Kunal's F1 Blog

Inside Line F1 Podcast – Permanent No. 1: Vettel vs. Schumi?

Posted on | December 3, 2013 | No Comments

A week into the Formula1 off-season and little has changed. Barring Ross Brawn’s confirmed exit from Mercedes and Nico Hulkenberg’s confirmation at Sahara Force India, the rest of the pieces of the jigsaw remain a puzzle!

Also the move to the 1.6 litre V6s remains the most discussed topic off-season as the sport prepares to undergo a revolutionary winter. And in the midst of this, Motorsport fans have had to contend with the sounds (or not) of the Formula E engine!

Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher (Courtesy: Race of Champions)

For those tuning in a little late in the week, Mahindra Racing announced their entry into the Formula E Championship (to debut in 2014) and created some extra buzz for Indian Motorsport and an opportunity for Indian drivers to drive in a top class global racing series. But for now, it is back to Formula1, back to the Inside Line F1 Podcast and here’s what is in store for you in our latest Formula1 Podcast:

  • Ross Brawn to unite with Honda or Ferrari? Where do you think he’s headed? (Read: Ross Brawn vs. Adrian Newey)
  • Massa – Smedley to re-unite at Williams for 2014?
  • With Hulkenberg now to Sahara Force India, who will partner Grosjean at Lotus? And are these indications that the Quantum deal has fallen apart and that Maldonado’s millions will find their spot there? (Read: F1 Drivers To Play Musical Chairs)
  • This week’s special: like Football, Cricket and various other sports, Formula1 contemplates issuing permanent number to drivers from the 2014 Formula1 Season. Hear our views!
  • Of course before the drivers end up fighting for it, we tell you which driver should get which number and why.
  • And we also tell you why Pastor Maldonado wouldn’t get a number!
  • Vettel’s concern for 2014 is the loss of the ‘thrill’ factor. We tell how we’d like our engines. (Read: Gracias V8, Hola Turbo)
  • Formula E, we give you a low down of the championship and the Mahindra Racing connect; is this really the ‘future’ of Motorsport? We share what a few of our listeners had to say about the ‘engine note’.

The Inside Line F1 Podcast is now available on various platforms and I would urge you to choose your platform to listen to the humour that we add to the otherwise serious and complex sport of Formula1.

If you are an Apple user, you can subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on the iTunes Podcast Store or via our RSS feed (for Android/Windows /Blackberry users).

The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced and hosted by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud, Spreaker, MixCloud and YouTube channels.

Category: F1 Podcast
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > > > >

Mahindra Racing Expands Footprint, Enters Formula E Championship

Posted on | December 2, 2013 | 2 Comments

(This post is a long read; targeted towards those who wish to know more about Formula E and the Mahindra Racing connect)

Mahindra Racing, Indian automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra’s (M&M) racing arm, announced that they would foray into the much awaited and hyped Formula E Championship as the promoters of the Indian team. This announcement means that M&M end up being India’s only automobile manufacturing company to invest in a racing team! Kudos! And of course, the Formula E team is an addition to their existing investments in two wheeler racing (Moto3).

Mahindra Racing

Formula1′s quadruple World Champion Sebastian Vettel said that Formula E is ‘not the future’ and I too haven’t been too excited about and have tracked developments in this championship till this announcement. And for the benefit of my readers, here are my two (or twenty two!) bits. (Credits to Karan Popli for sharing his research paper ‘Strategic Marketing Analysis of Formula E’).

Formula E – The Series, The Environment, The Teams

The Formula E championship is an attempt to promote a breed of electric racing cars with an overlying objective to promote environmental friendly vehicles and transportation amongst the youth. The series, which will debut in September 2014, will offer a single make electric racing car to its teams for the first year with an aim to then transform into a manufacturer based series. And like Formula1 is called as ‘F1′, will Formula E be abbreviated to ‘F-E’? I hope not!

Dallara would build the chassis while Renault (Spark-Renault SRT-01E; nothing to do with Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar!) would provide it with an engine. Formula1 teams like Mclaren and Williams will be providing with battery packs and gearboxes for these series. Although there’s support from Formula1, the pinnacle of motorsport, all technical tie-ups (in my view) would be at cost to the championship organisers / teams, which basically means ancillary revenue for the Formula1 teams.

Technicals aside, Formula E seems well researched and a dream championship (on paper) to associate with from a marketing perspective. They claim to not compete with Formula1 and / or be seen as a feeder series. They will run from September to June (one race per month) and avoid scheduling conflicts with Formula1 and / or other local sporting activities in the host countries. Barring Africa, the series plans to host multiple races in the other continents (proposed calendar is below) and the plan is to take the sport to the masses by holding the races in the centre of the city (yes, road races) rather than at the racing circuits usually located far away.

