Formula 1 FanCast

Formula 1 FanCast: 2011 F1 End of Season Review on Formula1 FanCast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:23:32 -0500

2011 was another action packed year for Formula One. Both Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Paul Hadsley reflect on the 2011 season in this podcast.

Mark Webber was able to pick up his first and only win of 2011 at the season finale in Brazil. Sebastian Vettel came home in second despite constant gearbox issues with McLaren’s Jenson Button finishing third.

Both Ferrari’s and Force India’s finished in the points. Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished fourth and fifth. Adrian Sutil put in a strong performance to finish sixth with Force India team-mate Paul di Resta coming home in eighth.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished ninth to pick up two crucial points with Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov scoring the final point in tenth.

As well as looking back on the Brazilian Grand Prix, we give our reflections on how all the teams fared in 2011 and look ahead to 2012. And of course not forgetting the 2011 Formula1 FanCast End of Season Awards. Listen in to find out who has won what.

To keep up to date with the latest F1 news visit www.formula1fancast.com. Don’t forget you can have your say on the season by commenting on our Facebook (www.facebook.com/Formula1FanCast) and Twitter (@Formula1FanCast) pages. Also follow Manish (@Baggies20) and Paul (@paulhadsley) on Twitter.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Formula1 FanCast.

Formula 1 FanCast: Hamilton Back in Business " Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:34:44 -0500

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel looks back on the 2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix along with Scratch Radio’s F1 pundit Will Vincent.

Lewis Hamilton got back to winning ways to pick up his third win of the season with his latest victory coming at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 2008 World Champion always had the race under control once Sebastian Vettel retired from the race on lap two. Jenson Button finished on the final step of the podium to make it a memorable day for McLaren.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso split the two McLaren’s as he came home in second. The Spaniard is still in contention to finish second in the Drivers Championship. Felipe Massa had an incident free race to finish fifth.

Mark Webber was the only Red Bull to score points as the Aussie finished the race in fourth. Sebastian Vettel was forced to retire in the early stages of the race.

Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished in the points as the Mercedes duo came home in sixth and seventh. Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta finished eighth and ninth to pick up six crucial points for Force India to consolidate sixth in the Constructors.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi scored a priceless point as he finished 10^th. The battle for seventh in the Constructors between Sauber and Toro Rosso will go down to the final race of the season in Brazil.

Williams had a Saturday to forget with Rubens Barrichello unable to set a time in qualifying and Pastor Maldonado was given a 10-place grid drop after using his ninth engine of the season. But Barrichello was able to scythe his way through the field to finish 12^th.

A heads up on the final podcast of the year, we will be reflecting on the final race of the season at Brazil as well as assessing how all the teams fared this year.

We will have our Formula1 FanCast End of Season Awards. This is an opportunity for you fans out there to take part. There are 10 different categories in this years End of Season Awards - Team Of The Year, Most Improved Team of The Year, Worst Team of The Year, Driver of The Year, Most Improved Driver of The Season, Best Grand Prix of The Season, Rookie of The Year, Best Overtaking Manoeuvre of The Season, 2012 – Team To Watch Out For, Funniest Moment of The Season. You can go to my Twitter page @Baggies20 and there will be a post labelled @Formula1FanCast End of Season Awards. Click on the URL link provided and you will be taken to an online form where you can submit your votes for this years End of Season Awards. You only have until Midnight on 30^th November to submit your votes so get voting.

Formula 1 FanCast: No.11 For Vettel - Indian Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:08:40 -0400

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Formula One pundit Will Vincent reflect on a successful Indian Grand Prix.

It will not be remembered as a classic but India certainly delivered and the Indians did a fine job throughout the weekend.

Sebastian Vettel took his 11^th win of the season with his latest win coming at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. Mark Webber could only finish fourth despite starting the race on the front row behind Vettel.

McLaren’s Jenson Button put in another strong performance to come home in second. Lewis Hamilton endured another frustrating weekend as the 2008 World Champion ended the race in seventh.

Fernando Alonso finished third with team-mate Felipe Massa having another collision with Hamilton in as many races. The Brazilian retired from the race to cap off a miserable weekend.

Michael Schumacher came home ahead of Nico Rosberg as the Mercedes duo finished the race fifth and sixth. Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari put in another superb performance to finish eighth.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil gave the home crowd something to cheer about as the German picked up two points by coming home in ninth. Paul di Resta finished 13^th.

Sergio Perez was able to hold off Renault’s Vitaly Petrov for the final points scoring position to score a point for Sauber.

Heikki Kovalainen was able to finish the race ahead of Williams’ Rubens Barrichello in 14^th. And finally Narain Karthikeyan finished the race in front of his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in 17^th.

You can visit www.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest Formula One news. Don’t forget you can follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast. You can also follow Manish on Twitter @Baggies20.

Formula 1 FanCast: Red Bull And Vettel At It Again " Korean Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:58:26 -0400

Any chance of Sebastian Vettel taking his foot off the gas after securing his second Drivers title? No chance.

The German made it ten victories in 2011 with his latest win coming at the Korean Grand Prix. Team-mate Mark Webber had a decent weekend and finished the race third.

