Let a thousand engines bloom

An idea for Ross Brawn's consideration

11/12/2017 by Alex Andronov

Ross Brawn is trying to deal with a tricky situation. Half the teams want budget restrictions, the other half don’t. Half the teams want engine restrictions, the other half don’t. They aren’t the same groups, there are all kinds of strange overlaps. Mercedes want the engine restrictions but not the budget cuts, Honda want the budget cuts but not the engine restrictions. They are all after their own self interests - as it ever was.

Guest who

A summer chat with Superlicense F1

19/08/2017 by Christine

The summer break has been a relatively quiet period for Formula One fans, but if you're in the hunt for something to listen to so as to break the monotony before the Belgian Grand Prix, then look no further. We were honoured to be asked as guests on the Superlicense F1 podcast to talk about all things 2017 and beyond, with the super lovely Rodney and Zach.

Sexism and F1: The way things are

Targeting three areas of F1's equality debate

07/05/2017 by Andrew Pearson

To date there have been five female F1 drivers and only two of those ever competed in a fully sanctioned F1 race. Lella Lombardi is the only one of those drivers to have scored points in an F1 race, more accurately half a point. She last raced in 1976 and since then no female driver has qualified to race proper.

No longer living a lie

Danny Watts on being a gay man in motorsport

20/02/2017 by Mr. C

If you haven't caught it already, there is a fabulous interview on Badger GP today with Danny Watts, a racing driver, who has come out publicly as gay. There is little for us to add, except to encourage people to head on over and read the piece in full. Then read it again for good measure.

What do women have to do to earn their place in motorsport?

Showing the men that they are capable of anything

26/09/2016 by Anna Duxbury

As far back as the origins of motorsport women have played a small but determined part despite the prevailing mindset that it isn't a place for them. In 1921 Italian Maria Antonietta d’Avanzo came third in a ‘gentleman’s’ race, and ‘ladies’ races were not uncommon. In the 1920s and 1930s a significant amount of rally drivers were women, far more than today. Pat Moss, sister of F1 great Sir Stirling Moss, had three rallying wins and a number of podium finishes and in 1958 Maria Teresa de Fillippis was the first of five women to ever take part in a Formula One event.

Building a Formula 1 cost cap

Suggestions for levelling the F1 spending gap

08/05/2014 by Christopher Wheelahan

People have been talking about a Formula 1 cost cap for years and while some progress has been made we are still far from a legitimate spending cap. The hugely funded teams obviously believe that their ability to outspend gives them an advantage so they are doing everything they can to prevent restrictions. Smaller teams, however, must be more efficient in their spending and want to force that on their larger competitors to have a better shot at winning races and championships.

Castor and Pollux or a load of... rubbish?

Mercedes' management style continues to raise questions

17/11/2013 by Alex Andronov

Ross Brawn has been shoved out of Mercedes. This has been coming for a while as Mercedes seems to have tragically misunderstood the adage "too many cooks" and has at least five people in charge over there. When Ross's departure was mooted it seemed obvious to everyone that the issue was around Ross's not wanting to share control. Fair enough, he ran the team singlehanded for a while and didn't do too badly, now he was being asked to give up control and he didn't want to.

Long service award

Does loyalty and repetition taint championship success?

18/09/2013 by Christine

Red Bull’s recent return to unwavering dominance over the past couple of race weekends has all but sealed them a fourth consecutive constructor’s title. Sebastian Vettel is odds on to become World Champion again at the end of the year. Let us not be completely defeatist about it, the team are not mathematically unbeatable quite yet, but it would take an incredible change in fortune and form for anyone to overhaul them now.

iF1 - What if Formula 1 was run by its fans

A look at the tweaks that could make the pinnacle of motorsport even better

02/06/2013 by Will Davies

So, what with everything going on around Bernie Ecclestone and his (alleged or otherwise) antics in Germany, his days as Formula 1 supremo are looking rather numbered. It’s looking more and more likely that control of F1 will pass to a board of contributors or handed to a group of interested parties; rather than installing another dictator. I’d like to imagine what F1 might look like if those who frequent the Sidepodcast comments were instead the ones to sit around the boardroom table to run the sport.

After eight - A look back at F1's sordid past

Moments that F1 would like swept under the carpet

06/02/2013 by Subhayan Mukerjee

Ever since its conception over sixty years ago, the world of Formula 1 has been witness to several epic moments in its record littered path. While most of them have been extraordinary driver battles, breathtaking overtaking maneuvers and blitzkrieg lap times, there have been quite a number of occasions which fans look back to, and hang their heads in shame. Here are eight of the most forgettably shameful events that the highest form of motorsport could have done without.

