Sidepodcast

F1 Advent Calendar 2009 - Day Seventeen

• Length: 3:27 
• Size: 3.2 MB 
• File: advent17.mp3 
• Transcript: advent17.pdf 
• Torrent: advent17.torrent 

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of an extended mini series from Sidepodcast. This is our F1 Advent Calendar 2009 - 25 short shows recapping the season just gone. It's time to open yet another door in our advent calendar, so let's get started with Day Seventeen - Spin Me Round.

Whilst Renault were waiting for their appeal hearing regarding the one-race ban dished out after Hungary, they found themselves in another bit of bother. Their driver of 18 months Nelson Piquet Jr, published a note on his website saying he had been let go from the team. It was a bitter letter, and although the news wasn't exactly unexpected for anyone who had seen him drive, it's delivery was slightly unusual. Piquet criticised his former team, particularly Flavio Briatore, suggesting that his boss had been demanding, uncompromising, even threatening.

Just a few days later, the rumblings of a huge scandal began. Rumour had it that Piquet Jr had been asked by his team to crash at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, to bring out the Safety Car that aided Alonso to win the race. It's something that had been mentioned in jest many times, but no one thought it could be true.

The FIA duly investigated, and on the 4th September, a statement was issued saying Renault would have to answer to the charges. A World Motorsport Council meeting was scheduled for later in the month, in fact just before the Singapore Grand Prix for this season.

Above anything else, I think this case will be known as the one where everything was leaked. We had letters to and from the FIA, statements from Piquet Jr and his father, documents regarding Briatore, and much more. Anything that was written down seemed to make it out into the wider world, and gave us and the media a lot to talk about. Piquet claimed that Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds had asked him to crash the car, and he had felt pressured into doing so. Both he and Alonso were given immunity from any penalties regarding the case.

Initially, the team denied the charges. They even said they would begin legal proceedings against the Piquets, suggesting that it constituted blackmail, and the allegations were false.

About a week before the trial, Pat Symonds was offered immunity by the FIA if he would answer their questions, but he did not take it. At this point the story suggested conversations about the crash had taken place prior to the race, but that it was all Piquet's idea. The truth is yet to be known.

On 16 September, both Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds left the team, and Renault F1 confirmed they would not contest the charges against them - essentially pleading guilty. The World Motorsport Council still met, and a mysterious Witness X - reportedly from the Renault team - gave evidence. With no defence to be heard, though, it was simply a matter of doling out the punishment. The result? A two year ban, suspended, for the team, plus bans of varying lengths for Symonds and Briatore.

Whether this was an acceptable punishment is really a matter of opinion. However, the team lost two key members of staff, several sponsors withdrew after the hearing, and worse than all of that - they had to watch Piquet's replacement, Romain Grosjean, spin at exactly the same corner during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, just a few days later. Sometimes, you just have to laugh.

That's all for now. Thank you for listening to this F1 Advent Calendar 2009, and I hope you will join me again tomorrow, when we will see what's behind the door for Day Eighteen.

Predictions Revisited

Towards the end of last year, we asked you for your predictions about the season ahead, posing a few probing questions and welcoming any other Nostradamus-like thoughts about the upcoming year.

Now we have lived through the 2009 season, and would all most likely admit it was a bit of a surprise, it's time to look back at how very, very wrong we were.

Don't worry, I'll start with my own very poor predictions. I gave the Australian win to Vettel, clearly discounting any form of resurgence from the team formerly known as Honda. Then I figured, in my infinite wisdom, that Robert Kubica would be a shoe-in for the driver's title.

Hmm. Moving on.

Driver Changes

We asked the question - will any contracts be torn up and ripped apart before the end of the year? Bassano instantly said:

Yes - Piquet Jr

He could not have been more right, although perhaps the circumstances could not have been predicted. Or could they? Alianora added some thoughts:

Piquet Jr will crack under the pressure of looking for a new employer and we won't see him in F1 in 2010 as a result.

Quickly followed up with:

A driver will get sacked for doing something really, really dumb.

