Hello and welcome to Thursday. It's usually a horrid day but I'm sure today will be completely different because it is a certain Timo Glock's birthday! Happy Birthday Mr Glock. I hope that RG has bought his favourite driver a present, it seems only fair. Now you have wished Glock a happy birthday, your day is complete, but I would just like to share some of the other things we're talking about first:
Ollie has been blogging like a demon recently, and posted an interesting article about the possibility of the record books being changed this year. I hadn't really given it any thought but we have seen youngest drivers and 100th GP winners over the last few years, so I wonder what we'll find in 2010.
Over on VivaF1, Maverick has a post discussing the potential introduction of the 107% rule - how it would work and whether it would be a useful thing or not. I have never seen such a rule in practice, so I'm not sure about it, but head on over and leave your thoughts.
Finally, Lukeh has been keeping his eye on all sorts of news outlets to get information about the new F1 game, and he has collated it all here with his initial impressions. Some of the career aspects do look very interesting, but from a personal point of view, I just wish you didn't have to actually get a car round a track. It's quite impossible.
That should do it for now. I hope everyone is having an okay week so far, and as ever, I will see you in the comments.
Well, did you see any of the action yesterday? Even if you weren't enamoured with what was actually happening out on track (not all that much, if we're honest), it was still good to see the cars again. Yes, I said that, even though I still think they are really bad looking. Today is qualifying day, the best day of the weekend. Bring it on! Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:
A quick link, via Joe, to GP Guide. It's essentially a big database of statistics, more than you could ever dream of needing, and they're presented in an easy to use format and free! GP Guide is normally published as a book, but this site has it all.
The Factbyte Factbox had a fabulous launch yesterday with two successful Free Practice sessions completed. We're not sure whether we're going to be doing this for all Friday's, but we certainly intend to cover the weekends. The ability to have the highlight posts really makes it for me - check out Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 if you missed any of the day's running.
As a celebration of the return of Formula One, and really because we just couldn't decide which photo to use, we decided to do an F1 Big Picture special. Instead of one, you get ten photos, with moments throughout the sessions on Friday. We like to think there's something for everyone.
That should do it for now. I don't know about anyone else, but I am exhausted after just one day. Goodness knows what we'll be like on Sunday! I will see you in the comments.
The Formula One season finally gets underway with Bahrain replacing Australia at the start. We've got all the information you need to know from weather to driver quotes and my own predictions.
Vital Statistics
Date: 14th March
Circuit: Bahrain International
Length: 6.3km
Laps: 49
Preview
In the first digest preview of 2010, we solicit opinions on the Bahrain circuit, recap what happened in 2009, and run through what each of the teams is hoping for from the weekend. Notably, Lotus aren't feeling that positive, whilst McLaren and Ferrari are both confident they can do well.
We have reached Sunday, and for anyone looking for the live show, we must apologise. The live server is still not ready to rock and roll yet, and we weren't planning on doing any podcasting this weekend. However, we did record a Debrief episode yesterday, so look out for it in your feeds at some point today. Now, moving onwards:
We've been busy creating new pages again, with a new Sidepodcast Elsewhere page to have a look at. An expanded way to find where we are on the web, there are links to our Twitter pages, the Facebook Fan page and where we store some of our videos and photos. Have a look and let us know what you think.
While we're on the subject of Twitter, Mr C discovered yesterday that he retweets Lukeh more than he does me! This is so unfair, considering that I retweet the Sidepodcast account way more than anyone ever! I don't tweet enormous amount, though, so I can sort of see how this would be the case. Must try harder.
I know we've done nothing but talk about the Sidepodcast Calendar recently, but it's worth pointing it out again, as we've made the main embed a little bit bigger so you can actually see the items involved. It's just that bit wider, and just that bit longer and I like it this way. What do you think?
Anyway, let us know what you're up to today, and as ever, I'll see you in the comments.
In our 2009 Analytics series, we have so far looked at the points scored by teams and drivers throughout the season, and therefore how the year took shape. Now it's time to look at the team comparisons. The raw data is simply which driver finished ahead in qualifying and the races, and of course that doesn't tell the whole story, but it does give a good indicator of performance.
Brawn GP
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Button
7
12
Barrichello
10
5
I think this comparison sums up the season perfectly. Button had such a great run of wins at the start, that it's no surprise Rubens can't touch him when it comes to Grand Prix wins. The qualifying stats are more interesting, though, with Barrichello beating Jenson 10-7. This demonstrates the dip in form Jenson had clearly, when his struggles in qualifying affected his races, but overall, didn't affect his grip on the championship.
Red Bull
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Webber
3
9
Vettel
14
8
This one surprises me. Webber is supposed to be one of those qualifying specialists, but it seems as though he has met his match in the form of Vettel. Of course, Webbo started the year with a dodgy leg, and it's understandable it may have taken a while to get back in the swing of things, but 14-3 is quite a large swing in the numbers. When it comes to the racing, things are much tighter, and despite Vettel securing more wins, Webber finished higher up more often.
