Formula One is the most over the top car racing ever conceived of by man. No, really. It is what happens when guys with unlimited budgets race cars. It is nuts!  And, for me at least, hugely fun to follow. 

This week about half the F1 teams started their winter testing. A big deal for us fans – sort of like baseball's spring training, I guess.

When I was a teenager, Formula One cars looked like this and one of the great drivers was Sterling Moss – shown here driving a Mercedes Benz W-196 in 1955. Moss was one of my real heroes, so much so that I had a picture of him on my wall.

Fifty five years later, the cars have become insanely fast and they have become so complicated that the steering wheels look like this.(Double click on the image for more detail and check out the windshield.)

Instead of a short sleeve polo shirt and lightweight helmet, the drivers wear fireproof long underwear, a fireproof driving suit, and a helmet that covers their whole head including their face. For the first time since 1955, Mercedes is back with their own Formula One car. Their number one (I guess I should say die nummer ein) driver is Michael Schumacher – probably the best driver ever, I am somewhat reluctant to admit – who came out of retirement to drive for Mercedes.

I can hardly wait for the season to start in March.