When the BBC took over the broadcasting rights of F1 from ITV, we were all pretty excited. There were a few concerns about this relatively unknown kid's TV presenter taking the helm, but generally it looked like it could not fail. No mid-race advertising, better funding, access to all the right places, and a brand new website to go along with it.

We're often told that we're very lucky, our coverage is better than in a lot of countries. That's probably very true, perhaps UK Formula 1 coverage is above average, but that still doesn't make it good enough. The BBC have been covering the sport for 18 months now, and I haven't seen a single inch of improvement, nor any real attempt at it either.

All Red Bull, All the Time

In 2009, we were all a bit skeptical about how much time the BBC were spending focused on Brawn GP and their epic rise to championship winning glory. In the back of our minds, though, we could sort of understand why they were always being interviewed. It really was a great story, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing, and although they overdid it, we let that go.

Roll on 2010 and it's all been about Red Bull. I mean, it's really all about Red Bull. We're not talking bias, it's blanket coverage. Not a single show goes by without an interview with Christian Horner and the team can often be found hanging out in the Red Bull garage - particularly during the post-race forum. Clearly, this is due to David Coulthard and his connections. The BBC reckoned they were going to use DC to get closer to the team and get some inside views. Yes, it means that when they want to talk about a steering wheel, he can get his hands on one. It also means that they don't even have to think about it. Got a feature idea? Okay, send DC to his BFF's at Red Bull. Done.

We know that the new teams are amazing fun. We've seen it from so many different angles - Twitter, YouTube, the F1.com edits. They aren't taking themselves too seriously, there are some great personalities and some great stories to be told. When was the last time you saw any of the lower teams featured on the BBC? There was that single visit to Lucas di Grassi's house to look in his fridge, or you might catch a glimpse of Heikki on the gridwalk. Is there any more? No. Why should there be? Red Bull are just round the corner and DC can get us right inside the garage.

It's lazy, it's repetitive and it's dull.

The Best of the Rest

Jake Humphrey is the best thing to have come out of the coverage. He's great in front of the camera, doesn't pretend he knows it all, writes a fantastic and inclusive blog, and posts great behind the scenes videos as well. He's a good interviewer, fills unexpected time well, and is amusing on the forum (although I can't bear to watch that for more than a few minutes).

Jake is abandoning F1 for one race, though, and whilst he still claims to be committed to the sport, this instantly rings alarm bells. I always thought Brundle was being a bit smug about taking Hungary off in his ITV days. The guy has what is conceivably one of the best jobs in the world, works 18 or so weekends a year and still needs to take one of those off. That habit appears to have gone, but now it's Jake's turn. Granted, he's not ditching F1 for a sunny beach somewhere, rather covering another sport. Should there be any other sport for him, though? We're all pretty sure the BBC are grooming him for the Olympics, and for bigger and better things. Bad news for us, indeed, but who can blame him?

The only good thing is that Lee McKenzie gets her chance in front of the camera. They must have remembered she exists, so are giving her the anchor role for one weekend only. I'm impressed by this news, and hoping she does a good job, because being stuck filming scenes with Hulkenberg shooting or Schumacher on a horse cannot be every girl's dream job, can it?

A few people have jokingly expressed concern whether she'll be able to control Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. I wonder if this is actually going to be a serious problem. DC will be wondering off to the Red Bull garage all the time, and Eddie will be laughing and joking and grabbing passers by. I can only think that this is why he is still in front of the camera - because he is not afraid to grab Stefano Domenicali and corner him on a topic. It's cringeworthy, but at least it's some kind of access. That can be the only reason, as he's not great in front of the camera. Hey, I'm not judging, I would fall to pieces if I was live to millions too. I would stumble my words and ramble on with questions and not have a point to actually get to. But I'm not being paid to take part in this professional coverage, am I?

Can You Hear What I Hear?

We get shot down every time we suggest that the team would be better off in a studio in London. Fair enough, people want the atmosphere. It's no good getting the feel of the pit lane, though, if you can't hear a blinking word they're saying. What's the point? If they must be on location, can they not be in the paddock or elsewhere?

It actually hurts to think about what could be achieved in a permanent location away from the track. Great things could come from the ability to green screen, to encompass graphics, to do a million other things you can't do out in the field. There's no reason there couldn't be a few people on the ground to provide the atmosphere that is so desperately required.