Proposed Calendar:

  1. China (20th September)
  2. Malaysia (18th October)
  3. China (8th November)
  4. Uruguay (13th December)
  5. Argentina (10th January)
  6. USA (14th February)
  7. USA (18th April)
  8. Monaco (9th May)
  9. Germany (30th May)
  10. United Kingdom (27th June)

The logistics and operations plan researched by Karan indicate that the organisers plan to keep costs low by re-using their equipment at each event (hence the one race per month plan) and by hosting the entire racing weekend on one day (Saturday) with multiple practice sessions, qualifying and the race. A move that eases their entry into cities for racing as road closures are needed for lesser days and seems smarter in terms of cost saving.

Mahindra Racing will compete against the below teams that have already been confirmed:

  1. United Kingdom – Drayson Racing
  2. China – China Racing
  3. United States of America – Dragon Racing
  4. United States of America – Andretti Racing
  5. France – E.dams
  6. Japan – Super Aguri
  7. Germany – Audi Sport ABT

The Formula E Racing Car

Formula E do seem to be extremely serious about their ‘claim of not competing’ with Formula1; while Formula1 is worried about the 2014 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines losing their ‘ferocious’ sounds, Formula E is looking to work with sound engineers to reduce engine sounds and prove to their audiences that vibrations in electric engines are few and racing can be far more environmental friendly than it currently is. The key objective is to increase the track to road technology transfer.

Formula E Testing Image (Courtesy: Formula E)

Michelin, the official tyre supplier, will be supplying a standard spec of 18 inch racing tyres which will be for all weather conditions. The insight being that fans don’t get to change their tyre compounds depending on weather conditions and hence Formula E drivers too wouldn’t. And again, there’s some bit of market research that has probably gone into this decision and does seem logical to an extent.

The zero emission racing car will operate in three power modes with a maximum output of 270bhp (of which only 180bhp will be available in the race) and be equipped with a Renewable Energy Storage System (RESS) which will offer a ‘push to pass’ option to the drivers during race. The estimated acceleration figures indicate a 0-100kmph in 3 seconds, which is just about impressive for a racing car, but a top speed of only 225kmph. However, I am guessing that with passing seasons, these numbers will only look more impressive.

The parts that I am yet to fathom include the need for drivers to make a mandatory pit-stop in the one hour long race, to change cars and go back out racing! I am sure that this is due to the limitations of the battery packs, but I am not sure how appealing this would be to spectators who would probably enjoy tyre changes more than car changes!

The second being ‘social media voting’ during the races to offer the ‘most voted’ (or some similar logic) driver an extra ‘push to pass’ option!! Gimmick?

And here’s a video that showcases the engine sound of the Formula E racing car:

The Business Aspect

The organisers would stand to make revenue from the usual streams that include TV broadcast deals (and they’ve signed up an interesting list of broadcasters already), central sponsorships, licensing and merchandising, ticketing, hospitality, online and mobile streaming rights.

The primary sources of revenue in my view would be race hosting fees from various venues and franchise fees from each of the teams who have been carefully selected from various countries (inducing exclusivity) and after the assessment of their ability to promote motorsport and electric technology within their regions. Again, spot on from a marketing point of view.

The other aspect of team selection (below are the teams) is that while they are country specific, the series isn’t yet pitching it as a Country vs. Country battle, a route that the now defunct A1 Grand Prix (‘The World Cup Of Motorsport’) had chosen.

The Mahindra Connect

Apart from the Mahindra Racing context, Mahindra & Mahindra have a controlling stake in the Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. which designs and manufactures compact electric vehicles and sells across 26 countries (source: Wiki). The Formula E platform, if successful, could help promote their electric cars amongst the Indian and international audiences.

Mahindra Racing - Formula E Car

From the current calendar, M&M’s electric cars are available only in Germany (source: FIA Formula E & Wiki) but the company could look at this series as a platform to further their international sales operations.

Rumours indicate (Hormazd’s tweet below) that the annual budget for operating a Formula E team would be in the region of Rs. 30 crores (GBP 3 million) which is extremely affordable for a series that is pitched as an ‘annual global championship’. Although I await clarity on what rights and assets are available for the team promoters within that cost.

More so, I wonder if Mahindra Racing would be committed to investing in factory and technical resources to ‘build’ electric racing cars like Formula1 teams do. The current impression of Mahindra Racing’s investment is ‘branding’ related, while Formua E operate the technical side of the sport, or Mahindra Racing outsource it like they do so for their Moto3 challenge.

The Drivers

Formula1 can be extremely ruthless when it comes to driver selections as shown by Sergio Perez’s replacement by Mclaren and the constant ignoring of the super talented Nico Hulkenberg. While Indy Car, DTM and other series are lucrative options, series such as Formula E will also offer alternate employment opportunities to F1 discards. And there are quite a few! Kobayashi, Alguersuari, Liuzzi, Buemi, etc.

In Formula E, the organisers will be releasing a list of 20 shortlisted drivers for the teams to select from. To attract local audiences and sponsors, atleast one of the two race drivers will be local names with prior experience in reputed racing series to maintain competitiveness. Again, a good marketing mix! And yes of course, there will be two reserve drivers for each team too. (Inside Line F1 Podcast humour: Chance for pay drivers here too?)

