Sidepodcast

Daily: 12th March 2010

It's Friday and at long last the 2010 Season is underway. In just a few short hours we will be up again, ready to watch Free Practice 1 and from then on, it's all about the racing. Well, hopefully. There's lots of good stuff and many threads to come today, so keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss a thing.

• Jake has written another great blog post, this time talking about time spent with some of the drivers ahead of the weekend's action. I particularly find the Schumacher/Rosberg stuff fascinating because we've seen visual evidence of their distaste for each other now, and... it's scary stuff!
• It's the last day to change your Fantasy Racers teams and whilst there will be a reminder post along later, I thought it was worth mentioning now. Particularly as I want to give a shout out for Pat's fabulous post about the different prediction and fantasy F1 games that are available at the moment. I had no idea there were so many!
• All that stuff about McLaren's rear wing is coming to a head now the teams have gathered together, and there is plenty of discussion about the silver car's extra hole. Scarbs has the detail (for Mr C), whilst Autosport put it into English (for me). Ahh, controversy. Is it November yet?
• In self-promotion news, Mr C wrote a great introduction to the Force India podcast which makes a triumphant return for 2010. More audio from teams is greatly appreciated. The man also posted a breakout regarding Renault's new sponsor, and he actually managed to create a picture with no red in it. Woohoo!

That'll do it for now. I know you're excited already, so instead, why not tell me how and where you are watching Free Practice, if you are. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 19th January 2010

Ah, today it is Jenson Button's birthday. The man is World Champion, has lots of money and a beautiful girlfriend, is facing the "fresh challenge" that he so desperately craved for 2010, and is now turning the big 3-0. What do you get the man who has everything?? Meanwhile, here's some of the things we're talking about:

• Excellent cartoonist Stuart Taylor has returned after the success of his original guest post with a follow up - taking a closer look at how young Nelson Piquet Jr might fare once he crosses the Atlantic for the NASCAR series. Don't forget you can rate posts now, so make sure you select the required amount of stars once you've enjoyed the cartoon.
• The first F1 Debrief of 2010 was released yesterday, a slightly muted affair as we couldn't do it live, but I hope it is still worth it. We cover all manner of topics, catching up on the state of Formula 1 after what was pretty much just a week's worth of the off season.
• Opinion is mixed on the success of Autosport International, but I do like their round up post of the big stories and their posted interviews. (Ignore the rankings bit as the top major story. Eh-hem.) Dank has written about his distaste of the event, whilst Scott tells us about his grand day out. I believe Pat is planning a post too, so perhaps he'll have the deciding vote?

That should do it for now. I hope your week has started out okay, and I will see you in the comments.

The Best of Sidepodcast 2009, and a Big Thank You

During 2009, Sidepodcast managed to publish 1,319 posts on this website. That's more content in the past 12 months than we managed in the previous two years of blogging combined. A considerable amount of that content came from over 20 guest writers who contributed their thoughts and ideas and to whom we will be eternally grateful.

To celebrate such a fantastic year, and because we're feeling more than a little nostalgic on this eve of '10, we've pulled together some of our favourite topics from 2009.

Thank You for the Memories

• An Audience With Mark Webber - January started well, meeting and greeting Mark Webber
• Always Look at the Bigger Picture - The big idea for '09
• Design and Share Your Fantasy Race Tracks - Anyone can do better than Tilke, right?
• Websites You Can Trust - F1 journalism comes under the microscope
• Episode 93 - KERS For 5 Year Olds - Everything you needed to know about KERS
• Character Cup - 2009 Winner, Fernando Alonso - He's quite the character
• McLaren Testing at Kemble - We knew they were in trouble from this point on
• When Did You Lose Interest? - An historical look at F1 supporters
• 2009 Australia Predictions Montage - How did you fare?
• A View of Sepang - Journeyer's visit to the Malaysian GP
• Heard It on the Radio - Christine talks to BBC national radio
• There's an Official Formula 1 iPhone App, and It Rocks! - F1 coverage changed for the better
• Winning Isn't Everything - Lou gets a cog too
• Circuit Cup - 2009 Winner, Spa - The best track by miles
• Print Is Dead - Our take on the future of media
• A Live Tour of Albert Park - Amy goes live from a deserted park in Australia
• We Heart Lukeh - Lukeh provided us laughs aplenty in 2009
• Sidepodfilmclub - Talladega Nights - The inaugural filmclub evening
• Will.i.am Wheelman - Possibly our best headline of the year
• 2009 Championship Contender - Jenson Button - A look at the man before he became the man
• Sidepodradio Gives You Wings for Life - Red Bull Racing liked the cupcakes
• Happy Birthday Daily Thread - One year on and still going strong
• When Giggles Met Murray and Stirling - He only went and messed up his tie
• Things I Learnt From Watching Franck - Everybody does it better than Formula 1
• Formula 1 2009 (Wii) Review - Finally a proper F1 game hits the shelves
• The Illustrated 2009 F1 Season Review - Currently the highest rated post on Sidepodcast
• Live: After Eight - The last live show of the year and a festive one at that
• F1 Advent Calendar 2009 - Roundup - The F1 season, all wrapped up

