What a busy time we are having in Formula One. Bernie has said that Force India missed a trick by not putting Karun Chandhok in the seat vacated by Giancarlo Fisichella. Were Bernie a private citizen, his view would be welcome, as a former team owner. He is, however, an employee of CVC who own the rights to Formula One and he is active in the promotion of the sport.

We call it a sport, but the Indian ministry for sports calls Formula One mere entertainment and will not assist in the establishment of an Indian GP which is close to Bernie's heart. In other words, the Indian government sees F1 as most of us view professional wrestling: amusing, but not serious. By calling for an Indian driver, in an Indian-owned team, Bernie is playing the showman. He wants to establish a race in the second most populous country on Earth, and one with a rapidly growing economy, and the government does not welcome him with open arms. Worse, it makes fun of what he has to offer and Bernie is not used to being laughed at.

Unlike some additions to the calendar, India is a democracy. It is interesting to look how the F1 calendar has evolved over the past 30 years and compare the countries which have come and gone with the style of their governments.

Hungary was a not a democracy when it staged its first GP. Argentina, once a regular fixture, has staged only five GPs since it became a democracy and South Africa only two, yet both countries have given us World Champions. It does appear that democratic countries find dealing with Bernie a little more difficult than those which are not. I have no idea why this should be, but I offer it as an observation.

Apart from the fact that the choices any team makes is the business only of those involved, I think that Force India has acted in the best interests of both the team and Karun Chandhok. Force India has 13 WC points and they translate into TV revenue in 2010. Given the team's new-found form, both BMW-Sauber and Renault could be overtaken in the final constructors' standings and that means not only TV revenue, but a more attractive deal to offer sponsors. It was more sensible to run Tonio Liuzzi, a known quantity, than take a chance on a rookie and Liuzzi delivered at Monza.

It might have been even more sensible to hold on to Giancarlo Fisichella, who was mighty at Spa, but we return to money. My understanding is that Fisi was not paid a retainer by Force India, though he was under contract, and he could negotiate personal sponsorship and space on his overalls. I am told that Force India has been tardy with settling some of its bills and among its creditors are Ferrari who supplied the team's engines in 2008.

Fisichella therefore became a pawn in a wider game, but no doubt a willing pawn because you don't have to be Italian to dream of driving for Ferrari. In the twilight of his career, he has achieved an ambition and a test contract for 2010.

Spare a thought for Luca Badoer. He was a faithful servant to the Scuderia for years and his times in testing were close to the regular drivers. Michael Schumacher may not have decided Felipe Massa's replacement, but he will have had an input. Luca could have hung up his helmet and forever could have said, 'I preferred to test for Ferrari than have a race drive with one of the minnows, and I got paid more. I was that close to the regular guys on every track, but just my luck...' Unfortunately, Valencia and Spa shattered that happy conceit and Luca went from might-have-been to never-was.

My analysis of Crashgate has so far been on the button, I simply followed the money. Piquet Minimus has been assisted in his career by immense family money and I am told that he was essentially a pay-driver at Renault. If true, this helps explain the fury of Piquet Maximus who presumably arranged the deal.