TV Host Clive James to 'Boycott' F1

Renowned writer and television figure Clive James has decided to "boycott" Formula One racing after last Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, where the Ferrari squad imposed team orders to force Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to let teammate Michael Schumacher win the race.

63-year old Australian James, known for hosting one of the most popular talk shows on TV during the late Eighties and early Nineties in the UK, has been an avid Formula One fan for many years, contributing to several publications with articles regarding Grand Prix racing.

James was also in charge of doing the narratory for the official yearly review videos from the FIA, Formula One's ruling body. But following Sunday's Grand Prix, the Australian has decided to stop watching Formula One, claiming that if the drivers are not racing each other, there's "no reason to watch at all."

"Formula one is in the toilet, and looks even more obscene because the toilet is made of gold," James wrote in The Guardian newspaper. "The only cure is to outlaw team orders. The circus performer, the removal man, the dog breeder and I can all just about stand watching two cars the same colour coming first and second. It's the reward for technical achievement.

"But if their drivers aren't racing each other, there is no reason to watch at all. For the next Grand Prix, the huge worldwide television audience will be down by at least one name I can vouch for.

"Anyone who feels like joining me can register a protest the same way I will. It can be done at the touch of a button. You can bet that the man in question will get the message. It's a boycott, Bernie [Ecclestone] - either the racers race, or I read my books instead of shouting at them."