The World Cup coverage was presented by Gary Linekar and some people in a studio, sitting on plush sofas, and when they needed to, they would cut to the coverage from the pitch. They could have been anywhere and would you have known the difference? In a studio environment, presenters were able to use fantastic interactive tools to explain the action in detail. Would it have been better if they'd been pitchside, screaming to be heard over the vuvuzela? I think not, but it seems I'm in a minority.

Ultimately, for now, we skip 90% of the BBC pre/post-race coverage. The good features are available online, and when the action gets underway, we stick 5live radio commentary on as soon as humanly possible.

So far, the only thing that has been a bonus from the BBC is the online streaming and the iPlayer replays. Two technical things that ITV or whoever would probably have caught up on eventually anyway. That's not a ringing endorsement for licence fee payer's money, is it? Jake deserves a comfy chair more than anyone.

In the midst of the 2006 season, Mark Webber was racing with Williams F1 and not doing particularly well. He was with the Grove-based team for two years, with the highlight one solitary third place podium finish at Monaco in 2005. After a string of retirements the next season, the relatively new Red Bull squad snapped him up for the 2007 season. Hasn't he come a long way since then?

Webber's contract with Williams was due to come to an end at the end of the 2006 season anyway, and although the team had an option on him for '07, they came to what appeared to be a mutual agreement to let him go. At the time, Frank Williams spoke of Webber's chances of moving to another team:

I understand what the opportunity is. And anyone would do whatever it took to get that opportunity. He has a realistic good chance of getting it and I sincerely hope it falls into his lap.

---

Frank Williams

It did fall into his lap, as Red Bull soon confirmed their line-up for their third season in Formula One - Mark Webber and David Coulthard. It was an odd pairing, the Red Bull image was normally of youth and passion and exuberance. With this line-up they had gone for popular and friendly guys, but who were more experienced than youthful. Their combined age made them one of the oldest teams on the grid.

Webber was keen to get going with his new team, as well. Looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity.

It's clear that the team is very hungry for long-term success, it has a very talented group of personnel and there seems to be a real sense of team spirit and unity. I believe I'm joining the team at exactly the right time for success in the future.

---

Mark Webber

Looking to the future was the best thing Webber could have done, as the results were far from instant. With Coulthard and Webber together, the team finished fifth and seventh in the constructor's championship for 2007 and 2008 respectively. A solid, but unremarkable performance, with what appeared to be a fast but fragile car.

That is the motto that has continued to this day - fast but fragile. When Coulthard retired, and Sebastian Vettel joined the team, the speed increased and the results began to pour in. Despite an ongoing recovery from a broken leg sustained during the winter, Webber took his first win in Germany 2009, another in Brazil, and this year has seen many, many more.

With a faster teammate, though, comes added stress, and the relationships at Red Bull are under constant scrutiny. These days, you expect to see a petulant Vettel and a well-worn Webber somewhere near the podium. Now, he says things like:

We've had some small hiccups here and there because you need perfect weekends to win at this level. Of course Sebastian and I are pushing each other pretty hard as well to beat each other and you need to get everything right.

---

Mark Webber

Quite a change from the grateful and excited Mark of 2006, looking forward to his opportunity and hoping to get some results. I wonder what the next four years will bring for him.

Ah, it must be my turn to write a daily post again. Let's see if I can remember how to do this. We've had so many excellent daily posts this week that I don't want to let anyone down. However, as the F1 news drought continues, I have found some things for us to talk about:

• Stuart has written a rather amusing post about his experience at Silverstone, as they launched their new and revised circuit. He was supposed to be able to get a run out on track but sadly some engine troubles meant that couldn't happen. The best part is DC's take on the engine issues. No wonder he never made it to the top!
• Lou has completed her A Level textiles work, and whilst I don't really know what that means academically, I know that it looks pretty cool. Fancy being able to do F1 stuff for your coursework! It's very creative, and a great advert for Red Bull. Although, let's not talk about subliminal advertising again, eh?
• At the time of writing, Mr C is busy watching IRL - honestly, I can't get that man away from the racing. He reckons that the Race Control feature is fabulous and F1 could take note from it, but the live timing is really on par with what we have for F1. What is it about live timing that is so difficult to get right? I have yet to see a system for any form of racing that really ticks all the boxes.

That should do it for now. We're going into a bank holiday weekend here in the UK, so I am more keen than ever to hear what kind of exciting things you have planned. I will see you in the comments.