McLaren
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Hamilton
12
12
Kovalainen
5
5
Poor Kovalainen is out of a drive for 2010 and the numbers clearly show why. At least he was consistent though - five times on top in qualifying, and the same in Grand Prix. The numbers aren't entirely fair, though, as we know the McLaren made the most astounding progress throughout the year, and one half of the team always seemed to have the updates first. It's not hard to figure out which!
Ferrari
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Massa
4
5
Raikkonen
13
12
Badoer
0
0
Fisichella
0
0
Ferrari is a tricky one to try and analyse, as Massa didn't complete the year, and there's little point in trying to compare Badoer and Fisichella to anything. We know the Ferrari is a really hard car to get to grips with, and it would have been interesting to see how Massa would have stacked up against Kimi for the rest of the season. Felipe makes for a unique benchmark for Alonso next year, and I'll be watching closely.
Toyota
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Trulli
13
5
Glock
4
10
Kobayashi
0
2
Another team with more than two drivers but this has a lot clearer implications... for Trulli! The single lap flyer continued to keep up his performance in the Saturday sessions, but when it comes to the racing, not only was he outclassed by Glock, he was also shown up by new boy Kobayashi as well. Kamui only participated in two races and beat the experienced Trulli in both.
BMW
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Heidfeld
6
10
Kubica
11
7
For BMW, the numbers are almost entirely reversed from qualifying to the race. It makes perfect sense that Heidfeld performs better on a Sunday, as he is the consistent one always picking up the points. Kubica isn't vastly behind though, and in the same way, he isn't vastly in front when it comes to qualifying either. Heidfeld lags a little behind in qualifying performance, but the pair seem to be quite evenly matched.
Williams
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Rosberg
14
14
Nakajima
3
3
This is another team where the numbers are the same for both qualifying and the race, and Rosberg has the edge in both. Nakajima has been pretty much outshone this year, with Rosberg on 14 for both stats, and Kaz only on 3. In the context of the season, Rosberg has been consistently in the points, with a dip here and there, and just one retirement. Nakajima failed to pick up a single point.
Renault
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Alonso
16
14
Piquet
1
2
Grosjean
0
1
Another clear cut case for the number one driver, as Alonso outshone Piquet no problem at all. When Grosjean climbed in the car, he only managed to finish in a higher position than Alonso once in the race, but given the way the stats are against him, that is actually quite an achievement! With Alonso off to Ferrari, it's not a surprise the team are taking their time rethinking their driver strategy.
Force India
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Sutil
10
6
Fisichella
7
9
Liuzzi
0
2
Sutil seems to have had the edge in qualifying, although not by a huge margin over Fisichella, just 10-7, with Liuzzi not outdoing Adrian at all on Saturdays. The Grand Prix positions are another matter though, as Fisi had 9 finishes on Sutil's 6, and Liuzzi managed to finish higher in two of his five contested races. We found out today that Sutil and Liuzzi have been retained for 2010, so the competition between them will be fascinating to watch.
Toro Rosso
Drivers
Qualifying
Grand Prix
Buemi
14
10
Bourdais
2
3
Alguersuari
1
4
Buemi was always the leader in this team, despite the fact that Bourdais had the experience within the car. It's not a surprise that Le Seb saw his marching orders mid-season with such a low performance. Alguersuari didn't appear to be more of a match when it came to qualifying, but held his own in the race, and finished ahead more times the Bordy did when he had his seat.
As mentioned at the start of the post, the hard statistics never tell the entire story but I do like the indications they hint to. When it comes to resigning drivers, the numbers don't lie and the teams will be looking at the facts. What do you make of the analysis above? Which partnerships were the best, and who needs to try a little bit harder?
Update: Sean asked the question in the comments: What do the figures look like between Massa and Kimi before the accident? Brilliant idea, can't believe I didn't think of it. Here are the numbers from Australia to Belgium.
That was it then! Not exactly the season ending cliffhanger that we all wanted, but I suppose it was a nice relaxing way to round off the year. Now the off-season begins in earnest and I can't tell you all the stuff we have planned to keep you entertained. It'll be great. What I can tell you though, is some of the things we're talking about:
Mr Jake Humphrey of the good ol' Beeb has written up his post-race blog with some alternative awards to hand out having spent his first year presenting the F1 show. The Favourite F1 Location award is an interesting read.
James has been dreaming up some numbers for us, and posted some random facts about the 2009 season. Some of the "most poles" and "most laps completed" ones are fascinating, and James says there are more stats and facts to come. Yay!
Gavin has completed his usual driver consistency analysis, with a bit of commentary on the race itself as well. I do love a post that begins by saying the race was dull so here are some pictures to liven it up! Sums up the weekend, I think.
That should do it for now. Don't forget that the deadline for the Top Gear competition is tonight, if you haven't already entered. I will see you in the comments.
The weekend is upon us, so it's time for you to let us know what you're up to. It's a non-race weekend, so I hope you're all doing something exciting. We want to know about it. Don't forget about the inaugural Sidepodfilmclub showing of Talladega Nights later, as well - more information here.
