The 12 hours of Sebring is ready to get underway and I'm sulking just a little as Team Peugeot Total haven't put Franck Montagny forward for this round. They're fielding two cars this year, which between them have locked out the front row.
Anthony Davidson is making his debut for Team Peugeot in the pole sitting 908 HDI, alongside Marc Gene and Alexander Wurz. There's also a lack of Audi action, which may take away some of the competitiveness of the race, but we'll still be watching to see how well our favourite F1 commentator will get on. Other ex-F1 names worth keeping an eye on include Sebastien Bourdais in the second placed Peugeot and Jan Magnussen who's son this week signed up to McLaren's young driver programme.
Additionally keep an eye on the official Sebring Raceway site for news. They're also on Twitter, as all good events should be! Our own motorsport Twitter list contains plenty of updates from those at the racetrack too.
The first Grand Prix of 2010 is here and we are desperate to see what happens. Qualifying yesterday was great, so I can't wait to see what unfolds after such a great effort from Vettel and the two Ferrari boys.
Weather Update
So far, we've seen plenty of beautiful sunshine, really high temperatures, and quite a lot of dust as well. The track reached almost 50 degrees yesterday, and I'm expecting more of the same. Humidity looks lower than we've seen, but it's changeable.
One to Watch
Vettel is at the head of the grid and it's up to him to make the race his own. We have no idea what's going to happen in terms of strategy and tyre decisions, but with no refuelling, leading from the front is going to be a bonus.
Predictions Please
Who will get the first win of the year? Will there be any crashes? How will the first corner go down with 24 drivers heading for the same piece of track? Will there be any unexpected retirements? How will everyone handle the heat?
Circuit Guide
Bahrain Circuit Map
Don't forget that comments automatically update on this post, there is no need to refresh the page this year. You can also follow up-to-the-minute session updates via Sidepodcast's Factbyte Factbox
Morning Practice was fascinating, as we watched a wheel fall of Glock's car, Chandhok have to wait and wait and wait, and Hamilton have to give up before the real qualifying setups began. If qualifying is up to its usual standard, we're in for a good one.
Weather Update
In continuing tradition, the weather will be hot and sunny. The temperatures go up and up, and with qualifying on at the same time as FP2, expect the track to hit the 40s pretty quickly. The humidity is lower today, though, although it seems just as dusty.
One to Watch
I don't know about anyone else, but I am keeping firmly glued to Nico's progress. So far he has outshone Michael in all sessions, and if he outqualifies Schumi, there's going to be a riot down in the Mercedes garage. It looks very likely this might happen, too!
Predictions Please
Who will get the glory of the first pole position of the year? Will Rosberg outqualify Schumi? Will drivers find themselves tripping over those new and slow cars? Will there be any surprises in the top ten?
Circuit Guide
Bahrain Circuit Map
Don't forget that comments automatically update on this post, there is no need to refresh the page this year. You can also follow up-to-the-minute session updates via Sidepodcast's Factbyte Factbox
Friday was a relatively tame day in Free Practice terms, and the lack of tyres available to teams may see that trend continuing. However, we still found plenty to discuss, including the Rosberg vs Schumacher battle, and who would manage to get out of the garage at all.
Weather Update
The weather for Saturday looks to be an exact repeat of Friday, with the sun out and bright, visibility good and humidity high. The temperatures may be slightly cooler, but once the cars hit the track, it will likely heat right up again.
One to Watch
All eyes must be on Chandhok because the HRT driver didn't even manage to get in the car during either practice session yesterday, let alone make it to the track. He needs to participate in this first practice or he won't be allowed to continue in qualifying and the race.
Predictions Please
Will Chandhok make it out and how many laps will he complete? Will anyone fall foul of the dust and meet the barriers? What demands will Schumacher make today?
Circuit Guide
Bahrain Circuit Map
Don't forget that comments automatically update on this post, there is no need to refresh the page this year. You can also follow up-to-the-minute session updates via Sidepodcast's Factbyte Factbox
The first session of 2010 was fascinating to watch, even if there wasn't an enormous amount of action. Check out the full results of Free Practice 1 here, but if you want to relive the session as it happened, read on!
Session Started:
12/03/2010 at 06:30 GMT
Session Ended:
12/03/2010 at 08:44 GMT
06:30
Good morning Fact-Fans.
