Honda yesterday became the first Formula One team to fall victim to the global recession. Staff were called into the factory for a meeting late in the day in which team principals Ross Brawn and Nick Fry announced that the team would not compete under the Honda Racing name in the 2009 Formula One world championship.

The World Rally Championship could be forgiven an envious glance in the direction of Formula One: suspense to the tantalising end of its season, a recession-defying image of wealth and glamour, and huge global exposure.

In the high-octane, all-American world of Nascar racing, where souped-up cars speed bumper-to-bumper round smoking Tarmac, colliding with a competitor is known as "rubbing paint" and drivers have a saying that, "if you're not rubbing, you're not racing". But lately, devoted fans who come in their tens of millions to drink beer, eat junk food, and soak up the petrol-headed atmosphere at the nation's most popular spectator events have grown sick and tired of their beloved sport being rubbed-up the wrong way.

Bernie Ecclestone has been causing a stir (again) in the world of Formula One with his proposed new points scoring system. Eddie Jordan called the plans 'nonsense' while fans of the sport have reacted with bemusement.

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial tsar, claimed yesterday that the 2009 world championship will be decided solely on a driver's haul of gold medals – which will be awarded to race winners – rather than on points gleaned over a season.