We've shared some fantastic experiences this past year and we're promised many more in 2010.

Thank You for the Music

As this is the one time of year when Christine allows me to give thanks, and running the risk of missing someone important, Sidepodcast would like to share the love. The two of us would like to extend a huge thank you to all guest writers, to everyone who's helped transcribe a show, especially Amy for leading the effort, and to every person who pledged a donation this year. Much appreciation goes out to anyone who took time to pick up the phone, send an email, or leave a comment, especially if you did so for the first time.

Thank you to the participants of Sidepodradio, to those who tuned in and anyone who gave so much to charity that day. A special note of gratitude to Steven Roy for volunteering anyone and everyone who dared show an interest and to RG for the initial inspiration. A huge Sidepodthanks goes to the bestest host of the parade lap, Alex (Giggles) Andronov, without whom there would have been no pre-race shows this year, and to Katherine and Hyde Park for opening their doors to us.

Major kudos to Lisa McCormick and to Rob Smedley for both being especially lovely. The same goes to the 5Live team for providing such fabulous coverage that saved the season. To Danny from Fantasy Racers, and to anyone who's plugged, promoted or shared the Sidepodcast word, we also say cheers.

I would like to extend a personal thank you to everybody who offered their support back in the summer of discontent and encouraged us to continue, we quite literally would not be here today without you. A hat tip must also go towards Racecar Engineering and F1 Racing for featuring our McLaren photographs and to Stuart C for providing an education in journalism at no charge.

A special mention goes out to Joe Saward, a man who has given so much to Formula 1 for so many years and who this year, extended a generous hand in our direction.

Finally I give a huge hug to Ms Christine Blachford, for producing what are by far the best F1 podcasts on the internet and also for putting up with her co-host for another year.

Lord knows I hope we haven't missed anyone from that list, but just in case, Sidepodcast raises a virtual glass to everyone - may Formula 1 be good to you in 2010.

Daily: 6th November 2009

It is the day after Bonfire Night, so hopefully it is all peaceful now the fireworks have been used up. Unless there are going to be more at the weekend. Oh dear. Well, it's Friday today, Thursday is done, so nothing will get us down. Here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Yesterday, we had quite the discussion about Renault and their non news. Mr Ghosn has said we need to be patient and wait for a decision, but it seems as though little snippets still keep appearing about what is going to happen to the team in the future. I am happy to wait for an official announcement. Anyone else?
• We realised that it will be time for some best of podcasts soon, so a wiki page has emerged for you guys to log your favourite moments from the year of Sidepodcast. We're talking F1 Debriefs and stuff from the live streams. As pointed out in the comments, so far it very much seems like a place to collate Mr C's useless moments!
• Talking about Toyota's exit, Christian Horner said that although it was a shame, he still thinks that F1 is in good shape at the moment, and with 13 teams still keen to be involved, it isn't time to panic yet. Yet! He also said that FOTA is doing some great work, but... what have they done recently?

That's all for now. Let us know what you've got planned for the weekend, particularly if it's very exciting, but also if it is simply sitting back and watching TV. I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 30th October 2009

At last we have reached Friday. Yesterday was another rubbish Thursday for me, so I am glad we have finally made it to the end of the week. It's also Free Practice Friday, and we get to see the brand new track in action. Meanwhile, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• The new homepage was launched in the early hours of yesterday, and whilst there are still a few pages that are still sporting the old green style, quite a lot of the site is looking fresh, new and blue. It should be a lot faster as well. Mr C is planning to write a post about the changes and the ideas behind the new look, but until then, keep sending us your feedback as we're building this site for you.
• I've not been hanging around doing nothing, of course, and yesterday we saw two breakout threads. The first confirmed Rosberg's aim to leave Williams after this race, and the second saw Ecclestone dash everyone's Donington hopes for the last time. Presumably. Neither of these were much of a surprise, but still fun to discuss.
• Also, F1 Minute featured the Rosberg news, plus some snippets from other stories of the day. Big Picture also featured the other fun gossip from the paddock, with Trulli having a bit of a tantrum in the FIA press conference. The guy holds a grudge! I like it.

