Episode 46 - It’s Like Fantasy F1
- File: Episode46.m4a
- Length: 23:02
- Size: 21.4 MB
- Transcript: Episode46.pdf
A welcome return for the audio half of Sidepodcast, this first show of 2008 covers some of the news stories that have cropped up over the holiday period. We also introduce a couple of new segments to the show, and as ever, solicit some feedback.
Intro
Mobile phone fun, as the new theme tune is uncovered in grand, theatrical style. Or not.
Good Week / Bad Week
A new part of the show, featuring some of the shorter news items of recent days. This week featuring Super Aguri, Toyota and Autosport International. I’ll leave you to guess who fits in which category.
News and Views
We start with some thoughts on Williams decision not to launch their 2008 car - is it down to consistency or just because they’re boring? Then we cover the ridiculously inane rules the FIA are proposing for the coming season. In fact, we cover them in quite some detail, so be prepared to soak up some serious geekiness. We finish with a quick look at suggestions from the paddock, with Honda’s budget cap ideas, and Coulthard’s conversations about the wet weather.
Housekeeping
A quick update on our plans to cover the launch period. Today the new Ferrari was revealed in all its glory, so you’ll hear some first impressions but nothing too detailed - that will come later. Talk turns to F1 Rewind and how we are processing the amazing feedback we received from all corners of the globe. Finally, there’s always time to plug the fact that we are up for an award. Don’t forget to vote!
January 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pmSteven Roy said:
The reason for the mysterious comment “Test fluid to be air at atmospheric pressure” is because before CFD car companies had started running water tunnels rather than wind tunnels. Water is about 15 times as viscous as air so you get a lot more info. This rule prevents teams creating water (or other fluid) tunnels to get round the wind tunnel restrictions.
As suggested the rules are impossible to police and are undoubtedly designed as a negotiating ploy.
Budget caps on the face of it seem like a good idea but are equally impossible to police. Imagine for example McLaren sub-contract the manufacture of exhaust manifolds and by sheer co-incidence they sub-contract them to a company who also makes the exhaust manifolds for their road cars. It would be easy for 40% of the cost of the race units to be transferred on to the road car bill. Besides Ross Brawn proposing budget caps would have been a lot more convincing if he had come up with it 5 years ago when h had the biggest budget in the business.
January 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pmIan (Growler) said:
In Addition to what Steven has explained on the fluid having to be air, the pressure has to be at atmospheric pressure because due to the vagueries of airflow, a 50% windtunnel model should ideally be tested at twice the operational speed that the full size car will achieve in order to chieve accurate results. As this is impractical the other solution is to double the air pressure which has the same effect.
The ruling stops the teams spending additional money on creating pressurised wind tunnels to overcome the scale and speed restrictions.
January 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pmsidepodcast said:
ah-ha, good insight guys. ta very much.
January 7th, 2008 at 6:51 pmDan said:
The idea of a “salary cap” is interesting.
The fundamental question for me is this: Is it easier to regulate by a bunch of piecemeal rules that are vague enough for team get around them (like we have now) or is it easier to regulate under a hard funding cap with a lot fewer technical rules that would be slightly harder for the teams to get around.
I think it is worth a go. It would finally allow teams be technologically innovative with only the minimal of barriers. Something that F1 should be… the pinnacle of automotive technology.
This is something that the FIA should look at least. After all, their lack of knowledge in the technical side of their own sport makes me believe that F1 would be better regulated under a cap system. The way Max and Bernie grub money, I bet the FIA accountants are a lot more competent then their technical regulators.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:47 amAlenyaa said:
I think it’s fair to say that the abundancy of ridculous ideas by the FIA has been a trademark of their governing the sport for the last decade or so, using them as negotiating ploy as Steven Roy said.
There’s no way the FIA have a clear vision of how these current ideas can accomplish the “goals” it has set out for the sport. It doesn’t take away that some of its ideas are good ones indeed, but it would seem quite impossible to bundle all of the ideas into one coherent package and say “this is how things should be done in the future”.
Personally I feel that the FIA lack a good long term thinking ability when it comes to the future of F1. Blatanly ignoring the fans’ point of view as discussed by Christine and “me” is only one example of that…
I know it’s easy to criticise when you’re not running the sport, but I’m convinced that the FIA should focus on finding clever and insightful people to occupy themselves with the future of F1.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:52 amRob said:
Your new theme music does sound almost exactly like the old ITV theme, but without the Bachman Turner Overdrive riff-ripoff - every time the show started I found myself singing “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet”, which might have been the whole point.
I never really liked the BBC Fleetwood Mac music, mainly because I never really liked the band in the first place. Although I did become inured to it after a while.
FYI the best F1 theme music is on Starsports in Singapore and SE Asia. You might have heard it, but if not, take it from me; it’s simply the best and doesn’t sound like anything else.
January 8th, 2008 at 6:57 pmme said:
shhhh, it’s a secret.
actually one note is slightly different, and if that’s a good enough excuse for vanilla ice, it’ll do for us too
January 11th, 2008 at 3:39 pmLynchie said:
Hi Guys,
Can I make a quick suggestion? …thanks, well on the question of the video podcasts and audio, I think you should split up the audio and video feeds on itunes, maybe have a feed for audio only and a feed for your weekly video cast, that way the listener doesnt have to download the video ones (thus filling up hard drive space) normally I find I just watch the video casts on the site or on Me-tube….. videos are only really needed to be downloaded through itunes if one has and iPod (which I dont)
January 11th, 2008 at 4:26 pmme said:
cheers lynchie, we sort of already do that.
we have a video only feed and an mp3 only feed. the downside to this is the mp3 feed doesn’t contain the enhanced chapter bits.
i’d probably argue that the videos are still worth downloading to iTunes though, because they’re best quality.
the codec that flash uses, makes videos a bit ’soft’ and a touch ‘bright’ to watch (at least to my eyes). audio is also better.
yell if that helps at all. if not we’ll see what we can do (an additional enhanced-only feed or something).
January 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pmLynchie said:
Ah I see, I still had the Old Skool feed on my itunes! I have added the audio only option now…