With the most recent revelations about the allegations surrounding Renault, all is becoming clear. It is just another one of Max Mosley’s power games — his parting shot, if you will. Having dispensed with enemy number one, Ron Dennis, earlier on in the year, Mosley has moved on to target number two: Flavio Briatore.

This is the inescapable conclusion one reaches when digesting the fact that Pat Symonds has been offered immunity if he “tells the truth” or, perhaps more accurately, in return for landing Flav in the shit whether it’s true or not. The scheme seems particularly odd given that most of the evidence thus far appears to implicate only Nelsinho Piquet and Pat Symonds for concocting any scheme that may have existed.

Even Piquet himself in his statement to the FIA seems reticent to directly accuse Flavio Briatore of concocting a conspiracy. Piquet only talks about Briatore’s presence in a meeting in which Symonds and Piquet discuss the crash strategy:

The proposal to deliberately cause an accident was made to me shortly before the race took place, when I was summoned by Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds in Mr. Briatore’s office. Mr. Symonds, in the presence of Mr. Briatore, asked me if I would be willing to sacrifice my race for the team by “causing a safety car”.

Instead, Nelsinho Piquet’s ire for Briatore is based on the fact that Briatore was reluctant to renew his contract. Boo hoo! Martin Brundle isn’t terribly impressed with that line of reasoning:

His rationale is that his contractual option hadn’t been taken the previous month so he was stressed and wanted to please the team. Try waiting the whole winter to sign a race-by-race contract days before the first grand prix of the season — that’s stress, but still not enough to crash a car intentionally.

I must agree with this. Normally, I would think that the normal course of action for a driver trying to renew his contract would be to improve his performances, not go around deliberately crashing.

For me, the only smoking gun we have seen so far is the reluctance of Pat Symonds to answer some of the questions the FIA investigators asked him. He was very reticent to discuss any plans he may have made with Piquet, while at the same time the idea was discussed. Symonds says it was Piquet who came up with the idea, while Piquet alleges that Symonds went as far as to specify on which lap and corner Piquet should crash.

Other evidence is inconclusive. The telemetry, which reveals that Piquet instinctively lifted but later applied full throttle while his rear wheels were spinning during the crash, is described by Symonds as “very unusual data”. But Piquet was no stranger to crashing. Meanwhile, the pit wall communications reveal little interesting, apart from an anxiety on the part of Piquet to know which lap he was on, and the fact that the team was concerned about Piquet’s condition following the crash.

So the evidence so far is that Piquet claims to have deliberately caused a crash. Symonds has acknowledged that a discussion took place, but refuses to talk any more about it. So where does Briatore fit in with all this?

We are now in the ludicrous situation where the two people who appear to be implicated the most have been offered immunity. Of those accused, that leaves just Briatore, against whom there appears to be very little evidence. It is surely not a coincidence that Max Mosley sees Flavio Briatore as an enemy.

There are other interesting aspects about the FIA’s behaviour over this scandal. Despite Max Mosley’s claim that he is greatly concerned about the leaks, The Times’s Ed Gorman reveals that all of these leaks have come from the FIA! That newspaper would know — it is a common leaking outlet for both Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone.

Surely, Ed Gorman suggests, it is no coincidence that this entire scandal has overshadowed Ari Vatanen’s campaign to become FIA President. Mosley has made no secret of the fact that he would prefer his ally Jean Todt to replace him in the role, plumbing even his already-extraordinarily low depths to endorse Todt on FIA letterhead.

Vatanen has struggled to make headway in the media against the weight of the Mosley/Todt machine and recently his efforts to have his voice heard have been drowned out by leaks on the Renault case, widely thought to be from the FIA, and by strategically placed FIA announcements on the scandal.

I have to confess that I am not convinced by Ari Vatanen. To me, he seems like a failed MEP who is seeking attention and looking for a new purpose in life. His campaign has seemed ill-prepared in comparison to Jean Todt who has clearly been waiting to fill this role for a very long time. But what Todt has going against him is his anti-sporting record while at Peugeot and Ferrari, and the fact that his campaign has been unfairly advantaged by the FIA, which appears to be corrupt from tip to toe.

This is all turning out to be very convenient for the Mosley–Todt camp. Mosley has spent much of the past year trying to edge the manufacturers out of F1 (mere years after he lambasted the Williams-style model which he now apparently thinks is the life and soul of the sport!). He is clearly not good friends with Briatore, and is doing his very best to bring Briatore down. Very interesting that this comes mere months after he successfully brought Ron Dennis down, as though Mosley realised that this year was his last chance to do it. The Todt advantage is the icing on the cake.