06:32
From @5LiveF1: all quiet in the pitlane, drivers out by the start finish line for the driver photos... calm before the storm...
06:32
From @clubforce: Seemed to be a late night for the most of the paddock, especially the new boys. Just seen Bruno Senna's HRT going to scrutineering
06:35
From @jakehumphreyF1: Off to the grid to film a link for Sunday's opener alongside EVERY driver & car! Also, all living F1 World Champs here this weekend.
As has been suggested so many times before... Kimi?
06:35
"As has been suggested so many times before... Kimi?" was added by the FBFB.
06:39
It was confirmed yesterday that Alain Prost will serve as a steward in Bahrain, one of the first ex-drivers to do so. Full story: Prost joins stewards for Bahrain
From @rf1paddockpass: Engines firing up. 3 mins to go. Vitaly getting settled in the car for his first ever F1 session...
07:00
Green light.
07:00
Trulli out first.
07:04
Top five: Trulli, Alguersuari, Buemi, Kovi and Sutil. Top four back in pits.
07:09
From @sarahholtf1: The new Hispania team are frantically assembling their car with Senna and Chandhok watching. Will they get in the car during this session?
07:10
Glock the only man out on track.
07:11
From @ToroRossoSpy: Installation laps ok. Now in garage for quite a while.
07:11
Chandhok, Senna, di Grassi the only three not to go out at all yet.
07:12
Senna says his car is almost ready to go, but Karun's might not be ready for this session.
07:14
Track temp dropped to 37, air up to 29, wind: 2 m/s from 74.
07:16
From A-Live: This traditional quiet period may extend for some time here, with the usual lack of interest in running on a dusty circuit.
07:18
Both Sauber drivers are hanging out in the garage. Neither have helmets on, neither look to be going out in a hurry.
07:21
Stefano: Ferrari not at the front, behind main competitors but the season is long and he's "staying cool."
07:22
Kovalainen heads out on track.
07:24
From A-Live: Tyre allocation has been reduced this year, with only 11 sets available to each driver. One set of the harder, 'prime' rubber compound must be handed back after this session, so the teams have some motivation to run this morning.
07:26
Karun Chandhok not even in his race overalls.
07:27
First lap time to Kovi: 2:07.702.
07:30
Comment from Mr C: bob bell saying the mclaren wing is "completely illegal".
07:31
Second car to go out - Trulli. Lotus putting in the laps this morning.
07:33
From BBC live thread - Sarah Holt: The intense desert heat is enough to make anything wilt and the atmosphere ahead of 2010's season-opener felt a little subdued as Formula 1 made its first stop in Bahrain. A temperature check on day one clocked 29C and most people stayed hidden in the shade of the wide paddock -there weren't quite the lively, back-to-school spirits experienced at 2009's Australian curtain-raiser.
07:37
Hamilton hits the track, now it's a bit cleaner.
07:40
Funny tweet from @Scott_Joslin_F1: Breaking News! FIA rules Mclaren's wing illegal after it was found out it would take effort from Renault to understand!
07:41
From A-Live: Hamilton is 1.4 seconds quicker than Kovalainen's Lotus through the first sector. Team-mate Button is now on track as well.
07:42
A more representative time from LewHam: 1:57.759
07:44
Maurice Hamilton says talk of new teams being a danger is ridiculous - top drivers should be able to navigate everyone else on the field.
07:44
Lots of drivers heading out of the pit lane now. Hamilton still top for now.
07:45
From @clubforce: action! tonio strapped in the car going out for first run of the day, 7 timed laps, prime tyres
07:49
From A-Live: The newly-extended middle sector with its series of twisting corners is taking over a minute to navigate on these early runs.
07:51
From @adamcooperf1 regarding HRT drivers: They've been watching the on-board footage from other cars to get an idea of what the new section looks like
07:51
From @rf1paddockpass: Main updates on the car for this race: front wing as per Barcelona test, floor and top body.
07:53
Massa overtakes a slower Pedro de la Rosa down the home straight.
07:54
Great comment from James: We just saw what might be the only overtake of the weekend ;)
07:56
Alonso fastest, dropping times down to 1:56.909.
07:59
Vettel has a bit of an off. Many drivers have done so, finding the limits of the track. The new section of track is rather bumpy as well. Replays show several cars sending sparks flying.
