Sidepodcast

Introducing the Factbyte Factbox

Sidepodcast is today turning its F1 coverage up to eleven, with the release of the all new Factbyte Factbox. The interactive web panel enables us to provide real-time updates on any live event, be it an F1 session, another motorsport event or live streaming podcast.

Factbyte Factbox (FBFB) was first proposed back in April 2009 and has been something we've been keen to see launched for a very long time. Back in April, we described it thus:

Designed to take live shows and live racing to the next level, the FBFB will provide a secondary stream of information, highlighting any relevant data depending on circumstance. For example, offering up-to-date scoring during a panel show, or listing the closest battles during a race.

Almost one year on and that is exactly what we're launching today. Additionally, we're planning on using the tool to augment future live streaming podcasts, providing real-time show notes and enabling interaction via live voting, results of which will be fed back into recordings.

We should point out that what we're launching today isn't the final iteration of the web panel. It carries a "beta" tag because it is a service that's still undergoing heavy development. However, we felt that this was something that should be available from the very start of the F1 season, and thus we're opening the doors today. We're expecting teething troubles coupled with rapid development for the next few months.

If you're interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, the live commenting page currently houses the FBFB. The plan is to make it available via other pages in due course. Furthermore, we'll be running a live beta test at 21:45 GMT, should anyone be available to offer feedback.

Updated: The live test has now finished, but you can view the full list of updates below:

By McLaren Fans, for McLaren Fans

During last week's show, we talked about McLaren's latest initiative to engage fans, by asking them to design the next McLaren hoody - one that would actually be sold in the McLaren eShop. Merchandise created by the fans for the fans. Excellent idea.

The team haven't stopped there, though, reaching out that one step further by inviting Steve at the McLaren Fan Blog to hold the official vote to decide the winner.

We've seen fan submission ideas before, particularly from Jenson Button, who has previously asked fans to design a Christmas Card and his helmet. They have been a little less interactive though, with submissions disappearing into the ether to be selected presumably by JB himself. McLaren are letting us make the final decision.

Thumbs up to the team, then, and now it's over to you. Who will you vote for? I don't want to sway your vote at all, but we do have submissions from two people of Sidepodland - designs from two of our favourite commenters Lou and Lukeh are up for your clicks.

I am intensely jealous of people who can design things, although to my eyes, some of them seem as though they already exist. It's probably just the red and silver look, though. Either way, I can't wait to see who wins, and I'm off to vote right now. If you haven't already, make time to do it now, and we'll report back with the winner!

Daily: 29th November 2009

It's been a very long time since I was left in charge of covering daily duties, I was beginning to worry Christine no longer had faith in me. I shall not let the good ship Daily Post down though, despite very little happening in the F1 world.

Before dishing up a couple of noteworthy links, I would like to plug some site updates that have been consuming vast amounts of time these past few weeks. Ever since we introduced our first on site opinion poll the damn things have been causing us grief. As a result we've rebuilt the polling system from the ground up, it still has issues but it's good enough to make its debut today. I've sneaked a little poll into the bottom of this post (a first for the daily?), by all means give it a try and yell if you spot anything amiss.

• Felipe Massa made a triumphant return to competitive racing yesterday, finishing third in his own kart race, behind Michael Schumacher (bleugh) and the legend that is Liuzzi in second. A number of other F1 drivers took part in the event including Rubens Barrichello and those of an altogether lesser significance. After the event Massa was happy with his work "It was a great return to racing. I wish I could've won the race, but it was a victory to come from the back and finish where I finished. I felt 100 per cent and I'm ready for the next one." It looks like a fine day was had by all, and the action continues with a second race today.
• Joe's super pleased about the return of Canada to the calendar and speculates that it can open the right doors to allow for the reappearance of a Grand Prix in the USA. Formula One fans stateside deserve no less, so let's hear it for the achievements of race organisers in Montreal, and keep our fingers crossed for even more good news in the future.
• I struggled to find any notable news beyond the above and I'm still 18 links short of my daily quota. However, the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed the small "quote box" that appears further up the page. There's probably a fancy official name for it, but it beats me what that might be. We're playing around with the idea of highlighting small parts of an article, Christine is less sold on it than me, but do let us know if it works for you. What's the best way to give feedback you say? Why, a poll of course.

I believe that covers anything and everything that comes to mind. A certain lady seems to be on a mission to post more articles in a week than we normally do in a month, so keep an eye on the homepage for more updates throughout the day. As ever, let us know what you're up to, and don't forget to plug any blog posts you've published recently.

The FIA Presidency: Jean Todt vs. Ari Vatanen (Update: Todt Is Elected)

After 16 years in power, today is Max Mosley's final day as president of motor-racing's governing body, the FIA. By the close of play, either Jean Todt or Ari Vatanen will have succeeded him.

