There are only 10 days to go before the Formula One motor racing season begins, with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. But pre-race nerves this year are afflicting the sport as a whole as much as the drivers themselves.
The pressure is coming from two sides. On the one, F1's biggest sponsors – notably struggling financial groups such as Royal Bank of Scotland and ING – are backing away from long-standing financial support in an attempt to cut costs and disassociate themselves from the sport's image of lavish spending.
On the other, income from ticket sales – reflected in the “hosting fees” F1 levies from race organisers – is declining as recession-hit motor racing fans stay at home.
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