Sidepodcast

Fantasy Racers 2010 - Bahrain Reminder

Fantasy Racers is back and this time it's blog-only! We're not going to be talking about it in the show as the rule changes make it just that little bit too wordy for a short podcast section. However, it's taking pride of place on the blog and this is where you come in. I have selected Strategy 2, which is the option to not change your drivers but have a higher starting budget. Therefore, I will run out of things to say about my team very quickly. I want you to tell me about your team, who you're choosing and why. Email your thoughts to christine@sidepodcast.com and I will publish them in the next reminder thread.

For now, though, we have a league this year called Panda Racing 2010. You can get more information on joining up on this post, and please do! We'd love to have you. My team is called Chief Operating Panda, for obvious reasons. As mentioned above, I'm sticking with the same drivers throughout so my choice was important. I've gone with:

• Fernando Alonso
• Lewis Hamilton
• Sebastian Vettel
• Lucas di Grassi

I think I've got a good mix of championship potential and deliciousness. Who are you going for?

I had a message from Simon, part of which we read out in the latest debrief and part of it I saved for this post, as it related to his Fantasy Racers. Here are his thoughts:

I went for the 45m version, as my internet access is sporadic at best and therefore may not be able to change this during the season. My team is: Kamui, Lewis, The Hulk, Rubens, Kubica.

My reasons: I thought Kamui's performances in the last two races in 2009 were outstanding, the most exciting F1 debut since Lewis. Following the yawnfest that was the arrival of Buemi, Bourdais, Speed etc. etc. it was great to see a young driver with almost no F1 testing drive that well. I am delighted that he secured a drive following the demise of Toyota - so he was a must, my first name on the list.

Then Lewis, because it would be churlish to not have the man who will win the world championship in your fantasy team. Next Nico. I have been very impressed with his performances during pre-season testing and I also have a hunch, or is it just a hope (I miss the good old days of Hill etc.), that Williams will be competitive this year.

This left me with 17m to spend. So I had two choices: get one more top driver (would have been Vettel - I couldn't bring myself to pick someone in a red car!) and then have 5m left - not enough to get another, so wasted money, or get two 'best of the rest ' drivers. Rubens, for the Williams reason mentioned above, and because Rubens came to F1 around the same time I did and I have always liked him. Kubica, because well, I definitely think he fits into the category. Not the best but not the worst.

Fab stuff from Simon. Don't forget you can send me your team decisions: christine@sidepodcast.com. I also want to point you in the direction of Lukeh's blog post about his team Amazini Barresistancello. That one is definitely worth a read.

Also, don't forget to take part in the SofaF1 championship this year, as Alex has worked hard on creating a very interactive page for selections. F1 Wolf has a great predictions game going, and check out Pat's post for other worthy games.

Daily: 6th March 2010

The weekend is here, and whilst I am still fighting off germs, we're busy gearing up for the racing to start. This is the last weekend before everything kicks off in Bahrain, so I hope you're making the most of it! Here are some of the things we're talking about, in a super duper extended daily:

• A quick plug before we get into the motorsport stuff, I quickly posted a new episode of Media Future Change last night. It had been delayed a few days because of voice issues but finally made it into the public domain. Hope you enjoy listening, and as ever, feedback is always appreciated.
• I finally got round to updating the about page on I Heart Franck to feature more information about who I am, obviously, and how I discovered Monsieur Montagny. Not that I discovered him or am taking credit for his success or anything. I was tempted to write a bit about how I would faint on sight of FKM, but then I remembered he has read the site in the past, and that wouldn't really be a great opening line.
• Whilst we're talking about yummy people, Lucas di Grassi has partnered with some watch people. They sponsor Renault as well, which is slightly odd, although he was a development driver for them. I wonder if this will affect his position in the rankings.
• We often get people asking if we're bringing back the video previews and at the moment the answer is still no. Teams aren't really giving out as much footage as they used to, and now we know why. Red Bull kept it all for themselves! They have shared the packaged video with us, though, and it's pretty awesome. We'll let them off, especially as they intend to do it for every race.
• Don't forget the competition to win a signed copy of Joe's book. It closes on Tuesday, so if you haven't already entered, make sure you do!
• Whilst we're doing reminders, it's worth mentioning the Fantasy Racers league. We'll be doing a roll call of all the teams signed up in this weekend's show, so if you haven't yet joined, are planning to, and want a shout out, make sure you join the Panda Racing league before Sunday.

That should keep you going for now - double the usual number of items! Let us know how your weekend is going, and I will see you in the comments.

Live: Barcelona Testing - Day Two (February 2010)

It's day two in Barcelona as F1 teams make the most of some decent weather and get down to work. Only a few drivers carry over their work today as Schumacher, Hamilton and Vettel all grab the hot seats.

Lucas di Grassi managed to complete just 31 laps on Thursday before throwing his Virgin car into the barriers on Thursday, but it was Mark Webber who grabbed the headlines as the RB6 managed to stretch it's legs in the Spanish sunshine. Look out for more from them today.

Of note, Ross Brawn has stated that Mercedes' definitive diffuser won't be fitted to the car until Bahrain, which means they're running around Barcelona learning about tyres and not a lot else.

