Sidepodcast

Daily: 17th October 2009

Friday turns into Saturday and there is one more Free Practice session to enjoy before the best part of the weekend is upon us. Qualifying for this crucial championship race will be something to behold, I'm sure. Meanwhile, here are some things we're talking about:

• The results posts for FP1 and FP2 have a bit of a new look to them, and whilst this is more of a pre-cursor to what will happen to them on Sidepodcast 3.0, it's safe to say that already they look a million times better.
• A great question arose from the second session which sparked a blog post and a poll - which circuit hosts the best championship showdown?  The votes have been piling in and it looks as though Brazil is winning, but please have your say and we'll tally the totals later.
• Finally, it was a busy day yesterday, as we also wrote about the new Codemasters game, albeit as an excuse to post a video with Croftie and Ant. They always look and sound like they're having great fun whatever they're doing, it's a great pairing.

That'll do it for now. We're running a bit behind on F1 Digest but it should be up at some point today. There's me saying the Brazil timings were so great, but it throws the whole schedule out! Anyway, I will 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.

Daily: 2nd October 2009

It's Free Practice Friday, and we'll be up in just a couple of hours to watch the first action in Japan. The drivers are all bigging up the weekend, so let's hope it lives up to expectations. Meanwhile, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• F1 Punter has taken a look at the possibility of a safety car at Suzuka. It looks like the chances are not exactly high, but a lot of the current crop of drivers haven't been on this track before, so anything could happen!
• James has written a post with his ideal F1 calendar on there, and is curious what you would put on your own calendar, if you could make the decisions. I'm more than happy to go with James' as he's only got 15 races on there.
• Pitlane Fanatic have their Japanese GP preview up, and take a look at the main challengers for the weekend, plus what to look out for on the circuit itself. The weather forecasts are still suggesting rain, which sounds suspiciously like Fuji!

That'll do it for now. We'll be back with live threads throughout the day, and the usual F1 Minute and Digest roundup later. Yay for Fridays! I'll see you in the comments.

F1 Digest 2009 - Japan Preview

• Length: 06:29 
• Size: 6.0 MB 
• File: digest133.mp3 
• Transcript: digest133.pdf 
• Torrent: digest133.torrent 

Back to back racing sees us head from the bright lights of Singapore to the long straights of Suzuka. F1 Digest previews the track, some of the action from last year, and what the drivers think of the upcoming weekend.

Vital Statistics

• Date: 4th October
• Circuit: Suzuka
• Length: 5.8km
• Laps: 53
• 2008 Winner: Fernando Alonso (at Fuji)

Preview

Every single driver seems to think Suzuka is one of the best tracks in the world, so they're all glad it's back on the calendar. They describe the combination of great fans, and interesting corners, to make for an exciting weekend.

An Aside with Joe - Guardians of a Tradition

• Length: 46:48 
• Size: 38.0 MB 
• File: aside12.mp3 
• Transcript: aside12.pdf 
• Torrent: aside12.torrent 

A long distance call sees Joe join us from Singapore, tackling questions from the comments on the subject of street racing, a packed calendar and ghost commentating for the BBC.

Additionally, the 50th issue if GP+ magazine was released this week, so we find out what it means to Joe, how it all began, where it's going next and where it fits in the world of F1.

As ever, all of this and so much more in this episode of An Aside With Joe.

Linkage

• Subscribe to Grand Prix+ Magazine (50 issues, one low price)
• Read Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog (now with added donations)
• Grandprix.com (including Mike Doodson's excellent articles)

Circuit Character Cup - Semi Final - Suzuka vs. Monaco

Our next semi-final pits the "glitz and glamour" of Monaco, against the unique figure of eight at Suzuka. The winner of this matchup will join Spa in the final.

Suzuka vs. Monaco

Suzuka has made it past two relatively easy tracks, although Albert Park put up more of a fight than Barcelona did. Now it meets it's first real heavyweight of a track in the principality of Monaco. The street circuit itself has fought past Bahrain and the Hungaroring - which is more of a feat than we'd anticipated it to be. Who will be victorious and make it to the final?

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 1 - Suzuka, Barcelona, Albert Park, Istanbul

We've got the hard work out of the way now, although I thought yesterday's matchups might have been a bit closer than they were. Nevertheless, we're moving on to the third heat of the first round.

Suzuka vs. Barcelona

Suzuka played host to the Japanese Grand Prix for year after year until Fuji decided to get in on the act as well. With plenty of history under it's belt, the circuit has plenty to offer. However, Barcelona is a staple for the testing calendar meaning most drivers know it like the back of the hand - does that add to it's character?

Albert Park vs. Istanbul

Hosting the first race of a new season is an honour, and even though Bernie likes to mess around with start times and dates, Australia certainly holds it's own in terms of providing great, if chaotic, racing. Meanwhile, Istanbul has done much to promote the sport in Turkey, and hosts one great corner - but can a circuit be judged on one corner alone?