Full of surprises

The injuries meant that his neck wouldn't have been able to sustain the g-forces involved in F1. Ferrari then announced that test driver Luca Badoer will take Massa's place in Valencia. Schumacher fans need not fret though, as he hasn't ruled out a return later in the year or even next season.

Meanwhile, BMW Sauber announced that it will pull out of F1 at the end of the season, a decision that was made by the head honchos at BMW. The team is currently trying to find a new owner to take over from BMW.

Over at Renault, Nelson Piquet finally lost his drive after the lack of results in the two seasons with the team. After his sacking, Piquet launched scorching attacks at the team, and Renault boss Flavio Briatore saying that he was "treated unfairly".

It sufficed at the next race in Belgium that the FIA was investigating an incident at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. This incident involved Nelson Piquet Jr's crash in the race. Piquet seemed to have spilled the beans that the team had deliberately asked him to crash so that team mate Fernando Alonso could win the race. This affair ended up being known as "crashgate".

After deliberate investigations by the FIA, ex-team boss Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds were banned from F1, while Renault were handed a suspended two-year ban, Piquet on the other hand was given immunity by the FIA for spilling the beans - "unfair" perhaps? But what's even worst for the team is this - main sponsor, Dutch banking group ING, said that their three-year deal will be terminated immediately after Renault was handed a two-year suspended ban following Piquet Jr's claim that he had been "ordered to deliberately crash" at the 2008 Singapore race.

the F1 world is nothing short of like a soap opera. With seven more races to go after Hungary, there will surely be more drama ahead for the F1 circus...

Credits: Story by Raymond Lai