Sidepodcast

Daily: 20th March 2010

Saturday is here and the weekend has begun. We've got a week off from racing but must try and prepare for the back to back that is coming up starting with Australia next weekend. However, that is the future and now is now, and here are some things we're talking about:

• It was definitely Franck Friday yesterday, as the Frenchman was confirmed at a new team for Superleague Formula. Mr C and I have barely had anything but scorn for this formula in the past but now it's the best thing since forever. They do have online broadcasting though, and the season is only 12 races long, which makes me very happy.
• Given the happy news that we have another series to follow, I dutifully put all the SL events into our fabulous calendar. It's been a while since I gave the calendar a plug, so now is a good time. Did you know we do a brilliant calendar? So far, in non-F1 events, it covers rallying, the major Le Mans events and now Superleague. If there's anything missing that you'd like to see in there, please let me know, and I'll try and add it.
• I'll also plug F1 Minute today, although it doesn't really need it right now. Apple made the odd decision to feature it on the iTunes homepage and in their newsletter, meaning lots and lots of new people are tuning in. Yesterday's minute focused on the FIA's attempts to tighten up the championship, whilst F1 Big Picture is all about Virgin Racing. Don't forget Tweets of the Week as well. There should be another one of those along tomorrow.

That should do it for now. We're working on some fun blog posts today, so keep your eyes peeled later on. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 19th March 2010

It is Friday at last, and we have reached the end of another week - almost ready to go headlong into the weekend. There's no racing this time round, but I'm sure we can find plenty to keep us amused. To get us off to a good start, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Lukeh pointed out the first in the latest series from F1.com, in which Vettel answers some probing questions. We're curious what happened in testing to get Seb so worked up, but it doesn't look like he'll be telling us any time soon.
• Jim wrote us an excellent guest post discussing his first lap around the Hockenheimring. It's a good insight into how it feels to drive where the professionals have been before and still return to today.
• Manipe has asked the question: how much overtaking do you want in F1? It's a topic we've touched upon many times, and particularly when there are dull races in our recent memories. There were some moves in Bahrain, but was it enough? And how far to the other extreme could we go? Don't make me mention Mr C watching NASCAR again.
• Also a quick note, as spotted by RG, the future of the Italian GP seems to be on a much more secure footing than we've seen in a long while. Monza should be on the calendar until 2016!

That'll do it for now, I reckon. Just time for a quick happy birthday to Pat, who I think is off in sunny Spain at the moment. Happy birthday! Let us know what you have planned today and this weekend, and as ever, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 18th March 2010

Hello and welcome to Thursday. It's usually a horrid day but I'm sure today will be completely different because it is a certain Timo Glock's birthday! Happy Birthday Mr Glock. I hope that RG has bought his favourite driver a present, it seems only fair. Now you have wished Glock a happy birthday, your day is complete, but I would just like to share some of the other things we're talking about first:

• Ollie has been blogging like a demon recently, and posted an interesting article about the possibility of the record books being changed this year. I hadn't really given it any thought but we have seen youngest drivers and 100th GP winners over the last few years, so I wonder what we'll find in 2010.
• Over on VivaF1, Maverick has a post discussing the potential introduction of the 107% rule - how it would work and whether it would be a useful thing or not. I have never seen such a rule in practice, so I'm not sure about it, but head on over and leave your thoughts.
• Finally, Lukeh has been keeping his eye on all sorts of news outlets to get information about the new F1 game, and he has collated it all here with his initial impressions. Some of the career aspects do look very interesting, but from a personal point of view, I just wish you didn't have to actually get a car round a track. It's quite impossible.

