This is our brand new regular column – it’s called Podium or Pits (POP) and it’s where you’ll find all recent week’s worth of news and stories from the F1 world.  A kind of ‘good week / bad week’ just for F1 fans rather than readers of Smash Hits or the Daily Express.

We hope you like it – if there’s something we’ve missed, that you think needs to be included then do add your thoughts after the article in the comments.  Cheers – Editor

Pits.
Bernie Ecclestone

Do people in the public eye never learn? Rule no 1: don’t talk about Hitler. Rule no 2: don’t talk about Hitler as a ‘good leader’. Ever. And it goes without saying that you shouldn’t talk about Hitler right before the German grand prix. Tsk tsk Bernard. It is damn lucky that you are probably the most influential person in Formula 1, otherwise you’d have had to pull out of more than just a few events at the Nürburgring circuit this weekend.

Podium.
Manor GP

Manor who? Oh yes, that’s right, one of the new teams for 2010. It’s rumoured that they’ve already struck a deal with Virgin, the current sponsor of championship leader Brawn GP. A canny move in our books. All they need to do now is paint their cars white with some garish fluorescent green/yellow stripes, and they have everything they need for a winning car! Oh and a couple of aging F1 drivers. Perhaps Jacques Villeneuve will be driving for them?

Podium.
Ross Brawn

Congratulations Ross! The Brawn GP boss received the award for the ‘Most Outstanding Contribution to the Motorsport Industry’ from the Motorsport Industry Association on Monday night. It’s the Oscars of Formula 1, though perhaps without the frocks, the jewels, Joan Rivers, a red carpet and a blubbering acceptance speech. Podium or Pits (POP) simply cannot tolerate the notion of Brawn stepping cautiously up to the stage, bowing graciously, and then proceeding, somewhat emotionally, to thank the Queen, God, ‘the team’, Schumacher, and his mother. No, no, Brawn is far too classy and intelligent to descend into such Winslet-esque theatrics.

Pits.
Fuji Speedway

This week’s credit-crunch-related story is the announcement that Fuji, after this year’s race, will no longer host the Japanese grand prix. Are we sad? The short answer is ‘no’. The long answer is ‘not one jot’. Apart from being a far inferior track to the frankly superb Suzuka, in 2007 the circuit-owners Toyota banned spectators from showing support for any other team than Toyota. Bet that went down really well with the crowd.

Pits.
The FIA and FOTA’s ‘relationship’

To be brutally honest, Podium or Pits couldn’t give a monkeys anymore about the FIA and FOTA’s seemingly continuous break-ups, make-ups, argy-bargys, yacht meetings etc etc. The whole thing has become like a really bad episode of Eastenders. And POP doesn’t even watch Eastenders! (but it hears the characters are similarly obnoxious and prone to staging ‘walk-outs’).

Perhaps Relate should get on the case, and act as mediator between the two sides before FOTA files for divorce again citing ‘unreasonable behaviour’ and, inevitably, a custody battle ensues over the drivers. Poor Vettel, he’s only just turned 22. Just imagine the resulting psychological trauma of watching his guardians tear themselves apart over, well, not a lot. No! No! It’s too cruel. POP remains confident (or in denial) that everything will be fine come next year. Fine and dandy.

Podium.
Magic

In a bid to improve on this season’s poor performances, Fernando Alonso has revealed that Renault are now looking to utilise the power of ‘magic’ to make the car go faster: “that’s what the team is looking for – that magic component which gives us a big boost, but we know it’s not easy to find.” Not easy indeed. But it’s looking like Renault’s best and only chance of a podium this year.