Alenyaa had thoughts about Fisichella's future:

Most likely to lose seat during the season: Fisichella

Technically true, I suppose, but only because he was given the "promotion" of moving up to Ferrari. He's happy with a test driver role for 2010, but there were erroneous rumours he could return to Force India, so it seems the relationship is still good, at least.

Dom didn't think there would be much in the way of driver movement at all:

No, I think this is the last season before a big driver market shake up in 2010.

Both right and not. We saw many, many team movements this year, both due to hirings and firings, plus injuries and reserve drivers. Next year we're seeing a big mix up though, so Dom was at least half right.

Winners and Losers

We asked whether KERS would have the desired impact and increase the racing spectacle. Dank didn't think so:

No. Racing will still be very close and overtaking won't be vastly improved.

Spot on! Despite no massive improvement in overtaking, there were some predictions about potential good drives. RG said:

Surprises of the year, Force India grabbing points at a wet GP and Abu Dhabi being a good race.

Let's ignore the Abu Dhabi bit for now! Steven wasn't expecting great things from the team though:

The other disappointment will be Force India who will not improve much despite the McLaren involvement. Expect big changes in that team this time next year.

With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that Force India made vast improvements towards the end of the year and have signed on their drivers for 2010 as a sign of consistency.

Changing the subject to new winners, Lou predicted there would be at least 2 rookies taking the top step of the podium, whilst Le Wombat du BOL (who is now known as the FOFA Chairman) said:

Heidfeld simply MUST win, he’ll do “irvine” and break his duck because Melbourne is the right place for it.

Nick didn't quite manage the win, but did pick up plenty of points in his pursuit. Trulli also put his all into the season but Dank wasn't so sure it would be enough:

Toyota will announce they will be leaving F1 at the end of the season. Also marking the end of Jarno's career.

Sadly, he was right about the end of Toyota, and maybe even Trulli, although nothing has been made official yet. Aitch also added:

I think we could lose 1 maybe even 2 teams by years end.

Again, sadly true.

Circuits and Races

Aitch didn't stop at spelling out the end of several team futures, but the calendar was about to take a hit as well:

We will lose more races this year. Last year for the British GP and German GP maybe even the Chinese GP .

The British GP saga is still ongoing, so it seems very few people did have faith in Donington. Meanwhile, the brand new track on the 2009 calendar Abu Dhabi, came in for some varying predictions - not least RG's as mentioned above. Lou said:

Valencia will be slightly more colourful, but no more exciting.
Fans will not like the Abu Dhabi GP as the finale to the season.

And finally, Felipe Leite had the season all planned out before it had even begun:

The championship will be decided at Brazil (Abu Dhabi will hold the last race of the year).

I think this is what we all hoped, and it came to pass.

These are just a selected few of the fantastic predictions we had last year, I highly recommend taking a look through what was said last year. Hindsight is fabulous, isn't it?

Towards the end of the year, we'll be asking you for your 2010 seasons, and we can repeat this cringeworthy process at the end of next year as well!

Karting in Las Vegas

New guest writer Jan Stahl originally only emailed me some of the photographs he had taken at the recent karting event. I demanded some more effort from the poor man, and I'm really happy to feature his words here.

I found out SKUSA was having a karting event in Las Vegas completely by accident - I don't follow the karting scene at all, though I enjoy racing one whenever I have a chance. As it turns out, I wouldn't have found out about it at all had no Formula One drivers been attending - the mention of the event on the official Formula One website is what made me look into it to begin with. Apparently SKUSA was happy with not advertising the event at all in any local Las Vegas media - the SKUSA website, and some karting websites and magazines were apparently the only two places where it was mentioned extensively. As a result, my impression was that most of the people attending the event were either hardcore karting fanatics, or those who read about it in F1 circles and turned up to see Schumi - the prevalence of Ferrari gear was fairly impressive. What that also meant is that the event could easily have held way more people than actually attended - places in the grandstands were readily available, and you were never fighting the mob when looking at the team garages or getting around the racetrack.

As for the track itself, it was a 0.6 mile loop, built right on the back parking lot of the Rio Resort and Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Having the Las Vegas strip as the backdrop for the racing was fairly impressive, although most fans were complaining that none of the grandstands provided a full view of the racetrack - they chose retaining barriers that were so high, that even from the top row of the grandstands you couldn't see the karts on the opposite end of the racetrack. By the end of the weekend, some fans were choosing to watch the races from the top of the Rio parking garage outside the grounds, simply because it was the only spot you could see the entire track from!

The races for some of the classes started as early as Wednesday, but the Superpro events - where Michael Schumacher, Seb Buemi, Nelson Piquet Jr, and IRL's Dan Wheldon raced, didn't start until Saturday (although some of them took part in the Thursday and Friday practice sessions). I unfortunately missed the Saturday qualifiers, but heard they were fairly entertaining, with Schumacher qualifying for the final race in 9th, and Piquet somewhere around 12th. Buemi missed out on the top 15 altogether, which was noteworthy in that his teammates racing Intrepid karts did a lot better, locking out the front row.

Sunday's final race was thoroughly enjoyable, though I was disappointed Schumacher had an atrocious start - whereas some racers were picking up as many as 5 or 6 positions, he dropped to eleventh by the first corner, and fought an uphill battle for the remaining 25 laps to get back in contention. Incredibly enough, Piquet Jr did a lot better, managing to work his way up and actually slotting in right behind Schumacher by the halfway point of the race. Buemi stayed roughly where he started in the back of the pack, until he retired on lap 13. The second half of the race was exciting in that an intense battle for the lead broke out, but unfortunately neither Schu nor Piquet were in contention - they picked up some positions due to some retirements ahead of them, and ended up finishing 7th and 8th.

I would say the highlight of the weekend for an F1 fan such as myself was how easy it was to get close to the Formula One drivers. Buemi and Piquet were by their karts in the Intrepid team garage for most of the day, which was not cordoned off! I was able to walk right in, and had a nice chat with both of them! What a contrast to a Formula One event, where this would have been absolutely impossible (though it has to be said that all F1 fans were crowding around Schumi's garage area all weekend)! Buemi seemed genuinely happy to chat to the handful of fans that came in and actually knew who he was. Piquet seemed less outgoing, neither talking much, nor seeming too excited to be there.

Schumi's garage area with the TonyKart team was somewhat different - expecting the place to get crowded, the team put up cordons around the entire place, along which fans started gathering right from when the gates opened in the morning. About two hours prior to the Supepro driver introductions, Schu fans were lined up three deep around the garage, although there was no sight of Michael himself (he spent most of the day in the Tonykart motorhome). He did finally come into the garage shortly before he was due out on track for the driver introductions, and was then escorted straight out to the track and back for the main Superpro race. He did come back about two hours after the race was over, and spent almost an hour signing autographs and exchanging some banter with the gathered fans (my favorite: "Hey, Schu, how's Ralf doing?" answer: "I have no idea, actually.") It definitely seemed impressive to me that he would devote that much time to spend with the fans - I overheard someone say he did the same thing during qualifying on Saturday.

It was definitely an enjoyable event for a Formula One fan - nowhere else are you going to get so close to F1 drivers so easily! Not sure if they plan another event like this in the future, but if so, I'd highly recommend it!!!

Formula 1 2009 (Wii) Review

Despite only getting his hands on the game earlier today, Lukeh has put the hours in and is ready to present us with a review of his first impressions of the new Formula 1 2009 game for the Wii.

After many years of waiting, Formula 1 finally saw a release of a new official video game – Formula 1 2009. The game has been released on the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation portable handheld, with this review studying the Wii release that I have already put many hours into. So, was it worth the wait? Have Codemasters and Sumo Digital done enough to make it a formidable addition to the long running series of F1 games over the years? Thankfully, to me at least, the Wii version of Formula 1 2009 is an absolute joy to behold and get involved with.

