I actually felt pretty emotional at the end of the show on Sunday. After disappearing from BBC One we were joined by the great and good of F1 on our Forum, including Jenson Button, Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello live. It was a fantastic way to sign off.

Eddie Jordan then grabbed David Coulthard and me for a quick hug and it was genuinely hard to believe we got through 34 shows and so many hours of live TV together. It was a special moment!

Despite all that's happened between the start of the year and our paddock 'man hug' it seems like only yesterday that I went out for dinner with my predecessor Steve Rider and we both wondered how the sport could ever match the heights it reached in 2008. And then 2009 happened...

A team that didn't exist in January blew the socks off the competition. The British world champion got his first taste of F1 in a struggling car while his fellow Englishman finally fulfilled his promise. All that against the backdrop of break-away threats, the diffuser row, Felipe Massa's accident, BMW's sad departure, Renault's crash-gate, Fernando Alonso finally jumping in bed with Ferrari, and changes at the very top of the sport. Phew!

All of that has conspired to make the past seven months the fastest, most exciting and most rewarding of my life. I vividly remember sitting around with the production team before the start of the year. We were in a big boardroom at Television Centre in west London with EJ, DC, Martin Brundle and various others in attendance. Which only added to the embarrassment when I arrived 20 minutes late having been stuck in traffic..!

Anyway, once I'd arrived to much ribbing, and the odd death-stare from the boss, the meeting turned to how we could put our own stamp on the coverage after ITV's fantastic efforts for the previous 12 years. We all took the responsibility of taking over the coverage very seriously and were keen to let no-one down.

I remember we had stacks of ideas, from the red button Forum to the online offerings such as this very blog - but all of it would have been futile had the sport not conspired to amaze, frustrate and enthrall in equal measure weekend after weekend.

So, with this in mind I've decided my final blog of the F1 season would be the Jake Humphrey Alternative Awards for 2009, a chance to re-live some of the moments from my perspective as we've criss-crossed the globe following this amazing sport.

RUNNER-UP
The guys involved in the podium celebrations in Melbourne where Brawn finished first and second at their debut race. The energy cascading down from the podium and actually infecting the entire pit lane at that first race of the season totally blew me away.

Incredibly, it seems everyone was so energised by the survival of Brawn that, when they won, the whole sport celebrated as opposed to just the boys in white. I hadn't realised before this year how much of a close-knit community the F1 travelling circus is and that moment - coupled with Rubens Barrichello being applauded by the entire pit lane after winning in Valencia - shows the camaraderie that exists.

Despite all the incredible moments we've witnessed, the most electric atmosphere I've felt all season during a podium celebration was in Melbourne. What a fantastic introduction to the sport, if a slightly overwhelming one.

WINNER
However, even that moment is overshadowed by what we saw after the title-deciding race in Brazil. The moment that Jenson Button appeared in the garage after securing the drivers' championship was pretty surreal. Not just because he appeared with half the world's paparazzi in tow, but because he then proceeded to plant that stubbly, sweaty kiss on my neck. I'll never forget his wild eyes and 1000-yard stare; he had such adrenaline pumping through him.

For those of you who then pressed the red button at the end of the race you will have seen us chatting to the guys behind the scenes who helped make JB's dreams a reality. It was a pretty emotional moment for them - even with EJ leaping around shouting: "These reprobates are all ex-Jordan!"

They have had to endure concerns over their own futures and seeing a number of colleagues and friends made redundant after Honda's pull-out, I can't think of a team more deserving of success that the people who make up Brawn GP.

FAVOURITE 'EDDIE-ISM' AWARD

RUNNERS-UP
I've loved getting to know a group of new people this season, including the two I get to share the TV screen with.

I remember at the first meeting we had (the one where I was late!), feeling quite in awe of two guys who I'd watched for the past few years making headlines and winning races. It's been a real benefit to us being able to tap into DC's knowledge as a man who has just stepped out of an F1 car - and he's done a grand job.

Eddie Jordan, meanwhile, has really enjoyed his return to the paddock four years after Jordan left the sport and it's been great to have him alongside DC each race. Eddie has become famous among the team for his cracking fashion style - from pink suede shoes to his rocker-style T-shirts. It's a great reflection of his personality, one that has been in abundance during the live shows.

I call his funny moments 'Eddie-isms' and he's given us a few like when we were chatting to Red Bull design boss Adrian Newey on the red button F1 Forum and, despite sitting just two yards away, EJ started a question with "Adrian, it's Eddie here..."

How about when he suddenly disappeared to grab Williams co-owner Patrick Head in Brazil? Brilliant! I know many of you have enjoyed his regular verbal sparring with David, and I have a vivid memory of EJ being absent for the opening of the Sunday show in Hungary and then suddenly appearing out of puff holding a spring similar to the one that had injured Felipe Massa the previous day... He's certainly a one-off.

WINNER
But my favourite Eddie-ism was the moment he ran off and grabbed Michael Schumacher in Valencia. The world and his wife wanted a chat with the seven-time world champion and EJ delivered just that for you guys at home.

I remember that I was in the midst of a link and hadn't really clocked his dive under the Tensabarrier. What a moment...

I think that little episode sums up the passion, enthusiasm and total unpredictability that he brings to the table. He's been great to work with even though he has total disregard for the fact we're on live TV. Thoroughly undisciplined; thoroughly good fun.

MOST INTERESTING INTERVIEW AWARD

RUNNERS-UP
There are some very complex and interesting characters in F1 and I've relished the opportunity to pick the brains of many of them. A few interviews really stand out to me.

I wrote a blog post about my experience of interviewing Max Mosley at Silverstone . With the world's media camped outside the FIA motorhome, we were spirited inside the Race Control building to get a revealing insight into the man who was then at the very top of the FIA tree.

It felt very clandestine and secretive and I was glad we were the people able to speak to Mosley at the very time F1 was gripped with potentially sport-ending issues.

It was also magical to share 10 minutes of Barrichello's time after he secured pole position for his home grand prix. He was on a real high, smiling through all my questions, chatting and shaking hands with the crew and afterwards signing umpteen autographs for the fans gathered nearby.

In a sport where rent-a-quote, corporate speak can at times become a little tiresome, it's fantastic to chat to a driver who is eloquent, honest and speaks from the heart.

I also got a great insight into the pressures of driving for the world title when interviewing Button in Monza. At the point that the momentum was with his championship rivals, a guy who I've generally found approachable, accessible and affable seemed unusually defensive. For the first time he started answering in cliches and was clearly keen to escape as soon as possible to contemplate the following day's race.

WINNER
My favourite interview of the year, however, was in Bahrain with Lewis Hamilton.

One of our big wishes for this year was to try to get to know Lewis Hamilton a little better. He has been brought up speaking to the media, being made aware of sponsors' requirements and saying the 'right thing'. We were keen to get to know the real Lewis Hamilton.

After the 'lie-gate' scandal in Australia where Hamilton misled the race stewards we were able get his side of the story. For the previous few days he had been vilified in the press, had his sporting integrity called into question and been under the most enormous, unpleasant pressure. Sure, it comes with the job but it doesn't make it any easier when you're a young guy.

We met in the hotel lobby and the stress was clear to see. While we took a golf buggy to the interview location, Lewis hardly said a word and I was genuinely worried for him - he looked to me like a guy being slowly crushed by what was happening to him.

To his and his family's enormous credit, Lewis gave an honest, revealing and totally open interview, explaining how close he came to packing it all in.

Since then it's been a positively upwards curve and he's learnt how this game isn't always podiums and champagne. He's grown up, driven brilliantly and been a very warm person, who I've enjoyed getting to know.

FAVOURITE F1 LOCATION

RUNNERS-UP
I've loved travelling to the historic races during the year. The likes of China, Bahrain and Malaysia have their merits but they have left me a little cold as venues for passionate, exciting motorsport events.

What was really special - and call me a geek if you wish - was getting the opportunity to stand on the very corners, the very Tarmac, where history was made.

I remember sitting on the tyre barriers on the outside of La Source on the Thursday before the Belgian GP. There was hardly anyone around and DC and I were waiting to go filming. We were doing usual things like calling home or discussing that week's news when the conversation turned to the almighty 12-car accident DC triggered there in 1998.

I got him to walk me through it along the track and to hear him describe a moment of history from his perspective was amazing. Standing on the old banking at Monza or the first corner in Suzuka left me with goosebumps. Those old circuits have stories to tell.

WINNER
For a whole host of reasons the British GP at Silverstone was my favourite race weekend of the year. You can read my blog about the surreal start to the weekend as we went ballooning with EJ. We landed in a small village called Stony Stratford and Eddie ended up flagging down passing commuters at 7am, asking them where we could find breakfast!

The actual race weekend went by in a haze. There was so much going on with the break-away threat that we hardly had time to breathe. However, just before the race I went out on to the grid to record a piece to camera and the atmosphere took my breath away.

I'd never been lucky enough to make the British GP and that first hit of the kind of vibe British fans create was just sensational. After that we were joined by almost the whole paddock for our after-race show and then I went to see a little worse-for-wear EJ and his band at the post-race party.

That weekend will live with me forever. I remember driving home, getting caught in a jam on the M1 and for once not minding one bit!

I've also got one last award to hand out, and that's to you guys.

From rocking up to watch the action at places all over the world and the 350 motorsport-mad British marshals that worked for free here in the United Arab Emirates, to making Silverstone the most atmospheric race of the lot this past season. You absolutely deserve a grand prix on home soil and I desperately hope you get one.

Thanks for all your support, criticism, praise and companionship throughout the season. You've helped make this a year to remember for all of us involved in the coverage at the BBC. Now we need to raise the bar for you once again.

Roll on March 2010..!!

Anyway, let me start this latest entry with an apology... You might be thinking I want to say sorry for my green v-neck fashion faux pas in Japan (blame my wife, she said it looked good!).

Or perhaps to Patrick Head who, by all accounts, Eddie Jordan got in a headlock and dragged onto BBC One during our Scolari (as in Big Phil - geddit?) in the rain on Saturday.

Or how about to the viewers of Strictly Come Dancing who had to wait an extra 15 minutes to see Chris Hollins take to the floor... he's really rather good, isn't he?

However, since landing home on Monday afternoon I've been a little ill, and I know just what to blame.

