91Èȱ¬

Formula 1 has announced a and doubtless that move, by a sport renowned for its profligacy with resources of all kinds, will be greeted with cynicism in some quarters.

But this is not a shallow effort to win some cheap brownie points; this is a genuine attempt to help the world consume less fossil fuels and emit less greenhouse gases.

Of course, there is some self-interest involved - on several levels.

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For the first time in its short history, the Valencia track produced a thrilling grand prix but the irony is that in doing so a potentially even better one - in terms of the battle for the lead - was lost.

's horrifying accident precipitated a safety car that led to a controversy involving those old rivals and , and - among others - that will only add to the already compelling narrative of this brilliant Formula 1 season.

But it also ended what was shaping up to be a fascinating battle for the top three positions between eventual winner , Hamilton and Alonso.

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The classic grand prix series, in which we show highlights of great previous Formula 1 races to whet the audience's appetite for the weekend ahead, has proved a great success.

So far, through 2009 and 2010, we have been choosing five previous races from an event's history and asking you which one you would prefer to see. But we're looking to change the format for next season.

We already have some ideas about what we could do in 2011, but we are now asking you to give us your suggestions as responses on this blog.

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In Montreal

arrived in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix as pre-race favourites and and duly delivered a one-two. In between those two apparently predictable facts, though, this superb Formula 1 season continued to surprise and thrill.

This was McLaren's second one-two in as many races and suddenly a world championship that only two races ago looked in danger of becoming a benefit is fizzing with competition and uncertainties.

It would be wise not to read too much into Red Bull finishing behind McLaren and 's here, as the RB6 remains the best overall car in the field.

But Hamilton and Button will head back to Europe for the European Grand Prix in Valencia in two weeks' time in first and second places in the championship and, as Hamilton said after the race, the momentum definitively riding with them.

After his second win of the season, Hamilton heads the championship by a meagre three points from Button, who is a similar margin ahead of Red Bull's , the erstwhile championship leader who finished fifth behind team-mate on Sunday.

Alonso is 15 points behind Hamilton, with Vettel a further four adrift. If that sounds a lot, it is worth remembering that 15 points is what you get for a third place - and is therefore the same as six points would have been under last year's scoring system.

For the championship battle to be so close after eight of the 19 races augurs extremely well for the rest of the season.

Hamilton described this year as "the ultimate challenge that I've experienced in F1 - and also maybe in F1 history. All the best drivers are in the top teams and they're all very competitive. There are so many of us pushing right to the wire. I think it will remain close through the season."

If that sounds like hyperbole, think again.

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The 1979 Canadian Grand Prix is the selected race for the latest edition of our classic races series.

That means that the full 'Grand Prix' highlights programme of the time is embedded below, as well as the shorter packages we cut for all the races we offered as choices - the 1986, 1991, 1995 and 1998 races.

The films will be available in the UK on satellite and cable television from 1800 BST on Wednesday 9 June until 0600 on Friday 11 June. Unfortunately, because of a lack of bandwidth owing to the tennis at the start of the and live athletics, we will be unable to offer the content on Freeview.

returns to the F1 calendar after a year's absence this season, so limiting our selection to just five choices from a race that is renowned for providing plenty of thrills and spills was always going to be difficult. And, inevitably, our selection caused a fair bit of controversy among respondents on this blog.

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While the fall-out from the crash involving the two drivers has understandably dominated the Formula 1 agenda in the days since the Turkish Grand Prix, a potentially just as dangerous flashpoint has been largely ignored.

That is the situation between the two drivers at , where was clearly less than thrilled after the race despite winning his first grand prix of the season.

"What was going on there?" Hamilton asked his team-mate as they prepared to go on to the podium, in a clear reference to the part of the race when Button overtook Hamilton for the lead - and was passed back at the next corner - despite both drivers being told to save fuel.

Both and I touched on this in our post-race articles last week, when it appeared that there had been a simple misunderstanding between the drivers and their team.

But new information has since emerged that sheds new light on what happened - and exactly why Hamilton seemed so downbeat.

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is back on the Formula 1 calendar this year, to almost universal delight from both fans and those who work in the sport.

Because is such a vibrant, historic city, the race on the is one of the most popular among the teams and drivers.

For fans, even those who are not in Canada, the race also promises many delights - it is traditionally one of the most incident-packed races in the season.

Canada dropped off the schedule in 2009 because of a financial dispute between the organisers and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. But the last two events there have truly lived up to the race's reputation.

was centre-stage in both.

The then rookie sensation scored his maiden win in 2007, a race that also featured 's monumental crash. In 2008 the old karting rivals' fortunes were almost reversed as Hamilton retired after an embarrassing collision in the pit lane with 's , letting the Pole slip in for his own first win.

But neither of those races feature in what is our first classic races selection for Canada - the 91Èȱ¬ only taking the UK TV rights back from ITV last year.

Instead, to whet your appetites for the race on 13 June, we have chosen a mix of what we hope will show the very best of the Canadian Grand Prix.

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