Sidepodcast

Introducing the Factbyte Factbox

Sidepodcast is today turning its F1 coverage up to eleven, with the release of the all new Factbyte Factbox. The interactive web panel enables us to provide real-time updates on any live event, be it an F1 session, another motorsport event or live streaming podcast.

Factbyte Factbox (FBFB) was first proposed back in April 2009 and has been something we've been keen to see launched for a very long time. Back in April, we described it thus:

Designed to take live shows and live racing to the next level, the FBFB will provide a secondary stream of information, highlighting any relevant data depending on circumstance. For example, offering up-to-date scoring during a panel show, or listing the closest battles during a race.

Almost one year on and that is exactly what we're launching today. Additionally, we're planning on using the tool to augment future live streaming podcasts, providing real-time show notes and enabling interaction via live voting, results of which will be fed back into recordings.

We should point out that what we're launching today isn't the final iteration of the web panel. It carries a "beta" tag because it is a service that's still undergoing heavy development. However, we felt that this was something that should be available from the very start of the F1 season, and thus we're opening the doors today. We're expecting teething troubles coupled with rapid development for the next few months.

If you're interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, the live commenting page currently houses the FBFB. The plan is to make it available via other pages in due course. Furthermore, we'll be running a live beta test at 21:45 GMT, should anyone be available to offer feedback.

Updated: The live test has now finished, but you can view the full list of updates below:

Daily: 15th February 2010

In some regards, we are ahead of schedule because we've got the latest episode of F1 Debrief out already. In others, we are behind schedule, as I haven't written the next part of Life in the Fast Lane yet. The vote is closed, but I figured I would save it for a day when I wasn't busy editing podcasts, and could pay more attention to Mitch and his race strategy. Meanwhile, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Ollie appears to have made a triumphant return to blogging, with more posts in a day than even Joe can claim! Head on over to BlogF1 to catch up with his thoughts on the launches we have seen, plus some nice glossy photos as well.
• If you have listened to the podcast already, you'll know we had a voicemail on this subject, but F1 Wolf has posted a poll of the liveries we have seen so far and you can vote on which is the best one. It's a great way of seeing them all one above the other in close proximity, so comparison is very easy.
• It's worth pointing out, as I did not do the daily yesterday and Mr C seemed to be otherwise occupied in terms of linkage, that we created an Amazon store for Sidepodcast. The idea is we put in recommended books, DVDs, music, and more, and if you buy from there, we get an Associates cut of that. We're taking suggestions on what should go in, although I think I'm a little behind on those already!

That should do it for now, although it would be remiss of me to post this daily without highlighting some of the outtakes of our offline show. I linked to them in the comments yesterday, but here they are for posterity:

Things you didn't think you'd hear Mr C say:

Speaking is hard:

I expect too much:

That really is all now, I'll see you in the comments.

Which Circuit Hosts the Best Championship Showdown?

This weekend may see a brand new Formula One World Champion crowned, and what better place to witness the event than Interlagos, Brazil. The Autódromo José Carlos Pace has played host to the last five title deciding races, most notably the unprecedented battle between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa in 2008.

However, if things don't go Jenson Button's way on Sunday the decider will run into the final race of the year at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Whilst we have nothing against new circuits and we have yet to see what Abu Dhabi has on offer, it does feel fitting that Interlagos should again be the place that the championship winner gets crowned. Having said that, I believe a lot a people felt the same thing about the race in Suzuka a fortnight ago.

In the comments during Free Practice 2 today, Journeyer offered up a tough question that we figured should be put to vote - of the two historical circuits, both of which recently hosted championship deciding races, which track would you prefer to see crowing the WDC?

Just in case you're easily led, Journeyer had this to say on the subject:

It's a tough one, but I'm picking Suzuka. It beats Interlagos in terms of quantity and quality. Not only did it bear witness to 10 title deciders, they were mostly epic too. Who could forget Senna and Prost colliding in 1989 and 1990, Damon Hill's tearful victory in 1996, Schumacher stalling in 1998, then gaining the ultimate glory for Ferrari in 2000? These, and many other memories, are the reasons why I choose Suzuka.

Do you agree? Get voting now.

