Sidepodcast

• Length: 24:13 
• Size: 22.3 MB 
• File: ancillaryomnibus1.mp3 
• Transcript: ancillaryomnibus1.pdf 
• Torrent: Coming soon 

The omnibus edition of the Ancillary F1 series, looking closer at companies that help Formula 1 operate but never get any of the glory.

Here are the links to the individual show notes:

1. Bridgestone
2. McLaren Electronic Systems
3. Tilke Engineering
4. Mercedes Support Vehicles
5. Météo-France
6. Philips Lighting
7. RTV

This is the first series of Ancillary F1, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions for future companies or feedback about the ones covered above, I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be honest and say that qualifying didn’t exactly live up to my expectations yesterday. There were only two notable incidents, one was Bourdais leading a session, and the other was Hamilton being amazingly fast. With the weather maps saying that rain is unlikely today, it looks like it’s going to be a normal race.

Having said that, I’m still hoping for good things. Raikkonen starts fourth and needs to really work hard to get on the podium and continue his championship campaign. Massa lines up next to Hamilton on the grid, and if we’re really lucky, he could do an Alonso and fight Hamilton all the way through Eau Rouge for first place.

Heidfeld is also going to be a factor, finally placing well in qualifying. As a consistent racer, starting in fifth will see him end there or higher, most probably, but he might get in some of the top runners way. Alonso may also do the same, starting from sixth.

The chances of seeing a safety car are higher than at some circuits, and with the lap being so long, this can be really costly in terms of strategies. Expect McLaren to play it safe, and some of the lower teams to run risks to try and rise up the ranks.

Continue reading…

Welcome to the inaugural race day for the Valencian street circuit. Things look to be a little brighter today in terms of the weather, with no rain expected for the afternoon, although there were some showers overnight. This will have cleaned the track of rubber somewhat, but with a couple of support races taking place before the race, it remains to be seen how this will affect our drivers.

Talking of support series, the GP2 feature race yesterday held some clues as to what to expect as soon as the lights go out. For reasons best known to himself, Mr. Whiting has decided to switch over the pole positions at the last minute. I believe it was announced just before qualifying, after the practice sessions had been observed. For the GP2 event, the pole sitter simply lined up one place back on the grid, followed by the rest of the field. At least they didn’t have to have the whole place repainted!

Off the grid, the 3rd and 5th place GP2-ers got past their counterparts in 2nd and 4th, meaning that the dirty side of the grid is a real hindrance here just like Hungary. For Hamilton and Raikkonen this is not the place to be, and the start is going to be crucial.

As has been mentioned previously, a lot of teams have been tweaking their strategy to include the possibility of a safety car. In fact, some teams are positively hoping for it so they can make the most of a difficult afternoon. If there is a safety car, it’s likely going to be a long one, as aside from the massive run off areas, there seems to be little room for manoeuvre around the extensive circuit.

Continue reading…

Is it a bit too soon to be discussing the Canadian GP already? I do hope not because I’ve just dug up a fab little video associated with the next stop on the calendar, and if I don’t link to it now, I’ll lose it again.

The clip below takes you on a short trip around the circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but the difference here is you get to experience it from the air, through the eyes of a remote controlled aircraft. Filming apparently took place a fortnight before the 2006 race, so you can see that most of the trackside furniture is in place, while sections of public road have been roped off.

Continue reading…

A couple of days ago I posted a suggestion that F1 fans should have more say as to who our designated TV commentators should be for the year, and what we really need is a chance to vote someone into that role.

The best I could suggest was a reality television show, but in the comments following that post Lynch came up with an even better suggestion - a Sidepodcast commentary competition! Scott seconded the idea and Jordan’s already raring to go.

So that’s what we’re going to do.

The concept is simple. For every race over the past 12 months we’ve produced a preview video prior to each event which, in part, features a quick trip around the upcoming circuit. Christine has always done the commentary, but for one race only, we’re going to put that opportunity up for grabs.

How many times have you ever laughed out loud at a mistake an F1 commentator’s made, and said to yourself “I could do a better job than them“? Plenty of times I bet, and this is your perfect chance to prove yourself.

Continue reading…

The Valencia Circuit Blog today reports that this year’s European Grand Prix will be sponsored by the Spanish telecom giant Telefónica.

The company are already title sponsors for the proper Spanish Grand Prix, so it doesn’t come as a massive surprise that they’d be interested in a second race - especially after more than 38,000 people turned up to watch a test session last week.

Of note, it does appear that not everybody is as thrilled about the prospect of a race through the Spanish streets as we are though. Earlier today hundreds of protesters arrived in the city on bicycles, protesting about the necessary port redevelopments. The arguments against the race included:

• There’s a perfectly good circuit just up the road.
• Construction congestion is making eveyone unhappy, and costs are impacting on public service expenditure.
• Formula 1 isn’t a particularly green sport and they’d rather not be associated with it, ta very much.

At least I think that’s what they were saying, you can read more on the aforementioned blog. If your Spanish is better than mine, please feel free to correct or add anything I’ve overlooked (or got plain wrong).