Here's a quick story, and to spare his blushes I'll use his nickname.

'Fisheye' (so called because he brought a Fisheye lens camera to Malaysia and proceeded to take about 10 rolls of film every five minutes) wasn't too well in Brazil. He was traveling to the track on Saturday morning when he felt a little queasy. However, a carrier bag was found for him to do the necessary and all was well. So we thought.

I arrived in the TV compound (always the least glamorous place and the worst toilets at any race track, cue the violins...) a few minutes after the guys, to see Fisheye walking towards a bin, a trail of drips behind him and some concerned looking colleagues.

It seems all was fine, until it became clear the 'sickbag' he was using using turned out to have quite a large hole... whoops!

Fisheye went home, we cracked on for the day and he returned on Sunday, producing his usual high-quality stuff.

Well, on Sunday evening as we came off air I realised it was about 7pm and all I'd eaten all day was a banana. I don't know about you but I thought the team did a great job so before I grabbed some grub I just went round the gallery, edit suites and office to shake hands and thank everyone... before devouring anything near me in our temporary office.

Now, I certainly don't blame anyone but perhaps I should have washed my hands first. We all assumed Fisheye had eaten something dodgy, but it now seems that maybe there was a sickness bug going round. Let's just say when I arrived home 12 hours later it wasn't the romantic reunion my wife had in mind...

I'm fully recovered now though, as has Fisheye I'm pleased to report!

Anyway, even if I'd been fully fit it may have taken a few days to recover from the incredible scenes that it was a real honour to witness at first-hand on Sunday.

Despite working on World Cup finals and Superbowls, I've never felt such electricity and genuine human emotion at any sporting event. At one point post-race I could hardly breathe, but perhaps that was more to do with having a hundred keen snappers desperate to shove me out of the way to get "the shot" of Jenson Button... more on that in a minute.

So, Brawn GP...

For many people the Brawn story really got going in Melbourne in March. I certainly hadn't felt such a highly charged atmosphere during a podium celebration at any race since then as Jenson and Rubens Barrichello shocked the world with that one-two finish. I remember even Sir Richard Branson was stuck for words... so decided to swear!

Anyway, our Brawn GP story began a few weeks prior to the first race. Just after I had, very unexpectedly, been offered the job as F1 presenter we accepted a kind invitation to visit the Honda factory in Brackley. There were five or six members of the BBC F1 team and we chatted to Nick Fry, met members of the team, saw the wind tunnel in operation and generally marveled at the slick, professional operation.

Everyone was at pains to point out how Honda DNA pumped through the place, and how the team existed solely for the pursuit of winning motor races. They were committed, hungry, motivated for the new season. Just days later they were no more.

Having met regular, hardworking, mortgage-paying members of staff, it was a real shame to see the confusion, sadness and fear when watching the news reports at home. People always think that the media know some kind of inside gossip but the only thing we were hearing at the time was that a rescue package wouldn't be easy.

The remarkable phoenix from the flames rescue act combined with getting to know a few of the guys who work on the cars and seeing that it's an operation with a real family feel, meant that the one-two finish in Oz, right up to the fairytale ending on the Interlagos tarmac last weekend was an amazing story for us fans, but even more incredible for the team. No wonder they decided not to fly back with us on the Sunday night - they had some partying to do!

Mind you, Mark Webber did his best to turn our plane into a party-venue at 38,000 feet and who can blame him - top guy, great driver.

So, back to last weekend. After the incredible Brawn soap opera, which was just one element of an amazing season, we arrived at a weekend that could seal the deal for all involved - and then qualifying happened!

While EJ's enthusiasm and respect in the paddock means he is able to manhandle various team principles and technical bosses so they willingly appear on the show, Saturday's qualifying session wasn't easy for anyone, particularly Jenson.

I remember waiting outside the Brawn garage to interview the ever easy-going, eloquent and affable Rubens when JB wandered over for a chat. He clearly wasn't happy and was off for some dinner with his infamous crew ahead of the biggest day of his life.

We actually walked out of the paddock together, and as we went our separate ways I remember wondering if, after 21 years of dreaming, he'd go to bed for the final time as just regular old Jenson Button. A.N Other racing driver.

After the late finish and effort expended in keeping the show on the road on Saturday, I had one of those dreaded pre-race Sunday mornings that I've only experienced a couple of times this season.

The night before we all left the track about 8pm. By the time we'd battled the traffic, got back to the hotel, ironed my clothes for Sunday and packed for home, it was 10pm and I was absolutely exhausted.

Suddenly, it was 7am, time to head down to breakfast and I'd had no time to even start writing the script or thinking about what was potentially the biggest race of the season. The time I spent with John Motson in Vienna at Euro 2008 affirmed my belief that preparation is key to any successful sports coverage and I really, really dislike the feeling of being under prepared.

However, I had little choice on this occasion so I just cracked on with writing the script the moment we got into the office, and thought about what points we'd need to cover during the build up.

As is typical on a morning like that, the time just flew by, and before I'd really had time to learn the script (we don't use autocue) or contemplate what might happen that afternoon, Norma was counting down in my ear, and the penultimate race show of 2009 was on the air.

The show whizzed by as quickly as ever as EJ and David Coulthard built the tension; Jock Clear, Rubens Barrichello's race engineer, demonstrated a keen sense of humour despite the scale of the task ahead of him that afternoon; and Felipe Massa reminded us all that the world title isn't necessarily the most important thing in the world.

Build up over, grid walk despatched and more Sky Deutschland people riled by Martin Brundle, I watched the race with DC in the cramped Williams hospitality area. The paddock at Interlagos wasn't built with modern F1 in mind and isn't really up to the job, however the racing dominated our attention as David told me time and again that we were witnessing a champion's drive... and so it proved!

After the race as the top three guys, who all drove exceptionally, left the podium, we were crowning our first British world champion on the BBC since Damon Hill in 1996.

On that day I was watching in our living room in the Norfolk countryside with my dad. Thirteen years later, despite being somewhat closer to the action, I was just as emotional and delighted as I was as a spotty 17-year-old hearing Murray Walker call the action.

Sunday was my first experience of being close to the very heart of a global sporting success. We weren't stuck behind glass in a TV studio or watching on from thousands of miles away in Television Centre... we were right there in the eye of the storm, and we loved it, particularly EJ!

The moment it genuinely felt like a storm, however, was when the man of the moment joined us in the Brawn garage.

We all agreed that the most important thing after the race was to make sure that you guys at home were able to hear from the new champion as soon as possible, however, as we all saw in 2008, despite best efforts, that's not an easy task moments after the end of the race.

Brawn, and in particular Nicola who looks after all the media enquiries, were great however, and promised us they'd do their best. They duly delivered.

With no prior warning and with just a few seconds left on the VT that we were playing, he appeared. Distinctive in his bright white cap and stubble, a wide-eyed Jenson Button, clearly high on a mix of adrenaline, disbelief and sheer joy was ushered over to us, followed by the most incredible flood of people.

I thought at one point we were going to lose Eddie in the crush but the priority soon switched to being able to do an audible interview worthy of Jenson's achievement.

I thought Jenson (sweaty, scratchy kiss on the neck aside!) was fantastic. It was clear we were witnessing a guy still unable to quite deal with the emotion of finally realising a dream he's held dear for over two decades.

It was wonderful to see an unbridled, emotional interview. Keeping sponsors happy and fulfilling corporate requirements were at the very back of his mind.

Yes, the past few weeks had been tough for him, if we're all honest it had become crystal clear, but on the day that mattered, when it counted more than at any other time in his life, he did what was required.

I'll never forget the incredible privilege of sharing those few minutes with him. It's fantastic to see someone's dreams come true, particularly when it's so well-deserved. I'll also never forget the prods in the back, cameras in the face and microphones up my nose and I tried to keep my composure and remind myself that lashing out on live TV isn't the right way to deal with things... even the guy pulling me backwards by the belt just so he could get the photograph he was after escaped scot-free!

I think I may have said it on air that those few minutes with the world champion offered enough of a snapshot into the madness that that this does genuinely mean everything to a driver who has never had it easy in F1 and has learnt an awful lot along the way.

Anyway, that was the weekend from my perspective. I'm now going get back to Sir David and the rolling-frog.

It's quite apt to be watching a series called Life. Last weekend, Jenson's changed forever...

This current trip seems to be going on forever. From Singapore to Japan - and now we're going to Abu Dhabi via China to film Martin Brundle and David Coulthard zipping around the new Yas Marina circuit in a two-seater F1 car.

I know that sounds glamorous - and believe me, I feel incredibly lucky to be on this bus - but after a slight miscalculation I've kind of run out of pants.

There are two possible explanations for this.

Either my wife, Harriet, miscounted when helping me pack - she always grabs my pants and socks and uses them to fill my shoes as it apparently 'saves space and keeps your shoes nice for the television' - or I've done my usual trick of managing to leave my personal belongings strewn across half the globe.

I'm notorious for losing things. Sometimes it's bad luck, such as when we flew into Singapore last week and I lost my mobile down the side of the seat. I used my passport to help prise it to within a grab-able reach and then dropped that too!

I moved the seat from the sitting position to the reclined position, got on my hands and knees, tried to fashion a plastic spoon into a tool... no use.

Eventually, I sheepishly informed the stewardess who told me 'under no circumstances move the seat' and I told her I absolutely hadn't!

As it was now in the slightly reclined position I had to sit on a crew member's jump-seat for landing and then an engineer and the flight crew dismantled the chair whilst I looked on, flushed with embarrassment.

I got the phone and passport back and left them with the remains of the seat - it was like the time Alan Partridge managed to dismantle a trouser press.

Sometimes my absent mindedness can actually cause quite a lot of trouble.

At the Beijing Olympics I put a poster up in the make-up room so any guests or dignitaries could sign it - the plan was to take it home and put it up in my study.

From Chris Hoy to Gordon Brown, it got covered in ink over the 10 days we were on-air and I proudly carried my poster to the airport for fear of it being crushed in my suitcase.

Just as they called the flight I realised I didn't have it.

I retraced my steps and eventually I had the sickening, dawning realisation that as I'd come through customs I leant it against the table to sign my departure papers. I quickly nipped back to the immigration check point and looked through the barriers.