That should do it for now. I hope everyone is having an okay week so far, and as ever, I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 17th March 2010

It's Wednesday and that means we are about halfway through the week already. I had to break open the F1 Happy Place yesterday, but the good news is that it mostly worked, and I do feel a bit happier about F1. It's still rubbish, but at least there are good times to remember! Anyway, here are some other things we're talking about:

• I missed this when it was posted, because it was hectic busy at Sidepodcast Towers, but I love this idea from RG, comparing the new teams in a championship all of their very own. The premise is simple - the drivers in the new teams get points based on the order they finish, no matter where they are in the overall result itself. Interesting idea and I'm curious to see what will happen at the next race.
• I don't quite understand why Button is having to defend himself already. Fair enough, Lewis got on the podium but it wasn't exactly looking likely to begin with and the word lucky springs to mind. If his confidence was seriously dented after just one race, then he would be in for a really long season.
• Bernie Ecclestone has jumped to the defense of F1, saying we shouldn't jump to conclusions, submit to knee-jerk reactions, and make any rash changes. He thinks that teams will get the hang of racing under these new regulations and maybe just some tweaks to the tyre rules would help. Ahh, all about the tyres as per usual!
• Also, just a quick note: Sofa F1 Championship 2010 - Round 1. This is not a good start for me. Well done to Alison though!

It's St Patrick's Day today, and I believe there is meant to be a Sidepodmeetup in our capital city today, although I don't know if it's still on. Sadly, we can't be there, but we will be in the comments, as always.

Daily: 16th March 2010

Yesterday, I trusted the daily to Mr C and it was almost two hours late, so I have snatched the reigns back for Tuesday. The conversations are mostly still revolving around Bahrain and the impact of the refuelling ban, but there is a dedicated thread for that. Instead, I will point you in the direction of some completely different topics:

• It was a huge week for Christine's Rankings with loads of drivers moving up and down. Mr C commented earlier in the weekend that if Chandhok wasn't leading there would be something very wrong with the world. Thankfully, we don't have that problem!
• I posted our F1 Debrief show yesterday, and it's a good one, mostly because it features a lot of voicemails from our lovely listeners. Rather than listen to us whine about the Bahrain GP, we hear from you guys and what you think. More please.
• I stumbled across the return of Paddock Life. I love the behind the scenes peek, although of course we have such unprecedented access this year that it's not as special as it used to be. Still, there are great stories about Rubens being a bit cheeky, and the grid protest by the drivers.

That'll do it for now. Let us know how your week is going, and I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 14th March 2010

It's Sunday at last and we are about to embark on our first Grand Prix of 2010. It's pretty exciting, and not just because the Factbyte Factbox will be making it's race debut. It was an exciting if hectic experience covering qualifying, so let's see what we can achieve over a full race distance! Anyway, here are some other things we're talking about:

• With extra teams on the grid, it looks as though the FIA have had to change parc ferme quite considerably. Adam Cooper has a good insight into the F1 spy cameras that are now overlooking the cars. We thought maybe it was a little bit Big Brother.
• Will Buxton has some thoughts on the new section of the track, particularly pointing out that: "Quite apart from the fact that there simply isn’t enough track length between corners to allow anyone to have a decent stab at a passing move, the track width is so slim that you can barely fit two cars side by side." Bahrain Fail?
• As a sort of final word on the McLaren vent, Scarbs F1 has a great explanation of how it works. I was still a bit confused but as it happens, it doesn't seem to be as important now that the McLarens didn't qualify that far up the grid anyway.

That's all for now. I hope everyone enjoys the race, and as always, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 13th March 2010

Well, did you see any of the action yesterday? Even if you weren't enamoured with what was actually happening out on track (not all that much, if we're honest), it was still good to see the cars again. Yes, I said that, even though I still think they are really bad looking. Today is qualifying day, the best day of the weekend. Bring it on! Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:

• A quick link, via Joe, to GP Guide. It's essentially a big database of statistics, more than you could ever dream of needing, and they're presented in an easy to use format and free! GP Guide is normally published as a book, but this site has it all.
• The Factbyte Factbox had a fabulous launch yesterday with two successful Free Practice sessions completed. We're not sure whether we're going to be doing this for all Friday's, but we certainly intend to cover the weekends. The ability to have the highlight posts really makes it for me - check out Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 if you missed any of the day's running.
• As a celebration of the return of Formula One, and really because we just couldn't decide which photo to use, we decided to do an F1 Big Picture special. Instead of one, you get ten photos, with moments throughout the sessions on Friday. We like to think there's something for everyone.