08:00
Comment from Steven: Michael is not happy #shame
08:03
Kovi says back of his seat is really hot and he's burning.
08:03
Or his feet. One or the other.
08:04
Mike Gascoyne says hydraulic line is touching his leg, they can insulate it no problem.
08:06
Sutil in P1 - 1:56.888
08:07
From @LiamWF1: Power supply problems on the pod on Rubens side of the garage has slightly delayed his programme in P1
08:08
Senna in the car, ready to hit the track.
08:09
The Hispania car heads out for the first time ever (with a bit of a push) - the Senna name returns to F1... tentatively.
08:12
Bruno back in the garage again, installation lap complete.
08:13
15 minutes to go - track temperature up to 42 degrees.
08:15
A-Live: Adrian Sutil found another tenth of a second during that first serious run of laps. The best time is now 1m56.583s. Seven drivers are within one second of his pace.
08:17
Speed traps:
S1 - SUT 249 km/h
S2 - BUT 275 km/h
S3 - HAM 290 km/h
Trap - HAM 331 km/h
08:19
From @clubforce: both drivers reporting a big bump through turn six that unsettles the car in a big way
08:21
Glock is out on track in the Virgin Racing car, di Grassi remains in the garage.
08:23
Ten minutes to go, seven drivers still in the pits. Chandhok not been out at all. Senna been out for one lap, di Grassi two.
08:25
Kovalainen completed the most laps so far - 18 and still going.
F1 is back and it's in Bahrain! The season returns with the desert replacing Albert Park as the opening round. Free Practice gets underway with 24 drivers ready to hit the track and show everyone what they can do.
Weather Update
Bahrain is all about the sunshine and FP1 should have good weather throughout. The temperature looks to be around the 30 degree mark, whilst humidity is high at roughly 85%.
One to Watch
When we were testing out the Factbyte Factbox, we ran through a dry run of today's Free Practice 1, and Mr C declared that Mark Webber was the fastest at the end. I am curious to find out if that comes true. If it is, Mr C is buying us a lottery ticket.
Predictions Please
It's the first proper track action of the year, we need to know what you think will happen. Who will be the first to fly off the track? Will all the cars make it to the end of the session safely? Who will be the fastest and get the first headlines of the year?
Circuit Guide
Bahrain Circuit Map
Don't forget that comments automatically update on this post, there is no need to refresh the page this year. You can also follow up-to-the-minute session updates via Sidepodcast's Factbyte Factbox
Say hello to Wednesday as we reach the middle of the week. Who is getting unbelievably excited for Free Practice on Friday then? Yesterday we were discussing whether it was acceptable to leave a wedding early so you can watch qualifying. I say yes, how about you? Meanwhile, here are the other things we're talking about:
The Factbyte Factbox had a radical overhaul yesterday and finally completed the goal we had in mind for it since it debuted a year ago - live updates. There's more information about what we're trying to achieve, and what happened during the brief test last night on this post. Don't worry if you missed it, though, it'll be back plenty of times during the season!
It was a day for refreshing websites yesterday, as McLaren launched their new site, Williams had a fresh lick of paint, and Autosport introduced a new 2010 Season Guide. The new season preview edition of Grand Prix Plus emerged yesterday as well, so make sure you check that out if you haven't already. All good stuff that should keep you busy for a little while!
Whilst doing a bit of admin for F1 Big Picture, it occurred to us that we'd fallen into our trap of introducing concepts and not really telling anyone about them, so we decided that for 2010 we'd try and be a bit more transparent - or at least plug things more. This post over on F1 minute explains the pattern our Big Pictures take ahead of each race.
That should do it for now. There's more good stuff to come today, so we'll be keeping busy, but I will see you in the comments.
Since Christmas, we have stepped back from live streaming the podcast recordings on a Sunday night. Most of the issues are down to server and technical bits and pieces, but it also takes the pressure off us on a weekend. We want to make the live streaming as good as it can be, and putting a halt to proceedings is the easiest way to evaluate what we're doing.
To keep you all in the loop, we're not planning to bring back live streaming over the next few weeks, but it is our aim to return to the world of live before the season gets underway. Either way, we'll definitely be back for the first race.
