Sidepodcast

It’s been raining this morning in Monaco, and raining hard. Formula 1 seems set to experience it’s first wet 2008 race today, the only questions that remain are how much rainfall, and for how long?

MeteoGroup’s animated radar prediction shows more rain heading for the principality and it’s worth keeping an eye on this during the race. Earlier today a GP support race had to start behind the safety car and it’s more than conceivable that it could happen again this afternoon.

In driver news, it’s more bad luck for David Coulthard who drops back 5 places on the grid after he damaged his gearbox in qualifying yesterday. He is further compromised by starting with the fuel load the team already specified, while Timo Glock is the benefactor, starting in tenth position but with his own strategy choice.

A number of drivers are nervous ahead of the action, with Webber stating “We love the challenge of driving in the wet, but driving around here is a bit insane really. It is very, very slippery”.

Bring on the insanity we say!

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If there’s one thing that today’s free practice taught us, it’s that timing is everything. For one lap Heikki was the fastest thing out there, picking the perfect time to do his run when the most rubber was down but the rain hadn’t really affected the asphalt.

One lap later and he’s in the wall.

Finding that perfect moment to do a run in qualifying will be the biggest challenge for F1 teams and drivers this afternoon in Monaco. Not only are they playing chicken with the weather, there’s that all important problem of finding some space for a clear lap around the principality.

Notably, Vettel has already been hit with a 5-place grid penalty for having the nerve to finish the last race and then compete this one with a brand new car. He’s almost certain to start from the pit lane tomorrow, but where everyone else will end up in is anyone’s guess.

One thing is for certain though, the next few hours are going to be eventful and entertaining!

We’ll be watching ITV’s qualifying coverage, and full race build up, which is available online. In the comments Nelson also found a great site streaming ITV around the world. Don’t forget official live timing on f1.com too.

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It’s Saturday morning and the big news for today is that Monaco experienced rain during the evening. At the moment the track is still wet and you can see for yourself on the Casino Square webcam.

In addition weather.com are suggesting there’s a 70% chance of rain again during the day (increasing to 90%) for tomorrow.

What will this mean for the F1 cars and free practice today? In short it’s likely to be chaos, but maybe only after the teams have played their usual game of who’s-brave-enough-to-leave-it-latest. I’m guessing this is the last place teams and drivers want to run 2008 spec cars in the wet, we’re in for a spectacular two days!

Not for the first time I’ll mention that we’ll be following live timing online, and as ITV either can’t or won’t cover this session, it’s TVlizer coverage for us today.

Update: For some reason, as pointed out by Dank in the comments below, 5Live appear to prefer broadcasting commentary of the cricket this morning. Great timing guys!

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Here we go again then, time for another 90 minute blast around the streets of Monaco. The first session was a busy affair (aside from the quarter-of-an-hour stoppage to fix a problem with the drains). Both Trulli and Heidfeld fell foul of the barriers, while Coulthard’s car failed to make it through a single quick lap.

Those three drivers will be on the back foot in this second session and will be keen to make up for lost time, but out front the battle is squarely a McLaren / Ferrari duel. Although the Italian team finished atop the timesheets earlier it was the opposition who looked the more threatening.

We’re in for much more of the same this afternoon too as the weather remains constant. One thing we’ve yet to see is the softer compound tyre used in anger, and this race weekend marks the first time we’ve seen the super-soft rubber in action since electronic aids were banned at the beginning of the season.

Free Practice 2 begins at 2pm local time (1pm in the UK). As before we’re following Formula 1’s live timing as well as watching ITV’s online video coverage.

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It’s Thursday morning and in Monaco it’s mostly sunny and partly cloudy. That’s how two of the leading meteorology sites list today’s forecast, and by all accounts this is the best weather Monte Carlo is going to offer F1. It’s all downhill from here.

For an early look around the principality, CamVista is broadcasting a view of the harbour as well as Casino Square. There’s still some blue sky to be found and if you look closely you’ll see fans are starting to fill the main grandstand.

But enough of the weather, what of the cars?

The first of two 90 minute sessions starts at 10am local time (9am in the UK) and we’re anticipating a mixed bag today. Teams will be keen to get some early running in, but will be wary of running on a slippery track sans traction control. Toro Rosso appear to be in the worst situation today, running a new car with limited spares, they’ll be more cautious than most.

We’re following Formula 1’s live timing screens while watching ITV’s online coverage. Please shout us if you’re watching this one, because we’re going to be glued to the screens all day.

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It’s time for Formula 1’s annual trip to the principality of Monaco, and this time the event is the 6th stop on the racing calendar. 20 drivers are set to do battle on this, the most demanding of tracks. With it’s narrow streets and marginal run off areas, the circuit is the ultimate test of driver skill and concentration.

Join us as Sidepodcast once again takes to the streets to find out what’s in store for the drivers and mechanics on this challenging circuits. Rosberg provides the driver insight while two of Toyota’s top men offer alternative perspectives and somewhere in there lurks a glamour model too. Well, it is Monaco after all.

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