As for Mahindra Racing, rumours indicate that Karun Chandhok has already been signed up as one of the drivers and this decision awaits public announcement. Will Narain Karthikeyan partner Chandhok as the second driver? It would be good for the Indian audiences to see the two Indian drivers go head-to-head in a global championship! A treat which we’ve never had! (Although they did race as team-mates in the World Series by Renault almost a decade back!)

Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel are the two other names that could be in contention should Karthikeyan not be interested while Parth Gorphade, Sailesh Bolissetti and others could be considered for the test driver roles. However, there’s also a chance that Mahindra Racing opt for an international driver with a reputation to partner Chandhok like they have done so for their Moto3 team; the difference here being that the options of drivers available is higher than the riders!

The Challenge For Formula E

Formula1 is the ‘only’ global single seater championship that has lasted more than 6 decades. All other championships of similar nature have folded without much success; the most recent debacle being the A1 Grand Prix.

Formula E is expected to face similar challenges to what the A1 Grand Prix faced; interest from audiences and sponsors (locally and globally) and most importantly creating a brand for itself where fans are ‘willing to spend’ on their series via tickets, broadcast feeds and merchandise. It will be interesting to see how the organisers tackle these.

Conclusion

The first three to five years would be extremely important for the championship to see-off on all fronts. While the FIA contract is for 25 years and is expected to be promoted aggressively by the governing body, sponsor interest will be key to keep the cash registers ringing. Going by their planning on-paper, it would be safe to say that the series seems like a good bet for the long run. However, we’ve all witnessed in the past how expensive any and every form of Motorsport can get.

As for Mahindra Racing’s involvement, I will keenly follow the developments with hope that they are a force to reckon with. After all, Indians fans would love to support yet another home team in an international racing series. And would then Mahindra’s name the team as ‘Force E-ndia’ to cash in on the Indian F1 team’s popularity?

The last attempt at launching an annual racing series was the i1 Super Series. Read all about it on my blog: i1 Super Series. 

Category: Indian Motorsport
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > >

Inside Line F1 Podcast: Gracias V8, Hola Turbo

Posted on | November 26, 2013 | No Comments

 V10 > V8 > V6 Turbo is the assumption that Formula1 fans have already made as we bid an emotional adieu to the V8s in the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. Thanks to FOM’s restrictions, fans were unable to witness the ‘blow outs’ of the V8s by Renault and Mercedes. But then again, there’s YouTube and fan videos!

Renault Beat The Likes Of Ferrari and Mercedes (Courtesy: Renault F1 Sport)

In this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we talk about the Brazilian Grand Prix, the delayed Q3 of qualifying, Pirelli wets, Sebastian Vettel equaling Michael Schumacher’s record and being crowned the ‘perfect’ driver on the grid for the 2013 Formula1 Season. (Read: Vettel = Schumacher = 13 wins)

Also, did the emotional side of Formula1 appeal to you as a fan? I would love to know! So write in.

Here’s what’s in store in our latest Formula1 Podcast:

  • What is with Interlagos? The sport just came alive in every session! Do you think it is the track or the Brazilian fans or both?
  • Why do we have the Pirelli wet tyres if we don’t use them at all? And I missed Hermann Tilke in Brazil.
  • Given how interesting the race was, should we just ban all practice sessions to make the sport more interesting?
  • Sebastian Vettel beats Fernando Alonso to yet another title… (Read: Sebastian Vettel Is The 2013 Constructors’ Championship)
  • And he beat all the teams to the Constructors’ Championship; is this Red Bull Racing’s way to say #ThankYouMark?
  • Felipe Massa’s semi-donuts, why did he not perform donuts? Something do with his in-race penalty?
  • When a road car production company beat sports car production company…
  • And Rishi points out why my complaint against FOM’s TV restrictions isn’t too valid.
  • Is Lotus trying too hard to lure sponsors and then a Hulkenberg too?
  • ‘Khokha’ Kovalainen a bad choice by Lotus F1 Team?
  • Should we applaud Max Chilton’s rookie achievement and record? Should we?
  • Does Sergio Perez deserve yet another season? And ‘applaud’ for Mclaren’s unique historic statistical achievement, but doesn’t take away from their worst season in decades.
  • Ross Brawn to Mclaren? Or to Ferrari? Will he add to his 8 World Championship titles?

The winter season of Formula1 has just about started with the withdrawal symptoms just about surfacing, but worry not, Rishi and I will keep things warm on the Inside Line F1 Podcast. And no we aren’t distributing tyre blankets just yet!

The Inside Line F1 Podcast is now available on various platforms and I would urge you to choose your platform to listen to the humour that we add to the otherwise serious and complex sport of Formula1.

If you are an Apple user, you can subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on the iTunes Podcast Store or via our RSS feed (for Android/Windows /Blackberry users).

The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced and hosted by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud,Spreaker, MixCloud and YouTube channels.

Category: F1 Podcast
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

2013 Brazilian GP: Vettel = Schumacher, Bye Bye V8s

Posted on | November 24, 2013 | No Comments

Sebastian Vettel’s brilliant run in the 2013 Formula1 Season ended with him equalling compatriot Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 Grand Prix wins in a single season. Given Vettel’s ruthless dominance, it was inevitable! Sebastian Vettel = Michael Schumacher = 13 wins a season = Inevitable!

