Opinion | Olympic spirit is fine, but it's the action that counts

I've been covering the Olympic Games while the Formula One circus has been taking its break. What a breath of fresh air that two-week festival of sport was. On the whole, these athletes were unheard of, unheralded and thoroughly deserved their all-too-short moment in the spotlight.

These were athletes who generally earned little, sacrificed much and wanted to engage with the public to pass on their enthusiasm for sport. Even the big stars were infectious in their enthusiasm.

I've seen enough adverts featuring Usain Bolt to know he must have an agent and a big bank balance. Yet to see him celebrating with Mo Farah in the stadium (or for that matter with the Swedish women's handball team in the athletes' village), you couldn't help but smile.

A lot has been made in Britain of how they are much better role models than reality TV stars and celebrities generally. This is mostly because they've actually achieved something. Then there is the contrast with Premier League footballers.

These snarling, swearing varieties of athletes earn more in half a week than the average Olympian does in a year.

They would surely turn their noses up at the basic shared bedrooms of the athletes' village (the same furniture the public - myself included - has bought now the east London party is drawing to a close).

It all leads me to think how favourably Formula One might fare if compared with this new public appetite for Olympian virtues. I checked the latest motor racing news after a month covering the likes of handball, volleyball and archery.