I really am sick of the FIA. If an actual government behaved like this, there would be riots on the streets.

This guide is all about how to watch a Grand Prix. You might be thinking, “how hard can that be?” You would be right — all you really have to do is switch the telly on and sit back. But sometimes that just isn’t enough.

The approach I outline in this post will not be for everyone. For many, it will be too stressful. For some it will be a case of information overload. Often it’s information overload for me! But somehow just watching the race on television just feels wrong. I need all the extra bits. In time for the European season, here is how to extract the most from a Grand Prix. It’s worth remembering that most of these options are also available during practice sessions and qualifying.

Radio

Most people watch the race on television, but have you thought about radio? This can be very useful for two reasons. First of all, you can switch on the radio whenever ITV goes to a commercial break — this way you will hear live if something major happens. Secondly, if you really can’t stand James Allen, it might be worth turning the volume down on the TV and giving the radio commentary a whirl.

You will be best off with a DAB Digital Radio. This way you will be capable of picking up BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. The Grand Prix may be on either station. Radio 5 Live can be picked up with a coat hanger, but here the race is more likely to be interrupted by periodic updates from the football / golf / tennis / you name it. 5 Live Sports Extra is a digital-only station, but the race is more likely to be uninterrupted here.

It depends on my mood, but often I will opt to listen to the BBC Radio commentary rather than put up with ITV’s coverage. However, if you do this be prepared for a slight annoyance. Usually, the radio is a couple of seconds ahead of the TV coverage so you will hear the action before you see it.

Qualifying and practice sessions are also often covered on Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. Check the schedule here.

Live video feed

For the first time this year, ITV are providing live online coverage of practice sessions, qualifying and the race. (Programmes broadcast on ITV are also available to watch on the ‘catch up‘ service for 30 days.)

Unfortunately, Saturday practice wasn’t included in ITV’s agreement, but Friday practice sessions are shown in full. What you get is essentially a clean FOM feed. There is no commentary, which is possibly a good thing. But if you prefer commentary you can always listen to the radio at the same time.

Qualifying and the race are also covered live online, but don’t think it will be a way to avoid the adverts. During the race the online feed is essentially the ITV1 London feed, with adverts and all. However, here is a good tip. After the chequered flag is waved, the feed switches to the FOM feed.

If you want to immerse yourself in F1 for as long as possible, watch this. After the podium ceremony a short highlights package is shown. Then you see the press conference live and in full. This is certainly more than you get on the television. I usually record ITV’s post-race analysis to watch the FOM feed, then catch up on Blundell’s mangling of the English language after.

One major drawback is the poor quality of ITV’s online feed. Even during practice sessions the feed can stutter and stall to the point where you are several minutes behind the live action. ITV must improve this for future races.

Official live timing

For the past few seasons, the official Formula 1 website has carried a live timing facility. It has become a staple for the wired Formula 1 fan. The live timing screen gives you access to a lot of the same information that the teams and commentators use, and it is surprising what you can learn about the race from the live timing screen.

Full instructions are on the Formula 1 website, but the basics are simple. Times in white have just been set (they are the most recent information to come from that driver), times in green are personal bests and purple times are the fastest overall. This is the origin on the phrase “to go purple”, which people sometimes say when a driver has set the fastest time.

For me, live timing is a must. However, it suffers from a similar problem to radio, but even worse. Because of the broadcast delays (especially on digital television), TV and radio can be noticeably behind live timing — sometimes by as much as ten seconds. This is especially problematic during qualifying, as the tension as the driver comes up to the finish line is rather dissipated by the fact that you have already seen the result on live timing.

Live telemetry

Renault are very good about this sort of thing — they have a system that basically lets you watch the race live from the viewpoint of the Renault team. A circuit diagram shows you where the Renault drivers are right at that second. But most impressively, you can see live telemetry of both drivers. It is a refreshingly open approach — if only other teams were like this!

However, the Renault telemetry is not without its problems. First of all, as Sidepodcast noted just yesterday, the website is now rather bloated and buggy. One little niggle I have is the fact that the site was obviously originally written in French then translated into English rather hurriedly as snippets of French are littered all over the place. Also, the service fills up the entire screen and there is no way to change this. That is a bit annoying if you have several windows at once, as I do during a Grand Prix.

This is a great service, but ultimately there are better things to be keeping your eye on. If you are a Renault fan, though, it must be a joy. I really wish other teams would offer similar services.