From my own honest point of view, despite my excitement I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect – the Wii is very much a casual console for a massive audience ranging from young to old, with most Wii racers being very arcade-y and intended for quick use. Sumo Digital, the developers behind the Wii installment of F1 2009, decided that whilst the audience was there for the more casual user, the hardcore Formula 1 fan such as me who wants a proper simulation experience should be accommodated for. They definitely succeeded.

First of all, what’s important is that a game must be fun. Sure, it can look wonderful and pretty, and promise this and do that but if it isn’t fun, what’s the point in carrying on? I found myself picking up Formula 1 2009 (with the F1 style Wheel Wii that can come with the game) and soon getting really into the moment. It’s fun and exhilarating; switching the camera into the onboard view or the helmet view was definitely not a let-down as a massive sense of speed can be felt through the game, and the way the handling is set up makes it feel a pleasure to race with. It’s fair to say that I’m not a massive fan of using motion controllers for my racing, I’ve very much been brought up playing racing games with analog sticks, but after a few practice sessions and races, I soon found my stride. The best way to describe the handling of the cars with the wheel would be to say it’s a mix of arcade and simulation racing – whilst the cars do feel slidy at times, it’s all about picking your line and getting through a corner in the same way a real Formula 1 driver would.

The only complaint I have concerning the motion controller is that, after a certain degree of turning, it feels as if it stops recognising the turn anymore. It very rarely comes up, only when you go to do a full lock if you’re going into the gravel trap, but when it happens and you find yourself not turning then it may give you a bit of grief. I’ve had a few really funny but completely random moments with the AI as well – Nelson Piquet has twice smashed me out of a race for no apparent reason (!) and there have been moments where I’ve been on a straight and a car ahead just seems to slow down completely.

There’s been a fair amount of criticism from reviews across the gaming world about the graphics. The Wii itself is certainly not the most powerful console out at the moment in terms of it's presentation - it’s rivals are leagues ahead - but what matters for F1 2009 is that the presentation works fine. The graphics aren’t actually anything to complain about in my opinion, whilst some of the car liveries do look bland at times the actual race environments and how the game looks in motion with 19 other cars around you does a fine job for the Wii. Each location on the Formula 1 calendar is very recognisable and true to their real life form, and every car has the livery as you’d expect. The downside is that, at times, the frame rate does tend to drop (to be less technical, you may notice a few skips in animation sometimes) but this seems to be at certain corners on certain tracks rather than too much going on at one time on the screen. Much like my previous complaint though, it is honestly unnoticeable for 99% of the time and I’ve just picked up on it a few times. It doesn’t even affect the game, as previously stated, when in motion it runs so smoothly.

In terms of modes and lifespan, we’ve been absolutely treated by the guys behind the game. You have your typical World Championship mode, where you can pick a car and go through the entire championship (all sessions included for race weekends), a single race weekend with all sessions to have a go at, a quick race where you jump straight into the race, split screen multiplayer with another friend (who you can actually go through a championship with!), Challenge mode where there are a vast amount of challenges from the simple (like get into Q3) to the impossible (overtake loads of people in the wet on slicks...!), which are great fun, and finally Career mode. Now, I ended with Career mode here because this is what I’ve really found myself getting into so far with the game and it’s such a great addition to the modes in the game.

You start as a nobody, someone who’s getting emails from lower level teams willing to give you a test and perhaps give you a drive. Eventually, within a 3 year span in the career, it’s your goal to get wherever you can in the world of Formula 1 and succeed from goal to goal. It felt really good just watching the cars go out in practice sessions and putting in new times, or keeping an eye on my Qualifying times then going out to beat others, it’s just something that I could keep playing without getting bored for a silly amount of time. Sure, it doesn’t invent anything new and in all fairness it’s been done before, but I’m really enjoying the sense of reward and success you get from doing well in your own career as an F1 driver. Furthermore, it really gave me a chuckle when at the start of the season I had an email concerning an arrogant press release from Ferrari regarding the season ahead. Little touches like that always impress me.