Sure enough, 20 yards away, there was my unattended poster.

I was so keen not to lose it I quickly dashed out, grabbed it and tried to nip back 'airside'.

Well, here the drama began because they wanted to see my passport again, and according to that I'd been 'stamped' out of China and wasn't technically even in the country.

Much flashing of my BBC card and Olympic accreditation later and I made the flight, poster in hand, with moments to spare. The poster remains rolled up in the loft!

So, Harriet, if you're reading this before I get a chance to call home, perhaps a quick trip to M&S is how we'll celebrate my arrival home, regardless of what Paxman thinks!

Anyway, Japan, Suzuka, and the 15th race of 2009.

I remember on the red button F1 Forum, which you can still see online, I said "15 gone, just two races left" and I could barely believe it myself.

I was shooting the breeze with Marty Brundle on the bus before he dropped off to sleep and he was telling me that in F1 it's the norm for life to just flash past. I think it's the counting down the year in two-week blocks that really speeds things up.

If you do watch the Forum, you can spot the moment that Jenson Button was chilling out behind me and then suddenly got all shy when we started talking about him.

He was in great form all weekend but what do you think about his Championship chances now?

Was another weekend of damage limitation enough or do you think the pressure will be suffocating for the final two races, with Seb and Rubens refusing to go away?

JB, with his Japanese/Argentine girlfriend Jessica, loves it here and I'm actually sad to leave Japan. It's so unique and individual that it's felt like a real breath of fresh air.

Jenson Button with his girlfriend at Suzuka

There can be few places left on earth where the English language is still so widely unspoken and not understood.

I like the Japanese nation's attitude - why should they learn our native tongue, and anyway, it's amazing how far you can both get with mutual noises, signs and laughter.

By comparison, for all its cleanliness and modernity, Singapore felt like Europe in Asia.

One of the most unusual aspects about this island have been the toilets.

I was telling Chris Moyles on Friday morning that they have 'super toilets' out here.

The lid lifts and seat warms when you enter the bathroom. It makes waterfall noises to avoid more embarrassing sounds emanating from the room and it also has two little jets to have a little wash if you so wish... which is apparently quite addictive and as I had lots of work to do I decided not to chance it... even once.

By the way, Martin Brundle seems in a good mood considering it's such an early hour.

He asked "are we there yet" after about two minutes, and just said "it's quite exciting being on a bus!". I'm more excited by my beverage.

They love vending machines over here, it seems.

We've just bought some coffees for the journey and instead of waiting for a 16-year-old 'Barista in training' to froth the milk, I just put a few yen in a slot - and out came a coffee. OK, it is in a can, but it's hot, tasty and convenient.

It was only after I snapped a pic of the can to show you what I'm drinking that I realised that perhaps DC needed one too. That's what you get for indulging in too much karaoke!

It was quite a dramatic and testing weekend for a number of reasons.

I realise that it was rather demanding for all you F1 fans too, and after looking at the viewing figures I am genuinely delighted that millions of you braved the pain of a 5.00am alarm call on Saturday and Sunday to see the build-up and action live.

I hope it was worth it just for EJ's question to Ross Brawn pre-race.

If you missed it, David and I were quizzing Ross on the emotion of the Constructors' World Championship being within reach and he was sharing just how nervous he was feeling when Eddie piped up with a question that he prefaced by saying "coming at this from my own little way" and then challenged Ross to a karaoke performance should they clinch the title.

Ross sidestepped it well, and in the event his vocal chords can relax until Brazil!

Eddie was in good form this weekend, demonstrating his unique take on fashion once again. What do you think of the shoes?

So, no titles decided this weekend, but there was no shortage of drama during both days.

I have been excited about Suzuka since the very start of the season because it's heyday is right in the middle of my defining time as a Formula One fan.

From Piquet winning the title to Prost and Senna's coming togethers and Damon Hill's emotional title win in 1996 that didn't just leave a lump in Murray's throat - as an impressionable teenager, Suzuka was the business as far as I'm concerned.

Lewis Hamilton clearly agrees, he drove an F1 car here for the first time last weekend and said it was the best circuit he's ever driven.

I took a wander around on Friday evening and I can't agree more. Suzuka may be brilliant, but as we saw, particularly on Saturday, it demands respect.

The accident packed qualifying session was quite difficult for us, not just because the stop-start session meant we had to react quickly to what was going on, and tread on BBC Breakfast's toes by staying on air longer, but post-qualifying was where the pressure really arrived.

Due to the numerous penalties handed out by the stewards it seemed the grid was changing before our very eyes.

The problem was that almost every team had a different potential grid because of different implications of how the penalties would affect things.

Now, usually that's cool for us, we're off air so we can sit back, see how it all pans out and clear it up the following morning... but not when there is a re-run being transmitted that afternoon.

So, after much scratching of heads, with Mark Wilkin the boss stalking the paddock looking for concrete news, and trying our best to resolve the re-arranged grid we were finally able to record the end of the BBC 1 re-run programme at about 10.00pm... we then were able to turn our attention to the following day's script and running order... but not before grabbing some late-night grub with Lee McKenzie in the media food-tent.

Noodle soup has never tasted so good!

So, if the first 15 have flown by, you can bet the final two races will come and go in the blink of an eye.

And isn't it just set up perfectly for Brazil to provide all the answers for the second season in a row.

As long as I take some 'contingency pants and socks' I think we'll be just fine.

Jake

PS - Since my last blog we've two new arrivals to the BBC F1 team after both Sunil and Andrew Benson had new babies within a couple of days of each other... congratulations!

Out of my bedroom window I can hear the mechanical whir of the cranes as they start to deconstruct the temporary circuit around the streets of Singapore, less than 12 hours since Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag.

It's incredible how quickly the world of Formula 1 keeps moving onwards.

Twelve hours ago this place was like a movie set, the scene of drama, incident and intrigue. As I look down on the track now, it's just a shortcut for commuters to nip through to the bus stop. You can't imagine it was the scene of last night's action.

Normality is returning to this micro-state, 2009's race already consigned to the history books - quite amazing.

Now, Monday is a special day for the whole BBC team because for the first time we can actually get to know this incredible place as we don't fly on to Japan for a couple of days.

And despite arriving almost a week ago, I don't yet feel I've seen Singapore's soul, and the apparent delights this place has to offer.

So, where have I spent my time? Well, firstly, my hotel room. It had one of those showers that's so powerful it feels like it's stripping off your skin while washing off the ingrained sweat that 12 hours in the Singapore sauna leaves behind.

The humidity was something else this weekend. Moments before we went live on air on Sunday, Eddie Jordan looked at me with his now familiar, 'what a disaster' face on. His entire shirt had stuck to his body in the heat (not a good look!) so I ushered him into one of the teams' motorhomes to cool off quickly.

I actually had a sweaty moment (or two) of my own this weekend.

On Sunday, before getting to the office I was due to introduce Lewis Hamilton at an event and just ask him a few questions in front of some assembled, quite important, guests.

I was then told that before he arrived they just wanted me to chat to the 20 or so suits who were gathered to meet the current world champion.

"Ok," I said, "I'll just do a couple of minutes intro about Lewis." The reply was somewhat alarming. "Oh, we'd like you to do about 10 minutes, just tell them about yourself."

Erm, right. They've come to meet a sporting hero, one of the most talked about men on the planet as he prepares to start from pole and try to win his first ever night race, and they think 10 minutes on why I'm rubbish at running because I've inherited my Dad's knees is a good warm up act? They don't want to know about me!

A quick scan of the room and I decided I'd do a nice preview to the race weekend.

I chatted about the season so far to a few polite nods of the head, and as I thought I'd done enough I said: "OK, Lewis will be with us any moment, any questions about him, the race today, or the season so far guys?" Not even the slightest movement from anyone.

If someone had scratched their head I'd have pounced on them like a cheeky auctioneer at a charity event, but nothing.

Right, I thought, no Lewis so a bit more chat. And a bit more...

Despite glancing at the door every 20 seconds it didn't move for what seemed like an entire race distance. I was starting to sweat badly at this point as I fed them everything from how the season began to the changed layout of the Marina Bay circuit, even the fact that one of the McLaren guys worked 36 hours straight to help improve the MP4-24.

Twenty minutes had almost passed by. In fact, it got to the point where I almost resorted to explaining to an increasingly impatient and fidgety crowd the importance of the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre. Alan Partridge would have been proud...

Eventually, however, I saw a silver flicker behind the door and thought: "Ah, here we go, that's a Macca top." So I launched into a short introduction and, when the door still didn't open, I thought the perfect thing to do to fill a few more ticks of the clock was remind the guys of Lewis's last race.

Finally, a creek of hinges and in strolled a very relaxed looking Lewis just as I said, "and in Monza he ended up hitting the wall right at the end of the race..." The timing was priceless.

I'd said umpteen positive and inspiring things about the guy, and his intro becomes "hitting the wall right at the end of the race... world champion Lewis Hamilton everyone". He just flashed me that winning smile.

In the end, despite my mammoth, 20-minute F1 rant, Lewis was great, the guys enjoyed what he had to say, and I didn't even need to think about discussing the expansion of Norwich Airport...

Jonathan Legard studies the map as the hunt for food begins

Anyway, back to my point about hardly seeing the city yet. It's all because at this race the teams, and therefore us broadcasters, have had to stay on European time, so the race is in the middle of our day, if you get my drift.

Here's a run down of existing on European time in an Asian city. This is qualifying day:

12pm - Alarm goes off. Because the rest of our hotel was on local time, the previous four hours had been a mix of vacuum cleaners, doors slamming and kids running as the blazing sunlight always found a gap in the curtains despite my best efforts. Grrr.

1pm - Meet the team in reception... except Charlie and Fisheye, two editors who need to move their watches forwards by five minutes!

For some ridiculous reason we always ended up walking the 30 minutes to the track instead of the five-minute cab ride. The upside was a chance to have an 'Egg Set' in the Mao Lin Café - an odd coffee that resembled syrup in consistency and taste, two eggs poached for about 20 seconds, a hotdog roll with lettuce, tomato and egg, and French toast with a sugar spread. All for £2!

It was an incredibly popular joint with the locals and it took me two days to realise it wasn't that they were all frittering away cash on breakfast on the way to work - they were on their lunch breaks...

