Testing begins in earnest today, with all the teams we've seen already in action returning, and hopefully some new ones! We had so much information coming out of the last test that we know as much as it is possible to know, with the usual caveat of fuel loads applying. More of the same today, please!
Talking of new things, Red Bull are due to launch today. We're expecting big things from Adrian Newey, but I have a sneaky feeling that it's going to be very similar to last year's car, just like the Force India did yesterday.
King of the Twitpic during the last test was Craig Scarborough, as we discussed in this week's F1 Debrief. Now, Scarbs F1 has set up his own blog, and you need to head on over and subscribe right now. It all goes over my head, obviously, but I recommend it to all!
I mentioned in yesterday's F1 Minute that Jean Todt has been talking about all things F1, and whilst he drew short of making any plans, he had some interesting things to say. He's disappointed KERS was scrapped, is in favour of cost cutting but not budget caps, and won't stay forever like a certain Mr Mosley tried to.
That should do for now. We'll have threads for testing and the launch today, so I will see you in the comments.
Hello and welcome along, thank you for joining me for another episode of our F1 Advent Calendar 2009 mini series. We're about midway through December now, and moving on from the Hungarian Grand Prix - at last! What will we find behind the door of Day Fifteen - Take My Place.
Max Mosley had already confirmed that he would not be running for the FIA Presidency again, seemingly as part of the deal to halt the FOTA breakaway. He's said things like that before, though, and it wasn't until potential replacements began popping up, that I really thought it might happen. Jean Todt was the obvious candidate for the role, but it was Ari Vatanen who peaked our interest.
The Finn announced his intentions in late July, saying: "I think the time has come for a change. My main focus is to reconcile views within the FIA and bring transparency to its stakeholders. The duty of President is to defend a billion automobilists and the great sport of ours." As a former World Rally Champion, Ari certainly had the credentials on the sporting side, but it was the political side where he faced most of his opposition.
Ari said a lot of good things. He appealed to fans, and he was a fresh face in what has become an increasingly stale organisation. He talked the talk and he hit out at Mosley, which went down well in a sport that has been dominated by the man and his decisions.
His campaign started out well, but he began to run out of steam. When he announced his cabinet, most of the names were a bit of a mystery, and although he had some support, it seemed to be less vocal than the support for Todt. The lack of momentum put pressure on Vatanen, who responded in less than ideal ways.
Firstly, he criticised the FIA Foundation, suggesting that hiring a private jet to fly Jean Todt's girlfriend around the world might be showing a bit of favouritism. The Foundation rebuffed the claims instantly. Michelle Yeoh was an ambassador for the foundation, and an actress and name in her own right, not just Jean Todt's girlfriend. Whoever is right in that argument, it didn't reflect well on Mr Vatanen.
Next, he complained again about favouritism - this time suggesting that Mosley had told him he had already pledged allegiance to Jean Todt. The instant reaction to this is to wonder about whether the current president should be expressing such an opinion, but it was the circumstances that rebounded on to Ari. He revealed that in asking Mosley to favour him, Mosley had said he favoured Jean. Ah. That's slightly different.
Jean Todt and his cabinet capitalised on this, with a letter to member clubs saying: ""In our campaign, we have emphasised teamwork and the need for the mobility and motor sport pillars to work together. In contrast, the negative tone of our opponent's campaign risks undermining the unity of the FIA. Our team recognises that there is far more that unites than divides the clubs of the FIA."
Once again, it was not a surprise when October rolled around, the elections took place, and Jean Todt became the new FIA President. We had been backing Vatanen from the start, but Todt's campaign made more and more sense as the weeks passed, and it was clear that Vatanen wasn't quite right for the role. As yet, we don't know whether Todt is the right man either. We will have to wait and see... either way, no more Max.
That is all for this episode of our F1 Advent Calendar. I hope you're enjoying the series so far, feel free to email me your comments at christine at sidepodcast dot com. I will be back tomorrow with Day Sixteen.
On this week's non-race F1 Debrief, we take a look at the FIA elections, the possibility of an even greener F1 in the future, and preview the next Grand Prix at Abu Dhabi.
Intro
It's been so long since we've done a non-race Debrief, we might have forgotten how to do it!
Good Week / Bad Week
It's been a good week for Abu Dhabi as they've sold out, but a bad week for Donington who seem to be running out of time... maybe.
News and Views
We take a look at how the various members of Brawn GP celebrated their championship success, plus a quick glimpse at the future of the FIA now that Jean Todt is in charge. We also preview the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Feedback
A couple of voicemails and emails, looking back at the Japanese Grand Prix controversy, some issues with downloading shows, and a new blogger joins the ranks.
