Hearing bellyaching over stifling conditions at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, it seemed to me that various observers were astonished to discover that grand prix racing is a tough business. ‘It’s races like Qatar and very rainy days which make F1 drivers look like the heroes and athletes they are,’ said Sky’s top pundit and a veteran of 158 grands prix and many other series as a racing nut. Actually, though hot in Qatar, it was no more oppressive than at several other venues over the years. Most of the young drivers never raced in Malaysia, where it was always extravagantly humid. He has now missed two races, his recovery too slow to permit him to be in Qatar. One thing Murray told me, and a view I went on to share: Melbourne is a special sporting venue.

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