Good coverage, an exciting one-lap qualifying, lots of action, close competition, and, above all, tons of sublime skill. The Austrian Grand Prix had it all. To Atlas F1's Karl Ludvigsen that's what Formula One is all about

As I said in 2001, I'm really impressed by the TV coverage that the Austrians provide. They have terrific angles and coverage and wonderful 'slo-mos'. If this is our last year in Austria for a while, I hope that their crew will be picked up en masse and transported to Bahrain or wherever the new race will be held. They deserve to get the contract.

Thanks in part to this great coverage, we had a look last weekend at what this sport is all about. Because the A1-Ring is short and straightforward with some (though not all) good runoffs, these drivers really get down to its absolute limit. Although Martin Brundle did remark that Cristiano da Matta seemed to be using parts of the track that others had ignored, they were all pressing on with huge bravery and commitment to the edge and sometimes beyond - as in Fernando Alonso's excursion from the fast left-hand Lauda Curve.

One-lap qualifying has something to contribute here too. This is an all-or-nothing balls-to-the-wall effort that sets a driver up for the weekend - or doesn't. Even more importantly, everybody is watching. Unlike the old-style qualifying, where a quick lap might or might not have been caught by the cameras, the driver knows that the eyes of the world - and the pitlane - are on his effort. Some seem to rise to this, while others don't. Mark Webber was among those who seemed to rise to it until last weekend, when I thought he might be taking his press write-ups too seriously. Then I found out that he was troubled by the dirt distributed by Jacques Villeneuve.

But what great efforts in qualifying in Austria! Kimi Raikkonen's lap was a jewel of perfection, right on the money. And as for Michael Schumacher, well, it was sensational. As Ross Brawn said, "Maybe he's found a quicker way through Turn 2!" The way he collected the car and coolly carried on to set pole time will go down in history. This is what great driving at the top is all about. Even Ralph Firman's ill-fated attempt to salvage the end of his lap offers a high rating for persistence and talent.

Then in the race we had some great battles. Raikkonen versus Rubens Barrichello at the end was epic, both driving with consummate skill, competing hard for second place while keeping it on the island to collect valuable points. Both were handicapped - Kimi by his engine and Rubens by a fever and his tyre choice - but neither revealed it to the other. They charged to the finish line like the pros they are after racing side-by-side in the most tigerish yet considerate way. What an example to all other racing drivers!

When I see this kind of driving, I'm reminded of the comments that racers make when they first step into this generation of Formula One cars with their extreme power, narrow tracks and grooved tyres. Their first reaction is that they can't see how drivers keep them headed straight! The cars just want to spin, and right now! this is great for agility; we see that attribute at work in the switchbacks so many tracks feature today. But it demands a level of skill and anticipation that's right off the chart.

We saw all that in action in Austria, including the rain squalls that added yet another test for the racers - a test most passed with honors. Then there was Michael's middle stint, in which he knocked out fastest lap after fastest lap to consolidate his victory. A tight circuit, vivid close-ups, one-lap qualifying, close competition, sublime skill - at the A1-Ring we saw what Grand Prix racing is all about.

About the author:
Long time columnist at Atlas F1, Karl Ludvigsen is an award-winning author and historian who managed racing programs for Fiat in America in the late 1970s and Ford of Europe in the early 1980s. He is the author of seven books about racing drivers and numerous books about classic racing cars and engines, all of which draw extensively on the many images in his Ludvigsen Library in Suffolk, England. This autumn will see publication of Karl's long-awaited work, the update of his epic Porsche - Excellence was Expected. It reveals for the first time details of the all-conquering McLaren-TAGs and the disastrous Footwork-Porsches. Information on the book and a pre-publication discount are available at the Robert Bentley website