Sidepodcast

Daily: 29th May 2009

The end of the week is upon us, and so, almost is the end of May. I'm not entirely sure where the year is going - I'm convinced someone  is stealing it but I have no proof. Anyway, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• FOTA have come up with their plan to present to the FIA, and if looks are anything to go by, the governing body might just be agreeable to it. We reach the deadline today, so something really needs to be sorted out as soon as possible, or we may see some of our teams not making next year's championship simply because it will be a case of first come, first served.
• It's the final heat of the first round in the Circuit Cup and that can only mean one thing - voting time again. These final matchups will see the fate of Monaco and Nurburgring decided, and it's in your hands. Head on over and make your voice heard.
• If you haven't visited in a while, head on over to F1 Big Picture. Yesterday's image depicts a flying Vettel at Monza in celebration of his Lorenzo Bandini award win. He'll be picking up the trophy on Sunday, in the style of Kubica (ie. driving 12km in an F1 car - madness).

That'll do for now. As we are rushing headlong into the weekend, let us know if you have any exciting plans, and equally let us know if you don't. I will see you in the comments.

F1 Debrief - Lola, She Was a Showgirl With Yellow Feathers in Her Hair

• Length: 35:57 
• Size: 33.1 MB 
• File: debrief105.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: debrief105.torrent 

In this week's unexpected F1 Debrief, we discuss all things budget cap, with a sideline in Tremayning, twittering, and generally whining about life. We also discuss competitions and get your feedback.

Intro

Confusion reigns, as I promised live show viewers a mini series last week, and there was no podcast scheduled for this week. Yet here we are!

Good Week / Bad Week

It's been a good week for Jenson Button as he's signed up to a triathlon for charity, and for Hungarian fans who caught sight of Red Bull around their streets. Bad for tractors in Paris, and people with ears.

News and Views

We break the 'don't mention Lewis' pact we made, discuss McLaren's PR, engage in some Twitter promotion, and worry that the BBC are going under with their headlines. There's budget cap discussion, plus some Tremayning, and we also mention a couple of competitions.

Feedback

Just one email - don't forget you can get involved by emailing christine@sidepodcast.com, or calling 0121 28 87225 - from Peter who isn't at all impressed with the FIA's shenanigans.

Housekeeping

Don't forget that Monaco Free Practice is on a Thursday.

Linkage

• Sponsor Jenson Button
• Grandprixdiary.com
• Force India on Twitter
• McLaren on Twitter
• Tremayning
• F1 Wolf's competition win
• Puma Motorsport
• Sidepodcast Facebook Group
• Fantasy Racers
• Sidepodcast Wiki

Daily: 16th May 2009

We're heading into the weekend now, so it's about time you told us what you're up to. I'm writing this at 2am on the morning of the daily post, with a little rosé under my belt. No doubt I'll be asleep by the time you read this. Nevertheless, here's what's happening in F1 at the moment:

• The FIA and FOTA couldn't come to an agreement, so the teams have been sent away to think about what they can do to avoid the budget caps. It wasn't a positive outcome for FOTA today, but at least it wasn't a positive no for them. They at least have the opportunity of coming up with a new idea... whatever that might be.
• Jochen Rindt is going to have an opera written about him and his racing life. I don't know of any other racing drivers who would have their lives immortalised in the libretto, but this might be a good trend for the future.
• We discussed the Hamiltonometer extensively yesterday, but today it is swinging downwards, as young Lewis is exasperated by the politics surrounding F1 right now. Aren't we all? He said he feels knocked about by it all, which is understandable, and unfortunately, only looks set to get worse.

That'll do it for now. It's the weekend, so let us know if you're doing anything exciting, or if you aren't. Either way,  I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 15th May 2009

Apparently today is the "International Day of Families" and this year's theme is "Challenges in a Changing World." Nice and fitting, as we heard this week about Felipe Baby actually having a baby. Anyway, here's some of the things we're talking about:

• It's the big pow wow today, as the FIA and FOTA go head to head to discuss the 2010 regulations, and Bernie Ecclestone sticks his oar in as well. There's no knowing whether we'll hear anything tomorrow or not, but at least the debate isn't dragging on and they're getting on with trying to sort things out.
• In two very different news items, I read that Lewis Hamilton hasn't given up on the title challenge yet, and that he tips Button for the win this year. I'm not sure how you can do both, and I'm not sure who to believe. Nevertheless, that Hamiltonometer is swinging well. I am going to keep using that until it catches on, by the way.
• Button's signed up to do some running and stuff in London during the summer break in August. I don't know about you, but my idea of a summer holiday isn't participating in a triathlon around our nation's capital, even if it is for charity. Good on him, though.

That should keep you going for now. I imagine there'll be plenty to talk about today, but we'll see. I'll be popping in and out of the comments, so I might see you there.

Sidepodpanel - Why Does God Hate Finnish People?