A majority vote will be required by a candidate, but from where we're sitting, it does appear that the outcome will favour Todt. If you're interested in the political machinations that seem to forever dominate motorsport, and if you're following the events going on in Paris, then this is the thread to discuss matters.

Update: Jean Todt has secured a majority vote with 135 votes to 49.

Update: FOTA have released a statement welcoming Jean Todt to the FIA Presidency. Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said:

I would like to send my best wishes to Jean Todt in his new role, as I have always appreciated his ability, dedication and commitment. I am sure that, under his guidance, the Federation will be rejuvenated and will restore a climate open to dialogue and constructive collaboration with the teams and FOTA, thus ensuring stability of the regulations and the whole environment.

Update: Maurice Hamilton is suggesting that Jean Todt will likely had the appointment of F1 commissioner to Michael Schumacher.

We will of course post updates as information becomes available.

Sidepodradio - The Charity

In the last Sidepodradio post, I touched upon the fact that we raised an awful lot of money for charity. It was much more than we expected, and the astounding generosity of people makes those 12 hours even more special.

It started out as a quick donations drive raising money to cover the cost of production - £120 to be exact. It soon exceeded that, and we knew donating to charity would turn it into the proper radiothon we wanted it to be. As it turns out, the server really didn't hold up as much as we thought, and therefore, it doesn't deserve any money. We'll return that £120 to the kitty, and round it up to the nearest ten, meaning our total for charity is:

£680!

That is an amazing effort, and everyone should give themselves a big pat on the back.

There's just one more step to go through, and that's deciding the motorsport charity who will benefit from the Sidepodradio event. We've had some great suggestions in the wiki, where there are links to find out more about each charity, plus a breakdown of the donations and how we reached the total.

Now, though, it's time for the vote.

Once again, thanks go to everyone who got involved in Sidepodradio from those who were on practically every show to those who just left a single comment. Everyone was part of it, and it's down to all of you that we have raised this money. We'll close the poll at about midday on Wednesday, and let you know the results. Get voting!

Daily: 29th May 2009

The end of the week is upon us, and so, almost is the end of May. I'm not entirely sure where the year is going - I'm convinced someone  is stealing it but I have no proof. Anyway, here are some of the things we're talking about:

• FOTA have come up with their plan to present to the FIA, and if looks are anything to go by, the governing body might just be agreeable to it. We reach the deadline today, so something really needs to be sorted out as soon as possible, or we may see some of our teams not making next year's championship simply because it will be a case of first come, first served.
• It's the final heat of the first round in the Circuit Cup and that can only mean one thing - voting time again. These final matchups will see the fate of Monaco and Nurburgring decided, and it's in your hands. Head on over and make your voice heard.
• If you haven't visited in a while, head on over to F1 Big Picture. Yesterday's image depicts a flying Vettel at Monza in celebration of his Lorenzo Bandini award win. He'll be picking up the trophy on Sunday, in the style of Kubica (ie. driving 12km in an F1 car - madness).

That'll do for now. As we are rushing headlong into the weekend, let us know if you have any exciting plans, and equally let us know if you don't. I will see you in the comments.

Circuit Character Cup - Round 1 - Silverstone, Spa, Singapore, Sepang

Our first two matchups are complete, and now we move on to the second day of voting - a day with all the 'S's. This is the one that everyone has been waiting for, and it's only day two, which is slightly worrying!

Silverstone vs. Spa

Our first poll today pitches two heavyweights against each other - circuits with huge amounts of character each. But which one has the most? Silverstone was the site of the first ever Grand Prix back in the 50s, but has been losing favour with Bernie ever since. Spa features a couple of the corners that most drivers would put on their all time favourite list.

Singapore vs. Sepang

Singapore has the benefit of the novelty factor as it hosted the sport's first ever night race in 2008. However, it wasn't a complete success with a few improvements to be implemented this time round. Meanwhile, Sepang has been a staple of the early fly-away races, but can often be overshadowed by the season opener.

Circuit Character Cup - Round 1 - Monza, Shanghai, Interlagos, Valencia

Following on from the success of the first Character Cup, we are making things a little less personal by looking at the circuits themselves rather than those who drive on them. The matchups have been selected in a highly technical fashion (out of a hat) and the process can be viewed here.

From an admin point of view, there are 16 circuits, each from the 2009 calendar. We have dropped Abu Dhabi, as it hasn't yet been built, let alone had a chance to display what character it has. In this first round of matchups we will feature two battles - a total of four circuits. Each round will be up for 24 hours, with the poll being closed in time for the next round to appear - and that should be at 9pm BST each evening.

