Sidepodcast

Daily: 11th January 2010

How can it possibly be Monday again? Not only is it Monday, but it is a double driver birthday, with both Nakajima and Sutil celebrating the anniversary of their births. Kazuki turned 25, whilst Sutil hits 27 - hurtling towards 30, but don't tell him that! Meanwhile, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Apparently, the organisers at Bahrain are hoping they might regain some of the F1 testing that they have lost to Europe. They appear to be hoping for bad weather conditions in Spain to give them a shot at hosting the teams as they evaluate their new cars. Have they forgotten the last test session they hosted though? Talk about bad weather!
• Over on VivaF1, Maverick has a post about what he's expecting from the cars this year, in terms of aerodynamics and sneaky diffuser designs. It's an interesting post, but all I can think is the cars can't possibly be as ugly as they were this year... can they?
• The official F1 site are running a multi-part series of posts, reviewing the season through the news that was breaking during each month. They've just posted July to September, which was a particularly difficult time of the season for pretty much everyone, I reckon. Still, it's a good way to review the season, with one more part still to come.

That's all for now, let us know how your Monday goes, and as ever, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 6th July 2009

With both Goodwood and Wimbledon over and done with, it's time to regroup and turn our attention back to Formula 1. Sadly, there is little going on at the moment, but things should be ramping up towards the German Grand Prix as the week progresses. Meanwhile, here are some things we're talking about (and it's all self promotion today):

• We're in the midst of my latest mini series now, with five episodes under our belts. Yesterday's episode focused on the process of how an accident is dealt with, including notes on the Safety Car and on the different types of flags.
• We also spent some time yesterday rehearsing things and improving some of the technology we use to produce live shows. We went live for some of the process, and it can be replayed here, but don't panic, there is nothing major in there if you missed it. If you've got a spare two hours, though, feel free to listen to us muddle our way through.
• During yesterday's show, to pass some of the time, we came up with a game where you simply have to sum up each driver in three words. A good example from Steven about Vettel: "Ain’t no Schumi." And I came up with "Dangerous Whilst Pitting" for Nakajima. Have a think and see what you can come up with you.

That'll do it for now. Please feel free to discuss your adventures, if you were out and about this weekend, and discuss anything on your mind if you weren't. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 21st June 2009

It is the longest day, today, the height of summer. It will also be a very long day for our guys out on track, and no doubt for us as well. Also, from here on in, the dark days of winter will be drawing in and it feels that way for Formula 1 as a whole as well, doesn't it? Phew, that was quite the metaphor. Here's some F1 goings on:

• BMW have officially abandoned KERS on their car for this season. Which is odd considering they are the only team who have been "bigging it up" within the regulations side of things. The return of KERS to the car has been delayed and delayed and now it is gone forever.
• Nakajima is starting the race today from a career best position of fifth - which is notably above his teammate for the first time. A lot is made of Alonso's dominance over Piquet but so far Rosberg has enjoyed the same teammate comparison statistics - not anymore.
• Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed completely that Silverstone will make a return if Donington fails to deliver. Which means that Silverstone will make a return. A lot of people said this as soon as the announcement was made, so does Bernie really think he is still fooling people?

That'll do it for now. Join us for live commenting during the race, beforehand for the Parade Lap and afterwards for the live stream of F1 Debrief. It's all go on a race weekend Sunday! I'll see you in the comments.

Britain 2009 - Free Practice 3 Results

Rosberg put in another perfect practice performance to pick up P1 in the morning, and Nakajima was close behind him.

Spain 2009 - Free Practice 2 Results

Williams had a better showing in the afternoon, with Rosberg on fine form and Nakajima just behind him.

Malaysia 2009 - Free Practice 1

Rosberg and Nakajima picked up a 1-2 for Williams. Will the team ever be able to capitalise on their strong practice running?

Australia 2009 - Free Practice 1 Results

Rosberg put the marker down for the first session of the brand new season, with Nakajima close behind him, and both way ahead of everyone else.

And the Best Looking F1 Driver in 2009 Is...

Against all the odds, and rather unexpectedly, Kimi Raikkonen had a late surge in votes to see him take the Sidepodcast Best Looking Driver victory.

