Bernie seems to be doing his damnedest to make himself unpopular with Formula 1 fans. Firstly the calendar shenanigans and now brazenly suggesting he's got all the teams onside with his medals idea. Some people don't think it's such a bad system, whilst others think it's completely pointless and unnecessary. That leads us straight into one of our topics:
- Where do you stand on the medals idea? Has Bernie really talked all the teams round? Why are they being so quiet about the subject? What will the World Council make of the medal system?
- LG Electronics have signed up to be partners/sponsors with Formula 1 for the next few years. Does this mean that live timing will actually work in future? Does anyone have any experience of their gadgetry and are they any good?
- Sidepodspace continues with the I Spy game still amazingly popular (it even has it's own Wiki page, and we were also contemplating how much litter there is in space, and that it's really good of the ISS to send their rubbish back to earth.
Don't feel constrained by the discussions I've posted here. Feel free to comment whatever is on your mind. We love to hear from you and with that in mind, I will see you in the comments.
As I said on a previous podpanel - the medals thing is not a unique idea, Bernie just stole it from A1GP. It's ridiculous to replace the points system with it and if it does go through then he's officially gone mad.
from formula1 "As the Official Data Processor of Formula 1™ LG will be identified and credited on the official live timing service at Formula One events and in the associated timing and data TV graphics."
Does this mean LG will have their logo on the BBC F1 programmes?
yup. it'll be on the worldfeed, which the beeb will use. very small though, unless the do high def.
Agreed. He's madder than a dry duck...
I still haven't heard about how all this is going to affect the smaller teams on the grid: y'know, the one's that NEVER finish in the top 3? They'll be buggered financially surely? EJ has been outspoken about this but no current teams have commented. I find it all very suspicious...
If Bernie believes gold medals are so good why not GP2?
WCC points structure stands, so they'll still be rewarded. Although now, they'll barely have a chance of competing in the drivers championship, only the constructors one.
there's no way on earth this is actually going to happen is it?
I believe the tie-break principle that currently applies to people scoring the same points will still apply, all through the position structure. So if you, for instance, score a 10th, you will beat anyone who didn't score a top 10 place all season. In fact, this is why Fisichella is above Sutil and both Super Aguris in the standings - because of the non-points scorers, Sutil and Sato have a 13th apiece as their best result, while Davidson has a 15th for his best result.
hello sidepodcast crew! I think bernie has a backup plan, either some sort of financial backing or some sort of points system for the rest of field.
No. Good guess though.
The eyespy this time around is 'T', or 'R' - depending on what you call it...
howdy kostia. i do hope so, but wouldn't he have mentioned it already?
is it too early for clues?
Jenson Button uses one.
Do you really belive his reasons for introducing them then, if it will function exactly the same way?
I would not be at all surpised if Big B has organised a contract with De Bears Diamonds to sponsor the new medals - and he wants to get his dirty little fingers on as much money as he can before he dies and his ex/wife gets to have it all anyway.
Radio / Telephony Device?
I agree with him that the person who wins the most grand's prix should win the title, but to throw out the entire points system is absolutely stupid idea. Hasn't he figured out the point system has caused the last two seasons to be decided at the last race? Time to retire Bernie.
I think Bernie is trying to push F1 under so that he can start up his own GP1 championship.
so he and max are still fighting? only more subtly?
Nope. Radio/transistor was called 'yesterday'. And so was rocket/thruster.
He was speaking nonsense in that press conference. Sounds like he believes the only reason there isn't loads of overtaking is because the drivers can't be bothered to overtake.
They could still be working together. I have never been convinced that they are no longer on the same side.
the jenson thing has confused me even more.
telemetry?
and absolutely nothing to do with the man he insists designs his racetracks.
erm..... do you mean Jenson only? or f1 drivers in general?
Toilet Restroom?
No.
Drivers in general.
Except Mark.
He won't use one for a while.
Yup, that's quite literally what he said.
turbo?
Testing Data / Research data ?
tachometer?
No - and I wouldn't be surprised if Lewis' gets the most use, since his Dad is scared of him playing outside...
Trash-talk?
trampoline!
On the ISS? I know that no one likes the United States, but surely people would hold their tongues is such tight confines?
Trampoline - no. But this is where we need to head.
training machine?
That'll do. Treadmill/running machine was where I was heading.
Would it make sense to put this madening game into its own, perpetual thread - to help keep this daily together a little more?
Treadmill?
possibly. i cannot believe it's still running!
should jordan pick the next item. i fresh out of ideas today.
oh no, it's 'me's turn again...we'll be going for days :P
they'll be landing soon!!
I'll update the wiki
but aren't there people in the ISS all the time?
:D
oh jeez.
lol this is fun though ;) we may have found a way to help get through some of the off season. :D
that is true. are we halfway there yet?
