In modern F1, the only time we really feel the raw emotion of a driver is with the cockpit radio.
Otherwise the perception of the modern driver is one who says all the right things without appearing to be too interesting.
On this week's Inside F1, we wanted to clamber within the helmet to discuss the idea of characters within the sport.
I spoke to veteran F1 writer and journalist Maurice Hamilton, who has interviewed many of the greats, to ask when PR began to creep into the mindset of the sport, whether any real characters remain in the sport and if we have over-romanticised the public face of drivers from the past.
Listen into the full interview via Newstalk Inside F1 podcast player, which also includes a China Grand Prix preview and a look ahead to Bahrain:
