We had a hectic Japan race followed by moving house followed by the championship deciding Brazil GP. It's fair to say things are a bit hectic at Sidepodcast Towers, but we're still loving every minute of it. In this week's F1 Debrief we have two weeks worth of news to catch up on plus all the action from Interlagos.
We'll be live as soon as possible, and I hope you can join us in the comments. The replay will be up after the stream is finished, and an edited podcast of the show will follow over the next few days. But for now, we'll see you in the stream.
This weekend may see a brand new Formula One World Champion crowned, and what better place to witness the event than Interlagos, Brazil. The Autódromo José Carlos Pace has played host to the last five title deciding races, most notably the unprecedented battle between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa in 2008.
However, if things don't go Jenson Button's way on Sunday the decider will run into the final race of the year at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Whilst we have nothing against new circuits and we have yet to see what Abu Dhabi has on offer, it does feel fitting that Interlagos should again be the place that the championship winner gets crowned. Having said that, I believe a lot a people felt the same thing about the race in Suzuka a fortnight ago.
In the comments during Free Practice 2 today, Journeyer offered up a tough question that we figured should be put to vote - of the two historical circuits, both of which recently hosted championship deciding races, which track would you prefer to see crowing the WDC?
Just in case you're easily led, Journeyer had this to say on the subject:
It's a tough one, but I'm picking Suzuka. It beats Interlagos in terms of quantity and quality. Not only did it bear witness to 10 title deciders, they were mostly epic too. Who could forget Senna and Prost colliding in 1989 and 1990, Damon Hill's tearful victory in 1996, Schumacher stalling in 1998, then gaining the ultimate glory for Ferrari in 2000? These, and many other memories, are the reasons why I choose Suzuka.
Do you agree? Get voting now.
Which Circuit Hosts the Best Championship Showdown?
Interlagos 52% (34 votes)
Suzuka 40% (26 votes)
Other 8% (5 votes)
Total voters: 65
We have taken the liberty of adding a third option of "other", on the off chance someone might actually want the title to go down to the wire and to the final race of the year.
As well as voting we'd love to hear your reasons, so please don't be afraid to say why in the comments.
It is time for us to head straight into round 2, otherwise known as the quarter-finals. We're continuing the double matchup per post until the semi finals, meaning all those going through will be decided over the course of the weekend. Let's get straight into the voting.
Monza vs. Interlagos
Monza beat off the competition in the first round by a huge margin - 119 to Shanghai's 11. So did Interlagos, who faced off against the unpopular Valencia. Now, the Italian track meets the long-time season closer Brazil. I have no inkling how this one might go, so get voting and I can find out!
Monza vs. Interlagos
Monza 59% (63 votes)
Interlagos 41% (44 votes)
Total voters: 107
Spa vs. Singapore
We all thought the first round competition between Spa and Silverstone would be huge, but in fact, Spa beat the British track fairly easily. Having faced off such a heavyweight, the Belgium track now takes on the streets of Singapore, which still seems to be riding on it's night race novelty.
Following on from the success of the first Character Cup, we are making things a little less personal by looking at the circuits themselves rather than those who drive on them. The matchups have been selected in a highly technical fashion (out of a hat) and the process can be viewed here.
From an admin point of view, there are 16 circuits, each from the 2009 calendar. We have dropped Abu Dhabi, as it hasn't yet been built, let alone had a chance to display what character it has. In this first round of matchups we will feature two battles - a total of four circuits. Each round will be up for 24 hours, with the poll being closed in time for the next round to appear - and that should be at 9pm BST each evening.
We'll be whittling the circuits down to crown the one with the most character, and you can follow the progress on the wiki. (Props to RG for creating the page almost seconds after the initial video was released.) Without further ado, let the voting commence.
Monza vs. Shanghai
This first matchup is a case of old versus new, as Monza has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since the very beginning, whilst Shanghai appeared only in recent years. Whilst Monza may not have the facilities of the supposed state-of-the-art Chinese venue, there is a lot to be said for making your fans feel at home.
Monza vs. Shanghai
Monza 92% (119 votes)
Shanghai 8% (11 votes)
Total voters: 130
Interlagos vs. Valencia
It's impossible to write this little blurb about Valencia and Brazil whilst still remaining impartial. I am 100% certain which way the vote will swing on this one, and that would be the case even if the 2008 races at both venues weren't still reverberating around our minds.
The final race episode for 2008, and what a Grand Prix to talk about! From the early moments of Free Practice through to the podium non-celebrations, we take a look at all the gossip from Brazil.
Intro
Can't believe there's other things to talk about before we get to discuss the race, but here goes.
Good Week / Bad Week
Good week for charity with Coulthard's new livery, and Portugal get yet more F1 action. Bad week for a sick Trulli and Jacques Villeneuve's singing career (possibly).
News and Views
We take a closer look at the standard engines fallout, with Ferrari finally turning against the FIA. We also dissect the FIA's statement and ask five important questions.
Qualifying
A brief look at what happened in qualifying, with Alonso not matching his practice form, Honda having fuel problems, Williams fall from grace and Massa's easy pole position.
The Race
It was all about the beginning and the end, with the rain making all the difference in the world. The way intermediate and dry tyres cope with the racetrack meant the last corner of the race was the most exciting thing we've ever seen.
Feedback
Just one question - how do the FIA make sure that two-race engines are actually used for two races without being tampered with?
We've been building up to this for an entire season, and really, it all comes down to the first corner. Massa has the edge over his rival and starts from pole position. Hamilton is where he needs to be in terms of points, but in the middle of a very busy pack. 100 yards and a left hand bend, and the race can be won or lost.