2pm - get to the track, feeling and looking like I'd crossed the Sahara before going for a fully clothed swim. Not attractive!

2pm-7pm - Film stuff in the paddock, write scripts, have meetings, iron my shirt on an ironing board that was honestly the size of a Tic-Tac. The big one couldn't fit in the freight, apparently. Thanks to production manager Anne for her help with the trousers.

8pm-11.30pm - Rehearsals, then live on air with our qualifying show.

11.30-11.40pm - find somewhere air conditioned and just blob, while the glamorous and perfectly turned-out world of F1 wonders disapprovingly who the sweaty bloke in the corner is.

12am-2am - Discuss the following day's show with the producers, wait for an interview with Sebastian Vettel that never happened, and keep saying to each other: "It's 1.30 in the morning, and we haven't even had dinner!"

2.30am-ish and finally it's the end of the working day in our little sardine tin. I posted a picture of us all crammed in on my Twitter page over the weekend if you fancy seeing it.

So, at this point I'd eaten a banana and too many Pringles and was toying with the idea of just heading back to the hotel to get some kip. Jonathan Legard wouldn't hear of it so began an adventure I'll never forget as our online colleague Sarah Holt joined us for a trip into the unknown... to find dinner at a time when the city was well and truly asleep.

It's a running joke with Ledgy that he is 'never knowingly underfed'. So, despite my protestations we were off into the exciting metropolis of Singapore, and ended up in the laundry cupboard of a five-star hotel.

Jonathan considers his options

It's not as mad as it sounds. We just couldn't get out of the confines of the circuit with steel fences blocking our every turn, so we headed into a posh-looking hotel, the thinking being that we'd emerge the other side, avoid the barriers and culinary nirvana would be ours.

Instead we met the laundry cupboard and, thankfully, an incredibly nice guy who did show us the way out, via an underground car park that we'd never have found ourselves.

Jonathan was on map duty as we battled fatigue, hunger and the heat - and Singapore is still incredibly humid in the wee small hours of the morning.

We eventually saw a street stall that was open but, to be totally frank, apart from the fact it had green and yellow seating, which would have made me feel right at home, the appeal was somewhat limited.

Then we saw it, like a mirage suddenly appearing in the desert, or when you've waited for a night bus for ages and then you see the lights rumbling along the road towards you.

This place was vast, a huge neon sign saying '24 HOUR FOOD HALL', some chairs scattered on the pavement outside, and inside it was like the biggest school canteen you've even seen, complete with racks on wheels to put your trays on.

Ledgy marched straight up the first stall he saw while the picture of the 'intestine soup' somewhat put me off. Sarah and I headed for the vegetable and rice section while Jonathan had a great conversation that went something like: "Is that good?" "Yes," came the reply. "OK, some of that, is that good?" "Yes." "OK, that too..." It went on for quite a while and eventually we reassembled out on the pavement.

I've always had in my head a romantic ideal of eating local food on the street is Asia, and I must say, the company and the nosh were both absolutely spot on.

It was also interesting seeing the kinds of people who would be eating there in the middle of the night. No two people were the same. Clubbers, suited businessmen, taxi drivers, families, bin men. And there we were, three BBC bods in the middle of it all, filling our stomachs with rice and noodles at a most unusual hour.

The only thing slightly off-putting and not completely authentic was the soundtrack to our supper. The place was blaring out what sounded like the 'Now That's What I Call Music Nine' album.

Jake, Sarah and Jonathan tuck in after reaching the end of their quest

Stir fried vegetables at 4am while Bananarama rather aptly serenaded us with 'A Trick of the Night'!

By 4.30 we were all tucked up in bed, tummies full, and eight hours later off went my alarm as the Mao Lin 'Egg Set' and another upside-down day beckoned.

And this is how it went on, a great experience but a slightly unnerving one all the same.

It resulted in me becoming obsessed with the time back home in the UK, much to the annoyance of the rest of the office!

Well, I hope that gives you just a small insight into how strange our weekend has been in many ways. Not as weird as Sunil, one of our VT producers, however.

Making live telly must seem a walk in the park compared to waiting for your first child to be born. At the time of writing there's no news but I'd like to wish him and Laura all the best.

Anyway, I always feel it's important to mention on here that I'm sorry we couldn't bring you the post-race top-three driver interviews on BBC1. We do always try to.

If you pressed the red button for a full 75 minutes of the F1 Forum, I hope that made amends as EJ asked 1999 champion Mika Hakkinen if he'd come back to F1 (no), McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh was stuck for words when we pressed him on Kimi Raikkonen rejoining the team (I think it'll happen) and Martin Brundle enjoyed his obligatory on-screen ice cream (choc ice).

I'd be keen to get your thoughts on the weekend. Once again Ross Brawn proved he might be a distant relative of Harry Houdini, and could the point Jenson Button took back off Rubens Barrichello, to make the gap 15 points, be the biggest of his career? What do you think?

Next for us, a trip from here to Suzuka. I'll do a photo-blog of the travels!

All the best,

Jake

I would also like to announce that I'm officially a bit of a wimp. No, let me be honest, I'm a total and utter yellow belly! In fact, I always have been and I'm starting to think I probably always will be.

So, how much of a wimp actually am I? Well, I was so scared of a certain type of animal when I was a kid that I'd have to wear wellington boots, Dad's Barbour jacket and two or three pairs of gloves before I'd dare venture past the wire mesh, into their domain, hold my nerve before gathering the confidence to... collect the eggs!

That's right, chickens used to scare me silly, it was their beady eyes and beaks.

I wasn't much better with geese.

I reminded them that I did an O Goshi throw on Geoff Capes at my judo club when I was only six and the photo made the local rag The Peterborough Citizen. They weren't convinced.

I remember once watching a TV show, I think it was old Jezza Carkson who was commenting that he feels sorry for fighter pilots or adrenalin junkies because they need to live life on the very edge to feel alive, whereas his mum and most of us mere mortals just need a cuppa and a Garibaldi to get the same buzz.

That doesn't quite describe me. I love my snowboarding and I'm planning something pretty extreme for Sport Relief 2010 that remains a secret for now, but let's just say I am well aware of my own mortality and the dangers this world possesses.

So, why make this confession now, and why the sleeping problem? Well, rather perplexingly I also can't say no to a challenge and that's precisely what could be heading my way on 10 October when I could have the opportunity to take to the track at Silverstone in my first ever race.

Now, don't think I've suddenly decided that a dozen F1 races and sharing the TV with David Coulthard qualifies me to do the business behind the wheel. Nor do I have a deep-seated desire to follow in the footsteps of my Uncle Michael, who in the 1970s was a top European stock car driver (the photos are cracking!).

Simply, the offer of competing in the Elise Trophy, for identical Lotus cars, came my way after I passed my ARDS test and I just couldn't resist. Mind you, since then I've had my doubts.

Do I look nervous in the Lotus?

The fact I might be battling former F1 driver Martin Donnelly, who races in the series, has unnerved me even more. I also balked slightly when I met my car for the first time this week and saw 'Andy Green' emblazoned on the side of it.

If that name doesn't immediately ring a bell, let me remind you - the last guy to drive my sexy little British racing green Elise is the current holder of the Land Speed Record. Not a title under threat from me, I can assure you.

So, that's my predicament. However, as Baldrick would put it: "I have a cunning plan!"

And here's mine - learn, learn, learn!

This weekend I will be tapping into DC and Martin's knowledge in the paddock at Monza. In fact, David will be at the race and on the day before will be giving me his expert guidance around the home of British motorsport. We'll also be recreating Eddie Jordan's past by dragging him along as a rather reluctant team boss to whip me into shape. Should be cracking fun.

I'm essentially asking anyone who can help for advice. I even saw Jos Verstappen the other day, and thought about asking him if he could recommend anyone.

So, the first stop on my road to not disgracing myself was at North Weald Airfield. It was an important base for the Battle of Britain, and for one rain-soaked afternoon I battled around in front of my instructor Andy from carlimits.com. Along with Wayne, official mechanic and unofficial photographer, their mission was to assess me, realise how much of a novice they had on their hands, and start at the beginning.

Andy and I prepare for action

The only thing more embarrassing than arriving in my wife's seven-year-old Mini One was when I spun the car at 30mph and Andy said, "OK, let's start with how to hold the steering wheel..." Suddenly I felt very, very vulnerable.

It was a hardcore day, actually, as the weather kept me on my toes. Where to look, how to steer, what not to do with the brake, accelerator and even the clutch.

What really shocked me was that most of it was trying to unlearn what I had spent the past 13 years on the roads trying to do well. For example, "don't look where you're going, look where you want to go". What? That feels so unnatural.

Perfecting the cornering at North Weald Airfield

Added to the huge learning curve is the pressure I've started to feel. Obviously I don't want to wreck a car kindly being lent to me. Of course I don't want to let everyone down by qualifying and finishing last. But above all I just want to survive the race in one piece, and that brings me back to being a wimp.

I watched Lewis Hamilton's incredible drive in the wet in Monza last year when he launched a series of audacious overtakes in horrendous weather and I can only conclude that I have a 'mortality' switch in my brain that he doesn't.

Andy, the instructor, asked me to drive around a corner using just one finger on top of the steering wheel as opposed to two hands. The lesson worked but I felt like I was driving towards certain death as I launched myself to the left at 70mph, whereas Lewis, Fernando Alonso or any other 'natural' racing driver would have probably just felt intrigue and excitement.

So, what next? I have another couple of track days lined up, I'll avoid all youtube clips of racing car crashes, and just concentrate on the recurring, and seriously delusional, dreams that I may one day have the swagger of James Hunt and the charm of Jim Clark.

I do wish my first forays into racing cars weren't quite so public. Having quoted Baldrick, here's another cracker. As that famous sage David Brent once said "If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried." If only it were that simple!

Eddie Jordan's trademark seems to be making big, and largely accurate, calls over a race weekend but even he wasn't capable of prophesying how things would unfold at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Eddie has quite a relationship with this place - he had some landmark moments at Spa as a team owner - so I should have known his outfit's latest guise, Force India, would figure strongly.

In fact, EJ's not alone in having a unique relationship with the Ardennes mountains - our entire team of on-air experts have special memories of crashing through the trees here.

