It is disturbing to picture what the British Grand Prix would be like if it were environmentally friendly. Lewis Hamilton for McLaren and Felipe Massa of Ferrari would trundle grimly round the course in their 30mph hydrogen-driven go-karts. Meanwhile, a cloudy sky would leave Jenson Button stranded motionless in his solar-powered Honda. The crowd would secretly wish they had stayed at home to watch Wimbledon on television.

I make the point to illustrate the gulf between traditional grunt ’n’ groan motorsport and the low-carbon racing that is largely the preserve of boffins and amateur enthusiasts. The chasm is thankfully narrowing. It will have closed entirely when Formula One cars whisper along powered by electricity in a giant version of Scalextric.