10 Reasons F1 in Australia Won't Suck
Published
Our long time mission at Sidepodcast is to be all about the positives, but just recently that has been hard to do. We had to bring back the F1 Happy Place to keep our heads above water after Bahrain, but thankfully it did the trick, and our faith is restored. It's time to look forward to the Australian Grand Prix, and we are sure it's going to be a good one. Here are a few reasons why.
Claire vs Liam
Claire Williams, part of the Williams F1 communications team, will be heading to Melbourne on Sunday. Claire couldn't make it to Bahrain, her boss Liam was dispatched instead. He did a good job, definitely on par with the other teams, and we spotted some 20+ mobile snaps from his direction over the course of the weekend.
We know from experience though, that Claire would have managed to post that many images per hour, so we're looking forward to seeing what comes out of Australia instead. She's heading out on Sunday, so follow Claire now if you're not doing so already.
A Redesign Required
On Friday, the FIA announced it had tightened up on the diffuser regulations (second year in a row the diffuser has been the talking point of the start of the season). McLaren and Mercedes will have to adjust the rear of their car, and Autosport speculates Renault and Force India will also take a closer look at their design.
It's likely not going to make a major difference at the head of the field, but Melbourne is far enough away that this will cause a few late nights amongst top teams. Especially if spare parts are in short supply.
Our Field Reporters
We have plenty of people on the ground this year. Amy, Paul and Alex (and hopefully Jeremy) are all set to visit Albert Park next weekend. Amy has gone so far as to buy a new phone so she can Twitpic her way through the event, and is offering to meet other Sidepodcast racegoers for breakfast each day.
It'll be just like last year, when the only Twitter access we had at the track came from Amy. Ah, good times.
An Evening with Joe
Joe is set to host his second "Evening with..." meetup. If it's anything like the first one, which we covered in great detail then everyone attending will have the best day ever.
The venue looks amazing as well - Amy went and had a good look round. Who wouldn't want to spend the evening after the race, discussing F1 with Joe, by the beach?
When Ted Talks
Mr C pointed out earlier this week that Ted Kravitz's latest blog post for the BBC actually shed a lot of light on the story of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Armed with this new knowledge, we'll be watching the Ferrari cars closely, as they got lucky with Vettel's reliability problems last race.
It seems that the Ferrari engines thirst for fuel means each driver is only able to attack right at the end of the race, when fuel loads are more equal. Qualifying well is vital for the Italian team, and anything other than a front row lockout means we should be in for a fantastic last lap showdown.
The New Teams
Lotus won the battle of the new teams in the first round, no question about it. I can't wait to see what happens in round two, as for me, the goings on at the back of the grid are much more interesting than what's happening at the front. Richard Branson has issued a challenge to his team - in the belief they can be fighting for the championship in a couple of years. Should he not be starting with finishing a race before he starts dreaming of titles?
Sauber too think they have a lot make up for in Australia, after their pre-season pace failed to materialise once in a competitive racing environment.
Safety in Numbers
The possibility of a safety car is much higher when you get to somewhere like Albert Park. There's usually quite a lot of chaos in Melbourne, and a safety car is a normal occurrence. We have seen at least two safety cars in the last two Australian Grand Prix, and that's what we're hoping for next weekend. One safety car, particularly if it's early on, will allow teams to pit for their mandatory stop and get it over with. If a safety car appears later on in the race, it should bunch up the field, offering drivers a sniff at a place or two.
Multiple safety cars could be even better. I just know Albert Park can deliver.
Champaaaagne Challenge
Bob Constanduros didn't get to call his usual champagne chant in Bahrain, due to the mandated rose water replacement. It's been too long since we've heard Bob's battle cry, and it's about time we heard it again. A shout of "It's the rosewater and pomegranate" simply does not a good podium ceremony make.
Only Bob can do it justice, although we did our very best to try and match him. Listen out during Sunday's podium ceremony and see how long the expert can last.
Return of the Ant
Last week we celebrated the unexpectedly great commentary from Jacques Villeneuve, but that doesn't stop us eagerly anticipating the return of Anthony Davidson to the 5live comms box. His team qualified on pole position for the 12 Hours of Sebring today, and we're following his progress right now. Here's hoping he does really well and turns up to Australia in a great mood.
If you thought Bahrain television commentary was a sedate affair, try out the duo of Croftie and Ant next weekend, and see if it transforms the way you follow F1.
That Most Important Question of All
Will Chandhok make it past the first lap?
Those are some of the reasons that we're looking forward to F1 racing next weekend, what are yours?