If you checked out Andrew Benson's F1 highlights blog you'll have seen Martin Brundle finishing third here in 1995 in the race you voted as your favourite. David Coulthard then made the headlines there three years later....

Indulge me for a moment as I point out that I really enjoy DC's company. You might think that's no surprise but it is for me. For a man who has been a global sporting star for two decades, he is incredibly approachable, friendly and easy-going and I have met a fair few that aren't. I hope his real-ness shines through on TV.

Sitting on the tyre barriers at La Source this weekend, chewing the fat about when he caused the mother of all pile-ups in 1998 was a special moment for me.

It wasn't only because we were discussing such a famous F1 moment, but because we were doing it in the manner you'd talk about a mishap involving a brother or a good mate breaking a window. Just mulling over what went wrong and laughing at the absurdity of it all.

David Coulthard

Perhaps it's my love of history, but there is something I really enjoy about being in the very spot where stories have been created, especially with the person who was at the centre of the tale.

To wander along this track with a man who had won at Spa was incredible for me. I know to David it's just his past, and he feels no differently about it to how any of us feel about the things we've experienced, but it's the closest I'll ever get to knowing what it's really like to create history.

Now, I hope it didn't show but I've been plagued by a sickness bug all weekend and getting to know my previous evening's dinner and the bins behind the Ferrari motorhome 10 minutes before we went live on Saturday afternoon wasn't perfect preparation. Thank goodness I had EJ to take my mind off all things medical.

Eddie has no shortage of energy, but he seems to be plugged into some sort of natural power source when he's in Spa. I guess it's the memories of his one-two in 1998 that gives him a natural high, but it certainly helped take my mind off my health as he literally bounced around the paddock and pits hugging people, regaling them with stories and delivering his distinctive chuckle.

So, why was this weekend so special? Well, I've driven the hills above Monaco with DC, enjoyed the party atmosphere of Australia, and marvelled at the architecture of Valencia but bumbling past goats in fields, ramshackle farmhouses and twee mountain-side B&Bs beats all that.

As the circuit gets closer you start to spot fans clad in Ferrari or Renault gear, with back-pack, picnic seat, and kids in tow. It's like they're on some kind of pilgrimage, and after this weekend I can understand why they flock to this sporting shrine.

Spa just oozes passion and history and feels alive with expectation come race weekend. I'm just sad I've waited 30 years to experience it.

I know Giancarlo Fisichella rates the last couple of days as being up there with anything he's experienced in F1, particularly if it leads to a drive with the most famous Italian team of all.

Jenson Button crashes out during the first lap at Spa

Eddie made the point on our red button F1 Forum that Fisi will be more concerned with driving for a team where he can stay long-term. I'm not so sure. OK, Ferrari would be a short-term plan if Luca Badoer is finally put out of his misery, but what kind of passionate Italian would really turn down a seat in a Ferrari, at Monza, in the team's hour of need?

So, while Fisi left Belgium with his future surrounded by speculation, for Jenson Button it seems to be getting clearer by the weekend.

Five races are left, and his nearest challenger, Rubens Barrichello, needs to take more than 3 points off him at every race if he is to overhaul his advantage. Not an easy task.

I know Jenson won't want to win the title by dragging his car over the line in Abu Dhabi to grab glory in the midst of an off-form struggle for points, but if none of the title pretenders can take the fight to him then that might just happen. What do you think will unfold on the way to the desert?

Talking of Abu Dhabi, the news this weekend is that the F1 finale will start in daylight and finish under floodlights. I'm not sure if anything can match the weekend we've just experienced, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Anyway, I'd better go. The production team have cleared their desks, Martin has already left to drive his gorgeous red E-Type Jag back to Norfolk, and my own Liege Airport-to-Luton-to-Richmond journey is about to begin.

Anne the production manager keeps saying "right, everyone" as she rallies the team into the hire cars; I'm only wishing we didn't have to leave. It seems like seconds since we arrived for this weekend but the memories of my first dalliance at Spa will live with me forever.

It was then off to the track, past the fans gathering outside waiting for drivers to sign autographs...

...and we ended up parking near to Jenson's personal parking spot. I know he's driving for a new team - but you'd think, 10 races into the season, the organisers would have got the leading teams name right!

Team BBC make their way towards the broadcasters area: the long shadows show you it was pretty early. We are usually at the track around 8am on race day...and we need to be. The mornings just fly by.

Here's the team gathering outside our production office before starting work. I'm not sure why they aren't heading up the steps... perhaps they're not too keen to get working!! This is actually a portable office and Pete drives it for us, sets it up and stocks it up with good food for lunch over a race weekend. Pete's an important guy.

Richard is the director for our coverage. I think at this point he was making his way up the stairs and back into the office while I was telling him we were all off to the gallery to watch the VT parts of the show with all the on-air team.

You see the two clocks on the wall here in the gallery. One was at local time (at 11.20), the other telling us UK time. It's important for me to watch the VTs so I can make sure my introductions are correct and work out what to say off the back of them. This room is where the producer, director, PA and the rest of the team spend the weekend talking down my ear. If you haven't listened to my race weekend talkback then click here.

By midday we're usually in the paddock getting our gear on. It's at this point that the adrenaline starts to pump. The viewing figures this year are the highest for 10 years and when you know that five or six million people will be watching it can be really daunting... Mind you, I can always rely on EJ to remind me not to take things too seriously!

Once we've done the pre-race show we head to one of the teams motorhomes to watch the race. This is such an interesting time for me. To be with David and Eddie as we discuss the goings on teaches me a huge amount about racing.

Then, once the race is over, hopefully you are one of the one million people that decides to press red and joins us for the F1 Forum. You can see my race notes and PDA receiving your emails whilst DC checks his phone and Mart and Eddie catch up.

Post race, we usually get out of the circuit and head home as soon as possible... but not this weekend. A late flight meant we could all enjoy the English guys winning the Ashes. At this point I usually chat to the bosses about how the show went. Remember I haven't seen them for about five hours.

It always amazes me how quickly things move on in life. On Sunday Rubens [Barrichello] is racing towards glory, a few days later the circuit is empty and returns to being a normal road. The same on the TV side. After lots of set-up and prep, it's a case of clearing up as quickly as possibly. Particularly this weekend, as the same stuff will be waiting for us when we arrive in Spa for the Belgian Grand Prix in a few days time.

So, team BBC gather at the airport. Sunil, in the front of shot, has a rolled up Jenson Button poster that he got signed for a friend, Ledgie is in the background talking to a McLaren employee... perhaps about their pitstop incident!

Finally it's time to board the plane - and I have a chat with the man who masterminded the race win. Amazingly, Ross Brawn was talking to us about cricket. He even actually texted this very site after the race to wish Straussy and the guys all the best!

Here is Jock Clear, race engineer for Rubens with some very special cargo indeed... the trophy for winning.

Mind you, I'm surprised he managed to fit it into the plane. It was quite a tight fit, but I'm not surprised they didn't want the trophy in the hold.

We eventually landed at Luton and I quietly opened the front door before getting into bed next to my wife at about 1.30am on Monday morning. Race day is a long day, but a rewarding one. And I can't wait to do it all over again this weekend at Spa...see you then.

Cleverly, our pit lane reporter decided not to check out and after a very sweaty day here in Valencia he was heading back to his room to freshen up. I was planning to go with him, but I decided that staying in the office with the TV production team and watching the climax to the Ashes was the way forward. Seven wickets down, and Tom Gent, one of the producers, was alongside me saying that he 'can't believe' we'd almost beaten the Aussies! And now it's actually happened.

Let me now apologise to anyone sharing my flight home tonight with a guy who has been running up and down the pit lane and paddock all afternoon in the roasting Valencia sunshine.

It has been a bad weekend all round for the Aussies, with Red Bull's Mark Webber also struggling for form this weekend. If you pressed the red button after the race, you will have us interviewing both Red Bull drivers, McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and a good few of your e-mails.

The general consensus is that neither Red Bull nor McLaren had the pace to win in Valencia. Brawn were just too hot.

Talking of the heat, it was almost unbearable at times on Sunday. I remember everyone laughing after I was a walking sweat-patch in Bahrain even before we'd gone on air. Today was just as scorching - not that Rubens Barrichello will mind the heat. He drove a great race with a car capable of winning, and all the frustration of the past few months came flooding out. It was surely a great tonic for Felipe Massa, too, as he recovers at home in Brazil. We all spared a thought for him today.

Sunday's coverage was pretty hairy at times. I really enjoy the 'seat-of-your-pants' presenting that is inevitable when you are bringing a live sporting event to peoples homes. I'll be interested to know how it looked in your living room.

The way it works for us where guests are involved is that editor Mark, myself and Steve (the assistant editor who saved me from the Toyota in Bahrain) discuss who we think you'd like to hear from and the requests go in. Despite asking a few of the teams' PR representatives we actually went on air with only Whitmarsh lined up for an interview today. Little did we know what was to unfold.

EJ did brilliantly to head into the Ferrari garage and almost drag Michael Schumacher out by his ear. Only his former team boss would get away with doing that! It was good to hear from Michael even if the engineers seemed to be doing their best to stop him hearing me!

How odd that just as Schumi opened his mouth, Luca Badoer's engine started up, and as soon as we were finished all went quiet again. Mmm.

If that wasn't remarkable enough, just as were watching qualifying, Lewis Hamilton appeared at the front of the garage and asked us if we wanted to chat to him. Er, yes please!

It was really good of him to do that before starting at the front for the first race this season, and I know how much you all like to hear from the main players ahead of the race.

It's been my first trip to Valencia and while there are still improvements needed for the future, I've generally enjoyed it. There is something special about F1 being by the water, it just seems to work really well and add an atmosphere. It seems the future of this event is secured; they just need to look at the reasons behind the GP2 race being so much more cut and thrust and full of incident. Two grands prix on this new street circuit and still no safety car. That's incredible really.

Our flight home to Luton Airport awaits us in a few hours so it's going to be a late arrival. I just hope I make it up the steps! I'm keen to get fit at the moment and me and a few of the guys have been going running for the past three nights and I'm now really stiff and sore!