We have taken the liberty of adding a third option of "other", on the off chance someone might actually want the title to go down to the wire and to the final race of the year.

As well as voting we'd love to hear your reasons, so please don't be afraid to say why in the comments.

Sidepodradio - The Charity

In the last Sidepodradio post, I touched upon the fact that we raised an awful lot of money for charity. It was much more than we expected, and the astounding generosity of people makes those 12 hours even more special.

It started out as a quick donations drive raising money to cover the cost of production - £120 to be exact. It soon exceeded that, and we knew donating to charity would turn it into the proper radiothon we wanted it to be. As it turns out, the server really didn't hold up as much as we thought, and therefore, it doesn't deserve any money. We'll return that £120 to the kitty, and round it up to the nearest ten, meaning our total for charity is:

£680!

That is an amazing effort, and everyone should give themselves a big pat on the back.

There's just one more step to go through, and that's deciding the motorsport charity who will benefit from the Sidepodradio event. We've had some great suggestions in the wiki, where there are links to find out more about each charity, plus a breakdown of the donations and how we reached the total.

Now, though, it's time for the vote.

Once again, thanks go to everyone who got involved in Sidepodradio from those who were on practically every show to those who just left a single comment. Everyone was part of it, and it's down to all of you that we have raised this money. We'll close the poll at about midday on Wednesday, and let you know the results. Get voting!

Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

BMW announced this morning that they will be pulling out of Formula 1 at the end of this season. There seems to be a combination of factors involved in this decision including "strategic realignment", "environmental compatability" and "future viability." For these I read: "we're not doing very well, we're not sure where F1 is going, and we're better off out of it." Perhaps I am just a big cynic.

The first thing that springs to mind with this announcement is that it hasn't had the same effect as Honda's shock withdrawal at the end of last year. Back then, we had to curtail a holiday to return and cover the story as we wanted to. Although we aren't on holiday right now, it's not having anything like the same impact.

Naturally, the big concern is the employees back at the factory, and to a lesser extent, the drivers left without a seat. At the moment it's unclear whether the team will be sold, or if they are closing completely. There's talk that FOTA are behind the team and will do whatever they can to save them, there are thoughts that the Sauber name could live on, and I've seen rumours about the unsuccessful 2010 teams eyeing a potential entry into the sport.

There seems to be a lot more options this time round than there were when Honda pulled the plug, but is that all it is? Has this rocked the F1 World in the same way? Is it because Honda were the first? Let's have a poll to see where BMW fall on the scale of shockability.

To me, this announcement simply proves that if you plan something step by step and rigidly stick to that plan, it's not going to work out. Let us know what you think!

Circuit Cup - 2009 Winner, Spa

We reduced the length of the competition by several days, putting two matchups in some of the earlier heats, but it didn't make this Circuit Character Cup any less exciting. Spa-Francorchamps has emerged victorious of all the 2009 circuits (bar Abu Dhabi).

There was only one circuit it could face in the final, and that was Monaco, but the end result wasn't even close as Spa romped away to victory.

Some of the earlier heats were much less obvious, though, and it was a fascinating journey around the globe as we narrowed down the calendar to just one characterful circuit.

How did Spa do it?

It was the initial matchup to end all matchups - Spa and Silverstone meeting in the first round. As soon as the draw was made, the hype began, and we knew it would be a good one. As it turns out, it created some great conversations, but the eventual voting was not that close, and Spa took the victory by over 100 votes.

The Belgian track then had to face off the inaugural night race, but history won out over novelty, and Singapore was also consigned to its fate. A quick semi-final against Monza, and Spa sealed the victory to become the 2009 champion.

It's All About the Fans

We saw a few other tracks make it a fair way through the competition, with both Monza and Suzuka faring well at their respective ends of the matchups. Albert Park was also a popular destination, but the real surprise came in the form of the Hungaroring.

Having been mentioned on a Hungarian site, the polls were bombarded with some Hungarian votes. Whilst some were worried this would skew the competition beyond repair, it only threw the new Nurburgring out of the first round - not a huge loss, I'm sure you'll agree. Plus, it just goes to show how loyal fans can be. Bernie could learn a lot from this.