On track action begins at 9am CET (8am GMT).

Circuit Information

• Track length: 4.655km
• Corners: 16
• Lap record: 1:21.670 (Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari, 2008)

You'll find Circuit de Catalunya located in the North East corner of Spain.

Drivers and Teams Attending

The following teams and drivers are confirmed for testing on Wednesday

Useful Links

• Official Circuit Homepage
• Autosport Live
• F1 Today

Daily: 26th February 2010

Webber was fastest in testing yesterday, and if that is the first meaninful testing time we've seen so far, then it's looking like a good start for Red Bull. There will be another dedicated testing thread along for day two in Barcelona, and I'm intrigued to see who will be fast on the second outing. Meanwhile, here are some things we're talking about:

• Talking of Webber, it appears the Australian has gone and got himself a presence on Twitter. The name @aussiegrit is already causing some confusion. I've seen people think it says 'girl' or mistake it for not having an 'r'. Perhaps MarkWebber was already taken? Still, good to see him on their, and as one of the more outspoken members of the paddock, there may some real gems to come.
• Meanwhile, di Grassi was being pretty useless out on track in Barcelona, although the team were quick to say they had been trying an experimental setup so it wasn't his fault. He crashed into the wall and wrecked the car, meaning the team had to sit out the rest of the day, and are hoping to be ready to go again tomorrow. What else can go wrong for Virgin?
• Mr Stefanovic still thinks he's in with a shot of getting a grid slot, but he says time really is tight now. Apparently to be ready for Bahrain they need to be packed by next Wednesday, and he's sure they'll have something sorted by then. Really? I suppose this can only coincide with the fact that the employees at US F1 have so little to do without a car that they really are going to make a toaster. I don't know about you but I would buy that toaster.

That should do it for now. We're out in London today, but will be keeping an eye on the site and hopefully feeding back as much as we can. I'll see you in the comments.

Live: Jerez Testing - Day Six (February 2010)

Lotus F1 Racing had a fantastic first day of testing, completing 76 trouble free laps before the end of the day. Seemingly the only issue the team faced was the enforced lack of power steering, something the drivers will no doubt be keen to see resolved quickly.

Vettel in the RB6 headed the pack with a time of 1:22.5 after covering 99 laps, while at the other end of the scale Timo Glock managed just 10 laps for Virgin. They'll be hoping for much, much more today.

On track action begins at 9am CET (8am GMT).

Circuit Information

• Track length: 4.428km
• Corners: 13
• Lap record: 1:23.135 (Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Williams, 1997)

You'll find Circuito de Jerez located in South of Spain.

Drivers and Teams Attending

The following teams and drivers are confirmed for testing on Wednesday

Useful Links

• Official Circuit Homepage
• Autosport Live
• F1 Today
• Motor 21
• The F1.com

A His and Hers Video Special

It took Virgin a while to get information about their new car up and out on the internet, despite the fact they were hoping to do an online launch and include everybody all at once. There's no need to go over how very badly they failed at launching in style, I can highly recommend the latest F1 Debrief show for such things.

What I would like to do is highlight two videos released by the team that show the things they can do right.

Firstly, they roped in David Croft to present this intro video, which makes Mr C a very happy bunny, as you might imagine. I'm not sure why this video isn't on the official Virgin Racing account, but we had enough of that during the Virgin Twitter debacle, so let's just sit back and enjoy.

The team took the car for a shakedown at Silverstone, in the pouring rain, and produced a video whilst they were there. This is the kind of thing I want to see from teams. Great editing, up close and personal with the drivers (even presenting in the rain!), and some insight into what it's like being there.

Clearly they're not giving too much away just yet, and if you want more detailed information about the shakedown, Scott found a great video with more raw car footage in. For now, though, I'm going to go and rewatch Lucas having a cup of tea. Delicious.

Thursday Thoughts - Christine's Ideal Team

Journeyer asked the question this week, and it's fallen to me to answer it on behalf of Sidepodcast. The question revolves around a dream F1 team, which drivers would be the ideal choice to make the best team, assuming money is unlimited, and everyone is available.

Well.

Hands up who thinks I'm going to say Franck?

Actually, I've been giving it some serious thought, and although a good looking, rather speedy French driver would be an asset to the team, I'm not going to go with Mr Montagny. He has unfinished work to do in Le Mans, and I'd rather he concentrated on that for now.

My wish list is actually quite a simple one - I only want drivers in my team who are on Twitter, and use it a lot. The added communication, the contact with the fans, the feeling of inclusion in events is something that is extremely valuable to a team. Just ask Mr C how he feels about Claire Williams after watching her Twitter feed all week.

So, drivers that tweet on a regular basis are few and far between at the moment, although it seems to be a growing trend, which is good. I've had a good look through our new Twitter page and decided that the drivers who have tweeted the most get my spare race seats.