Last night's run was particularly embarrassing. Usually, I can quite merrily run behind the guys looking a little off the pace and don't mind. Except that we ended up bumping into an F1 event with all the drivers. John Howett, the Toyota boss told me to "keep on going" as my suddenly-even-redder face dropped! Thankfully we sprinted (as best I could) away from the party but then noticed an odd thing.

One of the party security guards was suddenly jogging alongside us until we were well away from the throng of event-attendees! Clearly four sweaty and unfit strugglers posed some kind of security risk!

So, that was Valencia. And before we know it we're off to Spa for next weekend's race.

I'm really, really excited about travelling to Belgium. It's one of the races I've been itching to get to for years, particularly since I was offered this job. And as we board the Eurostar on Thursday morning I will be like an excited kid on a school trip.

Be sure to check back to the blog over the next couple of days for my photo diary of race day from my perspective.

From the BBC's production office in Spain, take care and see you all in Spa!

However, as Valencia and our Easyjet flight from Gatwick this evening looms large, I feel distinctly unprepared. Let me paint you the picture...

Last night, when I should have been packing my bags, doing my washing, writing this blog and preparing my stuff for the weekend, I was at Griffin Park watching my beloved Canaries lose their second game of a so far inglorious season, this time a 2-1 defeat to Brentford. Myself and the 1800 other gluttons for punishment made the best of a bad situation with remarks like "at least standing to watch a game is quite novel" and "at least we didn't concede seven".

Therefore, for the first time this season, I haven't had a chance to pack specifically what I need. Instead I've crammed half my wardrobe into a huge bag. In fact, some of my stuff hasn't even made the bag.

It's supposed to be 33C this weekend, so I was keen to wear my white/pink striped linen shirt (hope it looks better than it sounds). Then I discovered it was dirty. Never fear, I thought. I put it on a quick wash and it's now drying while draped over the passenger seat of the car I'm sharing with Jonathan Legard as we negotiate the M25 on the way to the airport.

The feeling of being ill-prepared is quite off putting. For example, I've neurotically checked I've packed my passport and F1 ID about four times since leaving home.

One thing that did make me feel better was Lee McKenzie's Skype message at midday that said simply "feel so disorganised". Perhaps after a month off we've got out of practice as far as travelling is concerned. Weird.

Actually, I can't wait to get back to the racing, and I'm not the only one. On Monday I was at the glass and steel cathedral that is the imposing McLaren Technology Centre.

It's a building that is straight out of a Bond book and certainly demands high standards. For example, Sunil (who once wore pink shorts to a race weekend) turned up in a suit. I felt distinctly underdressed, particularly as I entered the 'visitors cafe' to hear an HR lady tell some inductees that "jeans are banned"... guess what red-faced Jake was wearing?

Anyway, I was there to talk to Lewis Hamilton about the win in Hungary, how he's feeling a month on, and what the incredible development of the MP4-24 says about the team at Woking.

He was understandably upbeat, much more so than when I last interviewed him in Bahrain. He smiled broadly when we mentioned the impact of his Kers button, shook his head in disbelief when discussing the effort and drive of his 'guys' at the factory, and also revealed that keeping slim has been hard. He said he's been in LA where Nicole makes great pancakes for breakfast, lucky him. I start every day making the tea for Hat and I.

It was fantastic to see him in such good form, actually, I really like the guy. He clearly has very high hopes for this weekend after coming in second in 2008, and I think he will look back on 2009 not as a missed opportunity but perhaps as the year when he learned more about himself and how to be an F1 survivor and conqueror.

I learned something about myself too during the break... that the chances of me even winning a 'Morris Minor Invitational Meeting', where only Ledgy and I are invited to drive, is slim.

I was down at Silverstone where I took my ARDS test, which essentially means I can race cars as a National 'B' Licence holder... don't start sweating just yet Lewis!

It's all part of the Motor Sports Association's drive to get more of us involved in motor racing via a Jenson-Button endorsed initiative called Go Motorsport.

Well, I doubt I'll be going very far in my racing career, despite enjoying one of my best ever days out.

Step one was the written exam in a small white trackside room... which brought back very unnerving memories of school halls and physics exams. I was all alone in a room with the examiner as I answered questions on racing safety and what each flag stands for. I won't reveal the outcome, suffice to say the pressure and nerves just makes you answer very strangely indeed.

Then it was into the car park for every boy racer's dream. The chance to do donuts to your heart's content without the night security guard chasing you away. I was in a Caterham with great front tyres and rubbish rear ones. The back of the car stepped out at any given moment. I was supposed to keep control.

It was incredibly difficult, and especially frustrating when my brilliant instructor Mark showed me how easy it can look. However, I'm proud to say I slowly got the hang of it, even if it felt much faster at the time that when I watched it back (much like the curse of Top Gear's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car).

Finally, I was onto the South Circuit at Silverstone. This is where the danger factor was really high. Not just because I was behind the wheel of a powerful Lotus Exige, but because I was sharing the track with people enjoying a day out in one of Silverstone's supercars. I was trying to wrestle the Lotus around the track at rather nervy racing speeds, they were just loving the chance to drive a Ferrari.

My hairiest moment was gunning it down the Hangar Straight approaching 120mph, a Ferrari was quite a way ahead as I prepared to turn into Stowe, however, unused to the speed I was suddenly getting a VERY close up view of the exhaust pipes of a £200,000 car. I felt slightly sick.

Mind you, that was nothing compared to the moment I actually had to take my test.

Five laps of the track, at safe racing speeds, and consistent every time. By consistent Mark meant the same speed, same gear and same line at each corner lap after lap. I scratch my wheels just parking so this was some challenge.

The toughest part was actually my vision. As a road driver you look at the next corner you're driving , negotiate it and then on to the next... but not as a racing driver!

Looking two or three corners ahead was the aim here, making sure you don't pick a line through one corner that compromises the following three. Believe me it's not easy when you're driving at 95 mph, thinking are you in the right gear? How's the racing line looking? Is there anyone in your rear view mirror?

And the worst part. Just like in your road driving test, the instructor says nothing. Bar the odd 'hmmmmm' or intake of breath.

So, did I pass? Well tune in pre-race on Saturday to find out, hopefully the photo doesn't give anything away, and trust me, Lewis, whose interview will be beamed out on Sunday, has very little to be worried about.

Anyway, despite no Schumi we do have two new drivers on the grid this weekend, and what's shaping up to be a cracking final stint gets going this weekend... very, very excited!

Don't forget you can follow me at www.twitter.com/jakehumphreyf1 for updates all weekend.

Enjoy the race guys and if you're out in Spain, come and say hi!

Jake

This blog comes to you from my front room at 6am. I can't sleep so I've left Harriet upstairs in bed. I'm down here with my dressing gown, cup of tea and my new read: Senna Versus Prost, a new book by the Daily Mail journalist Malcolm Folley.

I am a big fan of history and loved getting the chance to float over Silverstone with Eddie Jordan in a hot air balloon a couple of months ago, seeing the runways and imagining the place as it used to be when Maurice Geoghegan and his mates got together and first raced cars around there in 1947.

I know that the history of the Hungaroring can't even attempt to match Silverstone's past, but when I landed in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend I was keen to get down to the track and relive some more recent motor racing memories. For me, Hungary is one of a number of settings where Senna and Prost's rivalry played out during the 1988 season, in which Senna eventually took the title from his bitter rival. It was a time when I first became aware of what a special sport this can be.

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So, how best to get to see the track and relive some of those memories? Well, some bright spark decided we should go for a run! Brilliant, I said! Only one problem - no kit.

Being the resourceful bunch we are, though, a pair of overly tight shorts were soon found, and I decided my work shoes would be OK.

Unbelievable. I was keen to see the corners where history was made in 1988. Suddenly I was transported straight back to one of my PE lessons from the late 1980s, wearing borrowed kit and 'school shoes'.

After much mickey-taking from the guys that my mega-tight shorts didn't actually look out of place in Eastern Europe, we set off along the circuit.

All was going swimmingly until I realised my shoes really weren't designed for running. So, by the time we'd covered half the track I was in real agony with bleeding feet. There was only one solution - to go Zola Budd style (only with white socks for added padding).

Can you imagine the sight? A very exhausted lanky bloke who wasn't designed for running, wearing tight shorts, no shoes, and doing a good impression of a drunk Herman Munster. Still, I managed to sprint like Usain Bolt for the final five metres and it was great to get that close-up look at the circuit.

I was so buoyed by my running efforts on the Thursday evening that I ran the track again on the Sunday night after the race. This time the mood was a little different.

It was just me and producer Matt Roberts, and as we ran up the hill towards Turn Four we were both pretty quiet, reflecting on the events from the previous day's qualifying session.

At this point the latest news we had was that Felipe Massa was still in a critical condition in hospital and to stand on the track, in between the two dark stripes of rubber his car had left, was actually very moving.

Television honestly doesn't do justice to how far he travelled or the ferocity with which he hit the tyre barrier. Standing there, however, left us under no illusions as to how lucky he was just to have survived such an impact. In a season full of intense and emotional moments, that was one of my most sobering.

Massa gave his first interview since the crash on Tuesday. Having spent a fair bit of time with him this season it's good to see his vigour, vim and personality already returning in spades. It may still be a while until he's back in the car, though, and I wish him all the best with his recovery.

All in all, qualifying in Hungary was quite a broadcasting test for us. We were aware that Massa may have been seriously injured and we didn't want to replay the crash again until we knew he had survived, so while Mark the editor was getting info from the circuit and telling the athletics team who were standing by at Crystal Palace that we may be delayed coming to them, I just tried to keep things moving along with the guys in the paddock, without jumping to conclusions or being salacious.

There's always a dearth of information in those situations but rest assured that as soon as we got any developments we quickly passed them on.

And the drama wasn't over!

To finish qualifying and have no way of knowing what times the cars have done is the latest incredible turn of events in a season that just keeps on providing the unexpected. For F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to be scurrying around telling the drivers who was where on the grid and to hear pole-sitter Fernando Alonso trying to decipher the situation himself was hilarious - if not the easiest thing to deal with when you're broadcasting to a live audience in the millions.

All in all, it was quite a Saturday, and then Lewis Hamilton went and did just what McLaren had been threatening he and they might do and won the race.