Statistical Evidence

• Total votes cast: 2,549
• Lowest voted poll: Suzuka v Albert Park (86)
• Highest voted poll: Hungaroring v Nurburgring (518)
• Closest vote: Monaco v Suzuka (11 votes)
• Largest split: Hungaroring v Nurburgring (272 votes)

Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun and took the time to vote. We had almost 1,000 more votes than last year, and that wasn't all on the Hungarian matchup. If you've got any ideas of future Cups we could run, then please feel free to leave them in the comments. Otherwise, we'll simply be looking forward to the race at Spa this year.

Daily: 2nd June 2009

And there it was gone. The first day of the new month has passed us by already, and we are well on our way to the Turkish Grand Prix weekend. It was a much quieter news day yesterday, with the only revelations being teams not signing up for next year. Here are some of the things we're talking about instead:

• The Best of Sidepodpanel Series 2 was published yesterday, full of hilarious snippets from the six shows transmitted so far this year. You can also enjoy a compilation of Series 1 as well, which was published on Sunday, in case you missed it. I highly recommend them both, and if you fancy even more panelling, the links to the full shows are in the show notes of each.
• Gavin has finally launched his new blog. He's been talking about it for a while, dropping hints here and there, but now we can all catch up on the blog - Making Up the Numbers. So far I have only briefly perused it, but I've already seen a couple of interesting graphs, so it's definitely going to be one to keep an eye on.
• Finally, don't forget to make your vote count in the second, and last, semi-final of the 2009 Circuit Character Cup. This time we're pitting Suzuka against Monaco, and it's surprisingly closer than I thought at this early stage in proceedings. The poll closes at 9pm, and there'll be a 30 minute delay while we organise the final. By then we'll know who will face Spa in the final.

That's all for now. It's still rather hot in the UK, and opinions differ on whether this is bliss or a little on the oppressive side. Stick with Sidepodcast though, as we're always a blessed relief! I'll see you in the comments.

Circuit Character Cup - Semi Final - Monza vs. Spa

We're into the semi-finals now, pitting the circuits against each other for a place in the very last matchup of the cup, and that means we're down to one heat in each post. Today we're voting between two European tracks, and I think it might be a tough one.

Monza vs. Spa

Monza has easily seen off competition from Shanghai and Interlagos, but now faces perhaps it's toughest competitor yet. Spa has proved to be popular throughout the competition, even against it's first round opponent - Silverstone. So far, the Belgium track has enjoyed a larger margin over the losing circuits than Monza has, but this could be the matchup that changes all that.

Circuit Character Cup - Round 2 - Suzuka, Albert Park, Hungaroring, Monaco

Our final set of tracks for round two go head to head today, to fight for a place in the semi finals tomorrow. The winners of these two heats will face each other for a chance to fight for the coveted title: Sidepodcast's Circuit Character Cup Winner 2009. Catchy, eh?

Suzuka vs. Albert Park

Suzuka well and truly trounced Barcelona in the first round, gathering over 100 more votes than the ever-present test track. Albert Park's initial battle was slightly closer, but Istanbul was soon knocked out of the competition. How will the two fare against each other?

Hungaroring vs. Monaco

Hungaroring was heading for a certain exit until the fans came in their droves to vote their circuit above the Nurburgring. The track scored a whopping 400 votes. However, Monaco overcame Bahrain with a slightly less, but very similar, margin. Can it face up to the unlikely challenge of the 'Ring?

Circuit Character Cup - Round 2 - Monza, Interlagos, Spa, Singapore

It is time for us to head straight into round 2, otherwise known as the quarter-finals. We're continuing the double matchup per post until the semi finals, meaning all those going through will be decided over the course of the weekend. Let's get straight into the voting.

Monza vs. Interlagos

Monza beat off the competition in the first round by a huge margin - 119 to Shanghai's 11. So did Interlagos, who faced off against the unpopular Valencia. Now, the Italian track meets the long-time season closer Brazil. I have no inkling how this one might go, so get voting and I can find out!

Spa vs. Singapore

We all thought the first round competition between Spa and Silverstone would be huge, but in fact, Spa beat the British track fairly easily. Having faced off such a heavyweight, the Belgium track now takes on the streets of Singapore, which still seems to be riding on it's night race novelty.