New Delhi, July 10 -- Seventeen years ago, Formula One had its worst night.

The Singapore Grand Prix was F1's first night race, held in the middle of a bustling, spectacular city, and attending fans-me included-were awash in happy hour enthusiasm. All memories of merriment, however, have since been overshadowed by the fact that this was the only F1 race in its 75-year-history to have been "fixed," where a driver was instructed by a team to intentionally crash his car at a specific time-in order to give his teammate an advantage. It is a damnable thing to cheat at sport, but to do this with Formula One is recklessly vile, given the sport's gladiatorial tally of death. One wrong move and people die.

An intentional crash is the most shamef...