While the champagne spraying was happening on the podium, I was chatting to David Coulthard about the points we'd try to cover before getting to the news conference, and DC looked at me and just said: "This is remarkable, a genuine victory and with Brawn struggling... what a turnaround."

One moment that really summed up McLaren's systematic and focused approach to turning this season around was after the race outside their garage. The whole team donned the 'Rocket Red' tops that are reserved solely for victory weekends, and posed for a snap with the drivers and the trophy - for about 20 seconds! There were no prolonged speeches and celebrations. They took the photo, had their moment, then immediately it was back to work, minds already fixed on getting packed up, getting the cars back to the McLaren Technology Centre and doing all they can to make it a double in Valencia on 23 August. A snapshot of the effort needed to succeed this season.

So now all eyes turn to Spain in a couple of weeks' time. And by the time we all arrive there we'll all be desperate to go racing again I'm sure. Who wants a break when a season is this dramatic?

There will not be a certain N Piquet after he was dropped by Renault, and then lambasted his former team via a quite remarkable press release. I wonder what his "executioner" Flavio Briatore made of that. And will we see Nelsinho in a Sauber-Piquet car next season?

BMW have also decided enough is enough. Interestingly, after their ignominious qualifying display EJ immediately said: "Munich will be taking a look at this and deciding if they should continue." What was it about EJ over the Hungarian weekend? He called Alonso on pole, Hamilton for the win and foresaw BMW's big call... Interesting!

I remember interviewing Mario Theissen, the BMW F1 boss, on the red button F1 Forum a few weeks ago and when I asked him if he wished he'd continued to race for the title in 2008 he flatly refused to answer the question and just said "Thank you." How they must rue that call now.

And finally, just to really tease us during this mid-season break, a certain M Schumacher is back in the game! One of my regrets is that I wasn't able to present F1 during his era and now my wish comes true. Just like the young drivers who get to race against him, I can't wait to see how he performs. What do you think? Will we see him on the top step of the podium again?

And remember that you can follow my tweets from race weekends at www.twitter.com/jakehumphreyf1.

Incredible, isn't it? Driver changes, big team decisions, mindboggling press releases - it's almost gone unnoticed that the Concorde Agreement's been signed! Hurrah!

Long live Formula 1!

Welcome to my latest blog post, I hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did. Well done, Mark!

Now for those of you who have been regular readers and posters on here, you'll know what this blog is all about. If you're new, let me explain.

I noticed someone last week asking on here why didn't I write about the latest political goings-on. Well my take on that question is that there are a million websites, many of them excellent, where you can read up on that stuff and other people do it on the BBC F1 site; whereas this is the only place that, I hope, gives you unique access to what doing my job is like.

Which is why we've included an exclusive little sample below...

Ever since I was lucky enough to get this job people have told me how fortunate I am and how much they'd love to do the same, so I decided my blog and my Twitter site would be all about making you feel like you are doing this job. I was keen to be the most accessible F1 presenter possible, and my idea for this week's post is hopefully another step towards that.

I thought you'd like to hear what is being fed down my ears when live on BBC One presenting the F1 coverage.

While a diver is reliant on his oxygen supply, I am completely dependent on my earpiece. It's my umbilical cord to the entire production and without it I'm flying solo.

I often describe this job as quite a lonely experience and that tends to perplex people, so let me explain. I may have Eddie and DC to my right, a pitlane full of people and the crew around to save me from any onrushing Toyota's, but it is still a lonely experience to me.

I am the only person there charged with welcoming the viewers when the red light comes on or I hear the words "cue Jake", to deal with breaking news, ask EJ and DC the right things at the right time and keep the show moving, all without the use of an autocue. Part of this feeling comes from knowing that as you open your mouth there are five million people (that's 55 packed Wembleys) listening to what you're saying. It's a quite personal, nervous feeling that I can't really compare to anything else ever felt. I don't like the nerves much and I've mentioned before on here that I'm often unable to eat before a programme.

The one thing that keeps me feeling secure and connected to the rest of the production team and therefore our output is the 'talkback'.

I use what's known as 'open talkback' where I hear everything. EJ and DC use 'switch(ed) talkback' where Mark the producer presses a button to talk to them. I learned 'open' at CBBC and it is an absolutely vital tool. As an example, we had a moment where a VT wasn't ready during our Silverstone race build up. Thankfully I heard Sunil in VT tell the gallery it wasn't ready, and although they instantly relayed it to me, that vital couple of seconds were really helpful. It can all help you feel right across what's going on.

I hear the director Richard calling cameras, the production co-ordinator Katherine dealing with the timings, Mark the editor making the editorial calls and anyone else who chips in such as Lee or Ted from the pitlane.

On here is a totally unedited version of my talkback. This is exactly what I hear...

The one tricky thing about F1 is that because it's so loud the earpieces are also ear defenders so I have David's and Eddie's voices fed directly down the earpiece too. So getting the balance of various volumes is crucial.

A gallery can be a busy place, especially when there are any technical problems. Ask any presenter and they'll tell you the calmer the gallery the better.

Things often crop up, though. For example, we had a slight problem on Saturday when everything reset itself moments before we were live. That meant that two minutes before I was due to welcome you to qualifying build-up in the pits, we were rushing to an area we call the 'bolt hole' to use mics that we knew would be OK. Hopefully you wouldn't have noticed a few seconds later when we went live; it's our job to make sure those things don't affect the quality of the output.

Anyway, on Sunday I asked the sound supervisor, Chris, if he could record the last part of the show's talkback from the champagne spraying to the 'goodbye' on BBC One that we have to hit to the second. The exact talkback that I heard when we were live is what you can hear in the video above.

Thankfully it was all pretty straightforward and I'll be really interested to know your thoughts.

Strangely, when I listened back to it I found it a really nerve-wracking listen. I find it hard to explain why, but guess when I'm in the middle of it with the adrenaline and the 'live' buzz I just accept what's going on in my ear as part of the job. Only afterwards when I'm relaxed I can't quite believe how involved it is.

Anyway, have a listen and let me know what you think.

Oh, and before I sign off I just wanted to say how pleased I am for Mark Webber. He's been nothing but a thoroughly nice guy since I've been involved this past season and after 130 races he's shown he's got what it takes and that he is a winner. And doesn't it add another exciting dimension to a title race that's really shaping up nicely?!

Have a great week,

Jake

Anyway, how are you all? How have you coped since we left Silverstone almost three weeks ago? It feels pretty strange, doesn't it? This season has been all about ridiculous headlines, amazing sporting achievements, stacks of surprises that have made even F1 veterans raise their hairy grey eyebrows and then... nothing.

I remember before this year began I was never a fan of a lull in the middle of an F1 season and now that it has basically become my life I am enjoying this break even less.

Mind you, as much as I'm missing the racing, I think it's everything else that goes with it that I've been struggling to replace, for example, the camaraderie as the entire BBC F1 production team descend on Heathrow and file onto a plane where Mark the boss is guaranteed to be asleep in about three seconds.

Then there's the competition that seems to be about seeing who can create the most monstrous sandwich in the production office kitchen. Katherine the PA even asked me in Spain if I've ever been fat! I've un-supersized my lunch since then.

Or there's just hanging out with Eddie and DC, listening to their stories and sharing the racing weekend with them - I really enjoy their company.

Since Silverstone, I have been asked two questions more than any other.

Question 1. Do EJ and DC actually like each other?

The answer is a resounding yes. They don't just like each other, they've got great respect for each other's achievements in the sport. I believe as TV pundits they have actually raised the bar. I can think of numerous sports programmes where the pundits wouldn't even challenge the viewer let alone each other. I love that there is a bit of spark between the guys. Lots of people ask me if I find it hard having to mediate between them.

The only hard thing is that their little bit of needle makes really compelling viewing and I end up being a viewer just like you. Sometimes I have to stop watching them and remind myself we're live in front of five million people and perhaps I should stop the bickering!

Question 2. How have you filled your bit of time off?

Well, I'd love to say I haven't worked since we were in the paddock in Silverstone being joined by the great and good of Formula 1 (great weekend eh?) but the truth is that I've had a bit of work to be getting on with but also some time to have a bit of fun.

I remember when Steve Rider took me out for dinner after I'd got the F1 job. He told me that the first month was tough and you'd need all the rest you can get. Well, the first month is a haze of first-show nerves, a little relief and lots of work all wrapped up in a blanket of jet lag. Melbourne feels like a millennium ago. That opening set of long-hauls were followed by a month that included the madness of Monaco and Silverstone, so to get an extra week at home was a real treat and in true Jake style it's been relatively random!

One evening I found myself in Wembley Stadium along with thousands of other people to watch Take That. No, I didn't have a day off school when Robbie left the group but I'm married to a woman that did. Imagine it, myself, Harriet and 10 of her female friends all being 14 years old again... boy, did I look out of place! Thankfully a couple of 'other-halves' were there for support, but it still didn't stop people looking at me and clearly thinking "I didn't have him down as a Take That fan."

The show was actually very impressive and I found some light relief when I spotted a Brawn cap (how predictable!) in the crowd and went over to discuss aero, Red Bull's new front nose and who is taller, me or Ross Brawn! I didn't know the answer - Ross, I suspect.

I also enjoyed a day out of London when we went canoeing with Harriet's family at Ross-on-Wye.

Now, I was a very rubbish Sea Scout for a few years when I was growing up and my skills haven't improved I'm afraid. If there's a surefire way to create World War III, it's to share a canoe with your other half. We hit the bank three times, got beached in the middle of the river and very nearly ended up going for a swim - and yes, it was all my fault of course.

It was really nice to do something totally different for a change though. I thought about inviting the boys but then imagined DC sunning himself in Monaco and Eddie chilling on his yacht, took a look at the rain tipping down while wearing a lifejacket that smelt of musty damp and thought better of it!

I did see David the following day at Wimbledon where we watched the men's final together. What a treat to see such an amazing game and to witness history as Roger Federer made it 15 Grand Slam titles.

Standing up to applaud him was also such a relief. I'd needed to nip to the loo since the end of the fourth set but thought I'd hold on. Whoops! I was desperate by the time it was four-all but was convinced that if I nipped off I'd miss the winning shot. Suffice to say at 14-all i was just praying for a winner!

