Formula One reached a crossroads last weekend. The status of the very Formula and it claims came under long overdue exposure.

Damon Hill was indeed lucky not to go down as the first reigning World Champion not to qualify for his next race. The irony of the situation was apparent on Sunday when a throttle failure saw him a non-starter of the first Grand Prix of 1997. Despite hauling the troublesome Arrows into the race, Hill would leave Melbourne without completing a lap on Sunday Afternoon.

A shame perhaps. Hill is by no means the greatest driver who has ever lived, nor will he go down as the worst either. I do not lay claim to being a huge fan of Hill. His pace has never really been in doubt, only his ability to withstand pressure situations - most notably in traffic. Yet somehow I feel sympathy for the man. The reason? Expectations.

Expectations are always too high, no matter who it would concern. Schumacher may be of the highest ability, yet confined to the upper mediocrity of his Ferrari powered mount. Mika Salo, a man who many expect great things of in the future managed to wrestle the Tyrrell-Ford around the track to claim 18th.

The list could go on till 22 names and their personal accounts of the weekend were listed in full.

While still living on the sunny shores of New Zealand, before my departure for the not so sunny shores of England, I recall a letter to the editor of a certain Australian motoring magazine. The particular gentleman concerned had been struck by the notion that Formula One is not all that it could be. The notion of a Drivers World Championship had been long buried. In its place was the idea that Formula One should be the pinnacle of technology.

The simple genius of this particular letter was as follows:

Throughout the season of F1, drivers would be entered for an entire season- no replacement would be allowed. At each event, the drivers would race a different constructor’s car. The outcome should be that the best driver will accumulate the greatest score over the season, and the constructor championship would also prevail to the team who would provide the best equipment.

I do remember and smile at the thought of the reply that the Editor of that fine periodical penned. The concept will no doubt be loved by all. In particular, it would be welcomed with open arms by the lawyers and managers of the drivers concerned.

The idea is of course completely unrealistic, ludicrous perhaps. Despite this, it still has its merits. Formula One is too much about the Constructors these days. The pursuit of technological advancement at the experience of driver input is still rampart despite the banning in 1994 of ABS, Traction Control and Active suspension. It is the nature of Formula One these days, a marketing quest for the global dollar to the mantra: win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

Call me a hopeless romantic, but I long for the day When Mika Salo in a Tyrrell can fight head to head with Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari while Damon Hill in an Arrows snap at both their heels. When this day arrives, Formula One will finally be able to reclaim the title it deserves and should never lose sight of: The Drivers World Championship.