You're not missing anything, as when we do off-line shows, it isn't half as much fun as it is when we're watching the comments. I do promise to keep finding the outtakes for you, though, because it's only fair you get to see us mess up, even if we're not streaming the process.
But wait! It's not all bad news. We do have some live streaming to bring to you. Parade Lap host Alex Andronov managed to acquire a PRS licence and began a weekend radio show, bringing a couple of hours of music, live streamed into your ears. Proper music as well! It's brilliant.
As our first ever guest broadcast, one in which we are not involved at all, we are opening up a thread for the Giggles Radio phenomenon, allowing listeners to watch and comment right here on Sidepodcast. The show isn't really F1 related, other than the fact that, erm, Giggles is an F1 fan, and sometimes he plays songs that mention cars. I think that is tenuous enough for us.
Giggles Radio takes a different letter of the alphabet each episode, and plays songs surrounding that letter. We've already seen A, B and C, and in case you missed them, we have posted the replays in a dedicated category. You can find them here:
I've also entered the latest Giggles Radio show into the Calendar, and it just so happens it will take place today, starting at 4pm UK time. Alex is much better at sticking to a schedule than we are here at Sidepodcast, so make sure you checkout the Giggles Radio thread later this afternoon.
With the introduction of the daily post, and the permission granted to go off topic at will, there have been a wealth of comments about a variety of topics. Sometimes there are moments of genius, and a comment gets picked out as a contender for the Best Comment of the Year. RG even started a wiki page to compile what turned out to be an enormous list of potentials.
The initial plan was to have a poll and select the Best Comment of 2009. However, there are so many good ones that I think it would be too hard to choose. Instead, we'll pick out some of our favourites, and point you in the direction of the wiki to enjoy the full list.
Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled when you are in the comments this year, as we have started a new page for 2010, and there are already several candidates on there already. We're only three days in! For now, though, it's back to 2009 for a few of the great comments.
It's the Way You Tell 'Em
Before the long and drawn out process of picking a new FIA President was fully underway, we were discussing Max's decision not to stand for the position for another term. Max has said this a few times, and you can never be sure if he means it. When the question arose: "Are we taking [Max's decision] with a pinch of salt or is it the real deal?" Nick replied:
Max's promises come ready salted.
When Stuart went away from home to cover the WTCC at Porto, he still found time to share a couple of comments from the paddock. We were questioning the setup for media types at the touring car events, and wondered whether there was wifi available. Stuart replied:
Sort of - it comes and goes more than the Karma Chameleon...
Now, there is plenty of proof littered through the comments that Steven Roy's keyboard hates him. Some of the typos that occur are quite amusing, and even create some of the words that make it to the Sidepoddictionary. When a conversation occured about the film Deep Impact, Steven wrote: "Just decided this film is utterly unrealistic. They spotted the comment a year before impact. The last thing that came close to the Earth was spotted a week in advance."
Rachel read the movie review and replied:
Must have been one explosive comment.
Next up, at some point during the summer Mr C and I were very much in the mood for heading out of doors. It doesn't happen that often but at one point, Mr C revealed that for the third day in a row, he was going outside. Amy wasn't all that impressed:
This is becoming far too frequent. This is not outsidepodcast.
Nick was in Abu Dhabi during the Grand Prix weekend and claimed that it had hosted the best race of the year. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't shake his belief. Jackie turned up in the comments asking after him: "Is Nick back from his travels yet?" And Steven, no doubt exasperated by the positive GP reviews, replied:
No, he is still on a different planet.
Finally, Jon was struggling to get his links to work in the live comments. It became an established fact that Jon's links weren't functional and he said: "I have an ability." To which Boston Red Scott replied:
You see dead links?
Those are just a couple of our favourites but make sure you head over to the entire list and have a read through. It's a year in crazy comments, and seeing some of them taken out of context just makes them even more amusing. I can't wait to see what we come up with in 2010.
We have arrived at the last live show of the year and we intend to make it a good one. Yesterday we covered all the F1 news to leave this show free to be our end of year Sidepodparty.
We've got awards to be handed out, Christmas music to be played, alcohol to be consumed and festive treats to enjoy. We'll also be attempting to follow last year's Sidepodchristmas Carol, so start warming your voices up!
We'll hopefully be going live at 8pm GMT, so stick around and join us as we celebrate the year that was 2009.
