The Formula One season finally gets underway with Bahrain replacing Australia at the start. We've got all the information you need to know from weather to driver quotes and my own predictions.
Vital Statistics
Date: 14th March
Circuit: Bahrain International
Length: 6.3km
Laps: 49
Preview
In the first digest preview of 2010, we solicit opinions on the Bahrain circuit, recap what happened in 2009, and run through what each of the teams is hoping for from the weekend. Notably, Lotus aren't feeling that positive, whilst McLaren and Ferrari are both confident they can do well.
The 26th January is apparently Australia Day, so celebrations all round for the Australian members of the Sidepodcommunity. Meanwhile, we are officially into the F1 pre-season, now the launches have begun, so we are talking about lots of things! Here are just a few of them:
Mercedes launched their new livery yesterday, with the car due to be revealed at the first test next month. We covered as much as we could in the breakout thread, and the new livery also made yesterday's F1 Big Picture - this is the best version we could find, it looks almost acceptable in this one.
It was interesting to note that the Bahrain circuit have made changes to their circuit ahead of the season opener in March. They've added an extra loop to the track which extends the length of a lap, and is supposed to add overtaking opportunities. This will remain to be seen, I suppose.
The points system could be about to change as it looks like the team have agreed yet another system. The win would still be worth 25 points, but second place is slightly less, and the rest appear to be more evenly spread. It seems to encourage a win more and more, but you'd be less inclined to mess about for the other places. That's not the desired intention, though, is it?
We have completed another new sub-page of Sidepodcast, with tons and tons of information about Twitter. Who you need to be following, and who is tweeting from the world of Formula 1, is all listed in easy to view format. Keep up to date, and get tweeting!
That should do it for now, we've got a moment of calm before more launches later this week, so let us know what you're up to, and I'll see you in the comments.
Here at Sidepodcast, we've just discovered the joys of Qik, and have been outside a couple of times to test it out. The Sidepodcommunity are way ahead of us though, and already doing exciting (and Formula 1 related) things. Amy took some time out this morning to take a walk round Albert Park, and it's really fascinating to see the track when it is not a track.
I should say that the audio is a little less than desirable as Amy braved a really windy day in the Park to capture these videos for us. It's worth listening and watching all of them, though, as Amy makes a great tour guide.
Start Line
A close up of the actual start line, with cars parked either side and a temporary chicane.
Turn 1 and 2
A run down to the first corner, with a different type of driver looking for the apex.
Kerbing
Cunningly camouflaged kerbing remains for the whole year round. You'd never know they raced here, honest!
Turn 4
The left-hander of turn 4 is actually a car park most of the year round. Which explains the white markings you see in many ariel shots of this section.
Turn 5
Back on to the main road for the following right hand section. A place where Kubica and Vettel managed to get all tangled up earlier in the year.
Turn 6
The heavy braking zone for turn 6 shows how regular traffic is managed when F1 isn't around.
Turn 7
No U-turns in this section of the road, and a look at the buildings the drivers could never see from the cockpit.
Turn 9
Another car park, shows off yet more F1 tyre markings, undisturbed since March.
Turns 11 and 12
Road markings show where the track runs across a wide section of road. A familiar skyline can seen in the background.
Lakeside Drive
The classic photo opportunity, where road cars run along race cars separated by the smallest of barriers.
Turn 13
The sharp right-hander of Ascari is clearly visible as it crosses the main section of road. Remember your green cross code when on foot here!
The First Ever Sidepodcast Pit Stop
The closed pit entrance, inaccessible to everyday traffic. Check out the garage frontage and pit boxes, complete with 2008 spec grooved tyre markings!
Finish Line!
Just before it gets too dark, a return to the start/finish line in all its chequered glory.
Thank you ever so much to Amy for live streaming her walk in the F1 park for us. It's rare to see Formula 1 tracks away from the race weekend, even more the street tracks that rarely see any other type of racing action.
Take a look yourself and let us know what landmarks you can spot, and any memories you have of the corners Amy visited in those videos. We loved watching every minute and if you need a reminder of how all the corners match up to the race track, check out last year's Inside Track guide.
Keep an eye on Amy and other commenters Qik stream's too. You never know what you may find.
In addition to providing the two of us admission to free practice at Silverstone yesterday, the lovely people from Shell supplied a pair of Kangaroo TV handsets for use during the day. If we hadn't been given a set though, we'd surely have paid for one, because as we said way back in 2007 these things rock our world.
Watching a single corner of a race track, and squinting at the nearest jumbotron, doesn't hold much appeal for us. We're clearly the kind of people who need to know exactly what's going on at a Grand Prix to really enjoy the experience. No doubt we would've hated turning up to pre-2006 races.
