Sidepodcast

F1 Advent Calendar 2009 - Day Sixteen

• Length: 3:28 
• Size: 3.2 MB 
• File: advent16.mp3 
• Transcript: advent16.pdf 
• Torrent: advent16.torrent 

This is the F1 Advent Calendar 2009, brought to you by Sidepodcast. We are working our way through the 2009 season by means of peeking through a door for each day of advent, and recounting a key moment from the year. Yesterday we were looking at politics, and it's not quite time to get back to the racing yet. Here's Day Sixteen - Goodbye From Us.

At the end of July, BMW quit Formula 1. It was eerily similar to the way Honda had quit, in that rumours began a couple of days beforehand, and then it was confirmed by the team and the parent manufacturer. The BMW board held a press conference, with Mario Theissen present, and Dr. Norbert Reithofer used a lot of long words: "Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula 1 campaign is thus less a key promoter for us."

Or... we haven't really been getting the results we want. BMW, the team, always had a plan, and had been sticking to it pretty well. They wanted to get points, then the next year they wanted to get a win, then the next year they wanted to win a championship. Ah. When things didn't go to plan, they weren't amused. Kubica has frequently admitted how impatient he got with the team when following their one win, they were happy to check that to-do off their list, and focus on the next year. Never mind the job in hand.

Anyway, having confirmed their intention to leave at the end of the year, BMW continued to race the rest of the season. Heidfeld kept on racking up the points, and Kubica kept on complaining about the car. Mario Theissen said they were looking at offers from interested buyers for the team, and in September, they announced they had been bought by the mysterious Qadbak Investments. To look into detail at the strange and unreliable nature of these investors would be a whole other mini series in itself, but suffice it to say, no one, bar Theissen, was really convinced.

Mario was confident they would be on the grid in 2010, despite the fact the team had declined to sign the Concorde Agreement in the summer, and that all the grid slots were filled, including the three new ones. He signed up Ferrari to supply them with engines. Kubica, though, was ready to move on, confirming his move to Renault for next year before the season was over. Nevertheless, the team wound up the rest of the season in continued unspectacular fashion.

In the middle of November, it became clear that the Qadbak deal was not going to happen. There were a few days of concern, but on November 27th there was good news. Original owner Peter Sauber was prepared to buy back the team from BMW, on the condition that they had a grid slot for 2010. It was clear that the announcement was a big relief for Sauber, who had been concerned about the future of the team, and had tried to come to a deal with BMW beforehand. With the team back under his control, he said: "Our staff here are highly competent and motivated, and I look forward to taking on this new challenge together with them. I would like to thank BMW for four shared years that have in the main been very successful."

With the post-season news that Toyota were leaving the sport, Sauber were granted that oh-so-important 13th grid slot, meaning they will still be around next year.

That's all for this episode. Thank you for listening to our F1 Advent Calendar 2009, and I hope you'll join me tomorrow to look through the door of Day Seventeen.

Who Are They, Anyway - BMW Young Drivers

We are continuing the series looking into the profiles of the young drivers taking part in this week's Jerez test. Despite the fact that the future of the team is in rather a lot of doubt at the moment, Mario Theissen confirmed that BMW would honour their promise to their Formula BMW winners that they would get a test.

Alexander Rossi

• Age: 18
• Nationality: American
• F1 Experience: None
• Notable Achievements: 3rd and 1st in Formula BMW Americas 2007, then 2008, 4th in International Formula Master 2009

Rossi won the Formula BMW Americas championship in style in 2008, taking the trophy in ten of the fifteen events. He moved on to race in the International Formula Master series this year, which I have never heard of. If anyone can tell me what that is about and if it's any good, that would be helpful!

Rossi is currently racing for Ocean Racing Technology in the GP2 Asia Series, but no doubt is keen to move up to Formula 1.

He is down on the schedule for the first day of testing in Jerez.

Esteban Gutiérrez

• Age: 18
• Nationality: Mexican
• F1 Experience: None
• Notable Achievements: 1st in Formula BMW Europe 2008, 9th in F3 Euroseries 2009

Gutiérrez won the Formula BMW championship in 2008, and in doing so he took the record for the youngest Mexican to win an International Championship. In the F3 series, he raced alongside Jules Bianchi for ART Grand Prix and managed to grab two podiums during the 2009 season.

To prepare for this F1 test the 18 year old took part in a recent GP test at Paul Ricard and he believes the 71 laps and high G forces helped with his training.

Esteban will be testing on the second day of testing in Jerez, and at the moment, it looks like BMW won't be represented on the third day.