Liveblog

If you have been reading vee8 before, you may have noticed that each session has its own liveblog. These are set up by Keith from the excellent F1Fanatic blog using a nifty facility, CoveritLive. A number of prominent F1 bloggers are involved, and it’s the place to go for informed comment and chat throughout the race.

The liveblog can be particularly useful for gathering up information from people’s knowledge and experience. And because many people use the liveblog around the world, it is also the place to gather insight into what commentators around the world are saying.

This has often meant that we knew about certain events before the ITV commentary team did. For instance, during the Australian Grand Prix we knew pretty quickly that Rubens Barrichello had run a red light — several laps before the ITV crew knew about it. The screenshot attached here shows another instance where information from BBC Radio 5 Live was posted on the liveblog to enlighten the livebloggers.

There are liveblogs for every Formula 1 session. Keep an eye on this blog to participate in them.

Twitter

Twitter can also be a place to pick up on some extra insight. During some races there are a few people updating, but other races can be quite lonely. I think as Twitter becomes more popular throughout the year more and more people will be using it to discuss the race. Follow my Twitter updates for vee8 here.

Anything else?

Are there any other novel ways of following the Formula 1 action? Post your thoughts in the comments.

So often last year, during McLaren’s torrid, controversy-filled 2007 season, I heard people saying, “If only McLaren were more open. If only they provided the radio transcripts. If only they showed us the telemetry. They could have avoided all of these PR problems.”

For instance, there was Hamilton’s alleged radio conversation with Ron Dennis where he told his boss to “go fucking swivel!” A week later McLaren denied it in a press release — but still refused to release even a transcript of the actual conversation, thereby doing absolutely nothing to quash the rumours.

Then there was Hamilton’s rumoured error in Brazil where he was said to have pressed the wrong button. Again, this has been strenuously denied by the McLaren team. But did they provide the data to prove that this was the case? Did they heck! Many still believe that Hamilton did indeed press the wrong button, and you have to say that as long as McLaren refuse to release the data then the more that view is vindicated.

Renault are obviously smart enough to realise this (even if they are not smart enough to build a quick car at the moment). The team is well-known for being among the most open and fan-friendly on the grid. While Ferrari and McLaren kept their radio conversations encrypted, Renault positively exaggerated their messages to entertain the viewers back home. And you can follow the Renaults in a unique way during the race with live telemetry output and more all accessible from the Renault website.

Soon after the race finished, as word spread across the pitlane about ITV’s “brake testing” horseshit, Pat Symonds printed out the relevant telemetry for everyone to look at. Now the facts are not in dispute. Unquestionably, Fernando Alonso did not brake test Hamilton. The data proves it.

Now only the most ignorant of F1 fans will still believe that Alonso deliberately caused a potentially race-ending and dangerous crash. If only McLaren could realise it was this easy to stop the tide of controversy.

It was not the greatest Grand Prix there has ever been, but there are still a few talking points to come away with.

Firstly, it has to be said that Felipe Massa did a solid job today. Everyone has been throwing stones at him for the mistakes he made in Australia and Malaysia, so the pressure on his shoulders must have been enormous. What a relief it must be for him to have won at Sakhir so authoritatively.

For Kimi Räikkönen, it was a bit of an off weekend. After a disappointing qualifying session he was firmly in the shadow of his under-fire team mate and was unable to pull any rabbits out of the hat during the race. Having said that, he pulled off an aggressive move on Kubica near the start of the race. Other than that though, Räikkönen had a fairly anonymous race. Nonetheless, he goes away from Bahrain leading the Championship for this first time this year.

Ferrari can be happy with the progress they have made in Bahrain. The disastrous opener in Australia feels like a year ago. Malaysia only partially made up for it as Massa fell off the track. But this time both drivers finished with a thoroughly authoritative 1-2 and you wonder what McLaren can do to fight back.

However, Ferrari still do not lead the Championship. That honour goes to BMW. The Hinwil-based team has wooed F1 fans the world over with their methodical approach and steady progress. They seem to be the most popular team around at the moment.

Robert Kubica made up for the near miss in Australia by grabbing a popular pole position in Bahrain (and can someone please tell James Allen to stop using that terrible “Pole on pole” pun?). Many suspected that Kubica was lighter than his competitors — he was the first of the leaders to pit — but this was no Trulli-style fake pole position. Kubica and BMW genuinely have the speed to compete with the front-runners now, as we can see from the fact that Kubica finished 3rd.