This year the handset features have improved (including bespoke Shell branded data on ours), especially now all teams are required to make radio transmissions available. By the end of Free Practice 2 I'd become somewhat addicted to following the in-garage audio, which includes considerably more detailed conversation than we're used to hearing on television.
One particular chat, that was only partly covered by 5Live's broadcast, was Jenson's continual struggle to set his car up properly on a Friday. We know from previous outings this year, that our current championship leader has had to borrow a number of set-ups from team-mate Barrichello, when changes he's tried haven't worked out so well. Things didn't appear to improve during Friday at Silverstone either.
During FP1, there was much strained conversation between Button and radio man Andrew Shovlin, and then during FP2 matters appeared to deteriorate further. Whatever changes had been discussed and implemented during the break between sessions weren't working for Jenson and he requested they completely roll back to the mornings configuration. The response was surprising:
Yeah, we've heard this kind of thing from you before Jenson.
After a further debate, the number 22 car returned to the pits and twenty minutes worth of work was carried out. Finally out on the circuit again, and the next radio message went something like:
Changes rolled back. Track time is there. Up to you if you want to use it.
I may be reading too much into things but the inference appeared to be - you've now wasted this whole session, we're back to where we started, hope you're having fun.
Clearly the team rate the man for his driving ability but I do wonder if they're getting more useful information from the other side of the garage? Rubens radio, incidentally, contained shorter bursts of direct information. He wants a softer front, or more stability at the rear.
I fully expected that data would be shared during the evenings debrief, Jenson would be more comfortable come FP3 and usual programming would resume by the end of qualifying. 6th place (his worst of the year) for the British GP wasn't where anyone expected the man from Frome to finish up.
It's difficult to say if there really are problems at Brawn GP. You would imagine that given their current dominant position all would be sweetness and light. Is Rubens that much better at setting up a chassis?
Additionally, it is quite hard to hear exactly what was said on the radio, with cars screaming past every couple of seconds. So the above should at least be considered a rough interpretation at best. Thankfully, live commenting trackside is a fantastic experience, and at least allowed most of the conversation to be transcribed as it happened.
Without a doubt, viewers at home should have more access to this new era of radio transparency. Teams are clearly going to great efforts to improve the show but to the majority of fans watching from their sofa, this work is going to waste.
Okay, so where did the weekend go? It's Monday already and yet we're no further on down our to-do list.
It looks like the next twenty-something hours are going to be dominated by the very British subject of the weather. Already drop.io is filling up with images of snowy vistas and there's talk tomorrow of missed school and building snowmen. This clearly isn't going to be a normal Monday by any stretch.
Top subjects up for discussion today include:
It would appear that Bernie has finally come around to the idea that Europe may be in need of an additional race. According to Grandprix.com, with France almost out of the picture, Germany suffering financially and the British GP anything but secure, Portugal might be an attractive alternate. From what we've seen of testing, it looks like a world class venue, and thus far free from the hand of Tilke. What more could we ask?
On the subject of circuit design, R.G. has been busy drawing, designing and manipulating some very grand tracks using quikmaps.com. If you're feeling arty, why not jump in with some other European destinations for Ecclestone to consider?
The Sidepodmusicgroup now counts 32 members amongst its ranks and as a result, Muse pretty much own this weeks chart. If you're a music fan, and don't happen to listen to an excessive amount of Muse, please do join up and help redress the balance next Sunday.
It really is amazing how little F1 news there is at 2:30am on a Monday, however, there's no doubt things will liven up later in the day. Please let us know if you spot anything exciting, keep your snowy pictures coming, and yell especially loud if you're marooned for the day.
This is the first series of Ancillary F1, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions for future companies or feedback about the ones covered above, I'd love to hear from you.
I'll be honest and say that qualifying didn't exactly live up to my expectations yesterday. There were only two notable incidents, one was Bourdais leading a session, and the other was Hamilton being amazingly fast. With the weather maps saying that rain is unlikely today, it looks like it's going to be a normal race.
Having said that, I'm still hoping for good things. Raikkonen starts fourth and needs to really work hard to get on the podium and continue his championship campaign. Massa lines up next to Hamilton on the grid, and if we're really lucky, he could do an Alonso and fight Hamilton all the way through Eau Rouge for first place.
Heidfeld is also going to be a factor, finally placing well in qualifying. As a consistent racer, starting in fifth will see him end there or higher, most probably, but he might get in some of the top runners way. Alonso may also do the same, starting from sixth.
The chances of seeing a safety car are higher than at some circuits, and with the lap being so long, this can be really costly in terms of strategies. Expect McLaren to play it safe, and some of the lower teams to run risks to try and rise up the ranks.
