Sidepodcast

It was the final day of testing today which saw some lopsided Ferrari cars, some Renault braces and Vettel on top once again. That was good stuff. Now we get to sit back and try and analyse everything we saw. It’s going to be particularly difficult because everyone was running different strategies and we don’t have any idea who was actually fast. Nevertheless, we will do our best.

Formula 1 related discussions:

• Bourdais seems to be pretty annoyed about the way his test went, he’s now saying that it’s going to come down to the money in the end.
• Sutil says he’s not feeling threatened by Pedro de la Rosa, which is hardly a surprise because he finished last for the second day in a row.
• The Red Bulletin looks like it’s on the way out. Boo.
• Also, how can we get Bernie on Sidepodquiz?

Non-Formula 1 related discussions:

• There’s a new commenting feature available. Use it carefully, it’s brand new and still in the alpha stage.
• We’d still quite like your nomination votes. It’s still the nominations, people, imagine how much fun we’ll have once it gets going.

Naturally, there is no reason to feel limited by what I have listed here. We want to hear what you’ve got to say about anything F1 and about the world in general. Get talking, and I’ll see you in the comments.

The second day of testing seemed to be much quieter in terms of us all jumping on the pictures and times as they became available. However, it’s all still interesting information to be poured over, so hopefully day three will give us more of the same. There’s plenty of discussion going in the comments about various topics both related to F1 and not so much, and here’s a quick run down of some of those things:

Regarding that testing and those drivers

• How did Pedro de la Rosa get on in the Force India? Not great, but why was he there and will they be shipping him off to the back markers?
• Ferrari unveiled some significant KERS work, so have they been playing down their achievements in this field so far?
• The BMW boys believe the 2009 wings are as ugly as we think, so the question is, who in F1 does actually like them?

Outside the Formula 1 world:

• There’s Sidepodcast’s Xmas party to be discussed, a Sidepodparty, if you will.
• We’re still covering the space station, apparently there’s a sonic screwdriver on the loose
• Which are better: traditional or iced mince pies?

It’s very rare that a new technology appears at exactly the time that you need it to, with exactly the right functionality for a perfectly acceptable price. But that is what happened to us recently when we discovered the iTouchMidi.

Almost.

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We’re now recovering from the shock of seeing those pug-ugly 2009 shaped wings, and starting to think a little more realistically. No doubt they will evolve before the season starts, it’s just the first iteration, everything will look much better after we’ve slept on it.

The first day of testing in Barcelona yesterday was one of the big topics, so I can only assume today will see more of the same. Topics for discussion include:

• How did Sato manage to top the timesheets? How would he fare with a return to Formula 1?
• How much of a health and safety concern is KERS really going to be? Mechanics wearing rubber gloves isn’t exactly the image F1 wants to portray, surely?
• Who will win the race seat shoot-outs?
• Brundle has confirmed he will be commentating for the BBC next year, which is excellent. Who will join him though?

It’s all up for debate, plus anything else you’ve got on your minds. Make the best use of drop.io to attach any pictures you might find, and I’ll see you in the comments.

We all stayed up late last night recording the fourth edition of Sidepodpanel. We managed to welcome in the new day and say Happy Birthday to Scott as the clock struck midnight. However, it’s now Monday, and things are kicking off in the F1 world once again.

Things up for discussion today:

• Canada is officially off the calendar. The Montreal mayor says they tried everything but Bernie’s demands are unreasonable.
• Testing in Barcelona gets underway today, keep your eyes on the news for any info and/or pictures. We’d especially like updates in drop.io if you find anything.
• Brundle confirms BBC role in 2009

In non-F1 news:

• The space shuttle is… still going.
• The possibility of a live Sidepodpanel at Autosport.
• Was Genesis better before or after Peter Gabriel?

The lists will expand throughout the day, so don’t feel constrained by what I have mentioned here. Feel free to discuss anything that’s on your mind, and we’ll catch up with you in the comments.

If you’ve ever glanced at our Last.fm playlist, then you’ll know our taste in music is eclectic and probably not up to anyone’s standards. Some would even go so far as to say we have bad taste in music, and I would argue… no, actually, that’s probably fair.