Something else I enjoyed was on Monday when I met up with Hans Seeberg, the editor of F1 Racing, at a hotel near me in Richmond. They wanted to do a feature for the magazine and I got Scott the BBC press guy to take a few snaps on my iphone. I won't reveal why they had me putting my hands over my eyes - you'll have to wait till September's issue to find out!!

So there you go, at the second attempt, there are the most interesting things which have filled the past two weeks. The rest of my time was far too boring to grace the blog but at least it answers the 'how have you filled the free weekend' question.

And now we have just as many questions as the racing gets going again. I know that some people refuse to even call the Nurburgring by it's old name and that it certainly isn't the challenging track that Jackie Stewart dubbed the "Green Hell" but I am still so excited about presenting from one of the legendary motorsport venues.

Will Brawn have used the past three weeks to claw back Red Bull's clear advantage and who will this track suit? Will Sebastian Vettel do the business in front of his adoring home crowd? Will Jenson get back to winning ways? Will DC and I have a pink-shirted outfit clash?

All those questions will be answered over the course of the weekend.

Just a reminder too that I will be tweeting all about the weekend. You can find out which motosport legend I am hoping to spend some time with on Saturday at www.twitter.com/jakehumphreyf1.

Anyway, enjoy the race and, thanks for reading thanks for the continued support this season.

Take care,
Jake

I always think of myself as the kind of guy who doesn't really need the trappings of a wirelessly-routed, on-demand, 21st Century existence, and then odd things happen to make me realise that I'm just as fragile and hopelessly addicted to this digital age as the next person.

The first nudge that I'm no Bear Grylls was when Harriet and I moved house just after the Turkish GP and had no hot water for 48 hours. We are talking less than two days in total spent boiling kettles to fill the bath, and showering while crouched in the foetal position breathing about three times a second. The way we moaned though you'd have thought it was a lifetime - how spoiled we are! In fact, I'm already pretty sure I'll be regaling my kids with tales of "your mother and I used to get by with no hot water when we first lived here you know!"

I hope it didn't show on TV, but I had to endure the three-second sub-zero shower on both the days I went filming with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button last week. I just used double the aftershave. I guess as Lewis tended to drive the £300k SLR with the gull-wing doors up he hardly noticed. Or perhaps he was airing the car. You can watch those pieces here and here if you missed them, by the way.

However, an icy shower pales into insignificance when I tell you that for the past three weeks I have been devoid of the internet at home. If there is a sure fire way to feel like you're back in 1986 it's to move to my new house.

No internet, no home phone, and you only get mobile signal on the other side of the street! I did a Radio Norfolk phone interview on Monday morning after the British GP and I was in my pyjamas at 8.45am, on the opposite side of the road, and I seemed to time it just as the whole of Richmond was commuting to work, school or college. Most embarrassing!

The only time I remember being more shown up outside my own house was when I put on Harriet's incredibly girly slippers to pop outside and see her off to work one morning last year, shut myself out, and then proceeded to run around the corner in my dressing gown and girls slippers, waving wildly for her to stop and let me back in. As I appeared around the corner a load of schoolkids were boarding a coach to go on some field trip - abject humiliation. I now just say bye at the front door, for obvious reasons.

Anyway, back to my point. A man arrived today, drilled holes so my walls resemble a sieve and I am now fully cabled up, and have use of a landline once again. Even this was typically tinged with idiocy as I managed to lock myself out and so ended up meeting my neighbour properly for the first time and borrowing his ladder to get back in the house. It's worth telling you now that my mate James called me "General Accident" when we were kids.

Anyhow, I won't pretend my tardiness with this particular post-race blog is entirely down to the fact that I was cut off from civilisation, or locked out on the pavement since Sunday. I have just spent the best part of the past couple of days in something of a tired, monosyllabic daze after a weekend that will probably go down as the most memorable if not exhausting, of my career so far.

I remember sitting in a bar with Sunil, one of the producers. We had just checked into the rather odd Sunway Lagoon Hotel for the Malaysian GP and Silverstone seemed, and was, a very long way off. We chatted about what our home GP would be like over dinner during a sultry Eastern evening; it more than lived up to expectations.

The whole team got together for a meeting at Television Centre last week (no-one brought cake!) so we could discuss how to make this weekend feel different from our previous seven race weekends. We had a few ideas of how to make it feel memorable... and then F1 went and created its own drama that none of us could have scripted.

There is a special energy that comes from big news stories when you do our job. When I arrived in the production office on Friday morning at about 8am there was a real electricity in the room. The Fota breakaway threat had emerged around midnight, and we all knew the following days would be huge for Formula 1 and that, come Saturday and Sunday lunchtime, all eyes would be on how we handled the political story as well as the sporting one.

As Friday unfolded I got a real sense of just how big and all encompassing the BBC can be when it needs to be. On the way in, I listened to 5 Live, who had guys live at the track explaining the impact of Fota's threatened breakaway. Not long after my arrival, BBC sports editor Mihir Bose was enjoying the delights of the F1 production team's kitchen, and was charged with making a story that would be seen by many millions during the 10 O'Clock News. Sports news correspondent James Munro was there to deliver breaking news updates and regular bulletins on the BBC News Channel, as well as the main news bulletins at 1pm and 6pm. The web journalists were busy sending copy and filing stories - and I walked into the centre of the lot knowing that at some point Max Mosley would talk and we had to be ready.

Eventually, at mid-afternoon F1 editor Mark Wilkin took a call on his mobile, turned to me and said: "We need to go now". I knew he was talking about the Mosley interview and I'll happily admit that at that point I felt really nervous for the first time this season.

You see, I feel pretty comfortable on live television, having done it every week, almost every day in fact since I was 18. However, speaking to the man at the top of the FIA, a sharp political operator, a shrewd mind, a man commonly referred to as the "cleverest guy in Formula 1" and the man at the very eye of this particular storm made me genuinely a little edgy.

As we bleeped our way out of the TV compound using our electronic accreditations and over the bridge to the paddock, I started to think about what was coming. I really felt that, as an F1 fan myself, there were questions that needed asking and explanations that had to be offered. I know many of you at home were questioning whether the sport you love would even survive this latest firestorm and I certainly felt a sense of responsibility and duty as the man charged with discussing the issues with Max.

What added to the feeling of pressure was that as we walked to the interview area was that it seemed the world's media were camped outside the FIA motorhome. Everyone wanted a picture, a quote, just something from Max to help tell the story. I walked past knowing that in a matter of moments the BBC would be lucky enough to be the only broadcaster granted a few minutes with the man himself.

We got into the Formula 1 Management building and there followed a mildly comic routine that wouldn't have been out of place on the Chuckle Brothers.

We were offered a tiny little white office to do the interview. Ironically, it resembled an interrogation room and wasn't really suitable. So, moments before the FIA president joined us I was out in the adjoining offices tracking down a pot plant and negotiating it's loan to 'dress the shot', moving tables and carrying chairs in and out whilst the camera men sorted the technical equipment. You see, with interviews like this you are either ready or it doesn't happen, and we had to be ready.

Someone then said Max was coming. I looked out of the window to see a pack of media moving slowly towards us. I guessed Max was in the middle of it.

Anyway, we spoke at length. If you haven't already watched the full version you can see it here on the BBC Sport website. Max was very eloquent, is clearly passionate about F1 and he firmly believes cutting costs is essential for it to survive. I enjoyed our chat. Max even said he liked our F1 coverage but moaned that no add breaks meant he couldn't nip off to the toilet. Quite a few people have mentioned this - I recommended a regulation three-minute stop for all cars on lap 30 should be written in to the rules!

I know in the grand scheme of things there are much bigger issues in the world right now. But in F1 circles this past weekend's story was big and it was great so many people joined us over the weekend to help explain it.

As well as Max on Saturday and Sunday, we spoke to Bernie live during the qualifying show and after the race we had various team bosses, technical heads, race engineers and even Felipe Massa live in the paddock. It felt like a weekend when everyone wanted to speak to the BBC and considering there was a lot to talk about and loads of air-time to fill I'm glad the F1 world was in a chatty mood!

It now seems this weekend we witnessed the final manoeuvrings by both parties, followed by the resolution that all fans of the sport were praying for. Is that it for controversy and debate away from the track this season? Somehow I don't think so.

F1 has been known to change its mind before, but as things stand it looks like things have been resolved. Fota has proved how strong and unified the teams are and just what they can achieve together, Bernie has ensured the sport that he is the figurehead for has survived to continue to thrive, and it seems Max has now agreed that his time as president is up after all. It's worth pointing out that Max's tenure at the top has been a period where the safety of F1 has moved on immeasurably and drivers are now safer than ever before. He should take great credit for that.

And among all this some news emerged that would almost have been easy to miss. We're all, thankfully, going to have a British Grand Prix in the future, and if Donington Park can't deliver one then Silverstone will. I actually remember Eddie Jordan telling us weeks ago in Bahrain that he thought Bernie was so dead against Silverstone hosting another race that it actually meant Bernie was guaranteed to return the race there one day. EJ obviously knows the man well!

I have to say that with all the political manoeuvring and last-minute guests joining us over the weekend I had a great time. The biggest buzz of all was that it was played out to the backdrop of the most incredible support. There is no question in my mind that at the previous seven races this year the fans haven't been a patch on you guys. An amazing noise, colour, knowledge and passion filtered down from the stands.

I was filming an opening link on the track before the race and I could hardly take my eyes off the main stand. The fans were immense.

From driving away past the packed funfair at 10pm, to my drive in the following morning with fans starting to walk to the circuit from miles away at the crack of dawn, it all oozed a real dedication to motorsport and I think it's you guys who have helped save the British GP in a very big way indeed.

Right, enough from me, I'm off to watch a bit of Wimbledon on TV and then to a DIY store to buy a plunger. The kitchen in our new pad is straight out of 1989, ceramic white with blue flowers... classy! It'll be replaced in time but right now I just need it to work!

Before I sign off, just a reminder that you can sign up to my Twitter account at www.twitter.com/jakehumphreyf1. Tweets get going again for the German GP, and also as we're now halfway through the season it seems like a good time for feedback about what you like or don't and what you think is or isn't working... We've all got thick skins I promise!

Finally it was great to meet so many of you at this weekend's race, wherever we are in 12 months' time I hope to see you there too.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine,
Jake

Oh, and here are the rest of the photos from the weekend...