Sidepodcast

So far we have seen both good and bad weather in Silverstone over the past few days. What will the race hold in store, at Britain’s very own micro-climate?

Weather Update

The forecast over the next few hours has the sun popping in and out of the clouds, but it looks as though we might escape any actual precipitation. We shall see.

One to Watch

Webber has a point to prove now. He’s already said the challenge between him and Vettel is spurring him on, but despite seeming really fast this weekend, Vettel appears to have had the edge so far.

Predictions Please

Will the pole sitter make it all the way to the chequered flag? More importantly will he do so in first? Can the Brits do anything to impress the home crowd? Will we see any major surprises?

Rosberg did the usual trick of posting the fastest time in FP3, but it’s looking pretty damp at Silverstone, will the weather affect qualifying?

Weather Update

FP1 didn’t see any major rain, but was damp which meant a lack of too much action. If qualifying is the same, teams and drivers may be reluctant to head out first, but it may mean they bundle out to set a banker lap time. We shall see.

One to Watch

Sebastian Vettel must be the one to watch, as Red Bull have seemed supremely fast so far this weekend, and Vettel has pipped Webber a couple of times already. Will he be able to take pole position, especially if it’s wet?

Predictions Please

Who will take pole position at Silverstone’s last race? Can Button do it in front of the home crowd? How will the weather affect things?

Yesterday was a busy one for us, and we got to see Free Practice from the grandstands. Today we’re back in the comfort of our own homes, to enjoy the next stage of the GP weekend.

Weather Update

Where the weather appeared to be a bit of rain early on in the weekend followed up by sunshine, we now have rain followed by clouds. What are the chances it will actually rain on Sunday?

One to Watch

We’ll be keeping an eye on Jenson today, as it sounded as though he and his team were disagreeing strongly over setup changes. Will he get them onside, or will he have to borrow Rubens settings for the day?

Predictions Please

Will it rain? Will we see any spins? Who will be the fastest of the morning? Will Rosberg top any timesheets this weekend? Will it be a Red Bull lockout again?

Free Practice 2 is almost upon us, and this is usually the busier of the two sessions. Chances are that all depends on the weather, of course, and in Britain, it is just changeable.

Weather Update

If it rains this weekend, I do feel sorry for the poor people in the grandstands. It isn’t much better in there than general admission, especially if the wind gets up. Fingers crossed for sunshine.

One to Watch

Am curious to see how well Rosberg can do, as he has been talking up the performance of team Williams. He thinks they will soon overtake McLaren in the championship, and will be working on becoming best of the rest. Of course, Free Practice would make him think that, though.

Predictions Please

Any major crashes? Any more precipitation? Will Rosberg top another Free Practice timesheet? Is the performance we see today even slightly relevant for the rest of the weekend?

Here we are then, action gets underway for Silverstone’s last race weekend for the forseeable future. Perhaps the loved track will have a reprieve, perhaps not. For now, we must make the most of it.

Weather Update

Weather forecasts seem to have Friday and Saturday as a little on the damp side, whilst Sunday may remain bright and sunny. This is all subject to change, of course, in a matter of minutes.

One to Watch

Naturally, the one to watch is Button who will be doing his bit for the home crowds. It will be interesting to see if Hamilton can pick up any vibes from the crowd and spur his performance onwards as well.

Predictions Please

Will it rain? Will the conditions cause any problems? Who will be running KERS, if anyone? What new parts will we see on the cars? Will Massa spin it?

As it turns out, this endurance racing lark is actually quite popular. With that being the case, we’re going to split the 24 hours into two threads of roughly 12 hours each, but don’t let that put you off. You’re all doing a brilliant, brilliant job of covering what’s happening out on track and keeping us up to date when we miss things.

So far, both Franck and Le Seb have shone out on track, whilst their sister car leads the field. That being said, we’re only halfway through, so it’s much too early to start getting excited about who has the upper hand.

Both Matt and Scott in Italy have managed to get shoutouts aired on Radio Le Mans, but we can’t get enough, so please keep them coming.

Continue reading…

Hands up who’s staying up for 24 hours then? I don’t know if I’ll make it, but I hope to do better than last year when I fell asleep with my face on a laptop. Who knew a keyboard could leave such a fancy imprint? Things may or may not be as exciting for me, because Franck has only gone and broken his leg.

Chances are he won’t be in the car as much as he might have planned. He’s starting from pole, but if he wins, it will be a miracle.

Of course he has stiff competition from those Audi shaped things, and I know we have a couple of McNish/Kristensen fans perusing the comments as well. We’ll also be keeping an eye on Wurz in the sister Peugeot, and Davidson in… something else of a different class.

Continue reading…

With all practice and qualifying sessions out of the way, all we have left to look forward to is the race. So far this year, the qualifying sessions appear to have been much more exciting than Sundays, but perhaps today will be different.

Weather Update

The sun is remaining nice and high in the sky, and any threat of rain appears to have been pushed back to later in the week. That means we can have a nice, clean race, and should be able to see teams relative performance.

One to Watch

Webber is clearly in a car that works this weekend, and he narrowly missed out on pole position. Vettel’s  position at the top is precarious, and if the Brawn guys don’t dominate once again, it could be Webber’s chance.

Predictions Please

Will Vettel make it a lights to flag victory? Can Massa do anything at the track he loves? Will there be the first lap incident that we are looking forward to?

So far, the Free Practice sessions have shown some early promise and then little improvement throughout, perhaps due to the track, the tyres or a mixture of both. How will qualifying pan out?

Weather Update

The sun is bright and shining, the temperatures were hotting up for the early morning practice, so by the time qualifying gets underway, things should be warming nicely.

One to Watch

Massa finally gained some confidence for Ferrari by topping the times in FP3. He’s a master around this track, but was this a fluke, and will he ditch all strategy to go for pole?

Predictions Please

Who will end up on pole position? Will Massa do it? Will the Brawn boys be overshadowed or will they find some last minute pace as we have seen so often before? Will there be any surprises out in Q1?

The excitement from yesterday amounted to some rogue AstroTurf and a worrying mechanical failure on the Red Bull. What will FP3 have in store?

Weather Update

It looks as though things are going to remain bright and sunny for the rest of the weekend, and any earlier possibility of rain has passed us by now.

One to Watch

Vettel will have some serious catching up to do after only completing four laps in yesterday afternoon’s session. He is reluctant to rely too heavily on Webber’s data, so will want to work on his own setup.

Predictions Please

Will we see any more elements of the circuit getting in the way as the drivers attempt to navigate the track? Will either McLaren be able to top the final FP session? Will the BMWs be towards the top or the bottom?