Lewis Hamilton had a much better weekend as he came home second ahead of Webber. The 2008 World Champion knocked Red Bull off pole for the first time this season but was unable to take the race win on Sunday. Jenson Button finished fourth.

The Ferrari’s of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished fifth and sixth. The Spaniard uncharacteristically came on the radio near the end of the race saying ‘I give up’. Read into that what you will.

Nico Rosberg finished eighth for Mercedes. Toro Rosso had a strong weekend with Jaime Alguersuari coming home in an impressive seventh and Sebastian Buemi picking up two points in ninth.

Force India’s Paul di Resta finished 10^th to take the final point. It was another struggling weekend for Williams as Rubens Barrichello finished 12^th after qualifying 18^th and Pastor Maldonado retired from the race.

Heikki Kovalainen had a decent day at the office as the Team Lotus driver finished 14^th ahead of both Sauber drivers.

Jerome d’Ambrosio yet again finished another race and the Marussia Virgin driver has certainly given team-mate Timo Glock a run for his money.

Finally HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo finished the race 19^th ahead of d’Ambrosio and his more experienced team-mate Tonio Liuzzi.

And we also woke up to sad news on Monday morning as the 2005 Indy Car Series Champion Dan Wheldon died following a massive accident at the Las Vegas Indy 300.

You can visit www.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest F1 news. And you can also follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast and you can also follow me @Baggies20.

Had some technical issues during the recording of this podcast so I do apologise for the quality of sound at times.

Formula 1 FanCast: No Real Surprises at Suzuka - Japanese Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:11:49 -0400

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and pundit Will Vincent reflect on an enthralling Japanese Grand Prix.

It was always going inevitable that Sebastian Vettel would be crowned World Champion in Japan. The German only needed a point to take his second Drivers title and was able to do so by finishing the race third. Vettel has become Formula One’s youngest ever double Champion.

McLaren’s Jenson Button put in a sensational performance to take race victory at Suzuka. The 2009 World Champion was able to get past Vettel in the second round of pit stops and despite the safety car coming out, Button was able to manage the gap between himself and the chasing pack to take the chequered flag.

Team-mate Lewis Hamilton came home fifth and was involved in another incident with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa who finished the race seventh. Fernando Alonso drove a solid race to finish second just behind Button.

Mark Webber came home in fourth. Michael Schumacher put his Singapore disappointment behind him as he finished Sunday’s race sixth with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg ending up in tenth.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez scored four points as he finished eighth. The Mexican had started the race 17^th. And finally Renault’s Vitaly Petrov came home in ninth to score much needed points for him and the team.

You can visit www.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest F1 news. And you can also follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast.

Formula 1 FanCast: Not Long To Go - Singapore Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:13:20 -0400

Formula1 FanCast's Manish Patel reflects on the Singapore Grand Prix along with F1 pundit Will Vincent.

Sebastian Vettel took the chequered flag in Singapore to make it nine race victories in 2011. Vettel now only needs a point from the remaining five races to be crowned World Champion for the second year running. Mark Webber had a better weekend as the Australian finished the race third despite making another poor start.

McLaren's Jenson Button put in a fine performance to finish second and his final stint on the super-softs saw him end the race only a second behind Vettel. Lewis Hamilton had another eventful race and was given another drive through by the stewards. Hamilton came home in fifth.

Fernando Alonso finished Sunday's race fourth for Ferrari and not for the first time this season Alonso made another flying start to the race. Felipe Massa finished ninth and the Brazilian certainly vented his anger out on Lewis Hamilton in a sarcastic manner in the media area after the race. Massa suffered a puncture on lap 12 after being hit by Hamilton.

Force India's Paul di Resta put in a stunning drive to finish sixth with team-mate Adrian Sutil coming home in eighth. Nico Rosberg finished seventh and Sauber's Sergio Perez rounded off the top ten.

Visit ww.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest Formula One news. You can also follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast.

Formula 1 FanCast: Vintage Vettel - 2011 Italian Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:24:41 -0400

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Formula One pundit Will Vincent look back on an exciting Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel edged closer to his second consecutive Drivers title after the German made it eight wins in 2011 with his latest victory came at the illustrious Monza. Providing results go his way and he wins in Singapore, Vettel will be crowned World Champion.

Delight for one Red Bull driver but disappointment for the other as Mark Webber retired from the race. The Australian lost his front wing at Turn two after trying to get past Felipe Massa and then Webber went straight into the wall at the Parabolica on lap five. It was yet another frustrating weekend for Mark.

McLaren’s Jenson Button finished Sunday’s race second ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton who came home in fourth. Button is currently ahead of Lewis in the Drivers Championship and some would say this is Jenson’s best chance to stay ahead of Hamilton.

The Tifosi turned out in their thousands hoping to see a repeat of last years Italian Grand Prix where Fernando Alonso stepped onto the top step of the podium. The Spaniard in this years race finished third with Felipe Massa in sixth.

Michael Schumacher put in another fine performance to beat his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Schumacher finished the race fifth and was involved in an enthralling battle with Lewis Hamilton.