I am just glad noone has used the Monolith yet...
give us your letter jordan. i've exhausted my space knowledge for the day.
if by halfway you mean about 24/25 days then yes, yes we are :P
i honestly can't believe it's not been longer...
You sure me, I feel sightly evil today.....
You take it Jordan, be a mean as you can be.
he doesn't need that kinda encouragement ;)
go right ahead.
There are three people there at all times and by the time the seasons starts if they have sorted out the urine treatment thing there will be a permanent crew of 6
Alright, I spy with my little eye something that starts with the lettter "C".
cabin.
sorry, me, incorrect.
crew?
Also incorrect.
A Cepheid?
What the check is that? (Wrong Guess, Lou...)
I said I feel a little evil, Lou!
oh... ok a Cepheid or Cepheid variable - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cepheid_variables
lol sorry, it was the first thing that came into my head when you said 'c' and coupled together with you saying you felt a little evil :P
I thought you meant the northern circumpolar constellation between Cassiopeia and Draco which is also called Cepheid.
Castor?
Thank's Lou, I said I just felt a little bit evil. Not like wanted to take over Hell!.
:D
:D
Your reputation goes before you
me too.
Wrong side of the planet, Steven....
hehe sorry. i didn't really think it was that evil... we learnt about them for gcse physics...
never heard of it...
Oh Pollux. A little astronomical joke there.
Never heard of them.
Anybody else beleive "me" here?......
I do
;)
The only reason I thought that was that was because that is the first definition in dictionary.com
me too.
:D
Oh, yes, my choice is no star in Gemini....
hehe :D
am gonna have to sleep on this one.
me too. night everyone x
Do not stain yourself me, Castor is the only star starting with a C in Gemini that I know of, and it is not the right answer.
Looks like it is infectious. Either that or we were all watching Long Way Down since it has just finished. Catch you all tomorrow.
I don't know how Christine and Me find time to keep on top of the podcasts, f1 news, and read all of these comments. You are both amazing.
I think Bernie is crazy and it's time for him to retire. I do think that a win should be worth more than 2 points beyond a second place. The new points system was instituted because of a certain German driver that kept on winning, right? Now that he's gone and, at least, this year, teams have been closer to each other (no more Mindardi or Super Aguri (I do miss them, and Arrows) qualifying 4 seconds behind the Ferrari), there's no need. Of course the new rules will spread the field in 2009, so lets' just leave the points system as it is for another year or two.
Now that his wife is a free agent, is Bernie going to get some lady friend recommendations from his buddy Max? Let's hope we have good Bernie scandal during the off season so as not to interrupt the racing.
Link of the day:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/11/26/dear-bernie-please-put-a-race-on-here-portero-de-los-funes-san-luis-argentina/
THE circuit you must see to believe.
If we're not gonna go back to the US or Canada, F1 racing here would make up for a lot of that. :)
I don't think all of Bernie's dogs are barking for coming up with this stupid, stupid medal system just because Luca di blah blah blah is pouty because his mediocre driver didn't win the World Championship if Massa was consistent enough he would have won more races from other grid positions not just pole. Here is one example of a consistent driver from the 1958 World Championship Mike Hawthorn 1 win,5 second place finishes, 1 fifth place, 2 retirements and 5 fast laps (1 point each) Hawthorn won the title with 42 pts. Stirling Moss (the best driver to never win a world championship) came second in the championship that year with 4 wins, 1 second place, 5 retirements and 3 fast laps for a total of 41 pts. The point system that year was 8,6,4,3,2 and 1 point for fastest lap. So what does this tell you it tells you that consistency wins. Thanks for your time.
In case you're wondering Mike Hawthorn drove a Ferrari in '58 and he retired at the end of the season.
What do I think of the new points system? Bernie should stop 'medalling' with everything when things are pretty good as they are :-D
Bamber made me chuckle: http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/bamberwebber
That looks simply fantastic! :D Reminds me of El Capitan on Gran Turismo 4. A Grand Prix there - YES PLEASE! :D
Anybody else beleive “me” here?…… {Jordan Allen - 18 comments ago}
I do - I read an astronomy book mentioning it when I was in primary school and thought it would be cool to become an astronomer when I grew up.
Where do you stand on the medals idea? {original entry}
I stand at the side of the idea, hitting it with a large sledgehammer repeatedly in the hope that the medals go out of shape. Medals belong in predictions competitions and one-off events, not lengthy series.