Daily: 25th November 2009

Apparently, according to Wikipedia, there was a great storm on this day in 1703. It was called the Great Storm of 1703. Catchy. The wind got up to 120mph and thousands of people died. I don't think things are that bad yet, but I would certainly suggest the weather is commemorating this day in a similar fashion. Meanwhile, on to the F1 news:

• Two more teams confirmed their young drivers for the upcoming test at Jerez. I mentioned them all in yesterday's F1 Minute and we even feature one of the youngsters on the Big Picture. BMW are doing the very honourable thing and giving their Formula BMW winners a chance in the F1 car, even though they don't know what the future holds. Very good stuff from Mr Theissen.
• Talking of F1 Minute, I noticed that around about this time last year we were all discussing the fallout from Mark Webber's accident. As Steven said in the comments yesterday, it doesn't seem that long ago. Who would have thought that you could fast forward nine months or so and find the man fighting for the world championship?
• In completely unrelated news, there's talk that Canada has secured it's place back on the calendar now with plans on the table to raise the funding required to host the event. The immediate reaction is one of joy, but Mr C is a little concerned about how they are going to raise the taxes in the space of one weekend. It does seem like a tall ask, but I'm sure they have contingency plans in place. Right?

That will be all for now. We are halfway through the week, and I've just noticed that it's only a month until Christmas. Bad times indeed! Nevertheless, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 25th September 2009

We have reached Friday and it is Free Practice day in Singapore. Things have been about Renault all week, so it would be nice if some other teams got a mention. We'll start that now:

• Mario Theissen has confirmed that if the team-formerly-known-as-BMW can get a place on the grid in 2010, then they will be running Ferrari engines. They are clearly still working really hard to get things sorted for next year, but what are the chances of the FIA playing ball?
• Red Bull are still sure that bizarre things happened to their gearbox last year and are taking extra precautions this year. Apparently the solution involves bolting an extra metal plate under the gearbox to try and avoid any rogue tram line electricity.
• Button says that he isn't even allowing himself to contemplate the possibility of winning the title, even though it could be his anytime soon. He's going into it one race at a time, and only looking that far ahead. It's the right thing to say, but he can't possibly have not thought about it. Not possible.

That'll do it for now. Free Practice starts a little bit later than usual, but we'll have all the normal threads up and in the right place. I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 16th August 2009

We are into Sunday now, and Mr C and I are recovering from our afternoon at Giggles' house. There is plenty to look at on the live streaming playground, if you missed any of the fun. We were still investigating the Qik possibilities and there's still a lot to be learnt.

• Meanwhile, Silverstone are trying to pile on the pressure to Donington by suggesting there are just a few weeks to confirm the event on next year's calendar. Damon Hill has already admitted he is watching Gillett's progress carefully as he wants the race back. Either way, I hope the British GP continues.
• BMW have released their preview quotes for the European Grand Prix, and Theissen says that the team will keep on developing. Presumably getting some results will be one of the best ways to interest a potential buyer or saviour for the team.
• Finally, Mr Todt has been speaking out about his potential employment with the FIA and is adamant that his former allegiance to Ferrari won't have any affect on his decisions. He says he will be fair to all teams. When have the FIA ever been like that though?

That'll do for now. Let us know what you are doing with your Sunday, and whether you are live streaming your life like we all are! I'll see you in the comments.

As Close as You'll Get to an Apology

We've been saying for a good proportion of the season that the new regulations aren't working. We are not alone in thinking this, and thankfully, the team's are starting to admit that things haven't gone as planned in 2009. We're still waiting for the Overtaking Working Group to stand up and take the criticism on board, but still, this is progress. Stefano Domenicali outright admits, well, in a roundabout way at least, that things aren't as anticipated:

The main aim for the changes was to reduce the disturbance behind a car and thus help increase passing. Stefano said it best:

I think the 2009 regulations were changed in order to have better overtaking, that was the main principle. I have to say that if you look at the races, that objective was not really achieved so far.

Mario Theissen spoke about this towards the end of May, unhappy with the way the regulations had turned out:

The aero restrictions we currently have, however, are not as tight as we thought they would be, so I think we could do more.

He did try and clarify that at least the field had closed up considerably, that must be something. However, as we've noted for the past few races, that makes qualifying the best part of the weekend. On a Saturday, the small gap between the cars can mean the difference between pole and dropping out in Q1. On a Sunday, the cars are still following each other round, they are just closer together.

Sam Michael at Williams also adds to this argument, with his thoughts on the new regulations helping their car be so much more consistant this year:

There is some trend. We don't have the same sorts of troughs that we used to have, but at Monaco and Melbourne we were more competitive so we've still got a spike on street circuits.

If every team is experiencing something of the same consistency, it's going to make for more straight-forward racing, isn't it? The fun starts when you find a Hungary style setup - an out of place Renault, a new and improved McLaren, an eager Ferrari. It also leads back to the same old argument of no in-season testing. Fewer developments can take place, less innovation, a similar playing field throughout the year.

