May 2014 recap - Back to Europe with a bang - The F1 pressure and action ratchets up in Spain and Monaco
Published by Christine
May was absolutely crazy at Sidepodcast HQ. Every day extended to its limit, hours of travelling, studying, working, praying for extra time. Sadly, this post does not reflect any of that as Sidepodcast had to take a step back behind real life. It wasn't until this past week that we had a minute to a) take a break to Dublin and then b) start getting back into Sidepodcast production. June threatens to be a similar story, but you can hear about that next time. This is what we did manage to get done on the site in May, a month which I'm going to be very happy to put behind me!
Formula One in May
There were two huge races this month, with Formula One's return to Europe. We got to see the motorhomes for the first time in Spain, and then we spent the entire Monaco weekend wondering what was going on inside them, as the Mercedes pair had a big falling out!
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 11 May | Spanish Grand Prix |
| 25 May | Monaco Grand Prix |
F1Minute in May
The sixty second recaps didn't suffer too much at the hands of the busy month of May, covering and wrapping up each race in brief. There was also time for a confirmation of something not happening, and the hopes of a home driver.
- Hamilton and Rosberg fight to the line for Spanish GP win
- Marussia pick up first points as Rosberg takes Monaco victory
- Mercedes rename car with hybrid branding
- Monaco qualifying sees a Mercedes row and a Caterham crash
- Red Bull asked to alter camera slot on RB10 nose
- Rosberg hopes for home win in Monaco
- Tony Fernandes confirms Caterham is not for sale
- Two red flags in qualifying can't halt Hamilton's charge
- Vettel sits out FP2 in Spain as Mercedes leads the way
Sidepodcast in May
When we moved F1Minute over to Sidepodcast, the season started before we'd completely finished the migration. Rather belatedly, then, we finally managed to get the old F1Minute audio player moved over to Sidepodcast. In the process, it has been improved, redesigned and it looks stunning on high resolution screens.
Mr C actually spent hours designing and coding the waveforms himself, involving some complex maths. At one point during the process, I was woken up at four in the morning to help solve a maths-related problem. So, please, do have a good look at the waveforms and enjoy!
Be sure to check it out on any of the F1Minute posts. It shouldn't be too long before the player is rolled out to the rest of the site, too.
Features in May
Adam continues his sterling work holding the fort on the Features page, with two excellent round-ups of the racing action this month. Picking out the driver of the day for Spain and Monaco, as well as hand-picking some of the other racers that had strong afternoon's, Adam continues to highlight bits and pieces you may have missed from the weekends. In Spain, he takes a look at what was going on behind the Mercedes pair, whilst in Monaco, it's time for Marussia to shine.
Posts in May
We had some really great guest posts this month, including an interview with Jacques Villeneuve ahead of his IndyCar return, as well as some speculation and ideas behind F1's cost crisis. We also got a brilliant update on Davin's karting career.
- Allez, un, deux, three - Christine's Rankings, Week 14
- Building a Formula 1 cost cap
- The drive of dreams - Christine's Rankings, Week 11
- Everywhere you race, always take the weather
- Friday Fun - F1 2014 is awesome because...
- Go back to your room and analyse what you've just done - Christine's Rankings, Week 12
- Marussia's next step
- New colours, fast laps and plenty of data
- Jacques of all trades
- Pick and mix - More than meets the eye in Monaco
- Pick and mix - Showing a bit of spirit in Spain
- The reunion on electric avenue
Hidden gems in May
This month, drivers seemed to be dressing up in odd or creative ways. Felipe Massa made a surprisingly convincing Captain Jack to celebrate his wife's birthday, whilst Daniel Ricciardo still couldn't hide his smile despite having his helmet on backwards.
We followed a handful of non-F1 events this month, including a fabulous evening watching the Eurovision Song Contest, a race with Franck, and the second tennis open of the year.
This year, I'm collecting together the best posts from the month in a handy Readlist collection. You can download the links into an ebook for the device of your choice, and then read Sidepodcast on your travels, on and off-line!