Reapplying redress to recent results

Considered conclusions considering the Championship conclusion

04/12/2012 by Will Davies

With the Championship decider having come and gone, and Sebastian Vettel having been crowned World Champion, I feel it is the right time to revisit the idea of redress – with the view of seeing how the season would’ve shaped up if drivers were compensated for aggrieving eliminations from races. Since the first round of calculations, we’ve had high profile incidents affecting Jenson Button in Korea and most recently Lewis Hamilton from the lead in Brazil.

It's only fair - what if F1 did redress?

Should drivers be recompensed for incidents caused by others?

11/10/2012 by Will Davies

The stewards in Formula 1 are very keen on keeping (or at least try the hardest to keep) the sport fair – the level of precision used when scrutineering the cars, the unbending application of the rules, and the number penalties that are handed out; all to ensure that drivers do not gain the tiniest fraction of advantage. However nothing is done is done to ‘compensate’ drivers who are the ‘victims’ of ‘accidents’.

Catching 'em whilst they're young

Snaring the next generation of F1 fans, with marketing tricks and toys

27/09/2012 by Daniel Shires

I’ll freely admit that at times I can be a bit of a man-child. I’m 29, probably play more videogames than I should, my DVD collection includes Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Thundercats, plus I have a Mr T bobblehead sat next to my computer. Tame by some standards, but my girlfriend would probably disagree as she sighs when I get overly excited reading about a new comic book movie adaptation, whilst she watches a serious drama or documentary.

Qualifying - To run or not to run, that is the Q3

The solution to Formula One's problems could lie in mathematics

06/08/2012 by Will Davies

A current theme in F1 circles is all about giving fans value for money (especially as they spend so much following the sport). The current racing is action packed, and the restriction on testing means that the Free Practice sessions are often well used – although the issue of extra sets of wets / inters for wet sessions is a discussion for another day. The only part of the weekend left is Qualifying, and it is this that I feel needs looking at, because to have the final part (that is supposed to be the most exciting bit) with only a handful of drivers setting times is somewhat ridiculous.

Stay at home Mumms

How we came close to visiting the European Grand Prix but thought better of it

24/07/2012 by Mr. C

On occasion, Christine and I get quizzed on why we, as Formula One fans with our very own home Grand Prix, no longer pay to go to races. We put quite a bit of effort into running what is ostensibly an F1 website and as fans of the sport, it is perhaps seen as our duty to show some support. After all, if two individuals this dedicated to the sport don't make the effort, who on earth will?

History may hold the answer to qualifying's sit-out situation

Drivers waiting out qualifying is on the increase, so what is the solution?

16/05/2012 by Christine

This weekend we saw a fantastic race in Spain that held a little bit of everything - intrigue, overtaking, suspense, strategy and, of course, an underdog winner. The great racing we are seeing on Sundays is tempered only by the fact that qualifying excitement has been sacrificed to generate such great Grands Prix.

Discussion point: Do races or championships make for vintage seasons?

Deciding what it is that makes a year in Formula One great

21/06/2011 by Stuart Taylor

2011 is giving us great racing at the expense of a predictable championship, whereas the exciting championship of 2010 came with races so predictable that Sidepodcast nearly had to rename itself 'Side', such was their lack of enthusiasm for audio blogging. But which is better for the sport: the races of the championships?

The rise and rise of the F1 calendar

What do you make of the ever-expanding race schedule?

15/06/2011 by Christine

When the World Motor Sport Council met in June to discuss the future of Bahrain, they confirmed a twenty-one race calendar for 2012. It's an increase of two on this year, which should have been 20 itself before Bahrain dropped out. It's also an increase of five since I started watching F1. A 21 race calendar means that half of the available weekends next year could be tied up with watching Formula One.

Confusion reigns over Vettel's safety car incident

Debate rages after the Red Bull driver was penalised

02/08/2010 by Mr. C

As ever, during the days that follow a Grand Prix, Sidepodcast's comments are alive with discussion of the incidents that shaped Sundays race. Of interest to me today, is that whilst I thought a mid-race drive through penalty awarded to Sebastian Vettel was a cut and dried affair, many people saw it differently.

Post race debate - Did Hamilton's penalty come too late?

Lewis causes controversy again, this time for a Safety Car period penalty

27/06/2010 by Mr. C

Not for the first time in Formula 1, a mid-race stewarding decision took an especially long time to be handed out during this year's European Grand Prix in Valencia.