Sidepodcast

Sidepodmeetup at Classic Team Lotus

Seeing as the first Sidepodmeetup was such a fantastic success (or as some would have it, a little too successful), thoughts quickly turned to the next opportunity that the community might meet once more.

I think the idea of a Lotus factory visit was first mooted during a conversation in a London pub at the beginning of the year, but apparently the team's name came up during the BBC TV coverage this afternoon. Lotus may or may not be returning to F1 in the near future, but either way, we're planning a visit to the Classic Team Lotus workshop this September.

Top commenter Flibster has been charged with organising the event, meaning we don't know much about what a tour of the prestigious building might involve. However the company has a handy overview on it's website, and the pitch that explains it best reads:

Classic Team Lotus is the Works historic motor sport activity in the Lotus group of companies. The race shop is at Hethel in the same building from which Team Lotus operated in the late 60s and 70s.

The Team Lotus mechanics that supported Champions such as Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Graham Hill and Jim Clark continue to care for the World Championship winning Lotus F1 cars that won 77 Grand Prix.

That sounds like a pretty fabulous way to spend a day, doesn't it?

If we can get between 10 and 15 people to attend, the 9th September is the date for your diary, although if there is less interest it'll likely be the 2nd September. Both of these dates are Wednesdays, the race shop is located in Hethel, Norwich and there is a charge of £30 per person to visit.

As ever you'll find an obligatory wiki page open for anyone to register an interest, and Flibster will likely be able to fill you in on any questions you may have.

It would be great if we can meet even more F1 fans, and hopefully you'll join us for a live Sidepodchat in the park after the tour (apparently pubs are out of bounds this time around).

Where is Ron Dennis?

Guest writer Jeremy laments the disappearance of a top name in the sport, but ponders whether he may be coming back.

I've been a McLaren fan since Ayrton Senna joined the team in the late 1980s. They have been a frustrating team to follow at times, but over the years, I have developed a liking for Ron Dennis. He seems to be a perfectionist, bringing a clinical precision to Formula 1 that appealed to my Apple (Steve Jobs) influenced personality.

I rejoiced in Ron's clever plan that brought Lewis Hamilton to the top of the sport and was bitterly disappointed when the title went begging in his first year. I marvel at the McLaren Technology Centre and feel Ron's pain when I read that employees don't understand how disappointed he is that they have dented a chequer plate panel in a service elevator through carelessness.

The sport of Formula 1 is in crisis at the moment, and the popular opinion is that the teams are ready to fight against the perceived mismanagement by FOM, and the FIA. The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) recently lost a key member when Ron stepped away from the McLaren Formula One team to concentrate his efforts on the road car division.

The public perception is of Ron removing himself from the F1 side of the McLaren business, to help convince the FIA that the culture in the team had changed following a serious charge of lying to the stewards. He had already handed the running of the F1 team over to Martin Whitmarsh (his long standing right hand man), so completely stepping away from the team was not a difficult move to understand. Despite the announcement that the news was a surprise to Lewis Hamilton, it made sense.

I've heard nothing of Ron's whereabouts for a while. The reported disconnection with Lewis has been playing on my mind, and the thought that 'we the public' never really know what's going on in F1, keeps bringing me back to the suspicion of other forces at play.

Is Ron preparing for a role in the possible F1 breakaway series? Or even a role at the FIA in a few years time, as was rumoured for Jean Todt when he left Ferrari? Part of me would love to see Bernie Ecclestone (and CVC Capital Partners) lose financial control of the sport to FOTA, and Max Mosley removed from the FIA. I want the teams and circuits to make the amount of money necessary to ensure the continuation of all forms of motor sport, and I want sensible regulation of Formula 1.

McLaren, Ron Dennis and Lewis Hamilton seem to polarise opinions. I would love to hear your thoughts on the questions I have posed, and on the future of Formula 1 governance.

F1 People - Series 1 Omnibus

• Length: 28:14 
• Size: 26.0 MB 
• File: peopleomnibus1.mp3 
• Transcript: peopleomnibus1.pdf 
• Torrent: peopleomnibus1.torrent 

The omnibus edition of the Sidepodcast mini series F1 People. These seven short shows looked at famous faces in F1 including Michael Schumacher, Bernie Ecclestone and Ayrton Senna.

Here are the links to the individual show notes:

1. Bernie Ecclestone
2. Max Mosley
3. Enzo Ferrari
4. Michael Schumacher
5. Jackie Stewart
6. Frank Williams
7. Ayrton Senna

This is the last catchup omnibus that needs to be posted. From now on, they will be released almost immediately after the actual mini series goes out. What a novel idea, eh?

A Different Kind of Yuletide Saviour

Scott in Italy has pointed out this early news that Honda may have managed to find themselves a buyer for the ousted Formula 1 team.

The Italian newspaper La Stampa is reporting that Carlos Slim has put up the cash to secure the team's future. We've been speculating, as I think everyone has, on who the potential buyers could be, and Mr Slim was a top prospect. The rumour that Honda F1's car park had to be cleared to fit in Slim's giant helicopter only added fuel to the fire. The newspaper themselves admit that nothing has been confirmed but if it is true, this is welcome news.

Unfortunately, it looks like Barrichello won't be making a return to the Brackley team with Bruno Senna the favoured driver to take his place. This isn't really a surprise, although it is a shame. Barrichello has appeared to have some real fire in his desire to keep on racing, but some of his recent decorum may have put off the potential buyers.

Assuming all of the above is true, there are still many, many questions we need answering. Maybe we need a list:

• What will the team be called?
• What beautiful livery will take the Earth Dreams place?
• Will Brawn and Fry retain their jobs?
• Will the new team turn up for any testing before the season starts?
• Will this scare improve their performance at all in 2009?
• Finally, if Slim is, as rumoured, the money man behind Piquet, where does this leave Renault?

Are there any other questions I've missed? Please leave your suggestions in the comments.