Sidepodcast

Fantasy Racers 2010 - Bahrain Reminder

Fantasy Racers is back and this time it's blog-only! We're not going to be talking about it in the show as the rule changes make it just that little bit too wordy for a short podcast section. However, it's taking pride of place on the blog and this is where you come in. I have selected Strategy 2, which is the option to not change your drivers but have a higher starting budget. Therefore, I will run out of things to say about my team very quickly. I want you to tell me about your team, who you're choosing and why. Email your thoughts to christine@sidepodcast.com and I will publish them in the next reminder thread.

For now, though, we have a league this year called Panda Racing 2010. You can get more information on joining up on this post, and please do! We'd love to have you. My team is called Chief Operating Panda, for obvious reasons. As mentioned above, I'm sticking with the same drivers throughout so my choice was important. I've gone with:

• Fernando Alonso
• Lewis Hamilton
• Sebastian Vettel
• Lucas di Grassi

I think I've got a good mix of championship potential and deliciousness. Who are you going for?

I had a message from Simon, part of which we read out in the latest debrief and part of it I saved for this post, as it related to his Fantasy Racers. Here are his thoughts:

I went for the 45m version, as my internet access is sporadic at best and therefore may not be able to change this during the season. My team is: Kamui, Lewis, The Hulk, Rubens, Kubica.

My reasons: I thought Kamui's performances in the last two races in 2009 were outstanding, the most exciting F1 debut since Lewis. Following the yawnfest that was the arrival of Buemi, Bourdais, Speed etc. etc. it was great to see a young driver with almost no F1 testing drive that well. I am delighted that he secured a drive following the demise of Toyota - so he was a must, my first name on the list.

Then Lewis, because it would be churlish to not have the man who will win the world championship in your fantasy team. Next Nico. I have been very impressed with his performances during pre-season testing and I also have a hunch, or is it just a hope (I miss the good old days of Hill etc.), that Williams will be competitive this year.

This left me with 17m to spend. So I had two choices: get one more top driver (would have been Vettel - I couldn't bring myself to pick someone in a red car!) and then have 5m left - not enough to get another, so wasted money, or get two 'best of the rest ' drivers. Rubens, for the Williams reason mentioned above, and because Rubens came to F1 around the same time I did and I have always liked him. Kubica, because well, I definitely think he fits into the category. Not the best but not the worst.

Fab stuff from Simon. Don't forget you can send me your team decisions: christine@sidepodcast.com. I also want to point you in the direction of Lukeh's blog post about his team Amazini Barresistancello. That one is definitely worth a read.

Also, don't forget to take part in the SofaF1 championship this year, as Alex has worked hard on creating a very interactive page for selections. F1 Wolf has a great predictions game going, and check out Pat's post for other worthy games.

Daily: 6th March 2010

The weekend is here, and whilst I am still fighting off germs, we're busy gearing up for the racing to start. This is the last weekend before everything kicks off in Bahrain, so I hope you're making the most of it! Here are some of the things we're talking about, in a super duper extended daily:

• A quick plug before we get into the motorsport stuff, I quickly posted a new episode of Media Future Change last night. It had been delayed a few days because of voice issues but finally made it into the public domain. Hope you enjoy listening, and as ever, feedback is always appreciated.
• I finally got round to updating the about page on I Heart Franck to feature more information about who I am, obviously, and how I discovered Monsieur Montagny. Not that I discovered him or am taking credit for his success or anything. I was tempted to write a bit about how I would faint on sight of FKM, but then I remembered he has read the site in the past, and that wouldn't really be a great opening line.
• Whilst we're talking about yummy people, Lucas di Grassi has partnered with some watch people. They sponsor Renault as well, which is slightly odd, although he was a development driver for them. I wonder if this will affect his position in the rankings.
• We often get people asking if we're bringing back the video previews and at the moment the answer is still no. Teams aren't really giving out as much footage as they used to, and now we know why. Red Bull kept it all for themselves! They have shared the packaged video with us, though, and it's pretty awesome. We'll let them off, especially as they intend to do it for every race.
• Don't forget the competition to win a signed copy of Joe's book. It closes on Tuesday, so if you haven't already entered, make sure you do!
• Whilst we're doing reminders, it's worth mentioning the Fantasy Racers league. We'll be doing a roll call of all the teams signed up in this weekend's show, so if you haven't yet joined, are planning to, and want a shout out, make sure you join the Panda Racing league before Sunday.

That should keep you going for now - double the usual number of items! Let us know how your weekend is going, and I will see you in the comments.

Fantasy Racers Reminder - Australia

Firstly, if you haven't set up your team yet, it's really easy to do. Head on over to Fantasy Racers to sign up, and you'll find league details and further instructions here. The Sidepodcast League now boasts over 400 entrants, and if you've not joined already, you're missing out.

Now, let's get on to the business of selecting our teams. The deadline is 5pm GMT (this is not Sidepodtime), which means we have the luxury of having seen both Free Practice sessions which turns out to have been very useful.

Initially, and based on nothing in particular, I chose Alonso, Button, Kubica, Barrichello and Vettel. I assumed Renault would be good (because I want them to be), Brawn for obvious reasons, Kubica because he seems to be the stronger BMW driver, and Vettel because he's the "rising star."

Having seen both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2, I have completely and utterly changed my mind. Only the Brawn boys remain.

I was left with 1.3m to spend, which I think is a pretty good use of resources. I swapped Vettel due to his inability to keep the car on track, Kubica because he basically said the car was undriveable, and Alonso, simply because the car seems to be slow. I brought in Webber, who looks to be doing well, Rosberg because he was quickest twice, and Glock as the Toyota looks pretty handy as well. Sutil was simply because I had the cash, although he didn't do too badly today, either.

So, don't forget to update your team, given all the information we've learned today. If you're not feeling secretive about it, you can share your driver lineup and strategies in the comments, and we can all compare notes.

Daily: 5th December 2008

Obviously, the only thing worth talking about at the moment is Honda's withdrawal from the sport, and that has it's own thread being speculated upon as we speak. Yesterday was a pretty awful day all round, so I'll just list a few things that might make today better, but then again, they might not.

• I've discovered a new flawless system for remembering to write these daily posts. It hasn't failed me yet, although we are only one day into the experiment. Put anything next to a picture of Franck and hopefully I should take notice.
• The FOTA met and came up with their cost-cutting proposals for Mr M. They're thinking super low cost engines, massive reduction in testing, and they're still thinking about that crazy qualifying idea.
• Sato is getting another chance behind the wheel at Toro Rosso in Jerez next week. He's already had two tests, so I guess he'll be hoping it's third time lucky. You have to think they're seriously considering him though, otherwise they wouldn't keep calling him back.

We'd really like some good news, I think. If anyone has anything else they'd like to get off their chest and share with the group, please feel free to do so. I'll see you in the comments.