The sensational win by Jenson Button of the Australian Grand Prix has reinvigorated the sport. The team formally known as Honda faced extinction only six weeks ago and yesterday in front of over 105′000 people the new Brawn GP team dominated as Button led team-mate Rubens Barrichello home in a Brawn Mercedes 1-2.

Toyota’s Timo Glock crossed the line in third but was later penalised for passing under a yellow flag giving reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton the final podium spot.

Local hero Mark Webber again had a dire home GP after tangling with Barrichello into turn one forcing him into the pits and well out of contention.

After the race an emotional Webber couldn’t hide his intense disappointment.

“For all the fans to come and watch today, I wanted a good result for many reasons today.”

Drivers were critical of the race’s new start time with glare from the setting sun causing problems for several drivers including the winner. 

It was really difficult, you know a few of the corners, it’s strange for such an open circuit you could not see the exit of the corners at all,” he said.

“I used a visor that was slightly tinted and that was the correct thing to do, but with the glare from the sun and the change in light from the trees it was so, so difficult - so easy to put a wheel wrong.”

Toro Roso driver Sebastian Bourdais was one of the most vocal critics “We do half of a lap with the sun in your eyes,” he said.

“It’s not the most enjoyable racing. Visibility is quite poor. Turn one is difficult, turn three is difficult. The shade from the trees makes it tough to get your eyes accustomed.”

Despite the current economic crisis and a clash with the local AFL football ( a regional curiosity much loved by the simple folk) crowds were down only about 16′000 overall.

The race day crowd of 105′000 was only 3000 down on last year yet the Melbourne mainstream media have seized upon the downturn as a clear sign that the GP has passed it’s use by date and that it should be shut down.

Led by the taxpayer funded ABC, who launched into a tirade of the evils of taxpayer funding, and the inner-city broadsheet The Age, the football dominated Melbourne media spent most of the weekend trying to find any reason real or imagined to attack the race.

Well known and respected football journalist Caroline Wilson was totally dismissive of the event when it came to discussion on the myopic ABC gabfest “The Outsiders”

” Who are they?, who are these people, I’ve never heard of them” she arrogantly proclaimed, shutting down all GP discussion almost instantly.

Well Caroline, I venture to say that a trip into any Bar, Cafe or Restaurant in Great Britain, Europe, South America and most parts of South East Asia and I’d reckon they might know who Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Felippe Masa and Kimi Raikkonen are.

The chances are certainly way better than any knowledge of Bob Cousin’s latest Syphilis related groin strain, Harry Goodes post natal depression or Fred Reiwoldht’s rampaging haemorrhoids (soon to star in their own weekly panel show on Foxsports 4.)

The fact is that a check of most the Worlds leading media outlets outside of beautiful “Girt by Sea” shows that these unknown F1 drivers were the lead or at least second ranking sports story in the world last weekend.

Try as I might I just couldn’t find any mention of the titanic struggle between the Adelaide Geese and the East Rowville Warthogs at the Melbourne smegdome any where.

I’m quite happy that Caroline and her journalistic colleagues don’t like motor racing, that’s fine, but I would hope that in what is supposedly a general sports show that on the occasion of the world’s biggest annual sporting event’s visit to your home city you might have at least bothered to have done a bit of research.

Research? what’s that ? well that Caroline is what journalists do, I mean real journalists.

You see in the international battle for recognition between the Grand Prix and AFL footy it was Formula One 47.23.305

def AFL 0.1.01

And that’s even with the dodgey home town umpire.

See you at the game and C’arn the Warthogs!!