Sidepodcast

BBC Gloucestershire Visit Williams F1 at Kemble

If you were following the comments on Sunday, you might have seen Christine mention that we spotted two Williams transporters heading west, likely for a spot of straight-line testing. We've managed to make a couple of these events in the past, but it wasn't possible to do so this week.

Thankfully though, all is not lost as a local BBC News crew went to the trouble of catching up with the Williams F1 team in situ. In the interview below, test team engineer Tom McCullough covers the main points of straight-line testing, while Nico Hülkenberg, the man strongly tipped for a Williams drive next season, gets more seat time in the FW31.

I'm sure it's not a huge coincidence that Nico is running Kazuki's number 17 on the chassis, it's just a shame that we didn't get to see more of the car running at speed and in anger. We've long argued that straight-line testing such as the one happening in the UK this week should receive more publicity, so kudos to Williams for being a little more open about these things.

More information can be found on BBC Gloucestershire, while our coverage from previous tests can be found here:

• Renault Testing in the UK Today
• Bigger and Better Pictures from Kemble
• F1 Testing Pictures from the Archive
• McLaren Testing at Kemble
• More McLaren Testing Today

As a final thought, I do hope that team USF1 make good on their promise to offer more video interaction for F1 fans. In today's low-cost multimedia age, all events such as this one could and should be recorded by teams for publication online. There are no Bernie/FOM/CVC restrictions preventing them from doing so, and it would only take a little bit of thought from those involved to make it happen.

Me and Page 22

The past month and a bit has been a little hectic in the F1 world and we're really only just managing to catch a breath.

Along with a rather packed racing calendar and a London meetup, April kicked off with the delight of opening F1 Racing and finding a certain picture, taken by a certain person featured on Page 22.

In theory this shouldn't have been a particularly eventful moment in my life, partly because the same picture had already been featured in Racecar Engineering magazine, but also because I was expecting the image to be somewhere within F1 Racing when I opened it.

However, the published picture was much larger than expected, filling almost half a printed page, and even included a small Sidepodcast credit in the spine. I might have gotten a little excitable in the comments that morning.

F1 Racing is held in very high esteem in our household, so whilst the monthly purchase of RCE magazine often receives more than its fair share of cheeky backchat, Christine couldn't fail to be impressed by the contents of her favourite read.

And that was before Alex cooked up a site and a plan.

Page 22's adventures have been well documented in the comments and on the podcast already, but just in case you've not taken a look, please have a read of Alex's site and peruse the associated drop at your leisure. The magazine has already played some XBox, conducted scientific experiments, hooked up with other page 22's and enjoyed a trip on a roller-coaster!

Time has marched ever onwards though, and this month's F1 Racing arrived on Friday, with some inconsequential information relating to KERS adorning the now legendary location. The adventures won't stop, mind you. Aitch posted earlier today that his copy has now arrived on the other side of the Atlantic and he's already planning a road trip for Page 22 in the future. If you're going somewhere interesting, why not take the glossy superstar along for the ride?

Many thanks to everyone who made April such a fantastic month for Sidepodcast, and for all the contributions. A massive thank you also to Alex for occupying our minds in between the on track action and especially to F1 Racing for printing such a flipping huge picture.

In Print

A while ago you may remember we posted about McLaren testing at Kemble. The thread kicked off a bunch of debate about whether or not the team were suffering some serious pre-season aero problems, and with hindsight it looks like they very well might have been.

Earlier today we picked up a copy of this months Racecar Engineering magazine, which features a technical rundown of challenges that all the teams face this year, and on page 7 we spotted a familiar looking photograph:

I think it's the first time one of our pictures has ever appeared in print, and as you can imagine we're somewhat excited about it. Huge thanks go to Craig and Sam for getting the shot into the magazine, and we might have to go and buy several copies for sidpodposterity. If you happen to be in your local newsagents, we recommend you grab a copy for yourself too.

As each month passes Christine is finding it more and more difficult to find fault with RCE, it is a little geeky and I probably only understand 50% of what's written, but I think the photographic inclusion this month may have swung in my favour for ever more.