No wonder it looked familiar! :D
I'm sure Fangio would love racing here. I'm sure it's making him smile. :)
:D
captures the moment, doesn't it?
look on the bright side, massa can now medal with hamilton week in week out.
can't wait for ron to jump up on that podium and medal with alonso too. what happens when vettel medals?
all these f1 drivers medalling with each other, fleet street will have a field day.
i agree. as yet, we've not found anyone who thinks this is a good idea.
bernie said last year he wanted to sort the points system back in 2007, but couldn't because the spy scandal kept him busy.
bring back stepney :)
aitch, don't tell bernie, he might bring that ruling back too!
apologies for getting geeky, but this question was brought up back in the summer.
uTorrent beta is now available for mac users:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/26/utorrent-for-mac-beta-officially-released/
just trying it out now :)
The point system that year was 8,6,4,3,2 and 1 point for fastest lap.
aitch, don’t tell bernie, he might bring that ruling back too! {me quoting Aitch - 2 comments ago}
I bet Kimi Raikkonen would have loved that system, given his penchant for putting in single quick laps when he otherwise appears to be bored...
tis true. maybe that isn't a bad idea then. but not this with all the other changes happening pls.
those f3 guys testing in italy are already getting too big for their boots!
You can't be geeky whilst discussing mac software... Physical impossibility.
if utorrent half as good on the mac as it is under windows, then it'll give your existing client a sound drubbing.
:)
i tell you something, it's bloomin fast. and really simple to use.
the only annoyance so far, is that you can't give it a feed of torrents like you can miro.
That reminds me of the old f1cartoons, with the round bobble helmets with names on.... I wonder what happened to that artist?
thank the lord:
"Bernie Ecclestone's radical plan to replace the points system... is likely to be rejected by the FIA, which must approve the new system to bring it into being."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article5241284.ece
thanks to blogf1 for the link
I rescued some of his old work from the internet archive... Sample of the helmet style I was referring to is here:
http://drop.io/sidepodcast/asset/tc
A few more on drop.io for giggles
:D
this one seems quite topical:
Max is due for re-election next year. I wonder if this is part of the plan to show how he needs to be in power because he is the only person who can stand up to Bernie.
i agree 110%.
You have to wonder why the FIA let this nonsense run so long without comment. Logically they must have had more to gain than lose by letting it run or MiniMax would have stamped all over it.
'Lo Everyone!
So much for my thought that there would have been a list of everything that started with a "C" in the galaxy waitng for me....
oh yeah! gimmie five, got carried away with all that f1 business.
this can only go well:
"Donington Park is aiming to make the 2010 British Grand Prix a 'car-free' event, with the crowd arriving entirely by public transport."
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44674
Why bother when Azureus is better?
azureus is quite slow and bulky on my machine and it's too complicated to setup rss feeds. that's why we've been using miro. but that's almost over-simplistic.
utorrent appears to be quite fast and stable.
I've disabled all the Vuze stuff, but will try utorrent and see if it's any better.
be interested to know what you find. i didn't know you could disable the vuze bits?
utorrent looks more mac-like too.
canopy?
What next? This is going to be the first F1 race where the cars burn wood rather than petrol?
i think they're missing a trick by not flying us all in.
And quite possibly, closer to the truth than we could've ever imagined.
Hmmm... You're telling me that organizers of a car race watched by fans who usually love cars want these fans not to bring cars? Good luck to the organizers, they'll need it.
Ooo, that sounds better, although utorrent is closed source.
"That is discrimination! They should also apply that rule to the teams as well. That way perhaps we can see Button beat Hamilton in that marathon that was promised last year.
No.
Here's what was picked:
Cabin
crew
Cepheid
Castor
Canopy.
So far Steven Roy seems to be the closest with "Castor."
chair?
No. You really need to step outside the box me...
camber?`
Your freezing cold Steven.
Afternoon all.
Reading the Webs comments on returning in Februrary, it only confirms tbe fact that he will be struggling at the start of the season. He practically will by then have missed two months testing, ones in December and the ones in January. Then it depends when he returns in February as well. He could have only a month of testing.
Just a thought, my friend is a slightly over obsessive McLaren fan (who would rather sleep with Lewis Hamilton than some supermodel), anyways, who is the better team in history, McLaren or Ferrari. (He refuses to listen to me since we are only 3rd)
Point numero trois,
They are sooo doomed
I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for the FIA.
Imagine being forced to get there by public transport, then when you arrive the race isn't even on.
Vettel isn't some useless Rookie,
In fact he is a smart cookie,
I'm sure that by the start of the season,
he will find a compelling reason,
after testing mile and testing mile,
to tailor that car to his driving style.
Does any want a clue to my Eye Spy?
am gonna need several methinks :D
I tried KTorrent recently - a Unix-based client that it is possible to compile under OS X - and was very impressed.
The availability of uTorrent is definitely good news for Mac owners, though.
Edit: The edit function is working again in Chrome. Have you changed anything?
It's not cog is it?