Friday has arrived and with it comes more testing in Jerez. It looks as though it might be a little less damp out there in Spain, but since when did the weather people ever predict anything right? I've been enjoying consuming testing through our dedicated threads though, so I hope you'll join us through the day. Anyway, here are some other things we're talking about:

• The digital version of Autosport Magazine was launched yesterday, with three magazines available to peruse. We snapped up a subscription instantly, and although it isn't exactly a bargain, if you were thinking about subscribing to the paper version, definitely consider the digital version instead. You also get access to all the online stuff, including Forix, so it is well worth the money.
• Yesterday, I mentioned the US F1 rumours which are still just that at the moment. More respected sources are reporting the Argentinian newspaper thoughts, but we're still not sure of anything official. Meanwhile, Campos are getting ever closer to being bought out and it looks like former Force India employee Colin Kolles might be involved as well. I do wish these teams would sort themselves out, don't they know I have an F1 Digest Preview series to write?
• In former F1 driver news, Takuma Sato has secured himself an IndyCar drive with KV Racing, David Coulthard has said that he would like to have another test in a DTM car and apparently Mercedes are considering it, and finally Kovalainen is still keen on trying his hand at rallying despite having his work cut out with Lotus at the moment. I like to see drivers keeping busy.

There were other things I wanted to link to today, but at the time of writing Wordpress.com had spectacularly died, leaving me without some of our favourite blogs to share. Hopefully it is already back, or will be soon. I will see you in the comments.

The BBC had an F1 launch of a different kind on Thursday. The British broadcaster hosted a press launch to announce plans for its 2010 Formula 1 coverage and vowed to offer comprehensive coverage across TV, radio, online, red button and mobile.

The UK's F1 rights holder didn't make any significant changes to its 2009 lineup, nor offer any additional programming . However, they didn't reduce their commitment to covering Formula 1 either.

On television, anchorman Jake Humphrey will again be joined by Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard for pre and post race coverage. Martin Brundle and Jonathan Legard remain in the commentary box, while Lee McKenzie and Ted Kravitz continue to bring interviews and action from the pits.

Radio commentary will once more provided by David Croft standing alongside Anthony Davidson. Holly Samos will be found patrolling the paddock and the pitlane as usual. As in previous years, production will be handled by USP Content.

The BBC's Head of Formula 1 Ben Gallop said he was delighted with their efforts in 2009.

"The BBC Sport team will once again be bringing great coverage across all our platforms, meaning F1 fans can follow the action and interact wherever they are, whenever they want.

"We're proud to offer our audiences the opportunity to follow the great stories and share all the excitement of this fantastic sport."

Predictably there was no mention of High Definition F1 content appearing any time soon.

Follow the BBC Team on Twitter

• Jake Humphrey on Twitter
• Lee McKenzie on Twitter
• Jonathan Legard on Twitter
• Ted Kravitz on Twitter
• 5Live F1 on Twitter

Today is World Standards Day, and supposedly this is to celebrate those who create and uphold standards in organisations. Do we need to come up with some Sidepodcast standards? For instance, pandas must be mentioned at least once a day? Or Mr C must bake a cupcake at least once a year and document it on a live show? What do you think? Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:

• Coulthard headed over the bridge in Mumbai, as mentioned in F1 Minute, and managed to break the speed limit as he did so. That's not surprising, given he was in an F1 car. What is surprising is that the state wouldn't give organisers their deposit back because he broke the rules. Weird.
• Raikkonen is hoping to finish on the podium in Brazil, which he says he doesn't think will be easy. I'm not sure why, considering that he keeps popping up on the podium all the time. Of course Ferrari are fighting for third in the championship, so a podium would be a great help for that.
• There's more politics about with Saudi Arabia suggesting they are backing Ari all the way, whilst Jean Todt has written a letter to club members saying that Vatanan's cause lacks any real plans and ambition. Charming!

That'll do it for now. Our Forgotten F1 Teams series came to an end yesterday, but there will be an omnibus along at some point, and you should also expect a Brazil schedule today. I'll see you in the comments.

Heading into the weekend now, apparently it's David Beckham's birthday today. Good to know, hey, fact fans? Anyway, it seems to be a quiet time in F1 at the moment, as teams have a rest before Spain, and digest the budget cap information. Here are some of the things we're talking about at the moment:

• Coulthard can concentrate on his career as a broadcaster now, as Hartley has received the paperwork that will allow him to take on the third driver role at Red Bull. Hands up who's disappointed we didn't get to see DC back in the car if only for a short time?
• The Boston Big Picture (inspiration behind F1 Minute's daily big pic) had an F1 feature yesterday. 31 pictures take a trip back over the last few races and look at some stunning shots. It's good to see that we featured a couple in our big pic as well, meaning that our homage is working out perfectly.
• Finally, if you're craving some racing this weekend, Pat has written up a good guide to what you can look out for over the next couple of days. We're looking at A1GP, Touring Cars, and yes, NASCAR. Pat writes this up frequently, so it's always worth keeping an eye out if you're looking for more wheels to watch.