Sadly, there is no online multiplayer, I’m afraid. Mario Kart Wii has had such a successful lifespan with the online aspect to the game but it’s probably the biggest disappointment of the game that Codemasters and Sumo Digital didn’t go for it here; a missed opportunity without a doubt. Nevertheless, there is absolutely plenty to keep you amused and happy!

So, let’s assess this from two different viewpoints – what does Formula 1 2009 do for the casual gamer who just wants to pick up and play, and what does it do for the more hardcore fan looking for a F1 sim? The casual audience will be happy to know that, if you just want a short race that lasts a few laps and you’re having trouble controlling your car and braking, the assists and help are there for you and are very helpful in letting you jump into the game and just have fun your way. On the other hand, if you love tweaking your setups, sorting out your fuel strategy going into Q3 and messing about with ratios whilst having full damage (the damage collision is quite poor, though) with all the flags and rules on, perhaps having it at 25/50% or even full race distance, then they are all there for you too! The game basically opens itself up to how you want to race, and how you want to play. Luckily, it really, really works too.

Pros:

• Very fun to play, especially qualifying and Challenge mode, and very addictive once you get into it
• All the tracks modelled realistically and all the cars are there from 2009
• Plenty to keep you amused and busy!
• Gives both new players and experienced racers a proper chance
• Arguably one of the best racing games on the Wii
• No politics to ruin the racing!!!

Cons:

• No online multiplayer!
• Poor damage model and collision detection
• AI (computer controlled cars) have the odd moment here and there
• No Badoer/Grosjean/Alguersauri/etc

In summary, F1 2009 is a must buy for any formula 1 fan who owns a Wii. Sure, it’s not the detailed super simulation games on the PC like rFactor but the fact is it’s a fantastic game and very impressive, so much more impressive than I was expecting. Even with its flaws it’s still one of the better Wii games to satisfy your racing needs and I’d heartedly recommend it to anyone! Christmas is soon approaching, people...

Hearing Underway in Paris (Updated: Two-Year Suspended Ban for Renault)

Today is the day for Renault, then, as they face charges of throwing the Singapore race in favour of Alonso. Renault have already said they aren't contesting the charges, so the only real question is what punishment the FIA will dish out.

AUTOSPORT reports that Alonso has turned up at the FIA Headquarters in Paris this morning and I believe Nelson Piquet Jr is also there.

More updates will appear here throughout the day.

Updated: The FIA have announced that Renault have been given a two-year suspended ban its involvement in the fixing of last year Singapore Grand Prix.

Additionally Flavio Briatore has been banned from motorsport for an unlimited period, whilst Pat Symonds has also been excluded from F1 for five years.

Team president Bernard Rey responded to the outcome with the following:

Today, we fully accept the decision of the Council. We apologize unreservedly to the F1 community in relation to this unacceptable behaviour. We sincerely hope that we can soon put this matter behind us and focus constructively on the future. We will issue further information in the next few days.

Piquet Jnr also issued a statement following the hearing:

I bitterly regret my actions to follow the orders I was given. I wish every day that I had not done it. I don't know how far my explanation will go to making people understand because for many being a racing driver is an amazing privilege, as it was for me. All I can tell you is that my situation at Renault turned into a nightmare.

Pat Symonds Offered FIA Immunity

The ongoing Renault saga now focuses in on head of engineering Pat Symonds, who has reportedly been offered immunity by the FIA if he answers some questions. A steward's report seems to hint he knows too much:

"On 28 August, Mr Symonds was summoned back before the Stewards to be asked if he wanted to give further information on the questions he had declined to answer. Mr Symonds again declined to answer the questions."

A transcript of the conversation between FIA representatives and Pat Symonds has also been published. It includes an awful lot of "don't", "won't" and "can't" quotes.

Briatore Hits Out at Piquet Sr

The war of words continues as the Renault saga rumbles onwards. Now it seems that Flavio Briatore wrote a letter to Piquet Sr just a couple of days after the FIA were given the "new information". The letter includes:

"I am outraged that you could think that I myself, not mentioning your son and the other people in the Renault's Team, could have any part in such a strategy that may constitute a criminal offense.