We received a total of 164 votes, and after a slow start, it looked as though Nico Rosberg was going to creep into the lead and celebrate victory. However, almost out of nowhere, Kimi suddenly took on a life of his own and snatched glory from his fellow driver. If only he could start doing that out on track a little bit more.

Kimi ended up with 39 votes, with Rosberg collecting 23. Other notable entrants were Alonso with 19, Button on 16, and Webber with 13. Everyone else was below double figures, with four drivers only receiving a single vote: Kovalainen, Massa, Nakajima and Sutil. We suspect Kaz's vote was out of pity as well, as the poor man was the last to get himself off the mark.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the voting, I'm sure Kimi appreciates it and will celebrate in his own unique way. We'll have more polls later in the year.

2009 Key Season for Williams

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

Nico Rosberg has been with Williams for three years, which constitutes his entire F1 career. His loyalty has been rewarded somewhat, with his status as number one driver in the team clear for all to see. However, the German driver has only had two podiums to celebrate in his short time at F1, and you could understand if he was tempted to leave.

Rosberg himself says he will be in a competitive car by the time the 2010 season rolls around, and admits that if it doesn't look like Williams will achieve this, then he will start searching elsewhere. That means 2009 is crucial for Williams to up their game, to hold on to their star driver.

It's not out of the question for Williams to become a prominant team. They have a history of being super competitive, with many world championships to their credit. The team have been in the sport for over thirty years, and have chalked up nine constructor's titles, and seven driver's titles in that enormous space of time. They are the only team left on the grid that exist solely to race, with no other product attached to try and market.

Nevertheless, their last title was in 1997, and over the last ten years the team have slipped slowly down the grid. In 2008, they were a mid-field runner, but there was no sign of them making the jump to the front of the pack.

2009 could see that change. It's an accepted fact that Williams have worked very hard on their KERS device, and are further forward than a lot of other teams on the grid. However, with the effects of the device unknown, plus the fact it won't be introduced straight away, it could just as easily swing the other way for Williams. Their new rear diffuser caused controversy with the other teams, who suggested it might be bending the rules a little too far. However, Max Mosley acknowledged that it was a very clever interpretation of the rules and was perfectly acceptable. Williams Technical Director Sam Michael is so confident that the design is good, he expects to see the other teams copy it in one way or another by the time the Australian Grand Prix gets underway.

With such a season of change upon us, it is Williams' chance to grab some glory, and with Rosberg eager to start winning, they need to make it happen.

Driver Profile - Nico Rosberg

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

Name: Nico Rosberg
Date of Birth: 27th June 1985
Place of Birth: Wiesbaden, Germany
F1 Debut: Bahrain 2006

Rosberg is a truly international driver. His father, Keke Rosberg, a former World Champion, is Finnish, Nico was born in Germany, but grew up and lives in Monaco. He has dual nationality for both Finland and Germany but races under the German flag. He speaks the language fluently, along with English, Italian and French, and he is busy learning Finnish as well.

Rosberg may or may not have been given chances because of the success of the family name, but he has certainly proved his worth as he moved through the lower formulae. He won the Formula BMW championship in 2002, went on to the Formula Three Euroseries, and then up to the GP2 series – which he won.

He was granted a test session with Williams in 2004, and by 2006 he was confirmed as their new driver. On his first race, he finished in the points, and scored the fastest lap, breaking the record for the youngest driver to do so. He has continued to score points and outperform his teammates, with the latest podium finish in Singapore 2008. He also led the race at one point, which was the first time in his career. He also suffered a high speed crash in Monaco, in which he was kept in hospital overnight for observation. He was unhurt though, and was back in the car by the next race weekend.

Rosberg has shown immense loyalty to the Williams team, despite the car being frustrating at times. He is under contract with them until the end of the 2009 season, and although he has said he wants to stay with Williams for as long as possible, there’s no doubt he may get a better offer.

The new regulations will prove one way or the other whether Williams can regain their form this season, and return to the championship winning car they have previously been. Rosberg will want to be with them when they do, but he doesn’t want to be loyal to a team that are not going to make it. Compared to teammate Nakajima, Rosberg has plenty of experience, knows how to set up a car, and is a great asset to Williams. He is very marketable, good looking and easy going when it comes to PR exercises. Williams need to produce a competitive car, or they risk losing a driver with strong potential.