With the conclusion last Sunday of the 2009 season, Formula One should have been settling into a quiet, even dull period. But F1 doesn't do dull.

In the space of four days this week, F1 lost Bridgestone, its exclusive tyre supplier, and the Toyota racing team, and heard Carlos Ghosn, Renault's chief executive, say that the French team was also considering its future participation in motor racing's most glamorous series.