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.
Which Circuit Hosts the Best Championship Showdown?
Interlagos 52% (34 votes)
Suzuka 40% (26 votes)
Other 8% (5 votes)
Total voters: 65
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.
The waiting is almost over and a new F1 season is upon us. To make sure you're up to speed with all the changes to Formula 1 in 2009, Sidepodcast catches up with the drivers and the engineers for the full low-down on what to expect this year.
We take a look inside the workings of two different types of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, find out how the teams are addressing new aero regulations, learn how the cars have evolved during the winter and discover how all of this affects the drivers.
Special thanks go out to Panasonic Toyota Racing, AT&T Williams, BMW Sauber F1 Team, ING Renault F1 Team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Bridgestone Motorsport and RTV GmbH for the use of their video footage.
Formula One is already marching headlong into the 2009 season, but before it gets there, Sidepodcast takes one final look back at the events that shaped 2008.
This isn't your normal F1 season review, but a chance for us to catch up on some of the things that slipped through our net during the past 12 months. These are things we wanted to cover but couldn't, either because of time constraints or video becoming available past our broadcast dates.
We look right back to winter testing, acknowledge Rubens for reaching a special milestone and hear what Jenson has to say about Formula One's first ever night race. All this and more in the last episode of Sidepodcast TV for 2008.
Music played:
The Futureheads, The Beginning Of The Twist
The Maine, We Change, We Wait
Bloc Party, Flux
Special thanks go out to Panasonic Toyota Racing, AT&T Williams, BMW Sauber F1 Team, ING Renault F1 Team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Honda Racing F1 Team and RTV GmbH for the use of their video footage.
Toyota were one of the first to announce the launch of their 2009 car, although details were left wanting. However, they are obviously keen to get the TF109 out and about, and now we know how it's going to happen.
The car and the livery will be revealed on the 15th January, although you could hardly call it a launch. Toyota are signing on to Max's way of thinking and reducing costs at every available opportunity - including their traditional pre-season programme. Instead of an expensive location with fancy lights, a smoke machine and a packed crowd, the team will be releasing some photos and features to the media only.
That's it.
It's not the first time a team has tried an online launch. Last year, Toyota themselves broadcast the TF108 unveiling on their homepage. It wasn't spectacular but it was engaging. Even further back, in 2003, Jaguar teamed up with Yahoo to launch the R4, giving users access to video interviews and features via the world wide web.
On the one hand, you have to applaud Toyota for taking the budgeting issue in Formula 1 seriously, and publicly taking steps to keep costs down. On the other hand, you have to wonder what's going to be rousing about a few pictures turning up in the media. It's not like we can even get excited about the livery. (My guess is red and white, what's yours?)
On the 20th, though, the new car will hit the track for the first time at a three day test in Portugal. The new Algarve Motor Park will be put through its paces and the statement from Toyota says that will be the media's opportunity to get their hands on the team. Glock, Trulli and others will be available to discuss the car and the upcoming season in person. Just like everyone does during a first test anyway.
The news about Fernando's "official fan" has been circulating a while, but I've only just got round to looking into it a bit further. It's quite telling that when I mentioned it to the other half of Sidepodcast recently, he said he thought it was a joke.
So, what's it all about then?
Bright Eyes
23-year-old Spaniard Álvaro Ademà has been selected as Alonso's official fan. There's no real word on how the selection process worked, and I must have missed the call for applications, otherwise I would at least have tried to learn Spanish. However, the lucky fan has secured what could be the best job in the world, following Alonso on the remainder of the season and earning 3,000 Euros a month along the way. The whole idea is an ING thing, although I can't really find much about it from their point of view either. However, it's all above board, and Ademà will be blogging his experiences for the rest of the year.
I Get a Little Bit Lonely
The first thing that springs to mind is: why? From the fan's point of view this is wonderful, of course, who wouldn't like the opportunity to follow their idol around the world for six months? But surely Alonso doesn't need someone else surrounding him? F1 drivers get so very little privacy as it is, surely an official fan will really just be a pain? They've got their work to do on race weekends, they've got their media commitments, and they've got their PR people to record every word they say. What possible role can this new man fulfill? What does he add to the process?
Living in a Powder Keg
My second question is, what happens when/if Alonso flips his lid? If this was last year, then would Ademà get to experience the helmet against the door incident first hand? Would he be allowed to blog about it? What happens if they don't get on? I wonder what kind of contract he has had to sign, and how much he is allowed to disclose. There's always a worry when things are official that they are less open and may have a little bit of a corporate edge to them. Now, to be fair, I don't understand every word of the blog, but I will be following it to see how things develop.
And keep your eye out for Ademà around the paddock in the future.
So, the question is, would you like to follow a driver around, and if so, which one?
The Bahrain weekend kicks off in style, with two Free Practice sessions that looked as though they were going to be dull, until Lewis Hamilton punted his McLaren into the wall. Hear all about it in this F1 Digest.
Free Practice 1
A relatively straightforward session with some struggling with their tyres, some punching above their weight, and some barely making it out of their garages. Plus, a voicemail!
Free Practice 2
What could have been a mundane session was livened up by Hamilton, but there were plenty of other things to note as well. Plus, a voicemail!
Conclusions
McLaren are upbeat, despite the work ahead of them. Bourdais has played down his performance, while Alonso admits he is struggling.
Just seven days to go, this episode is of the shorter variety, as we at Sidepodcast get everything ready for next week's podcast explosion.
Intro
The seasons almost upon us, can't quite contain our excitement.
Good Week / Bad Week
ITV find their sponsor, whilst Force India aren't quite free of Spyker yet. Mercedes have a new safety car, and Nigel Stepney is in the bad books.