More McLaren Testing Today

The McLaren team are running some more straight-line tests, at that old familiar haunt - Kemble Airport. As you can see from the picture above, the test team have relocated further towards the middle of the airfield.

According to those in the know, this may have something to do with a collection of pictures appearing on the interweb last week, although I can't imagine who'd do such a thing. Mind you, this time last week I couldn't imagine why a team, known to be so secretive they religiously encrypt all of their radio traffic, could be so dumb as to run aero tests right next to a main public road. So what do I know?

Anyhow, it looks like I'm going to have to rent a longer lens and hope the team stick around for the rest of the week. It's still possible to get up close and personal to the car in it's new location, although that would mean taking pictures on what may or may not be private property, and honestly I don't really want to open that can of worms right now.

I can tell you that this morning very little happened. The team spent a lot of time sitting around doing nothing while the engine was repeatedly started and stopped. Eventually Pedro de la Rosa broke cover, revealing that McLaren are still running the slightly crazy "birdcage" to the left of the cockpit, and a full set of green striped Bridgestone tyres. I guess that particular innovation is with us for the rest of the year.

Given how exposed the area is, and that the team appear to be in it for the long term, I'm baffled as to why an agency such as Sutton Images don't send a junior photographer along to the site, complete with a massive lens and buckets more patience than I have?

Come to think of it, why aren't rival teams sending people out there too? Seems like an opportunity missed to me.

McLaren Testing at Kemble

On a cold and overcast February morning, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes turned up for a spot of straight line testing at Kemble Airport in Gloucestershire. Pedro de la Rosa was at the wheel of the MP4-24 but managed just a couple of runs on a damp track before the car stalled whilst the man performed what appeared to be a practice start. Pedro was duly towed back to the awning.

Of note, McLaren arrived on site yesterday with not one, but four transporters along with a fifth running Mobil 1 branding. Sounds to me like we need to start a "McLaren have '09 aero problems" rumour.

Maybe the test crew hadn't wound the car up to its maximum, or maybe they were testing something different, but I found the Mercedes engine to be notably quieter than the Renault during a previous test. Aside from the decidedly odd rear wing, which isn't attractive from any angle, the 2009 McLaren was lovely to see up close, although it did look better when running under its own steam.

We also have to say a big thank you to Graham who let us know the Vodafone transporters had arrived. Very much appreciated.

F1 Testing Pictures from the Archive

As you may recall, Graham Wasey provided us with some wonderful shots of Piquet testing at Kemble last week. Since then he's had chance to trawl through his photo archive and dig out some pictures he took during previous tests at the same airport.

A photograph taken back when the weather was slightly better than we're experiencing now. Apparently Williams were artificially soaking the track, although for what purpose is anyone's guess. Karthikeyan is the man getting soaked in the driving seat.

Narain pulls a 180 on the slippery surface. It's amazing how quickly those aero flip-ups start to look cluttered and dated, isn't it? A beautiful machine though.

Pedro by a nose and a half. The English countryside is a beautiful place to test a Formula One car, and that paintwork positively shimmers under sunlight.

A sharp turn from de la Rosa as he nearly runs out of asphalt. It occurs to me looking at these images, Coulthard missed his cue in life as a straight-line tester. There are no other cars for miles and hardly an obstacle in sight.

Finally, Piquet brings us up to date with the ever popular yellow, orange, red, white and blue livery that I'm not allowed to like, but do really.

As ever, many, many thanks to Graham for allowing us to use these pictures. They are simply wonderful. With rumours abound that in-season testing may resume, at least near the beginning of the season, it'll be interesting to see how long the FIA allow such straight-line testing to continue.

Bigger and Better Pictures from Kemble

Take a look at these gorgeous pictures of Nelson in action earlier today. I'd love to claim them as my own but they actually were taken by Graham Wasey of Leading Edge Aviation Photography.

The nice chap was taking pictures this afternoon with a lens the size of my forearm, and seeing as I had to leave early, Graham kindly offered to keep watch and forward some of his far superior snaps for your viewing pleasure.

We can't thank the man enough for these photographs, and please do check out the gallery on his website if you like what you see.

Somebody ought to give that R29 a wash, it looks filthy out there.