And much as Rishi and a few Formula1 fans would’ve like, I am glad he didn’t ‘gift’ his win to his team-mate Mark Webber; would’ve been the worst ‘Thank You’ gift!

Sebastian Vettel - 13 wins in 2013 (Courtesy: Red Bull Racing)

The 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix also showcased a rare display of emotions in the sport. The pre-race guard of honour for Felipe Massa by Ferrari mechanics followed by a teary-eyed Mark Webber removing his helmet on his in-lap (trying to dry his tears in the wind, was he?) to Vettel’s post-race donuts and Massa’s half donuts brought out a certain human element of the sport which otherwise gets masked by the mandatory use of crash helmets. This is also where Formula1 loses out to other sports in terms of fan interest, but this discussion is for another day!

Thank You Mark Webber

The rain/no-rain scenario certainly kept the teams, drivers and fans at the edge of their seats much as the multiple overtaking maneuvers across the track. While the Drivers’ & Constructors’ Championship were sealed much earlier, the fight for runners up was made interesting by the FIA after they awarded a questionable drive-through penalty to Felipe Massa (what’s your view?) for crossing the pit-entry line followed by a justified one to Lewis Hamilton for causing a collision on track.

The end of the GP also signalled the end of the V8 era in Formula1. And if the engines had a way to protest, I think Grosjean’s engine going up in smoke in the opening few laps was a very visible way. His retirement and Kovalainen’s P14 finish meant that Lotus failed to score points and fight their way up the Constructors’ Championship. They wrapped up the season in 4th place. And as we expect ugly cars and 1.6 litre V6 engines in the 2014 Formula1 Season, we do believe that we need to ‘Save Formula1‘.

The best part of the weekend for me was that the teams and drivers entered the race with no tyre usage data in the dry and had to react in real-time rather than act (teams usually premeditate their stops and tyre strategy) on their tyre strategies. And of course, the team that did it best was Mclaren as both their drivers charged up the pack and finished nearly 10 places ahead of their starting positions. Jenson Button, driver of the day?

And the worst part of the weekend would be that there would be a few drivers who wouldn’t know if this was possibly their last Formula1 race ever. But life’s unfair and as I have said so before, it is even more unfair if you’re a Formula1 driver.

The next race is only in March 2014, but before that, we have nearly half a dozen cockpits waiting to be confirmed, new sponsors and of course the new car and engine launches, followed by early pre-season testing in February. And that still doesn’t give you your fix, Rishi and I will bring to you your weekly dose of Formula1 humour, so do tune in.

Race Results:

  1. Sebastian Vettel
  2. Mark Webber
  3. Fernando Alonso
  4. Jenson Button
  5. Nico Rosberg
  6. Sergio Perez
  7. Felipe Massa
  8. Nico Hulkenberg
  9. Lewis Hamilton
  10. Daniel Ricciardo
  11. Paul Di Resta
  12. Esteban Gutierrez
  13. Adrian Sutil
  14. Heikki Kovalainen
  15. Jean Eric Vergne
  16. Pastor Maldonado
  17. Jules Bianchi
  18. Giedo Van Der Garde
  19. Max Chilton

Did Not Finish:

  • Charles Pic
  • Valtteri Bottas
  • Romain Grosjean

The post-Brazilian Grand Prix episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast will be live on Tuesday, if you’d like us to air your views on the 2013 Formula1 Season, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

And of course, like 2012, we will be back with our Formula1 Podcast Awards in the off-season, so there’s a lot to look forward to. Keep Racing! 

Category: Sunday Race Day
Tags: > > > > >

2013 Brazilian GP Qualifying: Sebastian Vets Pole At Interlagos

Posted on | November 23, 2013 | No Comments

And one thought that rain would be the only way to stop Sebastian Vettel’s record breaking charge! And much like the previous occasions in the 2013 Formula1 Season, Sebastian Vettel proved everyone wrong has he netted pole position in the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix; his 9th pole of the season.

Such was his driving prowess that his nearest competitor was nearly 6 tenths slower; motivation certainly isn’t lacking in our quadruple World Champion and neither is talent, so what is? Humility isn’t the answer…

Sebastian Vettel on pole position of the 2013 Brazilian GP (Courtesy: Red Bull Racing)

In a wet qualifying session, the usual suspects came out on top with Rosberg in P2 followed by Alonso who drove a mega lap himself to qualify his otherwise slow Ferrari on the front two rows. The biggest disappointment for me in this session was Lewis Hamilton (P5) who is known to excel in such conditions; he was also my pick for the only driver who could beat Vettel to pole position.

The other disappointment of course was FIA’s reason to delay Q3 for nearly 30 mins due to standing water on the track (now what is Interlagos without its running water stream?) which made me wonder altogether, why do Pirelli manufacture and bring wet weather tyres to a racing event if we’re not going to use them?

