Sidepodcast

Daily: 19th December 2009

It's Saturday, and for about half the UK, it seems like it's snow day as well. I have only seen the occasional flake but we're hearing about all sorts of various weather reports from around the country. I wonder whether it really will be a white Christmas. Anyway, here are some of the F1 related things we're talking about:

• Stuart seems to have the scoop on the single launch idea going kaput, and there has been no official word from FOTA as yet on the matter. It seems likely that this is the case, though, because I can't imagine the smaller teams were at all happy with the idea.
• The Schumacher comeback is looking even more likely, as Luca di Montezemolo wrote about it on the Ferrari website. The poor guy doesn't seem that impressed, using the age-old trick of claiming it is a twin brother involved, rather than facing up to the fact that Schumi just wants to move onwards and upwards.
• Also, the future of the Turkish Grand Prix began to look a bit uncertain as Bernie has apparently asked for double the current amount to host a race. Needless to say the organisers are not impressed and that means the fabulous Turn 8 could be off our calendars from as early as 2011.

With so much news bouncing around, we realised we'd be doing a double show this weekend, and as Sunday is busy enough with the Sidepodparty, we'll be doing an impromptu live show tonight - a Saturday. I know, it's wrong, just like Doctor Who felt wrong when it was on Sunday. Still, we'll do our best to muddle through. Expect a thread about seven or eight-ish. I'll see you in the comments.

Friday Fun - Ultimate Circuits

This week's Friday Fun was suggested by Mr C who in turn stole it from a text sent to 5live during a practice session. If it's good enough for Maurice Hamilton to fill five minutes, it's good enough for us.

Combine three sectors from any current or previous F1 racing circuits to create the ultimate F1 track.

I have given this a small amount of thought already, and have picked Eau Rouge which is in the first sector. My reason is because it's Eau Rouge, obviously, and because I like big hills. Then I thought I wanted the final few corners of Brazil, because they have provided some great racing over the past few years, and because I like big hills.

Finally, I picked out Turn 8 at Turkey as I have always had a soft spot for that corner since it was introduced. Mr C has pointed out that I have a bit of a problem as my first sector goes up and never comes back down again, and the same can be said for my last sector. I have always thought, though, that F1 should have more cliffs in it, don't you think?

Anyway, that's my initial thoughts, I'll be adding some more later in the day and would love to hear yours.

2009 Championship Contender - Rubens Barrichello

Of our three remaining drivers fighting for the title, Rubens is the one who you really think: "It's about time." He's been in the sport for 16 years and been on the podium almost 70 times, but as yet, the championship has never been his. Could 2009 be the year that changes all that?

It seemed only natural that Barrichello retained his seat beside Button in the new Brawn team. Their partnership worked well in the years previous to the takeover, and despite being at the back of the grid, improvements were being made all the time. Rubens is dogged by rumours of his imminent retirement but out on track, none of that matters.

The Brawn car is one of the most reliable of the field at the moment, and Barrichello has only suffered one retirement so far - in Turkey with a gearbox issue. Other than that, he has finished every race in the points bar one, which puts him on the consistent side of things. Two wins, but a lot of points later, and Rubens is in the title fight.

Generally speaking, no one would be unhappy if Barrichello won the championship this year. He's the nicest guy in the paddock and when he wins, you can tell that even those who just missed out are genuinely happy for him. He's not afraid to show his emotions, and even that 'blah blah blah' blip was sorted out in a reasonable fashion, with everyone able to move on amicably.

With 71 points, he sits in second place in the championship at the moment. He's 14 points behind Button, and with just two races left to go, it's going to be tricky to get the maximum out of each race weekend. Rubens has been more consistent than Button, but he needs JB to have two poor weekends to be able to make the leap. All the while, he needs to keep an eye behind him, as Vettel has had a last-minute spur and is now only two points away from second place. It won't be easy, but it's still entirely possible.

Rubens has seen it all, and his experience speaks volumes. We know that he has had opportunities robbed from him due to his secondary role at Ferrari, but perhaps it is time for the Brazilian to step up, and show that he's not a number two driver anymore.

Almost A Busman's Holiday

It seems as though quite a lot of the Sidepodcommunity are taking advantage of the summer break and heading away from home for their holidays. It doesn't always work out quite so well though, and a mistimed break can mean watching a Grand Prix away from home. Sometimes this can be a blessing, as we've already heard from RG. He's jetting off, whilst the European GP takes place, and he said:

Last year they showed the qualifying and race at the poolside bar.

Jon also has a good memory from a few years back:

I think it was the Turkish GP, I was sitting at an open air bar, whilst 50 metres away from the Imola track. Pure bliss.

Bassano went big with his take on watching F1 from afar:

Brazil '06 from an Irish Bar in Hanoi

What a place that was!

This sounds good. I haven't watched a race from anywhere exotic. My house, my parents house, or my in-laws, that's about as exciting as it gets. I once tuned in to radio commentary because we were traveling. The stories I could tell you.

Seriously though, especially as we have Sidepodcast now, I am usually found taking copious notes and, of course, podcasting throughout the weekend. Therefore, I would very much like to live vicariously through you.

Have you watched a race from anywhere exciting? Do you have stories of watching from your holidays? How do those you are holidaying with react to you needing a TV nearby? Or perhaps you have decided to record the race and watch it when you get back. How on earth do you manage to stay news-free?

If you've already mentioned a location previously, don't be afraid to repeat it here too.