Toro Rosso have fond memories of Monza after Sebastian Vettel picked up their first and only win in F1 at Monza in 2008. This year Jaime Alguersuari once again came through the field to finish in an impressive seventh place and Sebastian Buemi finished in tenth.

Force India’s Paul di Resta came home in eighth and Renault’s Bruno Senna scored his first ever points in Formula One as he took the chequered in ninth.

Visit www.formula1fancast.com to keep up to date with the latest Formula One news and you can also follow us on Twitter @Formula1FanCast.

You can also visit www.youtube.com/user/TheManishism to listen to all the Formula1 FanCast podcasts this year.

The Ultimate Sports Preview Podcast: The Ultimate Sport Preview Podcast

Sportsmedia Broadcasting Ltd — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:00:00 -0400

In our maiden episode we look ahead to plenty of action going across the sporting world. The Rugby World Cup kicks off in New Zealand as England take on Argentina. The Premier League makes a return after the international break, whilst we preview Saturday's English and Irish St Leger and look ahead to the Tour of Britain which starts on Sunday.

Formula 1 FanCast: Belgian Grand Prix Podcast - Red Bull Domination AGAIN

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:36:41 -0400

The second half of the 2011 Formula One season kicked off in Belgium at the famous Spa-Francorchamps track. Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Will Vincent reflect on another gripping Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel once again took the chequered flag to take another race victory in 2011 and seemingly on his way to his second drivers title. And despite making another poor start to the race, Mark Webber made his way through the field to finish second.

After a disappointing Saturday and only being able to qualify 13^th, Jenson Button scythed his way up the grid to finish 3rd and on the way he pulled off some fantastic overtaking manoeuvres.

Joy for one McLaren driver but frustration for other as Lewis Hamilton retired from the race after colliding with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi. Lewis was also involved in an incident with Williams’ Pastor Maldonado at the end of the Q2 session in Qualifying on Saturday.

Fernando Alonso finished the race 4^th for Ferrari with team-mate Felipe Massa coming home in 8^th. It was not the strongest of weekends for the team but with the next Grand Prix at Italy, Ferrari will be expected to be right up there.

All eyes were on Michael Schumacher as the seven times World Champion celebrated his 20^th anniversary in Formula One. He started the race from the back of the grid but despite this, Michael put in a stunning drive to finish 5^th and he also got past his team-mate Nico Rosberg with 2 laps to go.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil finished seventh with Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov coming home in ninth. But the big news surrounding the team was Bruno Senna announced as replacing Nick Heidfeld for the Belgian and Italian Grand Prix’s. Senna may well even take Heidfeld’s seat for the remainder of the season.

If you want to have your say on the Grand Prix then you can send us a Tweet either to @Formula1Fancast or @Baggies20. To keep up to date with the latest Formula One news visit www.formula1fancast.com.

Formula 1 FanCast: A Button Masterclass " Hungarian Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:10:40 -0400

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Formula One pundit Will Vincent reflect on an eventful Hungarian Grand Prix.

I do apologise for the quality of the audio and I apologise if there are bits of the podcast you cannot hear.

The McLaren revival continued as Jenson Button took his second win of 2011. Button excelled yet again in the changeable conditions and the 2009 World Champion bounced back in fine style in his 200^th start in Formula One after DNF’s at Silverstone and the Nurburgring.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and had Lewis Hamilton not served a drive through and not gone onto the intermediates on lap 55, it might well have been him who won the race. Lewis in the end finished 4^th. But McLaren have made significant improvements in the last two races which will please both Lewis and Jenson.

Sebastian Vettel finished the race behind Jenson Button in 2^nd. Despite not winning the race, Vettel was able to extend his lead in the Drivers. And unless he has a couple of retirements and mechanical failures, it is difficult to see Vettel losing his 80+ points lead. But it was another frustrating weekend for Mark Webber as he came home in 5^th.

It wasn’t the strongest of weekends for Ferrari as Fernando Alonso finished the race 3^rd with his team-mate Felipe Massa coming home in 6^th. Alonso and Ferrari have gained strong momentum since Monaco and have been knocking on the door of both McLaren and Red Bull. Also well done to Felipe Massa who outqualified his team-mate for the first time this year.

Force India’s Paul di Resta put in a great drive to finish the race 7th. The Scotsman picked up six points and those points have edged Force India closer to Sauber in the Constructors.

Nico Rosberg came home in 9^th and both Toro Rosso drivers finished in the points. Sebastian Buemi came through the field to finish 8^th after starting the race 23^rd and Jaime Alguersuari continued his resurgence with a 10^th place finish.

Plus Manish and Will give their reaction to the new TV Rights for Formula One next season. From 2012 Sky Sports televise each Formula One weekend including all the Free Practice and Qualifying sessions as well as the Races. BBC TV will only be providing coverage of 10 Races although BBC Radio 5Live will continue to cover all the races live.

As all the Formula One teams have a well deserved break, Manish and Will also give their brief half-term reports on all the teams and give them a mark out of ten.

