"Racing is in my blood..." An emotional Ayrton Senna, on the verge of crying, bares his soul in front of the world following the infamous 1989 Suzuka incident following which not only was the world championship title was snatched away from him but the Brazilian was heavily fined and reprimanded for his actions. While the jury is still out on whether Senna was at fault in diving down the inside of his great rival Alain Prost at the Japanese Grand Prix, there can be no doubt that Senna and for that matter Prost never held back any words for the fear of being politically incorrect. There words were as direct and aggressive as their driving style. And it wasn't limited to Senna and Prost because of their intense rivalry. Even the likes of Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet Sr. Were blunt when it came to expressing their opinion.

As a result, Formula One, back in the late 80s and early 90s was great entertainment both on the track and off it as well. The drivers drove like racers and spoke like racers... unbridled aggression and the insatiable need to be the best. This attitude resulted in some truly great rivalries the sport has ever seen. The tension between Prost and Senna when they were in McLaren and when they were in different teams was palpable at every GP. The daring manoeuvres that sometimes bordered on the dangerous were hairraising to say the least. With the sparks shower in the background, it seemed as if these racers were out there in a dogfight trying desperately for a decisive move.

Compared to the likes of Senna, Prost, Mansell, Alesi, Piquet and Capelli, the drivers of today don't behave like hardcore racers. The aggression, passion and the personal rivalries have become a thing of past. These days drivers are so politically correct that it becomes difficult to understand whether they are racers or politicians. One among them, Kimi Raikkonen, has finally spoken out against this plain vanilla form of F1 that we are witnessing these days.

The 2007 champion, who has now taken up the challenge of rallying, has remarked that these days no one says what he thinks because he is afraid that things are taken out of context. He has further stated that in F1 too many things overshadow the racing and there is too much politics.

With no quotable quotes or venomous verbal duels, the drivers have become like mannequins. Lucrative deals, huge sponsorship and the incredibly high stakes have meant that the drivers are extra cautious when they express themselves.

Kimi, the maverick Finn, seems to be happy to have escaped this situation."Winning a world rally crown would mean more than my F1 World Championship. I've got to learn everything from scratch but I want the challenge," he has been quoted as saying. Way to go Kimi.