If you’re a last.fm user and haven’t added us as a friend please feel free to do so. We frequently find cool and interesting music to listen to just by peeking at what others are playing. As podcasters, the site also provides some cool insight for us - did you know for example, that people who listen to Sidepodcast also check out Maurice Hamilton’s show and the Renault podcast too? Okay, maybe not that insightful then.

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We have just returned from the Official Sidepodcast Christmas Party. Oh, alright, it was actually my work’s do at a greyhound stadium. I’ve never been before, and didn’t know what to expect, and all I can say is that the Ted Fighting Fund has been reduced ever so slightly quite a lot.

It doesn’t look like we have missed much in terms of Formula 1 news, but it’s all been happening in the comments. Topics seem to include:

• Cupcakes.
• Granja Vianna 500 miles - a karting event
• Cameras
• Japanese Drivers
• Who’s taking their exams soon?

I’m hoping some Formula 1 news comes along today, just because we seem to have been lacking for the past few days. However, please continue to discuss any of the above and more in the comments below

We’re heading into our final weekend before seeing the cars back in action again during Barcelona testing, so there’s just a couple of days of speculation left before we see who’s doing what and how they’re looking. One of the main news stories that hit the headlines late yesterday was all about Bernie and his possible split. Whilst we don’t know it’s 100% true yet, it’s fascinating wondering what would happen if divorce was on the cards.

Here are some of the things we’ve been talking about:

• Will Slavica get her hands on any controlling part of Formula 1? Would it make any difference? Maybe she’d do a better job than Mr E?
• Schumi has apparently been offered a ride in the World Superbike Championships with Honda. He’s said biking is just fun for him, so it seems unlikely he’d take it up. But would he be any good?
• How we can get round the fact that Top Gear has ruined the Sidepodcast schedule.
• We’re pushing the envelope and proving there really isn’t anything that can’t be live commented on, by following the space shuttle launch.

Don’t let this list hold you back though, if there is any other news you can find (good luck, it’s slow going at the moment), let us know about it. Otherwise, if there’s anything you want to get off your chest, this is the place to do it.

If anyone’s keeping track, I’m feeling much better now but the man has caught some of the germs. Of course, they are much worse, and more man-flu shaped than mine were, so everyone give him lots of sympathy today, if you find him in the comments.

It appears to be a bit of a slow news period at the moment, which would make sense, as we can’t still be talking about Brazil, and we’ve still got a few days left before the next test.

Some topics are still resurfacing though:

• Just what lengths will Canada do to get back on the calendar?
• Is China really giving up on their race so soon? Low ticket sales or just too darn expensive?
• Those drivers who will get a chance in an F1 car next week, including Bruno Senna, Takuma Sato and Giedo van der Garde. Didn’t that guy break all kinds of contracts last time he was around? Why would Renault want that hassle?
• Also noted in F1 Minute yesterday that Barrichello has apparently said it’s either F1 or nothing for him. Are there any other motorsports he could try his hand at if he wanted to?

Of course, this is an evolving list and if there’s anything you want to talk about, please don’t feel limited by what I’ve mentioned here. Sidepodcast Daily is your place to discuss anything on your mind, and we want to hear about it, so get talking!

One of the snippets of feedback we got about the site was that there’s lots of fabulous conversation happening all over the site, and none of it particularly matches the thread it is on. Therefore, this post is the first in a trial of daily posts - a space to talk about anything at all.

Instead of having a static post, and expecting comments on that subject, this is more of an evolving thing for the day. It may be that there are no comments for today. That’s okay, because no one feels like talking all the time, do they? Or it may be that this thread gets hundreds of comments, that’s also good.

Some of the things we’ve been discussing recently, include:

• Who’ll be getting the race seat at Toro Rosso? Who deserves it? Who’ll actually get it?
• The 2009 wings. Good, bad or ugly? Perhaps all three!
• Cupcakes. Yup. Still.
• Whether Sidepodcast should get a forum.
• Possible new entrants to F1

This list is open to constant change, however. If a topic dominates the comments, perhaps I’ll add it to the list. If you guys just wanna say hi, or point out some news you’ve noticed, this is the place.