You can send us your thoughts on the Hungarian Grand Prix as well as the Formula One TV Coverage for 2012 by sending us a Tweet to either @Formula1FanCast or @Baggies20. You can also post you comments on our Facebook page Formula1 FanCast.

Formula 1 FanCast: Hamilton Back In The Game - German Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:05:34 -0400

Formula1 FanCast’s Manish Patel and Scratch Radio’s Will Vincent reflect on an enthralling German Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton took his second win of the 2011 season. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso came home in second ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Lewis put in a faultless performance in both qualifying and in the race. The turning point of the race you could argue came on lap 33 when Hamilton pulled off a tremendous move on Fernando Alonso by taking the outside line at Turn 2 to get past the Spaniard.

Delight for one McLaren driver but despair for the other. Jenson Button had a frustrating weekend after only being able to qualify 7^th and a full second behind his team-mate. Button was forced to retire from the race due to hydraulics problems.

After his stunning win at Silverstone, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished the race 2^nd. The Spaniard started the race from 4^th but come the end of race day he found himself standing on the second step of the podium. It was another strong weekend for Alonso and Ferrari. Fernando’s team-mate Felipe Massa came home 5^th after losing out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on the final lap in the final pit stop.

Sebastian Vettel failed to make it onto the front row of the grid for the first time this season and during the race we saw him making him some rare mistakes. But Vettel still finds himself 70+ clear of his nearest rival in the Drivers standings.

As for Mark Webber he put in a fantastic lap on Saturday to qualify pole. But on Sunday, the Australian was unable to capitalise and finished the race 3^rd. It was another missed opportunity for Webber to register his first win of the season.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil will have been a contender for driver of the day after the German finished the race in a superb 6^th place. Sutil was able to make his two stop strategy work and he even beat both Mercedes drivers.

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished Sunday’s race 7^th and 8^th for Mercedes. Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished in the points yet again as he finished 9^th. And Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov picked up the final point as he came home in 10^th.

HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in only his second start in Formula One. And Karun Chandhok who made his Team Lotus debut also finished the race at the Nurburgring. The Indian driver replaced Jarno Trulli for the German Grand Prix weekend.

If you want to have your say on the German Grand Prix then you can send us a Tweet @Formula1FanCast or @Baggies20. And to keep up to date with the latest Formula1 news visit www.formula1fancast.com. You can also read about Manish’s thoughts on every Grand Prix by visiting his blog http://mannyi.wordpress.com/

Formula 1 FanCast: Is There Hope After All Then? British Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:20:33 -0400

Formula1 FanCast's Manish Patel and Scratch Radio's Will Vincent look back at an entertaining 2011 British Grand Prix.

Just as we thought Sebastian Vettel was going to make it seven wins out of nine, a rare mistake from the Red Bull pit crew allowed Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to leapfrog the German and go onto to take his first win of 2011.

Alonso still finds himself 90+ points behind Vettel in the Drivers standings but could the result at the British Grand Prix be the result that turns the season around? Only time will tell.

Felipe Massa also played his part in this stunning Grand Prix. The Brazilian had some great battles with both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Massa finished the race 5th.

It was another frustrating weekend for McLaren as Hamilton ended Sunday's race 4th and Button was forced to retire. Qualifying yet again proved to be McLaren's Achilles heel and the team will be looking for a strong a result in Germany.

Nico Rosberg was the first of the two stoppers to finish the race as he finished in 6^th. Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher despite having to serve a stop go and change his front wing picked up two points and finished 9^th.

Schumacher recovered well but the seven-times World Champion could have finished higher up had he not caused a collision with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez continues to impress in his debut season as he finished 7^th ahead of Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld. And Jaime Alguersuari continued his revival with another points finish.

Force India’s Paul di Resta had a sensational Saturday by qualifying sixth. But di Resta lost roughly 25 seconds during his second stop in the race as the team were expecting Adrian Sutil. That pit stop ruined di Resta’s race and then the Scotsman collided with Sebastian Buemi. It was an unfortunate end to what promised to be a decent weekend for Paul.

You can follow Manish Patel on Twitter (@Baggies20) and you can also read about Manish's opinions on every Grand Prix weekend by visiting his blog: http://mannyi.wordpress.com/

Formula 1 FanCast: British Grand Prix Preview Podcast on Formula1 FanCast

Formula 1 FanCast — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:51:00 -0400

With just under a week to go, thousands of Formula One fans will head to Silverstone for this years eagerly anticipated British Grand Prix. The last two races at Silverstone have seen Red Bull come out on top. Will they make it three out of three?

There are three British drivers on this years grid and the last time a Brit won the British Grand Prix was in 2008 when Lewis Hamilton delivered a masterclass in wet-weather driving.

Last time out in Valencia, McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button could only finish 4th and 6th. Both will be hoping for better at their home Grand Prix.

Force India's Paul di Resta will be making his British Grand Prix debut in Formula One and di Resta along with Lewis and Jenson will be hoping to give the home crowd something to cheer about.

Plus we give our predictions on who will end up in the top three come the end of the race on Sunday. Tell us your predictions as to who will finish Sunday's race in the top three by sending us a tweet to @Formula1FanCast or @Baggies20.

