FanHouse Lewis Hamilton

Need a quick tour of the racing world? Strap in today and come back later this week as FH takes a lap around Formula One, NASCAR and the NHRA. IndyCar fans, you'll have to wait until 2009 truly gets moving.

In two races so far in 2009, one team has won, a dominant team has struggled, the defending champion faces a possible season-long suspension and the results of the first two races might be completely tossed out in the near future.

No, it's not the constant source of American race fan complaints -- NASCAR -- but instead, those issues are today's everyday life of the 2009 Formula One season.

The world's most popular form of racing -- in terms of global fans and ratings -- announced this week a new system to crown its champion in 2009 that certainly leaves a lot to desire.

That series, the FIA Formula One World Championship won last year by British driver Lewis Hamilton, officially adopted a new drivers championship rulebook that gives the season-ending trophy to the driver with the most race wins.

Sure, it looks like a system that will make racing exciting, but I can't help but look at all of the competition problems it will expose.

Rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton has stolen plenty of limelight from his fellow teammate and defending F1 champ Fernando Alonso this season, and Saturday, Formula One's sanctioning gave him the pole for Sunday morning's (in the States, 7:30am/ET) Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alonso will be moved from his starting spot on the point to 6th on the grid, slotting Hamilton into the pole, due to FIA saying Alonso and his team were involved in actions "considered prejudicial to the interests of the competition and to the interests of motor sport generally."

Wait, FIA has rules against that?

The penalty in starting position is huge in F1 and Alonso will only be scored for driver points, with none applied to the constructor's championship.

When Ferrari told Rubens Barichello to dump the 2002 Austrian Gran Prix to allow teammate Michael Schumacher to take the win, the Formula One team was fined $1 million.

Is McLaren Motorsports next?

The team is being investigated by the governing body for possible rule breach of the International Sporting Code, which states it will "never be enforced so as to prevent or impede a competition or the participation of a competitor, save where the FIA concludes that this is necessary for the safe, fair or orderly conduct of motor sport.''

Monaco Gran Prix winner Fernando Alonso's McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton told the press after Sunday's race that he was told to "take it easy."

"He was obviously close to me, and I was told to take it easy. At the end of the day, I am a rookie. I am in my first season in Formula One and I have finished second in only my first Monaco Grand Prix, so I really can't complain. I've got No. 2 on my car. I am the No. 2 driver."

Can't complain? You just said your team gave you an "order" to let your teammate win. Is there a better time to complain? Or ... maybe you just should have IGNORED it, fool. Wouldn't you rather be the rookie who won his first Monaco Gran Prix than the one who gave it away?

Apparently, this is standard practice in Formula One.

What about NASCAR? Is this addressed in its illustrious rulebook? Is it even needed? I can't even ... Can you even imagine Rick Hendrick or Richard Childress or Jack Roush pulling this kind of crap? Or Joe Gibbs? Or any driver putting up with it? What about Penske or Ganassi--in NASCAR or IRL? I can't even ... Why is this tolerated in F1?