I am not sure of the weather predictions for Race Day, but I do hope that we have a race without delays; I wouldn’t want to give Star Sports even the slightest of reasons to change their programming away from the last Grand Prix of the season. (Read: Ditched by Star Sports; Formula1 fans will thank TATA)

Formula1 Qualifying Results:

  1. Sebastian Vettel
  2. Nico Rosberg
  3. Fernando Alonso
  4. Mark Webber
  5. Lewis Hamilton
  6. Romain Grosjean
  7. Daniel Ricciardo
  8. Jean Eric Vergne
  9. Felipe Massa
  10. Nico Hulkenberg
  11. Heikki Kovalainen
  12. Paul Di Resta
  13. Valtteri Bottas
  14. Sergio Perez
  15. Jenson Button
  16. Adrian Sutil
  17. Pastor Maldonado
  18. Esteban Gutierrez
  19. Charles Pic
  20. Giedo Van Der Garde
  21. Jules Bianchi
  22. Max Chilton

And like we said in our pre-Brazil episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Felipe Massa could well be the most cheered driver in Brazil today. So what are your predictions?

Category: Qualifying
Tags: > > > >

Ditched By Star Sports, Formula1 Fans Will Thank TATA

Posted on | November 22, 2013 | 1 Comment

Yes, like my usual posts, I could be getting ahead of myself. And you may wonder what the link here is. The answer, my dear reader, isn’t as simple, or maybe I don’t want it to be. (No, I am not being cryptic!)

This post was penned a few months back but was put on the backburner after Star Sports announced multiple channels in India and promised in-depth sports coverage (including Formula1) and what not. Their announcements did bring a sigh of relief to the Indian Formula1 fan who is usually denied LIVE coverage by the TV broadcaster for about 3-4 races in the season; more like only 16-17 races of the season for fans in India!

I can’t recollect which races of the 2013 Formula1 Season have they missed broadcasting (can anyone help with this list?) but I do know that there were scheduling issues with this weekend’s 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix and after fan furore on social media, the channel decided to broadcast the race not just in HD but SD as well.

Start Sports & TATA Communications

Their HD only decision comes as a bit of a surprise and appears a desperate measure to sell HD packages in a country where distribution of HD channels isn’t as comprehensive. And sadly, the SD channels were to show repeats of sports where you need only ‘one ball’ (pun intended) to play!

While I am glad that the TV broadcaster made last hour amends to their programing, I am not confident if there’s a long term solution in sight! And this is where TATA plays an important role and Star Sports should be wary about. Read on.

I wouldn’t know if ALL Formula1 fans are thankful to TATA or not, but Indian Formula1 fans would certainly be. After all, they funded Narain Karthikeyan’s debut season (partially) in Formula1 and then his comeback seasons with Hispania Racing Team. I have written about their association in the past and these are good reads:

They gave India their very own and first Formula1 driver, followed by a technical partnership with World Champion team Ferrari and the only regret yet (for me) is to see TATA not challenge themselves as an engine manufacturer in Formula1.

However, TATA has decided to take on yet another interesting challenge, one that is probably more challenging than building an F1 engine (err!). This time it is about activating their ‘content delivery network’ for Formula1 to enable live streaming of Formula1 races across the planet.

Formula1 as a sport has been non-existent on social media platforms. One look at the other series like MotoGP, IPL, Olympics, etc. and you shall agree. I wouldn’t know if is due to lack of understanding (operationally and the power) of these platforms given Ecclestone’s age (I don’t blame him!) or it is due to the sport’s callous attitude towards marketing itself (Read: Formula1 Needs Better Marketing).

I have written earlier how Formula1 can learn a thing or two from the Indian Premier League especially given how the cricket league has used live streaming to increase its reach globally. And after much of a wait, Formula One Management and TATA Communications, the sport’s ‘Official Web Hosting and Content Delivery Network Provider’ finally tested a feed which broadcast the proceedings of the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix live at the FOM HQs in London. The feed was of JPEG 2000 quality, one which is better than the regularly used JPEG. And I will stay away from the technical part.

Sooner or later, I expect FOM to introduce live streaming via its website at a cost to fans across the world thereby reducing dependence on TV networks. The pros of live streaming outweigh the cons and I am in favour of this already-delayed introduction (MotoGP offered this option to their viewers since before 2011). From selecting between various camera angles and feeds (well, we don’t have smart TV viewing in India) to being able to watch the race without having a television or a cable network at all, it is good to offer the sport on devices where fans spend more time consuming content than the native television itself.

Introduction of live streaming will complicate TV contracts and reduce revenues from the TV networks; however, it will also open up new revenue streams via online subscriptions and ads (I hope not!). And I hope that the streams on offer aren’t restricted to live feeds alone and that FOM would allow pay-per-view access to their illustrious archives as well.

The only con here (in my view) is the dependence at the user’s end to have a robust high speed internet access with tons of bandwidth to download and view the feed, something which surely doesn’t exist in India; even with TATA’s owned communications company, VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited).

