IF THERE'S any truth in the saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree", then there is a possibility that Lewis Hamilton could be adopted. This week, the Formula One ace's father Anthony crashed a Porsche supercar into a playground outside his Hertfordshire home.

The good news is that Mr Hamilton was not hurt; the bad news is that one kid on a swing was so frightened he now needs therapy to overcome his fear of German sports cars.

The limited-edition Porsche Carrera GT was borrowed from a friend, but Mr Hamilton did not identify him. However, if this friend had seen his 390,000 euro left-hand-drive model (about S$2 million if it could be registered here) being towed out of a hedge, he might no longer want to be referred to as Mr Hamilton's "friend".

Then again, with his son's basic salary of ?15 million (S$40 million) a year, Mr Hamilton would not only be able to replace the Carrera GT but also throw in a house and garage for it. Plus a couple of lessons on high-speed driving. For himself.

Another non-F1 driver who made the news this week was Max Mosley, or Mein Kampf Max, as he is probably referred to these days by his detractors. The besieged president of the FIA, the world governing body for motorsports, is embroiled in a sex scandal after a spy video was released of him cavorting with five prostitutes.

Mosley is the son of former British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. He doesn't deny taking part in the orgy but he does object to the Nazi connotations being attributed to it.

Despite the uproar, he still won a strong vote of confidence from the FIA general assembly to remain as head of the organisation.

Maybe the old dudes in the general assembly were confused. Maybe they thought the vote of confidence was about Max's libido, rather than his position as president. After all, this is a 68-year-old guy who was entertained by five women for five hours. They were probably saying to themselves: He sure got my vote. He da man.

But all these off-track shenanigans by old men are unlikely to take the attention away from tomorrow's Grand Prix Du Canada. The 4.36km Montreal circuit presents a great challenge to the brakes and demands the drivers' maximum concentration. Get it wrong and they will land themselves in a mess stickier than maple syrup.

Lewis Hamilton won it last year and this year, he is going in as the favourite after blitzing Monaco a fortnight ago. But if he crashes out and fails to take the title, at least he can blame it on his genes.

This article was first published in The Business Times on Jun 7, 2008.