Now that the teams are sitting up and taking note of the failure on the part of the overtaking group, will anything be done? Even Bridgestone took action when they realised the double step in tyre compounds wasn't working. They baulked at admitting they were wrong, I grant you, but they studied the data and tweaked the rules. Will the OWG get back together and sort out the mess they've made - correction, the fugly mess they've made - or will they, as usually happens, find themselves replaced by another initiative that likely isn't going to work?

Daily: 22nd July 2009

Apparently it is rat-catcher's day today, which is not a pleasant thought to start the day with, but it does commemorate the Pied Piper of Hamelin, which makes it slightly better. Wikipedia says it is just like Secretary's Day, but presumably with more rats. Anyway, here is what's happening in F1 at the moment:

• Cosworth believe they will be able to make their engines competitive despite turning down the option to increase the rev count to 20,000rpm. They also say that for now, keeping eight engines a season is a good idea, even if the option is there to reduce that further in the future.
• On the subject of the future, Mario Theissen thinks the teams want to discuss the calendar with Bernie, as they are worried about losing out on important markets. The US is already missing, and Germany could soon drop off the calendar as well. Will Bernie be open to suggestions though?
• Finally, don't forget about Sidepodradio. You can catch up on the idea here, but if you've signed up for a show already, how are you getting on? Need any help from us? Don't forget to let us know what you need, and if you want audience participation, we can create a page for you on the wiki.

That'll do it for now. It's the middle of the week now, which is always good, plodding along nicely towards the weekend. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 30th June 2009

The last day of June has rolled around (already!?) and it is Ralf Schumacher's birthday today. Yes, him, the other Schumacher. I wonder what he will be doing to celebrate his 34th birthday. Anyway, here are some of the things we've been talking about:

• Mario Theissen has become the next team boss to admit that the overtaking rules need some work. We can all see it, obviously, but it means a little bit more coming from the people who help to shape the rules in the first place. He does add that the fact the field has closed up so much is unexpected and has made things a lot more excited. Qualifying, yes, Mario. The race, not so much.
• Following on from Heikki's triumphant attempt at the Ask the Expert quiz on F1.com, Adrian Sutil steps up to have a go. He's not so hot on getting the correct answers, as Heikki managed to top the field of drivers asked so far, whilst Sutil falls way down the bottom of the order. Sounds familiar, no?
• I was thinking, you know those games where you take the best parts of various people to make an über-person? Who would make up your ideal driver? We're talking qualifying skill, overtaking ability, temperament, helmet colours, anything that makes up a driver. What do you reckon? I'm giving it some thought, let me know what you come up with.

That'll do it for now, I reckon. Feel free to discuss how quickly June has gone for you, I know it has absolutely flown for me. As ever, I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 8th May 2009

Free Practice gets underway today, so we will finally get back to the racing action. It's been a good couple of weeks, so it'll be nice to see those cars going round and round again. Meanwhile, here's what we've been talking about:

• Turn 9 has had some safety upgrades following Kovi's massive accident there last year. Apparently a bit of an incline has been added at the back of the gravel trap, new gravel, plus some improvements to the tyre barrier itself. Heikki himself says he isn't worried about returning to the track at all.
• Mario Theissen is just as concerned about the two-tier championship as the rest of us, and has even hinted that presenting it to the board - who are already unhappy about the lack of results - will not encourage them to continue in the sport.
• Finally, Ferrari have decided to keep KERS on board for Barcelona, despite all the problems they've faced so far with it. Massa must have got his way, as he was adamant that without the technology they had nothing to give, and that pretty much seemed to be the case.

That'll do it for now. There'll be multiple threads along later to get the action going throughout the day. Don't forget to update your Fantasy Racers team (a reminder will be along shortly, so save your strategy stories for then!), and I'll see you in the comments.

Video 24 - A Maiden F1 Victory

• Length: 03:41 
• Size: 42.2 MB 
• File: video24.m4v 
• Transcript: video24.pdf 
• Torrent: video24.torrent 

Last weekend in Canada there was a new man standing upon the top step of the podium, Robert Kubica. It was also the first time his team BMW Sauber F1 had won a Grand Prix and they did it in style with a perfect 1-2.

Formula One has been dominated by just two teams and a handful of drivers for the past 18 months, so we figured this was an event worth documenting. In the process, we catch up with Kubica and teammate Heidfeld along with big boss man Mario Theissen on their way back from the podium celebrations. But don't you go pretending that a gutted Nick Heidfeld doesn't make you want to cry, you know he does.

F1 has a new top team to mix up the status quo and we're really looking forward to the second half of the season. As Jesse Malin aptly puts it: "A new generation, and the whole world's shaking". Couldn't have put it better ourselves.

Music played: Jesse Malin, Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day)

Special thanks go to BMW Motorsport GmbH and ICNsport for the use of their video footage and photographs.