So I don’t know what’s a good bet to rely on, Star Sports and their inability to commit to a consistent broadcast of the Formula1 races to the Indian audiences or our consistently inconsistent internet connections. And to think of it, we are cribbing about the Ecclestone checkmating the Indian Grand Prix. Doesn’t everything just seem against Formula1 setting its foot firmly in India?

Hear the latest episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast: ‘Massa to be the most cheered driver at Interlagos, Brazil‘. 

Category: Media
Tags: > > > > >

Inside Line F1 Podcast: Cars Were Sabotaged In Austin

Posted on | November 20, 2013 | 2 Comments

‘My car was sabotaged’, was a silly claim by Money-naldo over the weekend of the 2013 United States Grand Prix. So in this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Rishi and I don our ‘Sherlock’ hats only to find out and reveal that cars were indeed sabotaged in Austin. The investigative report is mentioned in our Formula1 podcast.

Sebastian Vettel’s eight consecutive wins will be unmatchable for years to come and it could well be nine wins this weekend at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. And while he’s accused of making Formula1 boring by winning everywhere, Pirelli too have threatened to do something similar for the 2014 Formula1 Season. So we will have to contend with less ferocious sounding and lower powered engines, ugly-duckling of cars and now one-stop specific tyres too? And to top that, will we also have to contend with racing in Korea and a Maldonado too? So much for building up the anticipation for the next season!

Cars Were Sabotaged In Austin (Courtesy: COTA Facebook Page)

The 2014 Formula1 driver market has taken a drastic turn with Felipe Massa moving teams, Sergio Perez being replaced by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg still being choosy with the ‘quantum’ of cockpits available while Pastor Maldonado is re-counting the PDVSA millions in front of a few teams…! Something tells me that the off-season will be fun tracking each team and driver movement. As always, Rishi and I will bring to you our views on the Inside Line F1 Podcast!

A quick look at what’s in store this week:

  • Our investigative report tells the truth of cars being sabotaged in Austin
  • And what really is Money-naldo upto? Is he over-estimating the power of money in Formula1? ‘There are somethings that money can’t buy…’ would be an apt quote to read out to him!
  • Poor Pirelli, should we say? (Read: Should Pirelli Renew Their F1 Contract For 2014?)
  • From one Lotus to another, Kovalainen reveals his love for an Indian political party…
  • And while he is yet to score his point since 2009 (or something!), he’s out-spoken Raikkonen already in the space of a single weekend!
  • We also reveal what Raikkonen is upto under the pretext of a ‘back surgery’ as Ferrari does what they’re best at, off track.
  • Webber’s moving to sportscar racing because… (complete the statement!)
  • Fastest car, fastest driver and now fastest pit-crew? No points for guessing who!
  • Life’s unfair, they say. It is even more unfair if you’re a Formula1 driver, we say. Our heart goes out to Perez. (Read: Formula1 Drivers Play Musical Chairs)
  • And finally, after two weeks we announce the lucky winners of the ‘Win Mercedes AMG Petronas Merchandise’ competition; courtesy our friends at Puma! Find out if your humour appealed to us.

In all the fun, games and humour that we’re brought to you for yet another season, we are only a few days away from drawing curtains to 2013 and waiting in expectation for 2014. While all indicators are that fans could well be disappointed with the regulatory changes, there are no regulations or rules that we follow on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, so tune in for your weekly dose of Formula1 humour, even in the off-season!

And while we gear up to handle the withdrawal symptoms, here is a BIG vote of thanks to all our listeners, partner social media groups, fans and Puma for making this yet another successful year of racing the Inside Line! Below links are to a few of our best podcasts this season:

  1. Nico Rosberg Debuts On The Inside Line F1 Podcast
  2. From Lord Vettel to Lord Vitthal
  3. Does Cricket Feel The Same As F1 Did?
  4. iPhone5S-ebastian
  5. Alonso To Endorse Raymond Suitings
  6. Formula1 Drivers Also Play Musical Chairs
  7. Let Us Save Formula1
  8. If Schumacher Turns TV Commentator

The Inside Line F1 Podcast is now available on various platforms and I would urge you to choose your platform to listen to the humour that we add to the otherwise serious and complex sport of Formula1.

If you are an Apple user, you can subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on the iTunes Podcast Store or via our RSS feed (for Android/Windows /Blackberry users).

The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced and hosted by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud, Spreaker, MixCloud and YouTube channels.

Category: F1 Podcast
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

2013 United States Grand Prix: Vettel Wins 8 In A Row

Posted on | November 17, 2013 | 1 Comment

‘It was inevitable’, was my first thought when Sebastian Vettel claimed the chequered flag at the 2013 United States Grand Prix, his either consecutive race win for the 2013 Formula1 Season. The ‘Baby Schumi’ beating Michael Schumacher’s record of seven consecutive wins in 2004. I wonder if his win in the United States of America, a country where he also drove his debut Formula1 race (2007) in, will help boost the sales of Apple’s iPhone5S-ebastian! And of course, Vettel is inching closer to winning his first Constructors’ Championship as well. (Read: No Schumacher, Only Vettel)

Romain Grosjean, who we fondly refer to as ‘Crash’jean on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, managed to beat the other Red Bull Racing car of Webber to P2. He also has the distinction of being the second highest points scorer in the last five GPs but is surprisingly only 7th in the Drivers’ Championship. Webber, who had yet another poor start, finished in P3, followed by Hamilton, Alonso and Hulkenberg. And Webber’s pit-stop was clocked at 2.3 seconds, probably the fastest of the season!