Of course there are 71 laps after that, and with uncertain conditions, it really is anyone's guess as to what is going to happen. Amazingly, Trulli put his Toyota in second position on the grid. I have no idea what their strategy is, are they really that competitive, are they running light to get into the mix, do they even have a plan? I will be fascinated to know what Trulli's gameplan is and whether he will become the Ultimate Trulli Train for yet another Grand Prix.
Aside from that, we have Kovalainen just ahead of Alonso, meaning their battle is going to be intense. My money is on Alonso, of course, but perhaps Kovi will put in a last ditch super drive to save the face of himself and his team.
Further back, Kubica couldn't qualify well for the second weekend in a row. He's obviously struggling with his car, which is unfortunate, as Heidfeld has just started to get to grips with his. He's just in front of Coulthard, who was also hoping for better for his last race. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he can stay out of trouble and have a nice clean race. It doesn't look like scoring points will be an option, but you never know, and it'd be nice for him to go out in style (because the new livery isn't helping).
Let's get on with it then, here are some links that might be useful:
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.
The final qualifying for 2008 provided no end of surprises and sets up the grid nicely for the championship battle. It managed to stay dry and still keep us guessing.
Free Practice 3
Alonso repeated his success of yesterday by popping his Renault onto the top of the timesheets in the dying moments of the session, although all eyes were on the McLaren / Ferrari battle - which Hamilton won.
Qualifying
Lots of surprises in store today, with some drivers failing to live up to the crowds expectations, some failing to live up to their own expectations, and some completely surpassing ours.
Conclusions
Many, many teams seem to be disappointed with their day's work, and only Vettel admitted to having fun out on track today. It's been a long season and this is the last race in what has been an incredibly tight competition. As Massa said, anything can happen.
Alonso did it again! He jumped from a relatively normal position on the timesheets to the very, very top in the dying moments of Free Practice 3. Now, either he has really found some pace, or he's just messing with everyone's heads, and either way, I'm loving it. I can't wait to see what he can manage to achieve in qualifying. The Ferrari / McLaren battle was won by the boys from Woking today, as the Italian team had Massa in 4th, but Raikkonen all the way down in 12th.
The weather was nice and dry, as predicted, and it looks like we'll see more of the same for our drivers. The humidity is quite high, but temperatures are not soaring as you would expect from Brazil. With the anti-clockwise track, I'm sure everyone is thanking their lucky stars, and we haven't seen anyone looking particularly under strain just yet.
Things to watch out for in qualifying include Alonso, as I mentioned above, but also Kovalainen. He's determined to try and prove that he can be useful to McLaren, and said his aim is to win the race. This is quite a lofty ambition considering recent performance, but with unknown conditions expected, starting from pole position could be useful. Vettel also seems to be hovering in the top ten, and could play an important part in proceedings today, and Webber is outshining his retiring teammate in rather unfortunate style.
Elsewhere, Kubica was complaining about his car (what's new), narrowing the problem down to aero, which isn't exactly helpful. Heidfeld seemed a lot happier with his machinery today than he was yesterday, and finished FP3 up in 6th place, just ahead of Bourdais. The Williams boys don't seem to be having a good weekend at all, and neither do Honda, although the latter have admitted they weren't expecting to be fast anyway.
We'll be in the Live Commenting Live... Thing, keeping our fingers crossed that the site manages to stay up for the full hour. Please join us and give us your predictions for qualifying, let us know who you thinks going to be strong, and who's going to fall at the first hurdle.
Thankfully, ITV do know about qualifying so we will be watching that, whilst looking at the live timing, and probably tuning in to 5live as well. Live Timing appeared to have it sussed today, so hopefully we can rely on it for accurate information. See you in the comments!
Yesterday didn't really give us too much concrete information to work on. It looked as though Ferrari had the edge, slightly, which is surprising considering the cold conditions. Hamilton appeared to be on top form, but his afternoon times didn't seem to reflect that. Alonso managed to put the boot in, by topping the timesheets at the very last second, which has no doubt set some minds whirling.
Going into Saturday in Brazil, early weather forecasts look like the rain has cleared up for the moment. We saw some very light rain yesterday, but it appears today will be dry. The wind may be a factor, a couple of drivers complained that things were tricky for them during the first two practice sessions.
For today, we will still need to be keeping an eye on the Massa and Hamilton battle, but there are plenty of other drivers to look out for. Kubica was running quite far down the order for a lot of Friday, and although improvements came for both BMW drivers by the end of the day, it's worth watching. BMW are notorious for not worrying about speed during practice, however, so I'm sure they will prove me wrong.
Free Practice 3 should be all about the tyres, as well. With the damp track yesterday, we saw a couple of spins, and a lot of drivers were concerned about getting the most out of the tyres, especially the soft compound. Graining seemed to be a problem, but thankfully the dreaded bumps appear to not have resurfaced... yet.
As ever, ITV aren't aware there is a third session of Free Practice, so we will be searching for video streams on the web. 5live Sports Extra hasn't let us down yet, and it doesn't look like they'll be starting now. We'll have the Live Timing up, although it's reliability is to be questioned. I hope you can join us in the Live Commenting Live... Thing. Follow that link or click the triangle in the corner.
It was a quiet start to the weekend, with Massa and Alonso getting the first chance at glory. Hamilton wasn't far behind though, and the damp track sets things up nicely for qualifying.
Free Practice 1
It was all about Massa and Hamilton as they duked it out for the first taste of headlines. Massa won this round, whilst Kimi found himself spinning round.
Free Practice 2
Alonso took some of the heat off the two championship rivals by stealing the top spot, and Trulli also finished well up the order, despite not feeling too well yesterday.
Conclusions
Most of the team concerns seem to be about the weather and about tyres. Presumably one affects the other, and the data they gathered today would appear to be of the utmost importance. Both Hamilton and Massa appear to still be supremely confident going into Saturday at Brazil.