That should do it for now. I don't know about anyone else, but I am exhausted after just one day. Goodness knows what we'll be like on Sunday! I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 11th March 2010

Hello and welcome to horrible Thursday. However, I believe this one won't be as bad as others we have experienced recently, as we are all focused on the goings on in Bahrain. We were super busy yesterday and we're going headfirst into the weekend in a similar fashion. Meanwhile, here are some things we're talking about:

• I was catching up on some blog feeds yesterday and discovered this excellent post from RG, discussing people in Formula One, and motorsport generally, in the north of England. I liked the post, even if it does appear that RG forgot all about Rob Smedley. Humph!
• Mr C's favourite blogger ScarbsF1 has a Bahrain Preview post up which goes into a bit more detail about the McLaren rear wing issue. We're expecting the FIA to inspect the part and make a decision in Bahrain, which is leaving it a bit late if you ask me.
• We posted plenty of fab things here on Sidepodcast yesterday, including your Bahrain Race Information. This tells you important facts and figures about the race, and highlights the TV and podcast schedule. The F1 Digest Preview was posted, and Mr C had a quick look at some of the new websites from teams.
• Also, for everyone who has been curious about the Joe Saward competition - it is now closed, but we have not yet picked a winner. We will do so as soon as we can, and let you know via the blog. If there's no post, it's because we haven't got our winner yet!

That should do it for now. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Thursday goes okay, and I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 9th March 2010

Tuesday has arrived and before I do anything, I must point you towards yesterday's F1 Debrief. The show itself is marvellous, of course, but in the show notes there are some rather excellent outtakes - if such a thing exists. Actually, I might just post them again now anyway. Mr C and I could do with the embarrassment.

Now, on to other topics:

• Adam Hay-Nicholls has an unusual post on his Metro F1 blog - spending some time with Tamara Ecclestone. She has some rather forthright views on Jenson Button, but if she's anything like her dad, I don't suppose she worries about what she says.
• I mentioned yesterday that Mr C had spent some time watching NASCAR, and it looks as though that sport has just as much politics as F1. There was an incident involving Carl Edwards that he admits he caused on purpose, to try and knock his opponent out the way - revenge, if you will, for an early incident. Leigh has some thoughts on the concept of on track payback, and suffice it to say, it's not a good idea!
• Today is the last day for the Joe Saward competition, where we are offering you the chance to win a signed copy of his book The Grand Prix Saboteurs. We've had tons of entries, but there's still time to get yours in, and you never know, luck might be on your side.
• Finally, a quick plug to the TOTAL 2010 Grand Prix Travel Guide. It's clearly a marketing ploy, but has plenty of useful information in there including: "Where to stay in Korea? Where to get a drink in Bahrain?" The things you need to know.

That should do it for now. I hope your week is going smoothly, and as ever, I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 8th March 2010

Ah, Monday again, but there's no chance to be miserable this week as it's the return of F1 and that can only be a good thing! Yesterday, Mr C got caught up watching Montoya doing some NASCAR thing, and threatened to watch more during the year. Thank goodness F1 is coming back. Here are some of the things we're talking about:

• As ever, don't forget to check out Jackie's fabulous Something For the Weekend series. Although it's not technically the weekend anymore, it's always worth browsing through the links on there, as they always select the best stuff over on Viva F1. I should also do a quick shout out for the quiz-formerly-known-as Pitlane Fanatic. It's returning in a new VivaF1 shape, so stay tuned to Viva F1.
• I'm offering up a quick shout out on behalf of Mr C to Vanquish's blog. There are some fabulous stories on there, with the last one being all about Sir Stirling Moss. The entries are quite long, so you need to grab a cup of tea and a biscuit, settle down and get reading.
• On a self-promoting tangent, I posted an unusual item on Media Future Change yesterday. Mr C and I had been having a conversation, but he was too busy to turn it into a blog post so instead I recorded his words and turned them into a transcript. At some point he will be appearing on the podcast with me, but for now, it's a great way to be a fly on the wall as we discuss media future changey type things. I like the way it's turned out, let me know what you think!

That should do it for now. With the weekend over, it's time to focus fully on the countdown to Free Practice on Friday. Let me know how you're passing the time, and I will see you in the comments.