Alonso originally argued that Ricardo Tormo would be a better place to hold the GP when the street circuit was first announced, and seeing as 10 Formula One teams just spent 3 days driving around the place, it can hardly be said to be in bad shape.

Continue reading…

• Length: 06:35 
• Size: 74.4 MB 
• File: video14.m4v 
• Transcript: video14.pdf 
• Torrent: video14.torrent 
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Turn 8, now there’s a phrase to bring a smile to faces of Formula 1 fans the world over. The F1 circus descends onto Turkey for round 12 of the championship and one of the best designed circuits of the modern era. Join Sidepodcast as we take a look at what makes this place special as well as catch up with the movers and shakers in the driver market since the last race in Hungary.

Music played: Yalcin Konuk, Sonando

Music comes from music.podshow.com, with special thanks going to Allianz SE, Brembo, ING Group, Honda Racing F1, Red Bull Racing, Champ Car World Series and RTV GmbH for the use of their video footage and images.

• Length: 05:54 
• Size: 66.5 MB 
• File: video8.m4v 
• Transcript: video8.pdf 
• Torrent: video8.torrent 
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It’s a sad weekend for French motorsport as Formula 1 visits Magny-Cours for the very last time. Sit back and enjoy a melancholic look at a lap of the circuit located in Nevers, rural France.

The ING F1 Race Index makes a welcome return this week, but Christine has issues with the scoring calculations and proposes her own Sidepodcast Race Index rating that’s slightly more representative of the French track.

Music played: Céline Mastrorelli, Elle rentrait tous les soirs

Music comes from music.podshow.com, with special thanks going to Allianz SE, and ING Group, for the use of their video footage.

• Length: 05:58 
• Size: 68.7 MB 
• File: video5.m4v 
• Transcript: video5.pdf 
• Torrent: video5.torrent 
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The F1 circus heads to Monaco for the 5th round of the World Championship. Let Sidepodcast take you on a lap of the Principality, avoiding the Armco barriers and high kerbs as we go.

Additionally, we have a look at the new ING Formula 1 Race Index, which is a league table of Formula 1 circuits based on their standing within the season. Four categories are assigned with a ranking between 0 and 100, culminating in an ING Race Index number. Sidepodcast investigates how Monaco stacks up in stunning 3D style.

Music played: The K’s, I Can’t Get It Together

Music comes from music.podshow.com, with special thanks going to Allianz SE and ING Group, for the use of their video footage.

• Length: 2:49 
• Size: 2.7 MB 
• File: guide7.mp3 
• Transcript: guide7.pdf 
• Torrent: guide7.torrent 

Welcome to the Sidepodcast Guide to Formula 1.

We’ve covered pretty much everything you need to know to get you started watching Formula 1. For the last topic of the series, I think we should talk about what to do if you’re going to splash out and attend a race in person.

You need to decide which race you want to go to. If there’s one in your country, then that’s probably a good place to start. But you could go abroad to make it into more of a holiday. From the heat of Malaysia and Bahrain, to the more temperate European races, there’s plenty of choice. It’s a personal dream of mine to go to the Monaco GP, but time, money, and well, money are limiting factors.

A quick search of the web provides plenty of companies that do coach tours, direct flights, or package deals. You can usually find someone who will get you into the race and also put you up in a nice hotel somewhere for a semi-reasonable price. Alternatively you can get your tickets direct from the circuit and make your own plans. It really depends what you want out of your visit.

When buying your tickets, you usually have to decide which type of seat you want. The most basic pass is general admission - one that lets you in and lets you sit on the grass by the side of the track. There may or may not be a good view, and you’ll probably get some good photos through a chain-link fence. As the ticket prices rise, the seats get better. You get grandstand seats, where you actually have a chair to sit in and are raised for a better view. You get covered grandstand seats, so that any inclement weather won’t bother you. Then you have things like corporate boxes, but I think they’re probably beyond the scope of Sidepodcast.

When you get inside, you need to get a programme. There really isn’t a question mark over that – a programme is a necessity, but I wouldn’t recommend the official programmes. Very expensive, and not high quality. You can buy whatever merchandise you feel is necessary, but if you’re already a fan of a particular team, you may be wearing their shirts to the race.

There are big screens littered around the tracks, so that when the cars aren’t flying under your nose, you can see just what it is they’re getting up to. You can also rent a small screen from Kangaroo TV – a handheld media device with pretty much anything you need to know at the touch of a button.

When the cars are in view, snap as many pictures as you can, cheer as loud as you can – and think about investing in some ear plugs. Those cars are loud, and when there are 20 or more of them screaming round a corner, you might need some relief.

Going to a race is never going to be the same as watching it at home. You don’t get the luxury of your arm-chair, of the nearby bathroom, of the commentators telling you every single thing you may have missed. What you have got is the atmosphere, the feeling of connection and closeness that can only come from actually being there.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this beginner’s guide, and make sure you let us know your thoughts of anything Formula 1, both on and off track.

Theme music: Cedar Falls, Car Crash.