How many of BBC Radio Five Live’s F1 listeners are watching the race on ITV at the same time?

The thought occurred to me while watching the British Grand Prix and commenting on the F1 Fanatic Live Blog. Doctorvee of Vee8 mentioned he always listens to BBC’s coverage while watching ITV’s pictures. I rely on them too, to fill in the blanks during ITV’s interminable and innumerable ad breaks.

I don’t stick ITV on mute permanently, however, because I respect and enjoy the informing and entertaining commentary of Martin Brundle.

But Brundle may have met his match in the form of Anthony Davidson, whose contributions to Five Live’s coverage were first-rate, just as they were when he filled in for Brundle at the Hungarian Grand Prix two years ago.

One of Davidson’s remarks I especially enjoyed was this, directed at Felipe Massa as the Ferrari driver was about to be lapped for the first of two times in a lamentable performance by the former championship leader:

"He's always the first to stand up in a drivers' meeting and complain about what people like me are doing when we get lapped. That's what you get, mate. There's a bit of blue flag action for you. You're rubbish. You are useless at it."

It was a surprising remark because I’ve always thought of Davidson as one of the ‘nice guys’ of the F1 paddock, without wanting that to sound patronising. But even the most cheerfully disposed drivers are red-blooded racers, and Davidson and Massa have previous issues.

At the Monaco Grand Prix last year Davidson was given a drive-through penalty for allegedly delaying Massa while the Ferrari driver was trying to lap him. Davidson insisted he’d done nothing of the sort and a glance at their lap times from the race supported his claim.

Ex-racing drivers grinding their axes in the commentary booth is nothing new. James Hunt’s grudge against Riccardo Patrese ran deep, beginning with Hunt’s conviction that Patrese has triggered the crash that claimed Ronnie Peterson’s life in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. Fifteen years later Hunt, microphone in hand, was still criticising Patrese and exhorting him to retire.

The rest of Davidson’s commentary was rich with useful information. He explained how drivers have to manage their tyres with such succinctness and style his co-commentators were left admitting they had nothing to add to his insight.

So should Davidson, and not Brundle or Coulthard, get the BBC co-commentator role next year?

Absolutely not. He’s an F1 racing driver, and he should be in an F1 racing car. If he’d been in the number two Ferrari on Sunday, would he have been a twice-lapped 13th? I think he’d have done rather better than that.