luis Suarez taking a bite out of an opponent.
This column has previously chronicled some of the best punch-ups in Formula One. Let's face it, you don't get to the pinnacle of the sport without being prepared to bare your teeth occasionally, both in and out of the cockpit.
Like many sports, F1 is no longer the domain of the gentleman. Just witness some of the colourful language in a recent post-race podium television interview for proof.