• Length: 41:39 
• Size: 38.3 MB 
• File: panel12.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: panel12.torrent 

The final episode of Sidepodpanel series 2 sees guest host Amy take the reigns and guide us through topics such as feeder series, budget caps, driver slogans, and of course, those impressions.

Joining us on tonight's panel:

• Gavin Brown
• Steven Roy
• Scott Woodwiss
  
• Andy Taylor
• Chris
• Bassano Clapper

That's all for this series of Sidepodpanel, we've not got two series under our belts. If you want to enjoy any of the previous episodes, take a look through the archives, otherwise look forward to the third although we don't know when it will be.

F1 Debrief - It's Like a Piquet Magnet

• Length: 43:59 
• Size: 40.4 MB 
• File: debrief104.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: debrief104.torrent 

We gamble through the FOTA meeting and what may come of it, the action from the Spanish Grand Prix, and take calls from all three sides of the Brawn GP argument. Yes, there are three. All that and more in this week's F1 Debrief.

Intro

I'm all about the radio now, whilst he just does the numbers.

Good Week / Bad Week

It's been a good week for circuits, as Barcelona make improvements and Donington get the extension they were looking for. It's a bad week for sponsorship as Brawn get chased by the Terminator, and also a bad week for KERS as it's being dropped all over.

News and Views

A quick run through what the teams and FOTA are saying about the budget caps Max proposed last week. It's enough to say that they aren't keen.

The Race

Ferrari need to buck up their ideas, whilst Red Bull are catching up to the Brawn guys nicely. Talking of Brawn, we talk to three callers about the possibility of team orders within the team.

Fantasy Racers

I'm now at 58th whilst Mr C sits in 245th. Kathi is leading and streaking away with it, but at least she is keeping Sidepodcast top of the private leagues.

Housekeeping

The Parade Lap has returned, but it won't be hitting the feeds.

Linkage

• The Parade Lap
  
• Gavin's spreadsheet
• Christine on BBC Tees
• Fantasy Racers
• Sidepodcast Wiki

An Aside With Joe - The Politics of a Free Lunch

• Length: 34:37 
• Size: 32.4 MB 
• File: aside5.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: aside5.torrent 

The F1 paddock returns to its European roots, which means Joe Saward talks to us from the comfort of his (near) Barcelona hotel.

With questions from the comments, we discuss whether F2 can emulate or improve on the success of GP2, what is to be expected in Spain, plus the budget caps and their impact on the sport. We also investigate which potential new teams may have a chance in 2010.

Tune in for this, plus much more, on An Aside With Joe.

Linkage

• Subscribe to Grand Prix+ Magazine
• Read Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog
• Follow Joe on Twitter

Daily: 1st May 2009

We are starting a brand new month today, and for those of us in the UK we're heading into a bank holiday weekend. That means the weather is no doubt going to be bad, but that's okay. We're used to it. Here's what is on our minds at the moment:

• The FIA confirmed that the budget cap for 2010 is up to £40m, which excludes all the usual things like driver salaries and marketing. It looks as though the governing body aren't entirely sure how they're going to police it, except for bringing a new committee on board, and they also haven't decided on a punishment for exceeding it either. Good work WMSC.
• Poor Kubica seems to get most of the stick when it comes to being a tall guy, too heavy for KERS. He's not the only tall one out there, but as we have directly seen his struggles, he might be glad to know that the FIA are increasing the minimum weight by 15kg. Enough to shoulder at least some of the burden of mandating KERS.
• I won't mention any of the other things that the FIA introduced because they are bound to cause some arguments like we saw yesterday. We have always been proud of the SPC community and how heated debate doesn't descend into a slanging match. Yesterday, some of the discussion came close to the line on a number of occasions. This is not acceptable and we will not think twice about moderating. However, hopefully, this was a one off and we can return to the calm and friendly atmosphere we are used to. Sidepodhugs all round.

That'll do it for today. Mr C is still working on small little doohickey updates (like the sleephickey) that are being introduced a bit at a time. Keep your eyes peeled, and I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 28th February 2009

A nice, relaxing Saturday in store for Sidepodcast Towers. I intend to spend a good hour or so reading through F1 Racing before getting on with the usual weekend stuff. What are you guys up to?

• We saw the new and official Williams livery yesterday, with some new pictures released. The blue is much brighter than I was expecting, and we have yet to spot the new sponsor that was talked about last week. The big news is the flip ups by the cockpit though - how are they getting away with that?
• Kyle Busch has pondered the possibility of joining F1 for a couple of years, just to have a bit of fun, before returning to the day job. As a NASCAR man, it would take more than a couple of years to get success, wouldn't it?
• The speculation is hyping up again that the FIA are looking at the budget caps option as a way of cutting costs in the future. There's no confirmation of this, but I hope it's not true. I was in favour of budget caps before, but am now convinced they wouldn't be able to police it at all.

That should do it for now. If you were taking part in the Batracer 1986 game, you'll need the updated details for the game, which should be starting soon. Meanwhile, I'll see you in the comments.