I would have put this comment in rhyme,
But I found I simply didn't have the time.
I keep thinking on the doohicky that because I'm replying that I'm going to quote what I'm replying to. It is almost certainly just me though.
That last comment was about the Eye Spy.
That's brilliant!
I think you should perform it as a rap on the next Podpanel. ;)
Thanks. As we all know I is down wid da kidz.
Shame I was on about Webber ;), nice though
Ya wha?
Scott, Alex cannot perform his poem as a rap on the next Sidepodcast becasue well, it classifies as Lyrics, and as such, is to good for rap crap.
Unless, of course, Alex can do an awesome impression of Debbie Harry.....
That was my point. With Webbo out, Vettel is not stupid. He'll use this time to make that car HIS! Don't be surprised to see Webber complaining that he's struggling to find a good set-up next year while his team mate storms away up the sharp end.
Just thought i would try a different angle. :D
:)
Depends when history starts. Overall Ferrari's record is better but if you start history on the day McLaren was started their record is better.
My view is that it should be performance per race attended. So I think that means McLaren.
Unless one team showed up once and won and never competed again. Some team that won the Indianapolis 500 probably did that although I'm never sure those stats should really count.
Ferrari were good in the 50s and early 60s. Surtees won the 64 championship in one. Between his title and Schumacher's first they won three driver's championships so a lot of the Ferrari legend is based on complete bull because for 30 odd years they were generally rubbish. When you consider that this includes the period when the vast majority used Cosworth engines while Ferrari used their own you have to question how they could be so bad.
I have just slotted the Giggles rap into my (for want of a more accurate term) script for the podpanel.
Good work! Shame I won't be there to say it myself! Perhaps I could record it and Christine or Me could play it in at the appropriate moment?
Absolutely!
Jackie Stewart was given an honorary doctorate by St Andrews University today. During his interview on TV he made it clear that he is not a fan of the medals idea.
I have sent in my Vettel rap in a recording...
Dear Lord what was I thinking!
You are still better than the Black Eyed Peas.... (I know, not saying much...)
wow.
am looking forward to sunday already :)
Ah, do you still want them season review thingies?
please. gotta write a post about it too. ta for the reminder.
we have several, we'd love more ;)
Have you listened... Oh dear!
sorry.
i didn't want to, obviously, but i had to load it into the pinger ;)
:)
Okay I'll let you off! I had to post it quickly in case I changed my mind.
What do you want in them? Sorta like the season in general, race by race.
anything you desire.
highlights, lowlights, important events. anything that grabbed you really.
we have one that's a minute long and one that's 15 minutes long.
I would rather have this point system than that ridiculous medal system.
I am watching Sidepodpannel 3. Perhaps I should live comment ;)
feels like a very long time ago.
It feels even longer since I was on.
I'll send you one over the weekend on my BMW.
I'm having buffering issues... It's like I'm right back in there!
I have had to resort to downloading it.
haha! how can you have a buffering issue when it's not streaming?
fanx you.
Well I'm watching the live video show not the podcast... And my end is being v flakey! I think it might be the 1,000,000 updates (approx) my Mac has decided it needed to download at the same time...
i have no idea how a progressive download can be flaky?
you're now creating your own bugs :)
:)
It's just stopping that's all. I have to leave it and wait for a bit tis all.
Odd now me trying to download the mp4 has stopped after 3Mb too... Odd.
you're having no luck at all!
seems okay to me?
Just testing the realtime doohickey from the g1.
works okay?
It works!
you don't have to sound quite so surprised ;)
Hahaha - sorry!
I'm listening to the actual edited podpannel which is great with the editing and everything.
Just listening to the Podpannel 3 and I hear that Webber was worried that heavier drivers would have problems with KERS. If he hasn't been able to exercise all winter he may be in even more trouble than we thought.
And now he has a lump of metal in his right leg which can't help.
True!
I just got to the bit where Ollie suggested Sidepodcast Commentary and VBH as pit lane reporter! hahahahaha Well done Ollie!
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44676
Awww, bless him ;)
Didn't happen though - shame. :(
Anyone/everyone seen that Ford are coming into the BTCC?? Independant entry. IT reminds me a bit of Super Aguri....except this time the teams being made for Tom Chilton. Gotta love that hair!!
Anyone got any thoughts?
It could happen!! you never know! wait till the Aus GP before you judge what state the honda will be in next year :P remember they have already been developing this car for 9-10 months...
if they are still rubbish...do i have permission to laugh??
once i have got over the disapointment, calmed down, and am offline, then yes. then and only then can you laugh ;)
your so kind :P
My flag design for Sidepodcastland has been sent to dropio, hopefully, I used the Html uploader.
i see it. you might have to describe the significance of the colours?