Formula 1 FanCast: The D Word - European Grand Prix Podcast on Formula1 FanCast

Formula 1 FanCast — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:23:11 -0400

It was yet another weekend where Sebastian Vettel blew away the field and dominated qualifying and the race to pick up his sixth win of the season at this years European Grand Prix.

Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber finished the race 3^rd so it was not the perfect weekend for Red Bull. Webber however did have a strong weekend in Valencia and managed to get onto the front row in qualifying.

Home favourite Fernando Alonso came home in second to give the home crowd something to cheer about. Alonso and Ferrari are going in the right direction and in the race the Spaniard managed to get past Webber in the final round of pit stops.

Felipe Massa finished 5^th and not for the first time this season, the Brazilian made a flying start to the race.

It was not the best of weekends for McLaren as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished 4^th and 6^th. Surprisingly it was Ferrari who were Red Bull’s main competitors in Valencia and McLaren struggled for pace throughout the weekend.

Both Jenson and Lewis along with Paul di Resta will be hoping for strong results at the British Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg only managed 7^th for Mercedes with Michael Schumacher coming home in a lowly 17^th place.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari made his two stop strategy work by coming home in 8^th. There has been plenty of speculation about Alguersuari’s future at Toro Rosso but the Spaniard has now recorded back to back points finishes.

Another driver who had a decent weekend was Force India’s Adrian Sutil. The German made it into Q3 for the first time this season and finished the race 9^th. Paul di Resta was in the hunt for points but could only finish 14^th.

Williams had another disappointing weekend as both Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado finished outside the points. 2011 so far has been a frustrating one for Williams and the team will be hoping the second half of the season will be a vast improvement.

Finally Team Lotus outqualified and finished the race ahead of both Virgin and Hispania cars. Lotus are getting closer to the established midfield teams as the weekends go by.

Don’t forget you can get involved with our next podcast on Formula1 FanCast. Next week we will be looking ahead to the much awaited British Grand Prix and we would like you to tell us your favourite British Grand Prix’s of all time and your thoughts on the new Silverstone wing. You can get in touch with us through Twitter @Formula1FanCast or @Baggies20.

Formula 1 FanCast: Button Has The Final Laugh - Canadian Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:51:00 -0400

Jenson Button pounced on a rare Sebastian Vettel mistake to take his first win of the 2011 season in an enthralling Canadian Grand Prix.

Vettel ran wide at Turn Six on the final lap allowing the 2009 World Champion to get by and take a crucial win. Button was at one point at the back of the grid however he came through the field and managed to get past Vettel on the final lap to take a truly sensational win. And to top it all off he won the race by making six stops.

Lewis Hamilton had another weekend to forget as he was forced to retire on lap eight after colliding with his team-mate on the pit straight. Lewis had already been involved in an incident with Mark Webber two laps earlier.

The Red Bull’s of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber came home in second and third. Seb will have been disappointed to have finished second considering he led the whole race until his mistake on the final lap. But the German cannot complain with the way things have gone for him this season.

Mark Webber had an eventful race and was involved in an intriguing battle in the latter stages of the race with Button and Michael Schumacher. Webber did well to recover after his early spin and the Australian managed to get past Schumacher to take the final podium place.

Schumacher showed us in the weekend why he is a master in the rain and the seven-times World Champion just missed out on a podium finish. But Schumi can no doubt take a lot of positives from the weekend and this could be the result that kick-starts his season.

Renault’s Vitaly Petrov put in a sterling performance to finish fifth and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa came home in sixth after getting past Kamui Kobayashi on the pit straight on the final lap.

Friday saw Pedro de la Rosa being drafted into to replace Sergio Perez for the remainder of the weekend after the Mexican was unwell after First Free Practice.

Rubens Barrichello finished 9^th for the second consecutive race for Williams and both Toro Rosso’s finished in the points. Jaime Alguersuari finished eighth with Sebastian Buemi picking up the final point by finishing tenth.

You can follow Manish Patel (@Baggies20) and Paul Hadsley (@paulhadsley) on Twitter.

Formula 1 FanCast: Vettel's Maiden Monaco Success - Monaco Grand Prix

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:55:27 -0400

The Monaco Grand Prix: The one Grand Prix every single Formula One driver dreams of winning. Sebastian Vettel celebrated his first victory at Monaco but he was given yet another stern test by his rivals.

All the luck appears to be with Vettel and Red Bull. Vettel's one stop strategy did work in the end but he was under severe pressure in the latter part of the race from Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. It was only when the race was red flagged that enabled Vettel to change his tyres and pull away from both Alonso and Button.

Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button put in stunning performances to finish the race in 2nd and 3rd. Mark Webber came home in 4th and after Sergio Perez's horrific crash in qualifying, Sauber had something to cheer about come the end of the weekend with Kamui Kobayashi finishing 5th.

Lewis Hamilton had a troublesome weekend and could only manage a 6th place finish. Lewis qualified 7th but was moved down to 9th after he cut a chicane in his only qualifying lap in Q3. Hamilton's weekend got worse as he was given a drive through for colliding with Felipe Massa, he then had to have his rear wing repaired after Jaime Alguersuari went into the back of his McLaren. And then to make matters worse, 20 seconds was added to Hamilton's time after the Brit caused a collision at Sainte Devote with Pastor Maldonado.