Housekeeping
Two exciting bits of housekeeping including our first ever Sidepodcompetition, and the fact that Sidepodcast version 3.0 is beginning to take shape.
This week we have no race to talk about which means we can turn our attention to more pressing matters - namely the news of the week, plus lots of your feedback. Naturally, we can't escape mentioning Mr Todt.
Don't let that put you off though, we are remarkably upbeat considering the events of the week, the technical glitches we're still facing, and the fact that we were still moving house as of yesterday. We'll be live as soon as we can, join us, won't you?
With Mr Todt's arrival at the head of the FIA comes the news that there will be a commissioner assigned to each world championship that the governing body oversees. That means we are looking at a brand new name placed in charge of F1, and there is plenty of speculation around as to who it might be.
In the comments, earlier today, Lukeh turned this into a fun game rather than idle speculation, by suggesting:
I think the fans should be allowed to apply to be F1 Commissioner and then be given 150 words maximum to explain why they should be.
My statement of intent would be:
Because I want to give Rubens a hug and I suppose the F1 would be nice too
Mr C and I think this to be a marvellous game, and have since been coming up with some of our own. Mine would go something like this.
I would like to be F1 Commissioner so I can bring back: Michelin, Franck, testing, one lap qualifying, non-green striped tyres, refuelling... and the Fosters girls.
It's interesting that everything I would improve are things that have already existed but been taken away from the sport. That is a whole other post though, I think.
In the interests of whiling away a Saturday evening, how would your pitch sound? Don't forget, 150 words or less. Mr. C?
The news we were waiting for yesterday was not as exciting as one might have expected, as it wasn't really a surprise, was it? Nevertheless it has captured the imagination of many:
Pat isn't particularly impressed, putting it mildly. Ollie is reserving judgement until we have seen what Mr Todt can come up with. Bootneck is equally not happy about the appointment, whilst Dan takes a look at the challenges that face Jean for his presidency. Don't forget there is a breakout thread full of thoughts about the appointment, and we'd like to hear views.
We were all sad at the news that Dank was giving up his Red Bull focused blog, but fear not, he is still writing. This time the Motorsport Musings blog is taking a look at a wider range of subjects, starting with Loeb. Yay for blogging!
Finally, a couple of Sidepodupdates. Last night, we posted the long-awaited breakdown of where some of your very kind donations have gone. It was also good to get the latest Aside with Joe show posted, after a lot of hard work and swearing at software by Mr C.
That should keep you occupied for now, but let us know if you are doing anything more exciting we need to know about. As ever, I will see you in the comments.
After 16 years in power, today is Max Mosley's final day as president of motor-racing's governing body, the FIA. By the close of play, either Jean Todt or Ari Vatanen will have succeeded him.
A majority vote will be required by a candidate, but from where we're sitting, it does appear that the outcome will favour Todt. If you're interested in the political machinations that seem to forever dominate motorsport, and if you're following the events going on in Paris, then this is the thread to discuss matters.
Update: Jean Todt has secured a majority vote with 135 votes to 49.
Update: FOTA have released a statement welcoming Jean Todt to the FIA Presidency. Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said:
I would like to send my best wishes to Jean Todt in his new role, as I have always appreciated his ability, dedication and commitment. I am sure that, under his guidance, the Federation will be rejuvenated and will restore a climate open to dialogue and constructive collaboration with the teams and FOTA, thus ensuring stability of the regulations and the whole environment.
Update: Maurice Hamilton is suggesting that Jean Todt will likely had the appointment of F1 commissioner to Michael Schumacher.
We will of course post updates as information becomes available.
We have reached Friday at long last, and it is, of course, FIA elections day. I have no doubt it will be impossible to avoid it, and we may even have another breakout thread at long last! Still, I would like to reserve the daily as my F1 Happy Place, thank you.
The first most important thing to mention is in answer to a question Adie asked yesterday. If, as is looking very likely right now, Mr Todt becomes FIA President, Sidepodcast will continue. You have nothing to fear.
It appears that Lucas di Grassis is intent on getting a seat next year, and not content with talking to his current employers Renault for a 2010 drive, he's also been in deep discussions with new team Manor. This news will make Amy and myself very happy, I'm sure.
RG has written about the decision Toyota have to make regarding Timo Glock driving for them in Abu Dhabi. He's missed two races already and as yet there's no word on whether he'll be fit and back in the car for the final race of the season.
That'll do it for now. Mr C will have an Aside with Joe show up at some point in the early hours, no doubt, so keep an eye out for that. I'll see you in the comments.