Sebastian Vettel Wins The 2013 United States GP (Courtesy: Red Bull Racing)

Experience played a key part towards the end as most teams and drivers tried their best to make their one-stop strategy work; Alonso and Button provided some late race excitement in an otherwise boring race, which also saw Lord Vitthal (aka Sebastian Vettel) offer donuts as prasadam to fans for the third time in succession. His post-race radio message to the team reflected his state of mind to be Zen like! And he’s only in his mid-20s!

And on radio messages, it seems that Lewis Hamilton has taken over the mantle from Kimi Raikkonen to deliver funny (but stern) radio messages to his team!

Also, congratulations to Valtteri Bottas for scoring his first ever Formula1 championship point! After the Money-aldo bashing, some much needed encouragement for the WilliamsF1 team.

Formula1 Race Results:

  1. Sebastian Vettel
  2. Romain Grosjean
  3. Mark Webber
  4. Lewis Hamilton
  5. Fernando Alonso
  6. Nico Hulkenberg
  7. Sergio Perez
  8. Valtteri Bottas
  9. Nico Rosberg
  10. Jenson Button
  11. Daniel Ricciardo
  12. Jean Eric Vergne
  13. Felipe Massa
  14. Esteban Guttierez
  15. Heikki Kovalainen
  16. Paul Di Resta
  17. Pastor Maldonado
  18. Jules Bianchi
  19. Giedo Van Der Garde
  20. Charles Pic
  21. Max Chilton

Did Not Finish:

  • Adrian Sutil

It was only after I typed the full race result did I realise that Jules Bianchi not only beat the Caterhams, but also finished nearly a minute ahead of Chilton. It’s a shame that he couldn’t manage a more competitive team than Marussia for the 2014 Formula1 Season.

Up on Tuesday should be the post-Austin episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. For those who missed Nico Rosberg’s debut on our Formula1 Podcast, can catch it here: ‘Nico Rosberg Debuts On The Inside Line F1 Podcast‘.

And while Kimi Raikkonen is nursing his bad back before he resumes action as a Ferrari driver, here’s a pull-out from my archives on Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, 2014 And Beyond.

Category: Sunday Race Day
Tags: > > > > > >

2013 United States GP Qualifying: Vettel Bullies Webber To Pole

Posted on | November 16, 2013 | No Comments

Sebastian Vettel was serious about winning his 4th Drivers’ Championship title in the 2013 Formula1 Season and he did exactly that. Now, he seems serious about winning his first ever Constructors’ Championship title, will he succeed? And if you think I am out of mind to suggest that Sebastian Vettel can win the 2013 Constructors’ Championship, read this: ‘Could Sebastian Vettel Clinch The 2013 Constructors’ Championship?’

After being two tenths down in his final qualifying lap, Vettel drove a near-perfect final sector to beat Mark Webber to pole position by a little over a tenth. His eighth pole of the season, 44th overall and yet another blinder of a lap to prove why he is the better Red Bull Racing driver. As for the team, yet another front row lock-out and hopefully Vettel makes a clean get-away and doesn’t create the need for yet another ‘multi-21’ situation. And it would be noteworthy to mention that both Red Bulls are 7 tenths clear of the rest!

Much like last year, tyres took time to come up to optimum temperature, often causing traffic on-track as drivers attempted multiple laps to set a competitive time. And if this stays for the race, I wouldn’t be surprised if drivers would actually lose a position or two after their pit-stop as their tyres went through the heat cycle. And on the note of pitstops, it does seem likely that we will see a one pit-stop strategy by most teams.

Sebastian Vettel (Courtesy: Red Bull Racing)

My favourite part of qualifying was that the track changed between FP3 and Qualifying and the drivers who could adapt quickly came out on top. Always good to see how Formula1 tests driver talent in different ways.

And the one talent (!) that we wish Maldonado didn’t possess was arrogance! After his Q1 exit, the PDVSA funded driver ‘hinted’ that his car was ‘sabotaged’ by the WilliamsF1 team. Like really?

Contrary to conspiracy theorists, the Inside Line F1 Podcast debut last week wasn’t why Nico Rosberg could only manage a P14 in the 2013 United States Grand Prix (Read: Rosberg Races On The Inside Line). Rishi tried but couldn’t distract him one bit! And one wouldn’t bet against him fighting his way closer to the top, but not to the top, of course. That spot in my view is reserved for a certain German! Which would then mean that he will set a new record in Formula1 for ‘most consecutive wins in a single season’; after all he did get crowned as ‘Lord Vitthal’ at the 2013 Indian Grand Prix.