"Secondly, I am forced to consider that your threat constitutes without doubt a blatant attempt of exerting blackmail against Renault F1 and myself to extort an illegitimate advantage by way of threats and outrageous lies on the basis of an alleged hear-say."

It's all getting very ugly, isn't it?

Updated: Renault have now begun criminal action against the Piquet's. The team issued the following statement today:

The ING Renault F1 Team and its Managing Director Flavio Briatore personally, wish to state that they have commenced criminal proceedings against Nelson Piquet Junior and Nelson Piquet Senior in France concerning the making of false allegations and a related attempt to blackmail the team into allowing Mr Piquet Jnr to drive for the remainder of the 2009 season. The matter will also be referred to the Police in the UK.

More Details Emerge on Renault Case

AUTOSPORT have uncovered some more details surrounding the upcoming Renault hearing, particularly noting where the new information has come from:

Sources claim that the Singapore race-fix matter came to light on July 26 - the day of Piquet's last race for Renault in Hungary - when his father Nelson contacted FIA president Max Mosley to make him aware of what had happened.

Apparently, a meeting is alleged to have taken place between Briatore, Pat Symonds and Piquet Jr, which may or may not have been the moment when the plan was conceived. Briatore and Symonds agree the meeting took place but say it was all Piquet's idea!

The other bit I would like to know more about is: "Briatore is reported to have claimed that he was: "a victim of extortion by the Piquet family."

What do we think about these new revelations?

Daily: 5th September 2009

The weekend is upon us, so it's time for you to let us know what you're up to. It's a non-race weekend, so I hope you're all doing something exciting. We want to know about it. Don't forget about the inaugural Sidepodfilmclub showing of Talladega Nights later, as well - more information here.

• Making the most of the news regarding Renault's impending hearing in front of the WMSC, we posted quite a good looking F1 Big Picture, and the associated F1 Minute yesterday. The debate is raging in the comments over here on whether Piquet is smart/stupid/talented/useless enough to have pulled off such a feat.
• We're posting guest articles from the hosts of Sidepodradio shows to promote their segments, and hopefully get a bit more interaction if some is required. If you are doing a show, please feel free to forward me a few words to publish on your behalf. Oh, and if you're a listener, make sure you keep your eye on the blog for ways to get involved.
• Finally, a few days late, I read some interesting statistics on F1 Wolf's blog. He's rounded up some facts and figures to establish whether this latest record of six different race winners in as many races is as unusual as it seems. Short answer - it is. Long answer - read more here.

That'll do it for now. Another reminder for Sidepodfilmclub tonight, we'll be opening a thread in time for the film to start at 8pm UK time. I hope you can join us, but either way, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 14th August 2009

Friday at last, and it is the final F1 free weekend of the summer break. I know a lot of you are missing the racing, but make the most of the time off and do something exciting. Maybe even go outside? But make sure you stay in touch, it's scary out there. Meanwhil, here's what we're talking about:

• There's plenty of circuit news, as Bernie confirms that Malaysia will be starting an hour earlier, after the race had to be halted this year due to inclement weather. There also seems to be a possibility that Canada will be returning to the calendar soon, which can only be described in one word - woohoo!
• Ari Vatanen has announced his cabinet for the upcoming elections. I don't really know what it means or whether it's good or not, but it is nice to hear from him. He's been a bit on the quiet side recently, with Jean Todt taking all of the headlines. Come on Ari, you can do it!
• Piquet has hit out at Briatore again, suggesting that the Renault boss has no idea about F1. I think this is a bit on the harsh side, but I guess Nelson isn't in the mood for making friends and influencing people. If his future lies in building his own teams, I guess he doesn't need to.

That'll do it for now, I reckon. Let us know if you're doing anything exciting this weekend, and if you're not, let us know what you would want to do if you could do anything over the next two days. I'll see you in the comments.