Force India's Adrian Sutil and Williams' Rubens Barrichello scored welcome points and Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi picked up the final point.

Formula 1 FanCast: Hamilton Gives Vettel A Run For His Money - Spanish Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 24 May 2011 05:47:00 -0400

Sebastian Vettel might have made it four wins out of five this season but the German was certainly made to work hard for his latest victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The 2010 World Champion was under constant pressure from Lewis Hamilton in the final stint of the race but Vettel managed to keep the Brit behind him to take his fourth win of the season.

Seb’s team-mate Mark Webber came home in fourth despite qualifying on pole on Saturday. Lewis put in a sterling performance to finish second and Jenson Button after a poor start to the race made his three stop strategy work and finish third.

Home favourite Fernando Alonso finished the race fifth for Ferrari but the Spaniard made a flying start to the race and gave the home fans something to cheer about. But Alonso was unable to stay out at the front for the rest of the race and the two times World Champion finished behind both Red Bull and McLaren drivers.

Mercedes had both of their drivers finishing in the points with Michael Schumacher finishing the race sixth ahead of his team-mate Nico Rosberg who finished seventh. It proved to be a better weekend for Schumacher and beating his team-mate will do his confidence the world of good.

Sauber are another team who appear to be making progress with Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi ending the race in ninth and tenth. Perez scored his first Formula One points and Sauber could be a team to keep an eye out for the rest of the season.

One team who have had a difficult start to 2011 are Williams. Both Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello finished outside the points yet again despite Maldonado qualifying in the top ten. Should Williams have kept hold onto Nico Hulkenburg?

After scoring points in the opening two races, Force India have failed to score points since and Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil finished Sunday’s race 12^th and 13^th. Paul once again finished the race ahead of his more experienced team-mate Adrian Sutil.

Team Lotus are making considerable progress and Heikki Kovalainen managed to outqualify both Force India’s. Even though Heikki retired from the race and Jarno Trulli finished lower down the order, Team Lotus will take encouragement from Heikki’s performance in qualifying.

At Virgin, Jerome d’Ambrosio also appears to be getting the better of his more experienced team-mate Timo Glock. Virgin’s aim at the start of the season was to get closer to Team Lotus and the other midfield teams but 2011 has been a struggle for Virgin.

And finally despite early season problems on and off the track, Hispania appear to have recovered the situation. HRT in recent times have been outperforming Virgin so there are signs Hispania are improving.

To keep up to date with the latest Formula One news visit www.formula1fancast.com

You can follow both Manish Patel (@Baggies20) and Paul Hadsley (@paulhadsley) on Twitter.

You can also read about Manish’s views on each Grand Prix by visiting his blog http://mannyi.wordpress.com/

Formula 1 FanCast: Can Anyone Stop Vettel? - Turkish Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:32:09 -0400

Well there is no stopping Sebastian Vettel is there. The German went onto to record his third win of the 2011 season and his latest victory came at the Turkish Grand Prix.

Vettel qualified on pole and then went onto win the race at a canter even though he did have a spin in the First Free Practice session and missed the whole of second Free Practice.

Mark Webber had a much stronger weekend and finished the race in second. The Australian will go to Spain in bullish mood after two decent results in China and Turkey.

It was a much better weekend for Ferrari as Fernando Alonso came home in third to secure Ferrari’s first podium of the year. Alonso gave the Red Bull’s something to think about in the race and this result could be the springboard for the Italian team to go on and have a strong season. Felipe Massa finished 11^th.

It was literally a case of damage limitation for McLaren as Lewis Hamilton finished 4^th and Jenson Button came home in 6^th. It was an average weekend for McLaren and Hamilton and Button will be hoping for better in Spain.

Another team who seems to be improving are Mercedes. Nico Rosberg after qualifying third finished the race fifth. Michael Schumacher finished outside the points in 12^th. Rosberg also outqualified both McLaren drivers which will have been encouraging for Mercedes.

But questions about Schumacher’s future will emerge again after the seven-time Champion had another disappointing weekend despite showing a lot of promise in Free Practice.

Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov finished the race in 7^th and 8^th. Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Buemi picked up two valuable points for his team. And Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished 10^th after starting the race from the back of the grid.

To keep up to date with the latest Formula One news visit www.formula1fancast.com

You can follow both Manish Patel (@Baggies20) and Paul Hadsley (@paulhadsley) on Twitter.

You can also read about Manish’s views on each Grand Prix by visiting his blog http://mannyi.wordpress.com/

Formula 1 FanCast: Talk About Bouncing Back! - Chinese Grand Prix Podcast

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 09:54:35 -0400

Talk about bouncing back in fine style! Lewis Hamilton after his Malaysia misery put in a superb performance in Shanghai to win the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton's final stint was very impressive and he was able to get past his team-mate Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel. It was a great performance from the 2008 World Champion and from a McLaren point of view it was a shame Button was not able to finish oin the podium.

