Jackie Stewart's home in Geneva could hardly feel more removed from the mad swirl of the Formula One circus.

The oldest living world champion's abode, shared with his wife of 55 years, Lady Helen, is perched on a mountainside in Geneva, and is so serene it is almost silent. It is stifling hot when we visit, yet Stewart - now 78 - still shows all the vigour and zeal that made him a three-time winner of the most illustrious prize in motor sport.

He retains a keen interest in the modern-day championship, attending 10 races a year, and is far from a rose-tinted nostalgic. Yet there is regret in his voice when he contemplates the question of whether the sport has lost its soul in its aggressive pursuit of commercial riches.

Stewart won his first title nearly 50 years ago, battling with luminaries such as Graham Hill and Jim Clark, rivals but also close friends. And it is this loss of camaraderie in the modern-day paddock which makes him wince.

"There was a huge joint care for each other - we all knew each other well, the media included, because we all travelled together, we all ate together and in those days there was no motor homes. In the early days we would eat in the back of a transporter on little tables," he recalls.