When someone tried to copy my work at school, I used to hook my spare arm protectively around my book to ward off over-inquisitive neighbours. No matter how hi-tech Formula One is, it would seem that something similar is going on in the sport.
The few minutes before the race on the grid can be pretty frantic, with mechanics, team bosses and the celebs all rushing around. But in Canada there was one serene man with a notebook, taking careful stock. It was Adrian Newey, the chief technical officer of Red Bull, intent on making mischief.
When a grid-walking television crew caught up with him, he admitted he was having a look at the other team's cars. It is about the only time teams are unable to protect their jewels - and their design upgrades - from prying eyes. The nearest the rival teams have to putting their arm around their work is to position mechanics around the car to block off prying eyes - and cameras.
With the championship race this year being so close, every little bit of knowledge helps; an upgrade can make all the difference. That is where Newey is so good. He prides himself on operating at the edge of the rulebook. That was evident before the Canadian Grand Prix, when the team were told to remove holes in the axles that helped the aerodynamics. The design had been on the car since the start of the season.
Team principal Christian Horner says Newey is always a month down the road in his thinking compared with the rest of the team, with everyone trying to keep up. Despite that, Horner describes him as 'a little bit of a dinosaur. He's the only person I know at Red Bull Racing that can't operate his own computer. He still works on a drawing board, which is the only drawing board we have in the factory'.
He must be the smartest dinosaur that ever lived, as Horner and his colleagues also call him a genius. Given that he has to draw his cars with the help of pencil and paper, rival teams should be wary when he wanders round the grid sketching.