Making the most of the news regarding Renault's impending hearing in front of the WMSC, we posted quite a good looking F1 Big Picture, and the associated F1 Minute yesterday. The debate is raging in the comments over here on whether Piquet is smart/stupid/talented/useless enough to have pulled off such a feat.
We're posting guest articles from the hosts of Sidepodradio shows to promote their segments, and hopefully get a bit more interaction if some is required. If you are doing a show, please feel free to forward me a few words to publish on your behalf. Oh, and if you're a listener, make sure you keep your eye on the blog for ways to get involved.
Finally, a few days late, I read some interesting statistics on F1 Wolf's blog. He's rounded up some facts and figures to establish whether this latest record of six different race winners in as many races is as unusual as it seems. Short answer - it is. Long answer - read more here.
That'll do it for now. Another reminder for Sidepodfilmclub tonight, we'll be opening a thread in time for the film to start at 8pm UK time. I hope you can join us, but either way, I'll see you in the comments.
We're into Tuesday already, and that means just minutes after finishing up the F1 podcast goodness for the weekend in Valencia, teams are already producing their preview quotes for Spa. Not exactly easing us back in gently after the summer break. Anyway, here are some things to ponder:
Statistics ahoy, as Gavin spent a good amount of time working on this blog post to compare Barrichello and Hamilton throughout the race on Sunday. When Whitmarsh tells us they didn't have the pace to win without the pit stop blunder, is he telling the truth? Gavin knows all. Also, over on the Pitlane Fanatic blog, there's a great School Report for Luca Badoer.
Jake Humphrey has written a roundup of the weekend's coverage, and how things went down from their side of the camera. It's an interesting read, but I'm not sure I agree with the praise of EJ. But then I never do. Still, Jake promises more to come in the way of pictures soon.
Turning to Spa, then, as the teams are already doing, and Red Bull will be hoping for better things. They seemed a bit downbeat after the race, which is understandable. Dank has posted his Belgium Preview, and assesses the teams chances for the upcoming weekend.
That should keep you busy for now. Let us know what you're up to, and whether you're totally over Valencia and looking forward to Spa, or if you'd prefer more time to digest what happened at the weekend. Either way, I'll see you in the comments.
Steven Roy asks the questions and guides us through such topics as how one gets started writing a blog post, where the ideas come from, and what the ideal blog post would be.
If you are a blogger and fancy taking part in this ongoing series, then sign up on the wiki. We'd love to hear from you!
In the January/February edition of The Paddock, there's a fascinating article about the 2008 FOM Global Broadcast Report. I've never heard of this before, didn't even know it existed, but it's a detailed look at the television coverage of Formula 1 around the world. As it turns out, there are some worthwhile statistics to take note of when comparing the 2008 season to the previous year, 2007.
Worldwide Domination
Perhaps domination is too strong a word, but the total global TV audience in 2008 was 600 million viewers, up 3 million. The rise doesn't seem all that impressive, especially considering there was an extra race on the calendar, and the addition of a night race must have attracted some new viewers. However, the season was broadcast in 188 countries, which has remained constant from '07, so the new eyeballs are on top of those fans already in tune with the sport.
The Top Two
China and Brazil both top the list for total viewers, with over 100 million each. Brazil fell slightly in 2008, whilst China's numbers rose. However, the percentage of Chinese TV-owning households who actually chose Formula 1 is only 9.9%. Apparently, F1 rates behind basketball and table tennis. 9.9% is very low, compared to the UK where it was 51.5% in 2008. Brazil had the joy of watching Massa fight for the championship, and clearly the season finale hosted at Interlagos was hugely popular, but the country seemed to be more interested in football over the entire year.
Driver Attraction
Formula 1 was always strong in Germany, but now Michael Schumacher has retired, the viewing figures have declined for the past two years. The country had the most airtime in 2008, with almost 1200 hours dedicated to F1, and they enjoyed five German drivers on the grid - including one very young, and hugely popular, first time winner. Still the figures continue to fall. Meanwhile, Hamilton had the desired effect in Britain, as there was a strong rise in viewers of 25% over the last five races of the season.
Honda Again
Surprisingly, Japan's viewership increased in 2008, despite the loss of Sato during the season. Now that Honda have pulled out of the sport, it will be interesting to see what happens in 2009. It seems unlikely to me that Nakajima can keep the countries hopes alive. Likewise, France have lost their race on the calendar, so their 2008 rise in viewers can hardly be sustained by Bourdais, can it?
Other Notes
Italy remains a constant and steady stream of viewers, thanks to Ferrari (not Trulli, or Fisichella).
Poland became the ninth biggest country for viewers, after Kubica's Canadian win.
Spain's numbers fell, which is bound to be due to Alonso's lack of form, although I'm surprised Singapore didn't help. What will this mean for the two Spanish races, I wonder?
India also saw a drop in viewers, with just 10% of the population tuning in to Formula 1, despite Force India's campaigning.
We have always suspected a successful driver will make F1 more popular in his home country, and the numbers back it up. This brings up another couple of questions. Would Bernie look at the stars of the future and tailor the sport to them? Do the numbers above have any bearing on his business making decisions?
