Unbelievable day in Formula 1

It’s hard to top Formula 1 for off-the-track drama, but Tuesday’s developments were jaw-dropping for the world’s premier soap opera, I mean, motorsports series.

First we hear that the grand name of Lotus – my favorite team for many years -- will return to the series, funded by the Malaysian government and some investors from the country. WTF? A government in the team sport business? Lotus’ entry fills the 13th and final slot on the F1 grid, meaning we’ll have 26 cars next year. Sweet!

But wait, BMW-Sauber – on the rocks since BMW opted to pull out of the sport earlier this summer – finally found a buyer, and says it deserves to be on the F1 grid. If you believe this story, F1 may make room for the team and its two cars for next season. Good for Peter Sauber.

Then came the real bombshell: Renault admits it ordered driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to purposely crash at a race last year in order to help teammate Fernando Alonso. Team principal Flavio Briatore – the old dude well-known for dating supermodels like Heidi Klum – and chief engineer Pay Symonds have admitted their guilt in trying to fix the race and have left the team! I always thought Symonds was a good guy, so this news surprised me. Given the weak economy and the pullout of manufacturers BMW and Honda, and rumors that Toyota is next, Tuesday’s black eye makes you wonder whether Renault will see a window to pull the plug on the hundreds of millions it’s spending each year on the F1.

I also learned Tuesday that Montreal is getting its race back, meaning F1 is returning to North America after several years. Given that Peter Windsor’s American team will debut next season, I may have to start saving for a trip to see the action first hand. I'll certainly need a program to follow all the changes.