That'll do it for now. Let us know if you're up to anything exciting this weekend, and equally, let us know if you're up to anything not exciting. Yesterday's daily post saw comments about custard, so it's fair to say that anything goes. I'll see you in the comments.

I leave him for just four days and find that the daily post has shifted to arrive just five minutes before the next day begins. I am back now and order will be restored. Because I have no idea what's been going on and Mr C tells me I have missed nothing in F1 news, I will simply regale you with tales of my holiday. To add a twist, though, try and guess which F1 driver I was emulating at the time each event occurred.

• I already mentioned in the comments the moment when I was allowed to take charge of the boat and guide it into a lock. Unfortunately, I managed to bounce off both walls and the other boat that was already inside. Who does that sound like?
• We turned a sharp corner and didn't make it in time, getting stuck in the mud. This required some poles and some serious pushing. It's a little like marshals getting the call to shove a car back on track - who would do that?
• Finally, having worked out how to not injure one's self in the dangerous call of duty that is steering and navigating a 50 foot long boat, I then dismounted and landed in a patch of stinging nettles, causing serious injury to one's right leg. I say serious, there's a bit of a red bit, that's all. However, injuries, right legs, sound familiar?

I won't bore you with anymore holiday stories, because I don't want to be that person, but I will be going through my camera soon, so look forward to holiday snaps shortly. Even if the sun didn't come out until we'd handed the boat back. I'll see you in the comments... after I've caught up.

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Every single part of a Formula 1 car is regulated, right down to the very paintwork and stickers that are applied. The rules are quite strict, although of course, there is no mandating what colours are allowed. That decision is strictly down to the team, and their sponsors. It can sometimes make for very beautiful cars, and sometimes make even the sleekest bodywork look terrible.

However, the FIA mandate that both cars in a team must run the exact same livery. We have seen a few deviations from this recently - in 2008, Rubens Barrichello ran a special livery to celebrate his 257th race start, and in Brazil last year, Coulthard ran a livery dedicated to promoting a charity, albeit for only one lap. This can be approved, as long as everyone agrees to it beforehand.

There was a situation in 1999, where BAR had to change their liveries at the last minute. They wanted to run a different branding on each car for two different cigarettes, but this wasn't allowed. Instead, the team went for a livery that was one half blue, one half white, with a weird zip up the middle. It wasn't a popular livery at all.

All cars must carry the race number and name of the driver within. In recent years, the numbers have been made smaller and smaller, seemingly less important. It used to be that the number was a big part of the car, Nigel Mansell's Red 5 springs to mind, but that gradually died out. However, it does seem to be making a comeback, particularly with the drivers who get to run the number one on their car. The number must be visible from the front of the car, whilst the name just needs to be on the chassis somewhere. The team also have to display their own logo on the nose of the car.

The only other real stipulation comes from the need to be able to tell the two cars apart. Above the drivers head, the onboard cameras are situated, and for the number one driver in any team, it must be coloured a flourescent red, and the number two driver has flourescent yellow. I can tell you from experience, this is only useful if you can remember which way round the colours are assigned and which driver in each team is the number one.

It's so close you can almost feel it, we're starting to get atmospheric pictures from the Sidepodcommunity on the ground in Australia. There's just one more day before things kick off, if you can count tomorrow as a full day. Meanwhile, here's what we've been discussing:

• Two reserve drivers were revealed yesterday, with DC signed up for RBR and STR until poor Hartley can get his superlicence sorted. Meanwhile, Davidson will be the backup for Brawn GP. The BBC are losing their drivers all over the place, aren't they?
• He's plugged it twice in the comments already, so I thought I'd save him coming back and plugging it again. Alex has a predictions game over on Sofa F1 that Mr C signed up for, and somehow I have been talked into it as well. It looks like fun, just a guessing game at the moment, of course. If you're interested, head on over to make your championship predictions.
• Don't forget that if you've got a few minutes, you can post a comment with your short summaries for the F1 Digest - Australia Preview show. There's more info available here, and all I can reiterate for now is the shorter the better.

That'll do it for now. Just think, the next Daily post is due to go up about an hour before the live commenting gets underway. That's a nice feeling, isn't it? There's more info about our schedule for Australia here, and as ever, I will see you in the comments.