Sidepodcast

Daily: 19th March 2010

It is Friday at last, and we have reached the end of another week - almost ready to go headlong into the weekend. There's no racing this time round, but I'm sure we can find plenty to keep us amused. To get us off to a good start, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Lukeh pointed out the first in the latest series from F1.com, in which Vettel answers some probing questions. We're curious what happened in testing to get Seb so worked up, but it doesn't look like he'll be telling us any time soon.
• Jim wrote us an excellent guest post discussing his first lap around the Hockenheimring. It's a good insight into how it feels to drive where the professionals have been before and still return to today.
• Manipe has asked the question: how much overtaking do you want in F1? It's a topic we've touched upon many times, and particularly when there are dull races in our recent memories. There were some moves in Bahrain, but was it enough? And how far to the other extreme could we go? Don't make me mention Mr C watching NASCAR again.
• Also a quick note, as spotted by RG, the future of the Italian GP seems to be on a much more secure footing than we've seen in a long while. Monza should be on the calendar until 2016!

That'll do it for now, I reckon. Just time for a quick happy birthday to Pat, who I think is off in sunny Spain at the moment. Happy birthday! Let us know what you have planned today and this weekend, and as ever, I'll see you in the comments.

An Aside with Joe - Let's Get on With the Proper Game of Motor Racing

• Length: 40:42 
• Size: 38.0 MB 
• File: aside11.mp3 
• Transcript: aside11.pdf 
• Torrent: aside11.torrent 

Joe returns for more F1 conversation - covering topics such as racing at Monza, the chase for the title, new championship entrants, resurrected events and plenty more.

The next calendar stop is a night race, so we find out what it's like to publish magazines in the morning, enjoy breakfast in the afternoon and watch cars in the evening.

As ever, all of this and so much more in this episode of An Aside With Joe.

Linkage

• Subscribe to Grand Prix+ Magazine (it's not too late!)
• Read Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog
• Follow Joe on Twitter
• Grandprix.com

Live: Hoping For Heidfeld's Consistency

We are back with another live debrief after a week off film watching. We've just witnessed a good Italian Grand Prix - no rain this year - so it's time to talk about all the news we've missed, and all the action from the race itself.

We'll be live at 7pm UK Time, so I hope you can join us in the comments. We're having all kinds of issues today, technology hates us, so if it all goes wrong we can only apologise and ask you to bear with us. We're doing our best! I'll see you in the comments.

Live: Italy - The Race

The front two drivers on the grid are good friends and quite light. KERS will play a part but strategy will decide the outcome today.

Weather Update

It looks as though Monza will escape the rain this weekend, as the forecasts now show showers for tomorrow and sunshine today. Given how mixed up things are anyway, this is probably a good thing.

One to Watch

Barrichello is the heaviest man of the top ten, and the Brawn cars are looking strong this weekend. Will they be able to regain some of their lost form?

Predictions Please

Will Sutil still be second going into the first corner? Will anyone lose a fight with the high kerbs during the race? Who will be on the podium? Will the rain hold off?

Live: Jump In My Car

We've reached the final European race of the season, which means it's potentially the last Parade Lap of the year, barring one or two specials depending on how the championship pans out. That being the case, our host Alex has upped the ante and taken the Parade Lap into the garage.

If you are in the live comments, you'll see his live stream in the Factbyte Factbox, whilst ours is displayed below.

We'll be underway at about 11:10am UK Time, and we need your race predictions, your Giggles'll Fix It requests, and of course, let us know what you're eating during the GP.

In addition, last race we assigned commenters with drivers they had to support for the next couple of hours, and it was great fun, so we're doing it again. The first twenty commenters will find themselves with a driver to support. Good luck!

Live: Italy - Qualifying

Sutil has so far dominated the practice sessions, leading two of them. Can he make it stick in qualifying though?

Weather Update

Mixed reports, as the sun is out, but the humidity is rising. A small possibility of rain, but mostly likely it will be cloudy but dry throughout.

One to Watch

Fisichella crashed his Ferrari into the barrier, which wrecked his preparation for qualifying. What can he pull out of the bag when the pressure is on?

Predictions Please

Who will get pole position? Will it rain? Will there be any big names out in the first session? How will Fisi do in his dream car? Will anyone else crash today?

Live: Italy - Free Practice 3

A mixed day yesterday proved that Spa wasn't the complete one-off we suspected, with Hamilton on top for one session and Sutil for another. What will FP3 have in store?

Weather Update

The forecasts have cleared a little and it looks as though today will be mostly sunny although perhaps a little cloudy in places. Much better than the rain we saw last year, anyway.

One to Watch

Sutil finished on top on Friday, having put in some good times all day. Will he be able to continue this form, and that of his ex-teammate from the last race?

Predictions Please

Will Vettel be able to complete many laps today? Will Red Bull choose to sacrifice some engines today? Will Fisichella beat Raikkonen? Will the field remain as close as it was yesterday?

F1 Digest 2009 - Italy Free Practice

• Length: 10:13 
• Size: 9.4 MB 
• File: digest126.mp3 
• Transcript: digest126.pdf 
• Torrent: digest126.torrent 

The action gets underway at Monza, with the cars out on track distracting us from the ongoing and neverending politics. The mixed up form from Spa doesn't seem to have been righted just yet, which could make for an interesting weekend.

Free Practice 1

The morning went smoothly, no rain, with the drivers taking it gingerly around those new kerbs and finding their way on the circuit without having the benefit of testing.

Free Practice 2

The track seemed a little more slippery in the afternoon, several drivers ran wide, but they soon figured it out. Sutil had an engine change, but managed to end the day on top.

Team by Team

For yet another race weekend, we are seeing new drivers come in and have to adjust to their surroundings. Today it was Fisichella and Liuzzi's turn, whilst some of the rookies drove Monza for the first time in F1.

Final 2010 Grid Slot Choice of Three

Jonathan Noble tweeted earlier this simple statement:  "The 13th F1 team will be either BMW Sauber, Lotus or Epsilon Euskad." Which one will it be though?

In the paddock today, Mosley has said:

"Finally last night we got the final offers from the three most serious teams and in the next day or two, together with the due diligence people we'll assess them and then we'll pick one of them."

BMW are still part of the running, Max says:

"We were asked to give them another week to produce their documentation and answer further questions which they have done."

Who do you think might get the nod? BMW, Lotus or Epsilon?

Live: Italy - Free Practice 2

There were no major surprises during the morning session, and things stayed nice and dry, unlike last year. How will things pan out in the afternoon?

Weather Update

It's still looking good for the next couple of hours, and it even looks as though the forecast is brighter for the rest of the weekend as well. Changeable conditions though, always expect the unexpected.

One to Watch

Liuzzi did well this morning, so now we should turn our attention to Fisichella. He actually finished the morning ahead of teammate Raikkonen, and although FP times don't mean much, this must have boosted his confidence.

Predictions Please

Will Hamilton keep his reign on the top for all of Friday? How many laps will Vettel complete? Can the Ferrari team smile any wider?