Daily: 8th June 2009

With seven races under our belts, it's looking more and more like the championships will be sealed early. However, the points margin is still attainable and it's just a matter of another team mounting the charge and getting the job done. Is anyone capable? Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:

• It's a blog post roundup today, as RG has written a post dedicated to his favourite team BMW. They've been struggling so far and finally managed to give Kubica some points in Turkey. RG reviews their progress and ponders what's in store for the team.
• Scott has started a series of posts taking a look at some of the recent E3 announcements - particular games that involve cars and racing. I am particularly bad at these games, and not that bothered about what is coming out, but Scott has a good summation with more to come.
• Dank has written an excellent round-up of Red Bull's afternoon at Istanbul, chronicling just where it went wrong for Vettel, and how Webber made the most of what he'd got.

That'll do it for now. Feel free to plug any other blog posts from the weekend that have caught your eye. As per the norm, I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 7th June 2009

Race day in Turkey, and we're looking forward to it in Sidepodcast Towers, it's been a good weekend so far and hopefully the race will live up to expectations. Here are some of the things we're talking about:

• What was up with Alonso so that he could only qualify eighth with a ridiculously light car? We all know that the Renault is slow, and Piquet couldn't keep the darn thing pointing in the right direction, but this is Alonso we're talking about. Give him a light car and he should know what to do with it.
• Hamilton is already turning his attention to 2010, although perhaps only really hinting at it. His actual quotes suggest that he knows this year is a struggle and basically a write off, so he's looking forward to the McLaren comeback next year... if there is a next year, I suppose.
• We have finally managed to blog about the potential Lotus meetup. We've only been promising to do so for a couple of weeks now, so it's about time we got round to it. All the details you need to know are here, and we hope you can make it.

That'll do it for now. Don't forget you can catch up with all of yesterdays action in F1 Digest, in case you missed it or if you want a quick refresher. There'll be plenty of live threads popping up throughout the day, so I'll see you in the comments.

An Aside with Joe - What's the Point in Having Three Championships, When You Can Have One?

• Length: 39:41 
• Size: 37.1 MB 
• File: aside7.mp3 
• Transcript: aside7.pdf 
• Torrent: aside7.torrent 

Finally finding some technology that works, we catch up with Joe ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix and discuss the delights of the venue and surrounding area, some of that politics nonsense, and plenty of racing chatter.

Joe also gives us an insight into what access the media centre has during the action, who might do well this weekend, and how the paddock is reacting to the Force India news revealed over the last few days. He also makes his own prediction for not only the Grand Prix, but what will happen over the next few months.

All of this and much, much more in this episode of An Aside With Joe.

Linkage

• Subscribe to Grand Prix+ Magazine
• Read Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog
• Follow Joe on Twitter

Daily: 5th June 2009

Free Practice Day is upon us at last. Perhaps it is just me, but it feels like an age since we were watching those cars wind their way through the streets of Monaco. I'm looking forward to seeing them in action once again, but slightly worried that the weekend will be overshadowed by nonsense. We'll see. Meanwhile, here's what we're talking about:

• BMW have decided not to run with their KERS device in Turkey, despite the fact that they were touting a new version that was supposed to help them out. Apparently they'd prefer to concentrate on their aero upgrades, and would rather see an improvement on that front before they put their faith in KERS again.
• It seems as though all the optimism teams had before they got to the track has disappeared. Alonso was super confident the team could get back to their winning ways, but now the Renault driver says that Brawn and Button could see an early end to the championship.
• The weather has been true to form so far, with the predicted thunderstorm yesterday. The rest of the weekend looks to be sunny, so we should be in for a dry race.

Don't forget to test out the new live commenting system during all the sessions this weekend. It's got moveable boxes so you can set it up however you want. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 4th June 2009

Welcome to the fourth day of the sixth month of 2009 - the 155th day of the year, with 210 to go before the year end. It was a relatively quiet day yesterday, the quiet before the Turkish storm, you might say. Here are some of the things on our minds:

• Talking of storms, it looks as though there could be some rain in Turkey today, but the rest of the weekend is due to be sunny. If this rain takes it's time getting to the track though, it could affect some of the early proceedings over the weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for the weather as we head towards Friday.
• The Backpacker is back, and her guide to F1 is gradually being updated. She's disappeared over the last month or so, but has plenty of insight into the last few races now.
• You voted in your droves but finally we have crowned the winner of the 2009 Sidepodcast Circuit Character Cup. Spa won the vote by an impressive 126 votes to Monaco's 30 - and was winning by a majority for most of the day, including the extra half hour as we forgot to close the polls. Nevertheless, we will crown the circuit soon, and look forward to the race there later in the year.

That'll do it for now. Your F1 Digest preview for Turkey is already up and waiting to be listened to, if you haven't already. As ever, I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 3rd June 2009

Wednesday already, and according to Wikipedia, it is also Dave Richards birthday. I guess he will be holding off any massive celebrations until next week, when the 2010 entrants are revealed. Happy birthday anyway, Mr Richards. Here are some of the things we're talking about today:

• Massa seems to think there's a chance he can get his fourth Turkish GP win in a row, albeit a tiny, tiny chance. Ferrari are seemingly faster than they were at the beginning of the season, but I'm not sure they are ready for wins yet, are they?
• Our F1 Big Picture Turkey build up begins, with a great picture of Sebastian Vettel a couple of years ago in the Toro Rosso. Red Bull also think they're in with a chance of some improved form in Turkey, but will anyway be able to get past the Brawn boys?
• It is your last chance to vote in the Circuit Cup, as we are now in the final - Spa vs Monaco. It was perhaps an obvious final from the outset but the route getting here was fun, and I can't wait to see who ends up victorious.

That'll keep you going for now. I have just had to renew the Skype number and voicemail box, so don't forget to call in your thoughts, ideas, predictions on 0121 28 TRACK. Can't wait to hear from you and I'll see you in the comments.