Qualifying Results:

  1. Sebastian Vettel
  2. Mark Webber
  3. Romain Grosjean
  4. Nico Hulkenberg
  5. Lewis Hamilton
  6. Fernando Alonso
  7. Sergio Perez
  8. Heikki Kovalainen
  9. Valtteri Bottas
  10. Esteban Gutierrez
  11. Daniel Ricciardo
  12. Paul Di Resta
  13. Jenson Button (Penalty)
  14. Nico Rosberg
  15. Felipe Massa
  16. Jean Eric Vergne
  17. Adrian Sutil
  18. Pastor Maldonado
  19. Giedo Van Der Garde
  20. Jules Bianchi
  21. Charles Pic (Penalty)
  22. Max Chilton

Predictions for the race?

Your last chance to win official Mercedes AMG Petronas merchandise (courtesy: Puma). The contest closes on Monday, 18th November 2013. Here’s the link.

Category: Qualifying
Tags: > > > > >

Nico Rosberg Debuts On The Inside Line F1 Podcast

Posted on | November 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

It isn’t often that the Inside Line F1 Podcast gets to speak to and host a Formula1 driver! Infact, this is our very first, much like this is Nico Rosberg’s debut on our Formula1 podcast. And on the matter of firsts, we are still running our first ever official merchandise competition, courtesy Puma. If you think you are witty enough to win, participate here: Win Official Mercedes AMG Petronas Merchandise On The Inside Line F1 Podcast.

We’ve celebrated Sebastian Vettel’s victories enough (Read: Helmets Off To Vettel) and like we said earlier, Apple even dedicated the iPhone5S to his fourth consecutive World Championship win (Read: iPhone5S-ebastian) before Indian Formula1 fans rechristened Sebastian Vettel to Lord Vitthal! And here of course is wishing that ‘Sebastian Vettel wins the 2013 Constructors’ Championship’ as well.

Nico Rosberg (Courtesy: Nico Rosberg's Facebook Page)

However, in this episode, we leave aside Vettel and bring focus to Nico Rosberg, whose double podium finishes in India and Abu Dhabi are still being celebrated and Kimi Raikkonen who has decided to ‘skip’ the last two races of the 2013 Formula1 Season due to ‘medical’ reasons. Yes, Formula1 is a world where even medicine equals money (medicine = money).

And then of course, WilliamsF1 threw a lifeline to Felipe Massa and booted out PDVSA’s multi-million dollar sponsor and a driver called Pastor Maldonado. So where does this leave the driver market? Who goes where? All this and more in our latest episode! Tune in!

Quick references: (YouTube link: http://youtu.be/dWlzN_WIxzc)

  • We’ve cribbed about Pirelli enough, even about the simulated sound of the V6 engines that will be used in the 2014 Formula1 Season. Ever wondered a Formula1 driver’s views on these crucial topics?
  • And we are a Cricket and Bollywood crazy nation and Sahara Force India’s #masterblaster and Ra-One associations have proved earlier how Cricket, Bollywood and Formula1 can come together (Gulshan Grover included!). But here’s what Nico Rosberg had to say about Sachin Tendulkar and his retirement and of course his imitation of Bollywood’s original ‘angry young man’. (No, we don’t mean Sunny Deol)
  • Raikkonen succumbs to a ‘bad’ back and Formula1’s world of PR and team talk. Last we checked, Vettel and Webber were involved in something similar. (Read: Multi21, Team Orders and PR Talk)
  • Massa to WilliamsF1, Maldonado to Venezuela? Or will Lotus take the PDVSA millions and Quantum’s money too? Where does this leave Hulkenberg? (Read: Formula1 Drivers Play Musical Chairs)
  • And last but not the least, the rumour on Perez. Is he another Kovalainen in the making?

The Inside Line F1 Podcast is now available on various platforms and I would urge you to choose your platform to listen to the humour that we add to the otherwise serious and complex sport of Formula1.

If you are an Apple user, you can subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on the iTunes Podcast Store or via our RSS feed (for Android/Windows /Blackberry users).

The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced and hosted by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud, MixCloud and YouTube channels.

Category: F1 Podcast
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
keep looking »

  • Tags

    2012 Formula1 Season 2013 Formula1 Season 2013 Indian Grand Prix 2014 Formula1 Season F1 2011 F1 drivers F1 Driver Transfers F1 Podcast Fernando Alonso Ferrari Formula1 Formula1 2011 Formula1 Podcast Hispania Racing Team HRT i1 Super Series i1 Super Series Calendar i1 Super Series Drivers Indian F1 Driver Indian GP Indian Grand Prix Indian Motorsport Indian Racing League Inside Line F1 Podcast Jenson Button Karun Chandhok Kimi Raikkonen Lewis Hamilton Lotus F1 Team Lotus Renault GP Mark Webber Mercedes Mercedes AMG Petronas michael schumacher Narain Karthikeyan Pirelli Tyres Qualifying Results Race Report Race Reports Race Results Red Bull Racing Sahara Force India Sebastian Vettel Sports Marketing TaTa Racing