Following his grid penalty at Monza, Fernando Alonso, still clearly upset, said what many F1 fans have believed for longer than we care to admit: "I don't consider any more Formula One like a sport," declared the Spaniard.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, Toyota driver, Ralf Schumacher, a man who doesn't seem to have a soft-spot for any of the tracks he drives on, and admits to disliking Spa Francorchamps, made a comment which seems to confirm Fernando's fears.

With the Japanese race switching to the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway in 2007, there are fears as to the future of Suzuka, a favourite with most driver, including Ralf.

Confirming that he would give his full support to a campaign to give Japan two Grands Prix, the German said: "We have only one German race now, so I'm sure there are races in Europe that you might be able to get rid of and position them in a better country for marketing purposes."

All the fan surveys in the world can't change the fact that in reality this is what contemporary Formula One is all about.

How very, very sad.