Barrichello has been microblogging an awful lot and racked up a whopping 18,000 tweets, which is more than I can even comprehend. I'm slightly concerned that he'll be so busy on his mobile phone that he won't actually get any work done, but if it works for Williams, it works for me. Next up is Lucas di Grassi, which means I do get a delicious driver in my team, even if it's not Franck. He has just broken the 1,000 tweet mark which means he has a way to go to match Rubens but is still ahead of the rest.

Oddly, the next most prolific driver is Jenson Button, which lands him directly in my test seat. That means the defending World Champion can't actually keep his hands on his title, unless something happens to either of my main drivers. That's entirely possible, of course, they might get repetitive strain injury in their thumbs, so perhaps Button would get the call up sooner than he might think.

That's my team - three excellent drivers, with three fabulous Twitter accounts. We'll be called Team140, and due to cost-cutting measures, we have to restrict the number of employees to 140. Everyone else in the team will have to tweet too, and together, we could take over the micro-blogging world.

Daily: 16th December 2009

Today is apparently the Independence Day of Bahrain, which has less to do with Will Smith defending the planet from aliens and more to do with the kingdom standing on it's own two feet. Very good stuff. Now, onto Formula 1 news. As we were saying in the comments yesterday, December has never been so busy in F1, so we'd best make the most of it.

• Yesterday saw some late night gaming, as the F1 2009 game appeared on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Mr C initially posted some thoughts, and then we got a review from our game expert Lukeh. The lack of racing against other cars is a bit off putting for me, although I don't know why because I always lose.
• Yesterday, Manor finally confirmed they were going to be called Virgin Racing, and signed up di licious to race alongside Timo Glock. That's a pretty good lineup for a new team, and they even have a brilliant video on their new site that is definitely worth a watch.
• The good news is that Campos have confirmed they are still in talks with Hedgehog de la Rosa. I am very keen for the Spaniard to get a drive if only because he has some of the best nicknames in the paddock. If he did get the seat, he would be teammates with Senna, and if you want a reminder of who else has a confirmed seat for next year - check out the wiki page.

That's all for now. Let us know how your week is going and as always, I will see you in and around the comments.

Virgin Racing Confirm Lucas di Grassi for 2010

Whilst unveiling their new logo and their 'surprise' new name, Virgin Racing confirmed that Lucas di Grassi will join them for next season, alongside Timo Glock.

The team officially launched today at Notting Hill in London, with both drivers present. Glock joins the team from the now-defunct Toyota, whilst di Grassi moves from Renault tester to full time race drive, after performing at the young driver test in Jerez earlier this month. Until now the team has operated under the name of Manor GP but the FIA gave the change away with the release of the 2010 entry list last month.

Speaking at the launch, Richard Branson was keen to stress the extremely tight operating budget the team will be working under:

"It will run under the £40 million a year that is set in F1, and all teams within two or three years are meant to get to that level. But money is not everything and we are determined to prove that through engineering prowess, great drivers and great affinity with the public we can do well."

Timo Glock was announced as the team's lead driver in November and he appears to be relishing the chance to work with a smaller outfit:

"I realised that if you had the right people then you don't need 600 - you just need a proper group and proper engineers. Everyone focused, no political stuff in the team and that is the main point that you need in a team to be successful. The fun part, with Virgin, with Richard Branson, and with all the people behind will be mega in 2010 - the hospitality or whatever will be a bit different to normal."

Lucas di Grassi is looking forward to finally getting his break in Formula 1. Speaking to Autosport Lucas said:

"F1 is a different level from GP2, it's a different level from F1 testing, so I have to adapt and prepare myself as best as I can to have a long and successful career in F1, and that's what I'm aiming for."

Updated: The team also launched it's new website Virgin Racing which, features introductions to team personnel and covers the launch. Notably, eight partners are named with previous sponsor of the BMW team, FxPro, having opted to support Virgin Racing for 2010.

Richard Branson injected some fun into launch proceedings by challenging another new entrant Tony Fernandes to a duel:

"He has an airline, we have an airline and if we beat him he can come and work on our airline as a Virgin stewardess."

Fernandes and Branson join Vijay Mallya as aviation entrepreneurs competing in Formula 1.

Daily: 13th December 2009

I'm writing this slightly ahead of schedule as I have no way of knowing when we'll be back from the Sidepodxmas party. That means I only have half a days worth of goings on to share with you, but I will do my best. Here are some of the things we're talking about:

• The FIA gala took place on Friday, which means Bernie can now rest at ease - Jenson is officially the 2009 World Champion. There are snippets of news and pictures all over the place, but the Autosport Gallery is a good place to start, if you want to see lots of men in black suits.
• Lucas di Grassi, known around these parts as di licious, says he definitely has a deal with an F1 team, although he has not yet said which. Everyone assumes it is with Manor GP/Virgin Racing, alongside Timo Glock, which would make quite the pairing, in my opinion. Lotus have said they will be revealing their drivers on Monday, as well, so a good part of the entry list will be cleared up soon.
• It looks like Piquet Jr will be having another go at NASCAR, participating in a second test with Red Horse Racing. Does this mean the Brazilian has a chance behind the wheel of a completely different series? How would he fare going round in circles all the time?

That'll do it for now. I hope your weekend is going okay, and assuming that we recover in good time from the party, I will see you in the comments.