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?
Unexpectedly we are at the track today, which means I can’t access Fantasy Racers. In which case, I will be sticking with whatever team I chose last time.
Don’t forget to visit Fantasy Racers, update your team, and let us know who you’ve gone for and why.
Bye!
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?
The Formula One Teams’ Association has announced that it is setting up a breakaway championship. Eight of the current Formula One teams met up at the Renault factory in Enstone and concluded that enough was enough, it’s time to do things their own way.
A statement from FOTA read:
The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship. These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners.
Continue reading…
Thankfully it is Friday once more, and not only does that mean that Thursday has passed, but Free Practice gets underway in just a few short hours. As ever, the politics continues to cast a shadow over it all, as does the fact that this is Silverstone’s last Grand Prix, but we won’t let it get us down. Here are some upbeat F1 stories:
- Massa is confident that Ferrari will get a win this season. I don’t know where he gets his optimism from, but I want some! Apparently the team have got to grips with whatever was wrong with the car in Turkey, and want to return to Monaco style podium performance.
- Jenson Button says he’s not feeling the pressure of his home Grand Prix, despite the fact that he wants to do well in front of the fans, he’s expecting a big crowd, and it’s Silverstone’s last race for what might be ages and ages. Um, no pressure at all!
- And in circuit news, the fact that Silverstone is off Bernie’s Christmas Card list, and Donington faces trouble at every turn, the future of the British GP has seemed quite shaky. Lewis Hamilton has said that he will do everything in his power to help keep the race, though, because according to the champ, motorsport just wouldn’t be the same without it.
There we go, some kind of good stories to get your Friday going. They were the best I could find, I’m afraid. Never mind, Free Practice soon! See you in the comments.
It’s Thursday now, which is never a good thing, but more importantly, it is Waterloo Day. This is to do with the battle and not to be confused with April 6, which is the Abba day. Anyway, here are some F1 related things to talk about:
- Nick has written his first couple of posts on a new F1 blog – Racing Politics. What a great time to start up a politics blog, there is loads to discuss! It’s a good first post, and the header picture is pretty nice too.
- Former British champions have been talking up all things British, with Mansell suggesting that Button might be the best thing since sliced bread, whilst Hill is sure that Formula 1 is going to miss Silverstone. Well, yes, it will, but he would say that, wouldn’t he?
- Joe has a nice and cynical take on some of the latest FIA/FOTA happenings, which naturally appeals to us if only because it has the words conspiracy theory in there.
- Finally, Mr C pointed out a really good video from the Beeb with Jenson Button, in which the championship leader takes part in ‘Fastermind’, a take on the good ol’ question and answer format. Highly recommended.
That’ll do for now. Please keep your great comments coming, we love to hear from you. I do, especially on Thursdays, they make my day. I’ll see you in the comments.
We’ll be doing our best to avoid all talk of unnecessary politics this weekend, as we say goodbye to Silverstone at it’s last British Grand Prix.
Vital Statistics
- Date: 21st June
- Circuit: Silverstone
- Length: 5.1km
- Laps: 60
- 2008 Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Preview
Assuming the teams can actually concentrate on their strategies, the teams are feeling mostly positive about the upcoming race. Ferrari and Red Bull are relying on some new updates to help boost their performance, whilst the home teams and drivers are hoping for the fan support to help them along.
We were lucky enough to visit Silverstone for the British Grand Prix for the last two years, but for 2009, we are sitting it out. Instead of camping in the damp and cold, we’ll be warm and dry in Sidepodcast Towers. Instead of being hunched over a Kangaroo TV, we’ll have multi-cam, live timing, many commentary options and of course, nachos. There are pros and cons to every situation.
As usual, there are two schedules to be discussed. We’ve got the BBC coverage, which dictates when the live threads will start, usually about half an hour before the Beeb begin. The second order of play takes a look at the podcast schedule, but don’t trust it because we never promise anything. All times are BST.
Continue reading…
Written on June 17th, 2009 at 12:05 pm by Christine.
Posted in
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It’s the day after the night before and I can only imagine what kind of sugar hangover I will have after all that Milky Bar. Nevertheless, the week goes on, and here are some of the things we’re talking about at the moment:
- Nick Heidfeld has been blown away by the number of submissions for his helmet design competition, with other 5,000 to date. Apparently one of the designs is a panoramic view of the Nurburgring, which can only be described as bizarre. If you haven’t had a go yet, head on over to the site to submit your design. (Please note, we still think Button’s competition is better.)
- I had an overdose of more than just sugar yesterday, when a host of Franck pictures hit the Sidepodcast drop. Firstly, James made me an awesome Franck montage, whilst Gavin – newly returned from Le Mans – has pictures of the man on the start line. Yay for pictures.
- In actual F1 news, Renault have defended Piquet’s um, Piquetness, by suggesting that he is still learning, still inexperienced, and if there is no confidence in the car, how can they expect confidence in the driver? I would suggest that a lack of confidence is not the problem Piquet has.
Those are just some of the things we’ve been thinking about, if you have any more to add, please feel free to use the daily post to discuss anything on your mind. Yesterday, we managed to combine conversation about both politics and kettles in the same thread, so anything goes. I’ll see you in the comments.
Usually, I would have a look at Wikipedia and dig out what kind of special day it is today so that I can share a random fact with you good people. I don’t need to do that today, because I know what day it is – it is an important day in the Sidepodworld. It is… Flibster’s birthday!!! Happy Birthday! Anyway, moving on, here is some F1 stuff:
- Sam Michael says that Williams’ performance can only be measured on their position in the constructor’s championship, and they are sixth. But he says he doesn’t believe they are the sixth fastest car, he reckons they are better than that. I wasn’t convinced they were even that far up!
- Ross Brawn has been pondering the situation F1 is in at the moment, and says that all parties need to learn from it. I am thinking perhaps what they really need to do is sort. it. out.
- Finally, Alonso is still touting the party line that they are working hard and hoping to turn things around for the rest of the season. He does mention that the double diffuser should have taken 15 weeks to introduce but they managed to bring it to the car in 5. So, they really are working hard!
That’ll do it for now. I can’t think there is anything else to talk about today, nothing special happening at all, it is not an important day. Therefore, I’ll see you in the comments.
