Just in case you've returned from holiday, have been down a mineshaft, stuck in a massive traffic jam or merely only watch F1 races on Sunday afternoons, it might be an idea to quickly bring you up to speed before today's Monaco Grand Prix gets underway.

Should you have checked any of the major websites just after 14:00 (BST) on Saturday, you'll be aware that Michael Schumacher took pole position for today's race. The words 'dubious' or 'controversial' in the headlines might have escaped you.

Since that time however, a couple of relatively minor things have happened.

After race stewards had deliberated for eight hours, the German was stripped of his times, relegated to the back of the grid, and newspapers, websites and internet forums have made generous use of the word "cheat".

In a nutshell, Michael Schumacher has been accused, and found guilty, of deliberately stopping his car at Rascasse in the closing moments of the session, thereby preventing his rivals from improving their times. Somewhere along the way, Giancarlo Fisichella was also found guilty, of an entirely different crime, and demoted to tenth on the grid.

Therefore, today's race takes place under a shadow, as the German's seven-titles and numerous records are waived away, and Adelaide 94 and Jerez 97 dredged up all over again.

For his part, Schumacher has remained silent, which is not what can be said for almost every other inhabitant of Planet Paddock. Willi Weber has said that the German will speak after today's race, while others believe the Ferrari driver will do his talking on track - as he attempts to make a point.

Schumacher will start from the pitlane in a 248 F1 fitted with a brand new engine and filled to the gills with fuel, we might be about to witness one of the most determined drives in F1 history. Felipe Massa, who crashed in qualifying, and starts alongside his teammate at the back of the grid, also has a new engine.

In all the confusion, Alonso has been promoted to pole position, with Mark Webber starting alongside him, following an absolutely superb performance. Kimi Raikkonen starts from third, ahead of Montoya, Barrichello, Trulli, Coulthard, Rosberg and Fisichella.

In Yesterday's GP2 race we witnessed absolute mayhem, with a number of drivers eliminated just a few metres into the race, and one, Nicolas Lapierre, hospitalised. Therefore, with such a jumbled grid, it is not entirely impossible that we might witness something similar here today.. fingers crossed they all get away cleanly.

It's a pity that what was shaping up into a classic championship fight, featuring two of the sports finest, has now been overshadowed. The fact is that should Michael be unable to stage a comeback today, Fernando will take another huge step towards a second title. All of us have lost out as a result of yesterday's little incident.

Watching Michael stride towards the pits, one has to repeat that the German should have been stripped of his times, and demoted to the back of the grid, if only for those bloody awful overalls. What on earth possessed him to wear them? Ugh!

Anyway, onwards and upwards, let's try to put all the nonsense behind us, for now, and get on with the real business, today's race.