Sidepodcast

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With just three races to go, the championship battle looked like it was going to be won or lost here. Thankfully, all it’s done is got just that little bit closer. Listen to today’s F1 Digest for a rundown of all the race action.

The Race

Considering we were expecting a dry race at Fuji to be on the duller side of things, the racing action was amazing. The first corner had an impact throughout the rest of the race, as drivers spent ages trying to restore the chaos of that initial turn.

Conclusions

A few penalties here and there, and a few surprises to be aware of, we take a look through the driver quotes post-race and find out how people are feeling going into the penultimate race of the season.

• Length: 06:05 
• Size: 72.1 MB 
• File: track16.m4v 
• Transcript: track16.pdf 
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Formula 1 continues its relentless tour around the globe, this weekend taking in the sights and sounds of Japan. Fuji Speedway is the destination and while it’s not a classic venue by any stretch, the scintillating battle for the title means there could be more to this weekend than meets the eye.

As ever Sidepodcast provides the full rundown of the current state of play, what to expect before Sunday and a detailed look at the track that sits directly beneath a mountain. We catch up with local hero Nakajima as well as hearing the thoughts of a man who knows things.

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Sometimes I feel sorry for the Bridgestone Corporation. Ever since the FIA opened the tender process to be Formula 1’s single tyre supplier, their marketing department have been struggling to keep the black and round things at the forefront of our minds, and in most cases they’ve failed.

The manufacturer did manage to convince the powers that be to mandate two types of rubber be used per race. However that’s served only to confuse race fans and quash any action during the final third of a GP. They only get press coverage when something goes wrong and teams are constantly referring to one their products as the “less favourable” or “inferior” compound.

Keeping all this in mind, my charitable side could almost forgive them for coming up with this loony marketing pitch:

Bridgestone may have created the ugliest Formula 1 tyre of all time.

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We saw plenty of incidents during qualifying yesterday, but it didn’t leave us with a messed up grid like Italy. However, there are still plenty of things to keep an eye on - the first corner being the most important. Will Massa keep ahead of Hamilton? Will Hamilton go all out to get past his arch rival? Will Raikkonen play a part in any of this? Which of the mid-field runners will tangle together?

So many questions, and just a short hour to go before we find out. It looks as though all the rain predictions will not come to fruition, which I am personally grateful for. The marshals seemed to struggle with simple accidents, and rescue missions, so I dread to think what would happen if there was an extra variable of rain as well.

If Kubica and Raikkonen don’t finish well this race, then their championship chances will be all but over. BMW never said winning a title was part of their goal for this year, the single win is enough. Kubica, however, wants to keep on pushing, get to the top, if he can. I’m not hopeful, but this race will really prove one way or the other.

Another driver to watch out for is Vettel. It will go one of two ways: either he will be able to keep the pace up and make a nuisance of himself in the championship battle, or we will see him falling through the pack and mixing it up with everyone else. Either way, he’s one to watch.

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• Length: 06:29 
• Size: 74.7 MB 
• File: track15.m4v 
• Transcript: track15.pdf 
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Although it hasn’t been widely reported, and while certain factions of the racing community are keen to keep it hush hush, Formula One may be about to happen upon its very first night race.

It’s difficult to escape the fact that the upcoming Grand Prix is an evening affair, and Inside Track is no exception. In this edition we hear from current drivers, ex-drivers, and the men behind the men, about what might lie in store this coming weekend.

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Everything that has gone before comes down to this moment, race day. All we can talk about is the chances of Vettel managing to keep his lead for the distance, and what the weather is going to be like. One of them directly affects the other.

Let’s look at the weather first. It appears to be raining, or if it’s not raining right now, it just has been and probably is about to. Will the drivers have to start on intermediate or extreme wet tyres? Will they run out of tyres? The questions begin to pile up. Can Massa hold his own in the wet weather and prove that he does know how to drive in the rain? Will there be any major chicane cutting incidents on a circuit that is full of that type of corner.

Secondly, let’s talk about Vettel. It would be incredible for the Toro Rosso driver to become the youngest pole sitter and the youngest race winner in the same weekend. He’s worked hard all season and this could be his chance to shine before he moves up to the big team. If he decides that a Red Bull move is the right way to go, of course, having completely outshone his destined team this weekend.

Drivers always say that being in the mid-field is dangerous because there are so many drivers scrapping for positions, that there’s bound to be a collision or two. What will happen with the midfield drivers now they are at the front of the pack? And can Lewis and Kimi fight their way through the field. So many questions, and only one race can answer them all. I can’t wait.

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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.

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• Length: 50:23 
• Size: 44.9 MB 
• File: episode74.mp3 
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It’s no secret that Valencia wasn’t what we were hoping for, and yet it still seems to have created the talking point of the season.

Intro

I said it would never happen, but we go live once again.

Good Week / Bad Week

Good week for safety and for returning to the sporting action, but a bad week for thefts and for Force India’s morale.

Qualifying

Renault are still circling way too slowly for our liking, and it’s not as though they were taking in the scenery. Did Ferrari get to choose which end of the pitlane they were at? Also what is up with Valencian security, because there was litter and a man or two on the track. Oh, and Trulli was awesome.

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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.

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• Length: 1:01:58 
• Size: 54.7 MB 
• File: episode72.mp3 
• Enhanced: episode72.m4a 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: episode72.torrent 

On this week’s show we catch up with all the news from testing (even though it was ages ago), discuss the events of Hungary, and what’s coming up for the show.

Intro

The future is live, baby.

Good Week / Bad Week

Good week for Valencia because they can actually hold a race, but a bad week for Force India because they have to wait for their gearbox.

News and Views

KERS problems in testing, plus the shark fins are taking over, and we hear from Berger on Bourdais’ future.

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