Sidepodcast

On the final day of testing at Silverstone, the big guns came out to play. With Fernando, Lewis and Kimi all on hand to try out their respective machines in preparation for next weekends British Grand Prix there was far more media interest than on previous days.

Fernando Alonso

Alonso had a rough day testing, first his engine expired in the morning wiping out a large portion of the days running and then his final lap was compromised when the Renault powered Red Bull gave up in the closing minutes.

The man didn’t appear to be a happy camper in Silverstone, he left the circuit quickly after one of the shortest debriefs in the paddock.

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I hope a picture paints a thousand words, because I have much to say but I’m just too tired. Here’s a few more shots from the first day of Silverstone testing.

Nelson Piquet

Up close and personal with Nelshino. The guy was in a surprisingly good mood until his engine went ‘pop’ on the main straight around 3 o’clock and that was after he had a slow start to the morning session.

When sitting in the pits the helmet visor can be used much like a pair of sunglasses, obscuring the drivers eyes as he waits patiently for the mechanics to go about their business. It was nice of him to open the lid for a brief moment before he set off for another run.

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• File: digest32.mp3
• Length: 10:05
• Size: 9.3 MB
• Transcript: Coming soon

It’s been a while since the French GP has been eagerly anticipated, but with such a mixed up grid, today was one of those days. Tune in to F1 Digest for a recap of all the action, plus driver reactions.

The Race

A race of some serious fighting, Raikkonen battling his machinery, Hamilton trying to get through the traffic, Trulli holding off Kovalainen.

Conclusions

Whilst Honda and Force India seem to be feeling pretty low right now, Toyota and Toro Rosso are flying high. The others fall into various moods in between.

• File: digest24.mp3
• Length: 15:18
• Size: 14.1 MB
• Transcript: digest24.pdf

The pinnacle of the motorsport calendar didn’t let us down, with a race of epic proportions. It is only just that F1 Digest does the same with a bumper show chronicalling all the action.

The Race

How do you sum up a race like that in the very small sentence that goes here? Action packed and extremely exciting is the best I can do.

Conclusions

Rosberg’s doing okay, and Sutil is, too, although slightly heartbroken. Hamilton, obviously, is ecstatic.

• File: Episode57.m4a
• Length: 34:53
• Size: 32.3 MB
• Transcript: episode57.pdf

What with races in the middle of the night, and podcast delays due to laptop troubles, we at Sidepodcast Towers are very, very confused. However, we try and make sense of the madness in Episode 57.

Intro

Breaking god knows how many copyright laws never felt so good.

Good Week / Bad Week

Good week for Kovalainen and Vettel, but a bad week for Force India and the concept of aerodynamics.

News and Views

Toro Rosso are for sale - want to buy an F1 team? The BBC get F1 rights - why? And will it be any good? Finally, Jean Todt steps down as CEO of Ferrari but is he stepping into another role?

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Something new we’ll try today, as suggested by Lou is a live comment / chat thread throughout free practice.

Lord knows if many people are planning to stay up for one or both sessions today and there’s probably a whole bunch of fabulous things we could do to make this better, easier, faster or whatever… but who’s interested in forward planning, eh?

We’ll post times, thoughts, and opinions live in the comments as the session progresses and feel free to join in the fun any time!

Oh, and try not to fall asleep, eh?

• File: Video19.m4v
• Length: 06:34
• Size: 74.2 MB
• Transcript: Video19.pdf

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The drivers’ championship is heading to a climax, and it could all be over this weekend. Join Christine as she takes a look at the penultimate race of the 2007 season.

With long straights and tight turns, this is a particularly technical track, and one which requires more than its fair share of aero efficiency. Cars will be running with a high level of wing, while braking stability is of paramount importance.

With many teams already focusing efforts on their 2008 challengers, could this be a chance for smaller teams to shine?

Music played: Steve Doctor, South China Sea

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

• File: Video18.m4v
• Length: 06:30
• Size: 73.2 MB
• Transcript: Video18.pdf

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Many have bemoaned the lack of Suzuka on the 2007 calendar, yet the Fuji Speedway makes for an interesting addition to this years season. Herman Tilke and his team have been let loose on this classic Japanese circuit, but what surprises lay in store for the drivers and the teams this weekend?

There are still aspects of the track that remain a mystery to even the most prepared in the paddock, but ING set us straight on the details as they rate this circuit against the best of the rest in the illustrious ING Race Index.

So join Sidepodcast as we take a leap into the great unknown for this year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Music played: Fumitaka Anzai, Forest in the Morning

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

• File: Video17.m4v
• Length: 07:03
• Size: 79.9 MB
• Transcript: Video17.pdf

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Following on from the politics and the controversy surrounding the FIA hearing in Paris this week, it’ll be good to get back to some racing. Luckily, there’s no place better to go racing than the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

After a one year hiatus, the circuit returns to this year’s calendar with a revised final chicane and revamped pit-area. Eau Rouge may be flat in a modern F1 car but there are plenty of challenges in store for our drivers, so join Christine as she takes a fantastic roller coaster ride through the Ardennes to see what all the fuss is about.

We also discover what the ING Race Index thinks of this place, as well as taking a look at the championship tables to see how the FIA’s verdict on Thursday mixed things up.

Music played: Ethereal, Play Like Children

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

• File: Video16.m4v
• Length: 06:18
• Size: 139.0 MB
• Transcript: Video16.pdf

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During May of this year, we turned up for the inaugural GPlive event at Donington Park. Although there were a few organisational drawbacks and a lack of motivation about the event, there was still loads to see and film. Where else could you get to see all those beautiful old machines flying round the track, as if they were actually racing again? Where else would you find two generations of Brundle interviewing two legendary drivers?

For more information on this event, please visit the GPlive website.