That'll do it for now. Keep your eyes peeled for two threads throughout the day for the practice sessions, plus the usual podcasting goodness. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 1st October 2009

It's October, a brand new month, and things are showing no signs of slowing down in Formula 1. In fact, it's all gearing up, as the championship could be over this weekend. There's plenty to be talked about, so here are some snippets:

• Ferrari finally did the decent thing and put us all out of our misery. Alonso has been confirmed for three years at the team starting next year, with Raikkonen's contract coming to an early end. The driver market should really start hotting up now. There's a breakout thread available if you have thoughts on this topic.
• There are new blogs aplenty, as RG sets up his third corner of the web, this time dedicated to one particular driver. No prizes for guessing who. Also Bootneck has been blogging his way through last month, with plenty of thoughts on the racing action.
• In the podcast world, there's a new Digest Preview available for everyone looking to build up to Japan. We also released a Joe show in the early hours of yesterday morning - that may or may not have got lost amongst the Sidepodradio stuff. It's a good one, so make sure you check it out if you haven't already.

That'll do it for now. Let us know how your week is going, and how you're going to cope with the different timings for Japan. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 30th September 2009

It's the last day of September, which means there are just three more months until the end of the year. It also means all the shops are looking at Christmas already, which is ridiculous. Thank goodness we do our shopping online. Meanwhile, here are some things we're discussing:

• Hopefully, by the time you read this, all of the Sidepodradio podcasts should have been published and will appear in your podcast feed any minute now. We released them all as a batch, partly because they are repeats of already broadcast material, and partly because we didn't want to break the site. I think we did that anyway.
• All the talk is that we will have a Ferrari announcement today, confirming a certain driver being signed to their team. It's about time we had a breakout thread, although is it really necessary? This has been a long time coming!
• Back to Sidepodradio again, we'll be closing the poll for the Charity Vote today, so if you haven't already, get on over and have a look at where you would like the £680 to go. Also, can you remind me to close the poll? Cheers.

That'll do it for now. There should also be a Japan schedule up later today, so we can turn our attention towards the upcoming weekend. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 29th September 2009

Sorry, can someone tell me where Monday went? I must have missed. I can't really say I want it back, you know, it is Monday, after all. It went rather quickly for me, what about anyone else? Meanwhile, here are some things we are discussing:

• The F1 Rocks event have caused quite a stir in the comments when we realised we couldn't decide whether it was a success or not. Mr C has written a post on the subject, and we very much welcome your comments over there. Do you think brakes and beats should mix?
• I think I have remembered where my Monday went - in editing podcasts. There is the finished version of F1 Debrief, if you haven't already enjoyed the live stream. Plus, make sure you have a listen to this outtake. The F1 Digest GP podcast is also available, so that should keep you entertained for at least five minutes.
• Finally, we missed out on Fantasy Racers discussion last night, so feel free to check out where you are in the league and let us know how your team is doing. Kathi is still leading by miles, but it's still fun to hear how you're all getting on.

That'll do it for now. Let us know how you're spending your Tuesday, and as ever, I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 26th September 2009

It is both qualifying day and Franck day today, as there is the small matter of a Petit Le Mans race to attend to later. Before that though, I am looking forward to my first lie in for a while. How are you guys spending your weekend? Here are some things to discuss if you're bored:

• We put up the last in our current batch of Interviews with Bloggers yesterday, this time with Maverick from Pitlane Fanatic. Don't forget to submit your answers if you're an F1 blogger and want to have a go. There's also an F1 Digest if you're interested in what happened out on track yesterday, and in non-F1 news, there's also a new Media Future Change podcast to listen to.
• We finally finished the 100 Reasons to Watch F1 list, with lots and lots of help from you guys out there. I think I only completed two in the end. Very good! Read the full list here, plus a blog post on the subject. I will get on and add my £10 to the donations list then.
• If you participate in the Sofa F1 Pole Poll, don't forget to submit your predictions for the upcoming weekend. Mr C likes to leave it to the last minute, because he has turned into some kind of competitive crazy person. The rest of us can just treat as a bit of fun, as per usual.

That'll do it for now. There'll be plenty more in the way of live commenting threads and podcasts today, plus we'll put up the poll for the Sidepodradio charity selection as well. I will see you in the comments.