Sidepodcast

F1 Digest 2009 - Abu Dhabi Preview

• Length: 05:56 
• Size: 5.5 MB 
• File: digest141.mp3 
• Transcript: digest141.pdf 
• Torrent: digest141.torrent 

F1 Digest is back for the final preview of the year, but with a brand new circuit to look at. There's no history available for the Yas Marina circuit, but the teams and drivers believe this will level the field.

Vital Statistics

• Date: 1st November
• Circuit: Yas Marina
• Length: 5.5km
• Laps: 55

Preview

Once again, Glock won't be in the car, with Kobayashi deputising for him. Meanwhile, it looks as though Friday practice might be busy as drivers learn the track, and Kimi thinks it will be a different race now the pressure is off.

F1 Digest 2009 - Brazil GP

• Length: 10:51 
• Size: 10.0 MB 
• File: digest140.mp3 
• Transcript: digest140.pdf 
• Torrent: digest140.torrent 

The championship is finally decided, in a race that had a little bit of everything. Teams and drivers felt the pressure - listen on to find out how they handled it.

The Race

It was all about the start and the restart, after the Safety Car left the track, Button and Vettel began their fightback through the field. Meanwhile at the front, Barrichello and Webber were fighting for first.

Team by Team

There is obviously one team who are very happy, but the real intrigue comes between Trulli and Sutil who are still arguing over their incident.

F1 Digest 2009 - Brazil Qualifying

• Length: 10:40 
• Size: 9.8 MB 
• File: digest139.mp3 
• Transcript: digest139.pdf 
• Torrent: digest139.torrent 

I didn't think you could have another qualifying session of chaos like we saw in Japan, but Brazil certainly delivered. If you count lots of red flags and delayed starts delivering, I suppose.

Free Practice 3

After 45 minutes of waiting for the weather to clear, we had just over ten minutes of action before Liuzzi brought out another red flag and the session came to an abrupt end.

Qualifying

With the weather getting even worse, we had plenty of sitting around and waiting to do, but were rewarded with Barrichello getting pole at his home track.

Team By Team

Most of the teams had a mixed day with one driver in the top ten and one outside of Q1. All but McLaren who fell at the first hurdle. Vettel is also bitterly disappointed.

F1 Digest 2009 - Brazil Free Practice

• Length: 9:26 
• Size: 8.7 MB 
• File: digest138.mp3 
• Transcript: digest138.pdf 
• Torrent: digest138.torrent 

With the promised rain mostly holding off, there were still red flags and plenty of spins to contend with. It was a mixed up day, which doesn't give us much guidance for qualifying either.

Free Practice 1

There was a busy start to proceedings as drivers tried to get some laps under their belts before the rain started. It was just a shower though, so plenty of work could be done.

Free Practice 2

FP2 was much quieter than the morning session, with the most notable incidents being Buemi's strong showing, and Fisichella's issues in the pitlane.

Team by Team

Most of the drivers are sure that today's running wasn't that helpful and the times are less reliable than normal. Most are looking forward to tomorrow for increased running ahead of qualifying.

F1 Digest 2009 - Brazil Preview

• Length: 07:26 
• Size: 6.9 MB 
• File: digest137.mp3 
• Transcript: digest137.pdf 
• Torrent: digest137.torrent 

Brazil moves up a place on this year's calendar to become the penultimate race of the year. The championship is hotting up, and the drivers are starting to get tense. Also, it's probably going to rain.

Vital Statistics

• Date: 18th October
• Circuit: Interlagos
• Length: 4.3km
• Laps: 71
• 2008 Winner: Felipe Massa

Preview

Glock is being deputised by Kobayashi and he, plus some of the newer drivers, are training hard and learning this anti-clockwise track. Regulars are looking forward to it for the atmosphere and the fans.

F1 Digest 2009 - Japan GP

• Length: 9:57 
• Size: 9.2 MB 
• File: digest136.mp3 
• Transcript: digest136.pdf 
• Torrent: digest136.torrent 

The race didn't quite live up to the qualifying potential, but there was plenty of action worth noting as the title fight continues to hot up.

The Race

There were only a few overtaking moves throughout the race, and once again the Safety Car was called to action. It was Vettel's day though as he led from start to finish.

Team by Team

Teams are starting to consolidate on their championship finishing position, with McLaren hoping to hunt down Ferrari for third. It's the battle at the top though, still Brawn vs Red Bull, that continues to intrigue.

F1 Digest 2009 - Japan Qualifying

• Length: 12:14 
• Size: 11.2 MB 
• File: digest135.mp3 
• Transcript: digest135.pdf 
• Torrent: digest135.torrent 

It was a really busy day out on track in Japan, with many red flags, a lot of damage to tyre barriers and rebuilds on cars, and ultimately an unclear grid.

Free Practice 3

Webber was the first to crash into the barriers at Turn 8, having struggled with dry running for the first time of the weekend. He was not alone, though.

Qualifying

Several red flags later, and we thought the grid was clear. Glock had been taken to hospital and Webber hadn't run, but apart from that it seemed obvious. Penalties galore were handed out and now we're not so sure.

Team By Team

Some of the quotes came out before the penalties were dished out so it is a mixed bag of optimism and despair, some of which is misplaced. What we know for sure is that Vettel is on pole and is happy about it.

F1 Digest 2009 - Japan Free Practice

• Length: 7:33 
• Size: 7.0 MB 
• File: digest134.mp3 
• Transcript: digest134.pdf 
• Torrent: digest134.torrent 

Proceedings get off to a slow start in Japan with two very wet sessions, and some rather reluctant teams and drivers. Tyres are the main concern, but going into qualifying without setup notes will be interesting.

Free Practice 1

FP1 was wet to start with, and as conditions dried out, the tyres began to wear, and the times began to fall.

Free Practice 2

FP2 was wet to start with, and then more wet throughout. All hail Alonso for breaking the silence after an hour, but the majority of the action was left until the last ten minutes.

Team by Team

Toyota had a new driver on board today, but are looking forward to the rest of the weekend. Hamilton is hyped for the weekend, whilst Sutil believes he can do well.

F1 Digest 2009 - Japan Preview

• Length: 06:29 
• Size: 6.0 MB 
• File: digest133.mp3 
• Transcript: digest133.pdf 
• Torrent: digest133.torrent 

Back to back racing sees us head from the bright lights of Singapore to the long straights of Suzuka. F1 Digest previews the track, some of the action from last year, and what the drivers think of the upcoming weekend.

Vital Statistics

• Date: 4th October
• Circuit: Suzuka
• Length: 5.8km
• Laps: 53
• 2008 Winner: Fernando Alonso (at Fuji)

Preview

Every single driver seems to think Suzuka is one of the best tracks in the world, so they're all glad it's back on the calendar. They describe the combination of great fans, and interesting corners, to make for an exciting weekend.

F1 Digest 2009 - Singapore GP

• Length: 11:44 
• Size: 10.8 MB 
• File: digest132.mp3 
• Transcript: digest132.pdf 
• Torrent: digest132.torrent 

The Singapore Grand Prix was not wet at all but dry and dusty. That didn't make it any less eventful though, despite a lack of overtaking. There was plenty of action both in and out of the pitlane.

The Race

We saw drivers out after only a couple of laps, two drive through penalties, one safety car, lots of yellow flags, debris flying all over the place, cars facing the wrong direction, and an awful lot of dust.

Team by Team

Those who had bad weekends really did have bad weekends, with Toro Rosso facing a double DNF, Red Bull having all kinds of mechanical problems and Ferrari not able to find the pace. For those on top form, it was a great weekend, as Hamilton, Alonso and Glock will agree.