Please let us know where you are, how you're watching, and what your predictions are, and don't forget to make full use of the Live Commenting Live... Thing.
Welcome to the inaugural race day for the Valencian street circuit. Things look to be a little brighter today in terms of the weather, with no rain expected for the afternoon, although there were some showers overnight. This will have cleaned the track of rubber somewhat, but with a couple of support races taking place before the race, it remains to be seen how this will affect our drivers.
Talking of support series, the GP2 feature race yesterday held some clues as to what to expect as soon as the lights go out. For reasons best known to himself, Mr. Whiting has decided to switch over the pole positions at the last minute. I believe it was announced just before qualifying, after the practice sessions had been observed. For the GP2 event, the pole sitter simply lined up one place back on the grid, followed by the rest of the field. At least they didn't have to have the whole place repainted!
Off the grid, the 3rd and 5th place GP2-ers got past their counterparts in 2nd and 4th, meaning that the dirty side of the grid is a real hindrance here just like Hungary. For Hamilton and Raikkonen this is not the place to be, and the start is going to be crucial.
As has been mentioned previously, a lot of teams have been tweaking their strategy to include the possibility of a safety car. In fact, some teams are positively hoping for it so they can make the most of a difficult afternoon. If there is a safety car, it's likely going to be a long one, as aside from the massive run off areas, there seems to be little room for manoeuvre around the extensive circuit.
Please let us know where you are, how you're watching, and what your predictions are, and don't forget to make full use of the Live Commenting Live... Thing.
Is it a bit too soon to be discussing the Canadian GP already? I do hope not because I've just dug up a fab little video associated with the next stop on the calendar, and if I don't link to it now, I'll lose it again.
The clip below takes you on a short trip around the circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but the difference here is you get to experience it from the air, through the eyes of a remote controlled aircraft. Filming apparently took place a fortnight before the 2006 race, so you can see that most of the trackside furniture is in place, while sections of public road have been roped off.
Admittedly the video is showing it's age now, but two years ago this short film was at the bleeding edge of what is now known as First Person View pilot control, where live images are beamed from a remote camera to a set of goggles attached to your head. Turning left or right repositions the camera mounting so you can literally have a look around!
I've done some searching, but as these things have only recently become commercially available, no-one has yet taken the time to fly around any other racing tracks. It's only a matter of time though and the following film shows just how far the idea has developed in the past two years.
Nobody has ever asked me what I'd be doing if I wasn't working for Sidepodcast, but if they did, I'd tell them that is exactly what I'd be doing.
If I had the money I think I'd grab a set and have me a guided tour of every racing track I could find. Imagine following a Formula 1 test from up there... you wouldn't miss a thing.
This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.
This weekend is the famed Monaco Grand Prix, one of the highlights on the calendar for teams, drivers, fans and celebrities alike. But is it all as wonderful as the glitz and glamour make it appear?
Pros Monaco has a lot of history. It was the second race of the inaugural World Championship in 1950, and has been a fixture on the calendar ever since. As a playground for the rich and famous, the event hosts some A list celebrities, and the harbour is filled with the yachts of rich businessmen. There is no other race with the atmosphere of Monaco, there is no other track where you can get as close to the cars.
The circuit is full of tight corners and straights with kinks in. As a street circuit, it wasn’t built to certain specifications, but extracted from the space available in the principality. There’s a raw feel about it, that the drivers seem to like. It’s a track that highlights their skill and abilities, rather than focusing on the few tenths faster one car is over another. Any mistakes are severely punished in Monte Carlo, and we’ve seen that in the past.
Another plus is the variations that the track has over others. It’s the only one with a tunnel, for instance, which adds to the intrigue. Monaco also has one of the tightest hairpins and slows the cars right down.
Cons Whilst the track itself is interesting, it doesn’t lend itself well to fascinating racing. Often, whoever qualifies on pole position will go on to win the race. The circuit is so tight, and there are almost no run off areas, leaving drivers unwilling or unable to risk too many overtaking manoeuvres. Overtaking is not the be all and end all of a race, and Monaco does come up with its fair share of incidents, but a safety car around the short lap is just another procession.
Safety is of paramount concern in Monaco. The crowd are very close, and as I just mentioned, there are very few run off areas if a car makes a mistake. The track runs very close to the buildings lining the route, and it’s a nerve-wracking watch as the cars speed through the streets. The marshals and safety improvements are excellent, however.
Conclusion It doesn’t look like Monaco will be going anywhere off the calendar soon, as it remains one of the most popular destinations for Formula 1. Even if the racing isn’t top notch, it’s the entire spectacle that captures imaginations the world over.
