Australia on top of the world
Australia can rightly call itself the world's top motorsport nation this week after moving to the head of the Castrol Nations' Rankings.
Its world-leading score was achieved after IndyCar Series leader Will Power finished eighth at Kentucky Speedway last weekend and moved up from ninth to sixth in the Driver Rankings, ahead of Jenson Button, Dario Franchitti and Fernando Alonso.
The Castrol Nations' Rankings is calculated by adding together the scores of each country's two top-performing drivers. Australia's current combination of Mark Webbber and Power, who lie third and sixth, is proving unbeatable - for the moment at least.
But with Ryan Briscoe, Australia's third-ranked driver, slipping from 10th to 22nd over the past month, Webber and Power cannot afford any dismal races in the coming weeks.
If that does happen, then both Germany and Britain, both of whom are snapping at Australia's heels, could pounce.
Also passing Britain this week is Germany, now second. Its score comes courtesy of Webber's Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who has led the Castrol Driver Rankings for the past 24 weeks, and Mercedes man Nico Rosberg (17).
Britain, third thanks to the combined efforts of F1 World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton (4) and reigning champion Button (7), suffered a significant drop in its score this week.
The reason was IndyCar champion Franchitti's result at Kentucky being one spot worse than he managed in the corresponding race last year, resulting in a decrease in his Castrol Driver Rankings score.
Franchitti, whose erstwhile sixth position had made him one half of Britain's Castrol Nations' Rankings team previously, slipped to eighth and ceded his position to Button as a result.
The top three nations may have some breathing space for now, but it may not stay that way for long. France, sitting near the tail end of the top 10 all year, has recently charged up to fourth thanks to the efforts of Citroen rally drivers Sebastien Loeb (2) and Sebastien Ogier (20).
The latter Sebastien, in particular, will be a key man for his country as he attempts to continue the progress that has shot him up 50 places this year. Don't bet against him.
