Stewart cautious about future of F1

With Lewis Hamilton's strong form in his rookie season and a three-way title fight lasting until the final round driving up F1's popularity, many believe the sport's base has never been more secure than now.

But Stewart has warned that on the back of the McLaren spying scandal, and in a week that Renault face similar charges in front of the FIA, care is needed to ensure that sponsors are not driven away from grand prix racing.

"I think F1 is as strong as it has ever been in the history of the sport, because this has been the best year that I have ever remembered," said Stewart on stage at the Autosport Awards in London. "But we have to be careful of the future.

"In this room there are a great many of the major financial partners of F1, and we have to be damn sure that we conduct ourselves in a fashion that they can provide the confidence to their shareholders that they should still remain in F1. If we do the wrong things, then that seriously jeopardises our future stability."

Stewart has not been afraid to speak out about the sport's rulers this season, having been involved in a war-of-words with FIA president Max Mosley this year over the governing body's handling of the spying issues surrounding McLaren and Ferrari.

This week's hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Monte Carlo on Thursday to look at Renault will attract a great deal of interest, on the back of McLaren's exclusion from the constructors' world championship and $100 million (USD) fine for spying.