The comedy moment of the weekend came when Button went into the Red Bull pit box for his first stop. Jenson finished the race in fourth.

Sebastian Vettel finished second and Mark Webber after qualifying a dismal 18th came home in a suprb third place in the race. A day to forget on Saturday, but a day to remember on Sunday for the Australian.

Once again Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished in front of his team-mate Fernando Alonso for the second race in a row. It was a much better weekend for Mercedes as Nico Rosbeg finished fifth and Michael Schumacher picked up four points by coming home in eighth.

Paul di Resta finished just outside the points in 11th but once again outqualified and finished the race ahead of his more experience team-mate Adrian Sutil.

Formula 1 FanCast: Its Two Out Of Two for Sebastian Vettel

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:17:37 -0400

Is there anyone who will be able to stop Sebastian Vettel this year from winning another Drivers crown? Seb made it two out of two after winning the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Vettel is for sure the man to beat.

McLaren's Jenson Button finished the race second. It was a much needed result for the 2009 World Champion after a disappointing race in the season opener in Australia. Lewis Hamiton's weekend ended in frustration after coming home in eighth. Hamilton struggled with his tyres in the final stint and to make matters worse he was given a 20 second penalty after changing direction more than once to keep track position from Fernando Alonso.

Nick Heidfeld bounced back from his poor showing in Australia with a superb third place finish in Malaysia. The German was back at his best and he did well to keep Mark Webber behind him in the closing stages of the race. It has been a great start for Renault in 2011 season. Just a shame Robert Kubica is not driving for the team this year.

Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi scored his and the team's first points of the season and Paul di Resta finished in the points for the second race on the trot after finishing tenth.

Formula 1 FanCast: Formula One 2011 Season Preview

Formula 1 FanCast — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:55:36 -0400

Formula1 FanCast's Manish Patel previews the new Formula One season alongside Scratch Radio's Paul Hadsley.

There are three major changes in the sport adjustable rear wings being introduced as well as the return of KERS.Plus Pirelli have replaced Bridgestone as Formula One's tyre supplier.

Double Champions Red Bull will go into the new season as red hot favourites to retian both Championships. But I'm sure Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes will have their say.

It promises to be a cracking 2011 season and if last year was anything to go by, then this year will be even better.

Formula 1 FanCast: Hamilton Reigns in Spa - Formula1FanCast 010

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:09:51 -0400

Lewis Hamilton survived a late scare to win the Belgian Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber. Hamilton towards the end of the race went onto the gravel and was millimetres away from touching the wall whilst the rain was teeming down.

Webber made a poor start on race day but recovered well to finish second. It was yet another case of a Red Bull being on pole and not being able to capitalise.

Renault's Robert Kubica had a stellar weekend and the Pole came home in third. Had Kubica not made a mistake in the second round of pit stops, then he may have finished the race in second.

Mercedes GP had a decent weekend considering Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher were way down the grid in qualifying. Both drivers finished sixth and seventh to cap off a satisfactory day for the team.

Force India celebrated another double points finish with Adrian Sutil finishing in a superb fifth place and Tonio Liuzzi coming home in tenth. It was a much needed result for Liuzzi and he will be looking to build on his tenth place finish at the next Grand Prix at Monza.

Formula 1 FanCast: Sweet Revenge - Formula1 FanCast 009

Formula 1 FanCast — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:36:23 -0400

Red Bull's Mark Webber took the chequered flag at this years British Grand Prix to claim his third victory of the season. The Aussie was reeling come the end of Saturday when his front wing was given to his team-mate Sebastian Vettel in qualifying. But it was Webber who came out on top in the race.

Despite problems with their upgrades, McLaren had another decent weekend with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finishing the race second and fourth. Button who qualified 14th put in another impressive drive to finish in the top four.

Mercedes GP had a much better weekend with Nico Rosberg finishing the race in third. Although Michael Schumacher could only manage ninth both Rosberg and Schumacher made it into Q3 in qualifying.

Ferrari had yet another weekend to forget with both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finishing outside the points. It was a weekend that promised so much after Alonso qualified 3rd and Massa qualified 7th. But it was not to be.

Both Williams and Sauber have enjoyed a recent surge in form. Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenburg finished in the points and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi came home in a superb sixth place. The midfield battle is certainly hotting up.

Formula 1 FanCast: A Lucky Escape - Formula1 FanCast008

Formula 1 FanCast — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:54:41 -0400

Manish Patel and Sky News Sports Line Producer Mark O'Leary look back at an eventful European Grand Prix at Valencia.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel claimed a vital win to re-ignite his challenge for the Drivers Championship. It was a mixed day for the team as Mark Webber survived a high speed crash after going into the back of Heikki Kovalainen.

McLaren had another decent weekend with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button coming home in second and third despite Button recieving a 5 second penalty. Hamilton leads the Drivers Championship by six points heading to the British Grand Prix.

Ferrari had another dismal weekend with Fernando Alonso only finishing eighth and Felipe Massa finishing outside the points. What has gone wrong since Bahrain?

It was a much better weekend for Williams as Rubens Barrichello ended the race in a superb 4th place. Both Barrichello and Niko Hulkenburg made it into Q3 in qualifying.