We'll be whittling the circuits down to crown the one with the most character, and you can follow the progress on the wiki. (Props to RG for creating the page almost seconds after the initial video was released.) Without further ado, let the voting commence.

Monza vs. Shanghai

This first matchup is a case of old versus new, as Monza has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since the very beginning, whilst Shanghai appeared only in recent years. Whilst Monza may not have the facilities of the supposed state-of-the-art Chinese venue, there is a lot to be said for making your fans feel at home.

Interlagos vs. Valencia

It's impossible to write this little blurb about Valencia and Brazil whilst still remaining impartial. I am 100% certain which way the vote will swing on this one, and that would be the case even if the 2008 races at both venues weren't still reverberating around our minds.

Character Cup - 2009 Winner, Fernando Alonso

After two long weeks of voting, and an epic final that was so close it rivalled the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2008, Fernando Alonso has claimed victory in the inaugural Sidepodcast Character Cup.

Facing stiff competition from opponent Sebastian Vettel, Fernando sealed his position as the current Formula 1 driver with the most character by one single vote, and said vote was cast in the very last minute of the poll.

There were plenty of other close calls, and interesting matchups along the way, so let's take a closer look at the stats.

Alonso's Journey to Victory

Fernando had to get past both his replacement at Renault, and a former teammate from the French brigade, as he saw off both Kovalainen and Fisichella with relative ease. By the time we reached the semi-finals, the Spaniard came up against Robert Kubica, who looked to be a challenge. Although Kubica was popular in the comments, Alonso's fiery attitude saw him overcome the Pole, and his place in the final was booked.

Throughout the competition, it seemed as though Vettel was one of the most popular drivers out there, and the slim margin of victory for Fernando proves that really, the title belongs to the pair of them. However, there can only be one winner, and our Fernie can claim his Sidepodcast victory with pride.

Too Close to Call

The final wasn't the only close matchup throughout the competition though, with one other poll also ending just one vote apart. Vettel was again involved, as he faced his semi-final competitor, Kimi Raikkonen. These two swung opinion in the comments back and forth until the deadline was upon them.

The previous round saw Vettel in a matchup that was probably a little close to home, as he and Mark Webber became the only pair of current teammates to face off in the competition. It was a relatively easy victory for the young German, and if this has any bearing on how the 2009 season is going to go, Webber should be a little bit worried.

Surprise Results

From the very beginning, when the first poll went live, I predicted a Hamilton / Massa finish. I figured that anything lacking from their character would be made up for by the fact we have talked of little else for the last six months. I couldn't have been more wrong. The pair of them went out, in separate competitions, in the first round. Hamilton was knocked out by the unlikely winner of Trulli, whilst Massa fell foul of Fisichella. Neither of those, mind you, made it past the second round.

Statistical Evidence

• Total votes cast: 1,665
• Lowest voted poll: Rosberg v Piquet (71)
• Highest voted poll: Trulli v Hamilton (164)
• Closest vote: Vettel v Raikkonen / Vettel v Alonso - (1 vote)
• Largest split: Vettel v Sutil - (75 votes)

Thank you to each and every person who took the time and effort to cast a vote. 1,665 clicks is many, many more than we were expecting. We're not sure where we're going with this next, but there are other characters to be found in the world of F1, I wonder who else we could pitch against one and other?

Daily: 15th February 2009

After a day of being nice to each other, Mr C and myself are looking to get stuck in with Formula 1 news and gossip. Has there been anything of late to keep us entertained? Let's see.

• The Honda rumours are gathering steam, and it appears that the only thing that still remains a question is whether they will be able to do the deal with Mercedes or not. The engine supplier wants funding for a full year, and from what we know, the sponsorship only stretches to four races. Supposedly they have ten days to sort it out, will they make it in time?
• Bob Bell, Technical Director of Renault is convinced that the car will be on the pace when it comes to racing in Australia. He has to say optimistic things like that, of course, but he adds that the poor testing times were not surprising due to running interim bodywork. They were more interested on the components on the inside than nabbing a good headline. Do we believe him?
• Finally, another Batracer game is waiting to kick off, and just needs a few more people to sign up. If you had fun in the last one, or if you wanted to join in but missed the boat, now is your chance to have a go and see if you can beat the opposition. This game takes the 1986 car set, so if you're interested, you can sign up here. The password is Bourdais, and if you have any questions, there's information on the wiki, or you can ask us in the comments.

The last thing I wanted to mention is a reminder to vote in the final of the Character Cup. It's your last opportunity to make your vote count and crown the Sidepodcast 2009 Character Cup winner. Things are looking very close between Alonso and Vettel, and it could be your vote that swings it. Once you've been and voted, I'll see you in the comments.