The Mole - F1 going to the dogs?

They were in the middle of their post-Turkish GP briefing when Penelope (Benenden), the quiet one in The Mole's office, mentioned what she had been doing on Saturday night.

A hack looks back - The Turkish GP

By Mike Doodson

This weekend's Turkish GP will be the country's fourth, which seems surprising when you recall what happened after the race two years ago.

The Mole - The power of intelligence

With the French doing rather badly in Formula 1, The Mole has not seen much of Isabelle, his beautiful spy within the Renault empire. He thought of her suddenly on Sunday afternoon as he was walking on the grid in Barcelona, glad-handing and checking out the grid girls.

Interview - Martin Whitmarsh on Heikki Kovalainen and the Spanish Grand Prix

The Spanish Grand Prix was a bitter-sweet race for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team. On the one hand Lewis Hamilton returned to form, finishing third and adding to his score in the Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship, but on the other hand, Heikki Kovalainen crashed heavily.

The Mole - When the chips are down

"Right," said The Mole. "Rule number one: we are not going to mention the word Mosley. No jokes about whips, chains, hookers or whatever. We are here to talk about motor racing, and that business has got nothing to do with motor racing."

A hack looks back - On despots and elsewhere

By Mike Doodson

What with Robert Mugabe defying the wishes of the Zimbabwean people and clutching fast to his country's discredited presidency, not to mention Vladimir Putin's dubious plan to stay in charge of Russia, dictators are much in the news right now. A curse on them all.

The Man in the Pub - The German we should be talking about

By Rob Sinfield

Sunday’s during the winter are, it has to be said, generally rather pleasant affairs. They are the high point of the week and during the dark months they usually follow the same pattern.

Globetrotter - Sex and the single seater

By Joe Saward

There may be dancing in the streets outside the headquarters of the Latvijas Automobilu Federacija (LAF) in Riga as a result of Danica Patrick's first Indycar victory, in Japan last weekend.

The Mole - The value of a good nanny

Miss Pringle-Featherby (of the Berkshire Pringle-Featherbys) looked rather worried. She was holding the telephone a good three inches from her ear and The Mole could hear noises suggesting that someone on the other end of the phone was shouting at her.

Interview - The force behind the Force

By Joe Saward

Vijay Mallya says that his mother told him that the first word he ever uttered was not "Mama" or "Papa" like the rest of us. Apparently the bouncing young baby Vijay came up with the word "car". Since his days in nappies, Mallya has been passionate about cars.

Feature - Putting the X into F1?

By Joe Saward

These are exciting times in Dubai. The entire emirate seems to be under construction. Buildings rise from the ground with alarming speed. The more one looks, the more amazing it all seems.

Feature - A hack looks back on ... Australia and Malaysia

By MIke Doodson

So, it's a late start to the season for this column, the first edition of which was written in plenty of time before the Australian GP but somehow failed to get itself published.

Globetrotter - Me and my passport

By Joe Saward

My passport is a bit beaten up. It has done 10 years of hard labour, and has been to almost as many exciting places as I have. Every page is filled with stamps and visas, which is impressive in these days of Europe "sans frontieres". The photograph of me looks like me, but I was just a little skinnier then, without as much grey hair.

The Mole - The need for divine intervention

Churchmen do not always spend enough time on the street with the barrow boys, the dodgy car dealers and the hookers. Their world is too often that of coffee mornings and wealthy suburbanites, pretending to be angelic.

The Mole - A Russian GP?

Penelope (Roedean) likes to make outrageous speeches and The Mole enjoys listening to them. Some of the other girls, notably Penelope (Wycombe Abbey), think that The Mole's deputy should talk less and think more.

Globetrotter - Thoughts on Oscar night

By Joe Saward

It has been very quiet this winter in Formula 1 circles, probably not a bad thing given the mess that was last year. It has been so quiet in fact that I decided to do something a little different and ended up writing a book about the adventures of a sea captain. There was no motor racing connection at all - and the whole process was relaxing and energising.

The Mole - A lady calls

The telephone rang on The Mole's desk in the Motor Racing and Trade Development Department of the Secret Intelligence Service. It had been a quiet day. The Penelopes were out trying on yashmaks in preparation for their visit to Bahrain.

Interview - Bernard Rey

Bernard Rey is the chairman of Renault F1, keeping an eye on the team's progress from his position in the top management of Renault in Paris. Flavio Briatore and the Renault F1 engineers answer to him. So he is a man worth talking to.

The Mole - How to earn a sticky bun

The Mole strode into the office and noticed that Penelope (Roedean) was looking particularly attractive that day - in a very English sort of way. She was wearing a jumper, or what the Americans would call a sweater. Her hair was pulled back casually and secured with a pencil.

The Mole - What DID happen at that meeting in Paris?

"So what happened at that meeting in Paris?" said The Colonel, as they sat in their usual seats down at the village pub. The Mole smiled. "You know that I would have to kill you if I tell you that," he said, taking a sip of his Whisky Mac.

Insight - The Winds of Change?

By Jonathan Lux

Recent news that has attracted a lot of attention in the motor racing world is that Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, has declared its intention to introduce dramatic measures to reduce costs within the sport.

Interview - Interview with Pascal Vasselon

Pascal Vasselon is the man in charge of chassis design at Toyota. A tyre man with Michelin for many years, Vasselon took over the management of the team when Mike Gascoyne departed.

The Mole - Return of the prodigal daughter

Back in November The Mole was sitting in his office one day, shuffling papers around, when he heard Penelope (Roedean) talking about having had dinner with his long departed researcher Penelope (Benenden).

The Mole - The Mole goes motoring

After the FIA decision in December not to punish Renault F1, The Mole was rather demotivated by the Grand Prix world. It just did not seem right. At the same time the Human Resources people sent him a memo insisting that he had to use up so many days of holiday by such-and-such a date

The Mole - Smellier than a year-old Camembert

"Ooh, smelly!" said Penelope (Roedean), looking up from her computer terminal. The other girls looked around the office and sniffed but there seemed nothing out of place in The Motor Racing & Trade Development Department of the Secret Intelligence Service.

The Mole - The Mole loses an agent

The local amateur dramatic scene was one that Mrs Mole had fluttered into and in recent months had found herself elected "Treasurer" of the Bowlhead Green Amateur Dramatic Society. A more unlikely role it was hard to imagine, given Mrs Mole's head for accounts

The Mole - The future of Fernando Alonso

The Mole had been rather grumpy all week. He had been looking forward to a nice quiet winter, but as soon as he flew back from Brazil, much delayed thanks to a rather poor showing from British Airways, his life had been spoiled by controversies of little interest and minimal import.