Formula 1 FanCast: A Red-Bull Calamity - Formula1 FanCast007

Formula 1 FanCast — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:55:47 -0400

Both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button capitalised on Red Bull's controversial incident to secure McLaren's second 1-2 of the season. Lewis and Jenson did well to stay on the tails on the Red Bull's before Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber collided with each other late on.

Could this victory at Istanbul Park be the turning point in Lewis Hamilton's season and can he beat his team-mate come the end of the season?

What has gone wrong at Ferrari? It all seemed rosy at Bahrain but since then they have faded and Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso only managed to finish 7th and 8th in Turkey. Will Ferrari bounce back and will they be competing at the front sooner rather than later come the end of the season.

Sauber had a better weekend with both drivers finishing the race and Kamui Kobayashi scoring the teams first points of the 2010 season. Like Lewis Hamilton, could this be the weekend that turns Sauber's season around?

It was also another difficult weekend for Lotus, Virgin and Hispania. Bruno Senna however managed to outqualify Virgin's Lucas Di Grassi. How much of a boost will this be for him and which of the new teams will come out on top before the end of the season?

To keep up to date with the latest Formula1 News you can visit www.formula1fancast.com.

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Formula 1 FanCast: A Red Bull 1-2 - Formula1 FanCast 006

Formula 1 FanCast — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:26:00 -0400

Mark Webber put in another stunning drive this time in Monaco to secure back to back victories. Webber never looked in total danger of losing the lead despite the safety car coming out four times!

His team-mate Sebastian Vettel came home in 2nd to cap off a fantastic weekend at the Principality for Christian Horner's team. Renault's Robert Kubica was another driver who had stellar weekend and had he qualified on pole he might have just spolit the Red Bull party.

Michael Schumacher's 'illegal' move on Fernando Alonso on the last lap according to the stewards did cause a fair bit of controversy. Schumi ended up getting a 20 second penalty and was demoted to 12th. Any thoughts on this?

Force India also had a decent weekend with Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi finishing in the points. Could Force India and Renault spring some surprises before the end of the season?

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Formula 1 FanCast: The Aussie Rules! - Formula1 FanCast 005

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:53:32 -0400

Mark Webber took his first win of the 2010 season with an impressive drive in the Spanish Grand Prix. Webber never looked in danger of letting his lead slip and it was only a matter of who was to finish on the 2nd and 3rd step of the podium.

Home favourite Fernando Alonso came home in second to give the Spanish crowd something to cheer about. Despite having brake problems towards the end of the Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel finished in 3rd to complete a decent day's work for Christian Horner's team.

Lewis Hamilton looked set to finish second but a tyre failure forced him to retire. There were notable drives from Adrian Sutil of Force India and Rubens Barrichello of Williams. The race was not eventful as the other races so far but there were plenty of talking points to come out of the whole weekend.

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Perfect Chinese Takeaway - Formula 1 FanCast 004

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In the end it was the perfect Chinese Takeaway for McLaren as Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came home in 1st and 2nd to secure the team's first 1-2 of the 2010 season.

We look back at a decent weekend's work for McLaren, Contrasting fortunes at Mercedes GP, Renault's latest renaissance and an indifferent weekend for Red Bull.

In an entertaining race, Button's tactics paid off yet again as he took the chequered flag for the second time to the lead the Driver's Championship by 10 points from Nico Rosberg. Lewis Hamilton also put in a scintillating performance to finish just behind his team-mate.

Renault were the other team to shine at the Chinese Grand Prix with Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov finishing 5th and 7th respectively. Petrov scored his first ever points in Formula 1 and will be looking to build on that for the rest of the season.

You can react to the action by leaving a message on our Facebook or Twitter page. You can also join the forums on formula1fancast.com to have your say on the race itself or other issues.

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Formula 1 FanCast: 3rd Time Lucky - Formula1 FanCast 003

Formula 1 FanCast — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:09:59 -0400

After suffering from reliability problems in his last two Grand Prix's, Sebastian Vettel's 'Luscious Liz' took the chequered flag to claim his and Red Bull's first win of the 2010 season.

We look back at a fantastic 1-2 for Red Bull, an eventful qualifying session and impressive drives from Force India's Adrian Sutil and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari.

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JB Does It! - Formula 1 FanCast 002

Formula 1 FanCast — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:56:00 -0400

After an eventful race full of incidents from start to finish, Jenson Button secured his and McLaren's first win of the 2010 season Down Under in Australia. Button's one lap strategy paid off after he came in on Lap 7 to change to slick tyres.

We reflect back on a terrific weekend for Jenson, Red Bull's continuing reliability problems, a frustrating weekend for Lewis Hamilton on and off the track and we also look ahead to the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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A Ferrari 1-2 - Formula 1 FanCast 001

Formula 1 FanCast — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:06:00 -0400

A Ferrari 1-2 in the opening race. The men from Maranello could not have asked for a better start.

We talk about who will be crowned World Champion this year and which of the new teams will come out on top. Will Michael Schumacher win the Driver's title for the 8th time?

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