News and Views
Trulli's mood and some sneaky last minute preparations from Honda, Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull. Bridgestone do more white lines and we share our predictions.
Feedback
A Fantasy Racers Sidepodcast league update, loads of teams, plus a fun game from Dan Brunell on Facebook - match the driver to the song. No voicemails this week so don't forget to call us after the race to share your thoughts, good and bad, about the winners and losers - +44 121 28 87225.
Housekeeping
Big plans for new shows this week, Sidepodcast is splitting and expanding in all kinds of ways. It's all a bit confusing so stay tuned to the blog for more details and hopefully a schedule of what to expect.
You can imagine that researching F1 Minute means I read a lot more news now than I used to. In fact, quite often, I'll be talking to the man and he won't know what I'm on about. Did you read that right? I'm ahead of him. Brilliant.
Anyway, I was browsing Autosport.com today, and saw the return of their traditional posts headed up Preview Quotes: #Team Name#. You know what that means, don't you? The season is truly coming back. I was excited, I may have even whooped out loud. But then I saw that Autosport didn't just have one post about the Previews. They'd managed to stretch it out to three posts.
I know this isn't unusual for Autosport, we've certainly picked up on it in the past. I know a lot of other bloggers find their site very frustrating. I've been giving them the benefit of the doubt, but it's starting to get a little bit ridiculous.
Talk about milking something for all it's worth - three stories out of a few questions on a single press release? We get these press releases sent to us too, and other than re-printing them, I can't think of a single story that's worth a whole page of it's own.
Two days ago Christian Horner confirmed that Red Bull's RB4 chassis will make its track debut in January. That in itself isn't a particularly fascinating fact - announcements about new car launches rarely are. What is worth mentioning though, is the team's new video, released today on YouTube.
A 30 second time-lapse sequence shows staff entering and leaving the factory in Milton Keynes and then confirms the car's launch date to be 16th January 2008. The video is attributed to a user named sequencepostprod, which we can probably assume is related to the television company Sequence Post Production (SPP).
UK Formula 1 fans will probably recognise SPP as the team behind some of ITV's title credits as well Martin Brundle's "F1 Insight" series. Presumably the team have been brought in to work on the launch, but it's odd that the video doesn't feature on Red Bull's homepage alongside the other official showreels, not to mention the fact that the production company decided to release it under their own name first.
Here's the full clip in case you haven't already seen it:
I wonder if this means Formula 1 teams are finally getting to grips with viral videos and social networking?
You’ve heard the introduction and you know what F1 is about, so now you want to sit down and watch a race. The first thing you need to do is find out when the next race is on. The calendar for each year is available a couple of months before the season starts, and is published on many different websites. The official sites have calendars and countdowns, many blogs will post about the dates to come. A quick Google search will point you in the right direction.
The coverage you get will depend on where you are in the world. Here in the UK, we get both qualifying and the race on the TV, but have to rely on the internet for all the practice and testing results as and when they happen. Of course, if all else fails, you can subscribe to Sidepodcast for race reports and all the news you need to know.
Anyway, shameless plug over, what can you expect from a race weekend?
Races usually take place every two weeks, but it seems to be getting more and more erratic, sometimes having races weekly, and then an entire month off. Once the teams have arrived at a circuit, the race weekend can really begin.
Friday practice is so called because it takes place on the Friday before the race. It consists of two sessions, both 90 minutes, and the teams can run what they want, when they want, to get a feel of the track and the conditions. It’s not always an accurate prediction of who’s going to fare well during the race, but it can give you a good idea of who’s fast and who is lagging behind. The teams like to get the fastest times because it’s good publicity for them and their sponsors.
Saturday morning consists of another practice session. This one is 1 hour long and is more indicative of what is going to happen in qualifying later that day. Track conditions will be improving all the time, as the cars get more rubber from their tyres onto the tarmac, and again, drivers will be striving to get the fastest time.
The qualifying format has changed several times over the years, but the idea behind it is still the same. Throughout the hour-long session, the teams will run their cars to find an ultimate fast lap – one that will dictate the position they will start in for the race the following day. If a car fails to secure a time due to driver or mechanical error, it is most likely they will start at the back of the grid. Where you position yourself in qualifying is more than just aiming to get first – you also have to think about where on the track you end up. The racing line favours the driver in pole position, and when in grid formation, two cars are staggered next to each other all the way back, so the second place car will suffer the worst track surface.
Sunday is race day. Teams will get their cars set up and their drivers ready, and then wave them off around the track to form their grid position. All the mechanics are welcomed onto the grid to make their very last minute preparations and escort their famous guests around for the pursuing cameras. The atmosphere before the race begins is feverish and the anticipation is almost better than the race itself. However, it’s when the track is cleared of people, and the drivers head off on their parade lap, that you know something good is about to happen. The five lights come on one by one and when they go out, its go, Go, GO! Sorry, almost turned into a commentator then. The first corner is usually the most exciting, with 20+ cars bundling and jostling for position. After that, the 50 or so laps of a race fly by, with retirements, overtaking and pit stops, until eventually the winner crosses the start finish line for his share of the glory. The top eight drivers receive points, as do the top eight constructors. The race winner, and those in second and third get to partake in a little champagne on the podium, whilst receiving their trophies. The winning constructor of the day also receives a magnificent trophy for their contribution to a great race day.
After that, there’s just time for a debrief in the following press conference, where the top three talk about how tough the conditions were and what they did to outsmart their fellow sportsmen, before everyone goes home for a rest.
Next time on the Sidepodcast Guide to Formula 1, I’ll be looking at pit stops in more detail.