The dreaded FIA elections are drawing closer, and Lukeh has resurrected his video, in support of Ari Vatanen. Here, he explains why he made the video, and the reasons behind his choice of candidate.
As you most probably know by now, by the end of this month the FIA will have a new president in charge - this individual being Ari Vatanen or Jean Todt. The FIA obviously keeps check of all sorts of motorsports away from Formula 1 but as an F1 fan, I feel that Mr Vatanen is the man that can bring the change to an authority that is so often criticised by us fans.
The video that I made gets straight to the point concerning my support and my frustration at what the FIA has turned into. For me to get my point across clearly, I felt it necessary to have the song ‘Uprising’ by Muse (despite my own personal bias towards the band) to highlight the growing tensions and frustrations at the control the FIA have over us and the sport. As fans having a change in who’s in charge could benefit us in a massive way and the video is simply my own personal way of speaking out and supporting change.
"They will not control us". For too long Mr Mosley has seen it in his own will to change rules and change ideas without the fans support and bring in new things that I personally feel have let us F1 fans down. I will happily admit to you reading that I do not know the ins and outs of the politics, the reasons into various changes in F1 at times, and the more technical sides of things, but everything I do know about the FIA and some of the decisions they have made under Mr Mosley have been ridiculous and it is time for a change with Ari Vatanen. We deserve better as Formula 1 fans, and we deserve a sport that we want to see, not a sport that the FIA thinks is best for us.
"They will stop degrading us". No matter how much they plead it, Max Mosley, and the FIA, does not appear to care about the fans. The biggest example has to go towards ticket prices. Why is it, despite their constant promises in the past, that ticket prices are so extortionate? Sure, it is not just Formula 1 and other motorsports seeing ticket prices at a ridiculous level, but when the FIA is so intent on cutting costs, it is still us fans paying the price in more ways than one. Mosley has let the sport down time and time again, and I feel that under Ari Vatanen the FIA can change its ways and take Formula 1 back towards what it should be.
It seems that, to a lot of people who have been following this, that Jean Todt has already won before the results are in later this month and before the election occurs. It would be ignorant to brush aside the fact he does have major support from Mosley and Ecclestone, and he has a very rich history in Formula 1. For me, though, this history is partly the reason why I can’t support Todt. It would also be ignorant to say that Mosley has never done anything good as president – the safety aspect of Formula 1 has been improved to no end under his rule and it’s an area both the FIA and Mosley deserve credit for improving immensely.
However, I honestly feel that the FIA has to take a different direction to succeed after the years of Mosley’s rulings. The frustration at the FIA as it has acted over the past few years led me to making this video and showing my support for Mr Vatanen. It’s straight to the point and it is effective in producing the message I’m trying to reach out with, and with Vatanen’s words closing the video in what he wants to bring to the FIA, it backs up every hope I have for him winning this election.
We all have our own opinions about politics in Formula 1 and I know that there will be people who will object to Ari in the same way I do about Jean Todt’s campaign. The last thing I would want to do is to simply throw down my feelings on any of you and try to force you to agree, this is simply explaining why the video was made and why I personally support Ari’s campaign. I respect what Jean Todt’s manifesto explains and reveals, but I just feel that Ari has the stronger campaign behind him to do what is best for the FIA’s future, and for me, Formula 1’s future.
It’s quite a privilege and a humbling feeling to know that Ari has seen my video and supports the message being portrayed within the small clip that I made, the ultimate compliment for the supportive video. I just hope that, as Mr Vatanen said himself, sense prevails.
This week's post-Singapore debrief takes in such difficult topics as the Renault hearing, who will be where in 2010, and whether the FIA need to pay more attention to their superlicences.
Intro
We tease our discussion of the epic and wonderful Sidepodradio.
Good Week / Bad Week
Good week for Singapore lighting crews, and Jean Todt, but a bad week for Lewis Hamilton's Italian and the BBC coverage this weekend.
News and Views
Naturally there's a lot of Renault talk as we wonder what the result means for Formula 1. We listen to two voicemails, then turn our attention to the future, of the calendar, of teams and of drivers.
The Race
We talk about the battle between Red Bull and Brawn, and how Button seemed to overcome all the odds to finish well. Most of the discussion centres around Sutil, though, and Mr C is not impressed.
Fantasy Racers
They... weren't ready.
Feedback
Another voicemail talking about the BBC and their interviewing skills. Plus a couple of emails catching up on the past couple of weeks.
Housekeeping
We discuss how brilliant Sidepodradio was, and how we're going to distribute it to you all - namely, lots of files in the podcast feed all in one go. Enjoy!