Both BMWs were ahead of both McLarens as Nick Heidfeld finished ahead of Kovalainen to take a well deserved 3-4 for BMW. McLaren must be scratching their heads wondering how they allowed BMW to gain this advantage, especially after BMW had such a terrible start to winter testing.

This may not be a permanent advantage. We saw last year how different circuits can suit different cars in radically different ways. But it is clear that whenever McLaren are on the back foot, BMW will be ready to pounce. This will eat into McLaren’s Championship haul in a way they never came close to experiencing in 2007.

Meanwhile, it’s not clear if BMW have the ability to beat Ferrari in a straight fight. You have to say that this clearly hands the Championship advantage to the Scuderia. Nevertheless, it is clearly now a case of when and not if BMW win a race.

As for McLaren, it was a bit of a disastrous day. They clearly didn’t have the pace of either Ferrari or BMW. Lewis Hamilton had a truly terrible start. It has since transpired that he began the race with the incorrect engine map, as I suggested during the race. Hamilton was swamped by his competitors who all have the ability to turn a knob at the right time, unlike Hamilton clearly.

To compound this, he managed to impatiently run into the back of Fernando Alonso. It was a racing incident, although the protests from the ITV commentators suggested that Alonso “brake tested” Hamilton.

This was clear nonsense and you would think Martin Brundle in particular would know better. I have a great deal of respect for Martin Brundle, but he is beginning to lose it. The contrast between ITV’s coverage and other broadcasters was apparent.

Radio 5 Live had a completely different approach. They only mentioned the possibility of brake testing as a jokey aside several laps later. At one point David Croft even said that Hamilton tried to use Alonso as a ramp! Meanwhile apparently Speed TV didn’t even mention the prospect of brake testing at all!

The situation was clear. Hamilton has a faster car than the Renault and he was unable to cope with the fact that Alonso doesn’t have that kind of acceleration underneath him. It was as simple as that. Alonso had nothing to gain from brake testing (why would you want to cause a potentially race-ending crash?). Moreover, if it was a brake test then the speed differential would have been much greater.

The ITV team have egg on their faces this evening as the brake testing theory has been proved to have been completely lacking foundation. Pat Symonds has printed out the relevant telemetry for journalists to peruse and it shows that acceleration always went up and Alonso took no unusual actions.

Meanwhile, Hamilton and Ron Dennis have both come forward to admit that it was driver error on the part of Hamilton. I applaud Hamilton for having the decency to come forward and hold his hands up. Some of Hamilton’s apologists in the media are doing him absolutely no favours, and you have to wonder if some journalists are starting to get nervous that their premature “new Senna” proclamations will end up making them look very stupid indeed.

Meanwhile, I find it most amusing that many of the people who were calling for Alonso to be punished for “brake testing” Hamilton today are some of the same people who defended Hamilton’s disgracefully awful driving behind the Safety Car in Fuji last year in dangerous conditions. During the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton clearly brake tested Mark Webber, leading to a huge accident involving Sebastian Vettel. Now all of a sudden lifting off the throttle even when you don’t lift off the throttle is a heinous crime!

Classy Ham from Axis of Oversteer * on Vimeo.

The only other major talking point from the race is that accident between Coulthard and Button. It was not high stakes stuff — the battle was for 19th position! Nevertheless, both drivers felt it worth a gamble and they soon found themselves sharing the same piece of asphalt.

Button had been all over the back of Coulthard for several laps and had clearly become impatient. I had noticed during the race that is appears as though the Honda is very fast in braking zones. I wonder if this caught Button out slightly as Coulthard slowed more.

Button was trying down the inside and looked like he lost control a bit on the dust. Meanwhile, Coulthard was late to block the move as he abruptly jutted to the right. Button has pointed out that this is not really cricket. The end result was an accident that was amusingly similar to the one DC had with Massa in Melbourne, which made me wonder how many colours of shit DC would threaten to kick out of Button.

I get the sense now though that David Coulthard is beginning to look quite rusty. He is getting involved in too many accidents nowadays, and I would be surprise if he lasts longer than the end of this season. He can be pleased with his innings though. He is set to end the season as the second most experienced driver of all time (behind Rubens Barrichello, assuming he too lasts out the season).

Jarno Trulli finished 6th, proving that the Toyota does indeed have the pace to regularly finish ahead of Red Bull and Williams. But Timo Glock is yet to repay the faith Toyota have shown him. He will have to start performing soon.

Glock did succeed in keeping Fernando Alonso behind, but it has to be said that the Renault looks like an absolute dog and Alonso certainly won’t be contending for podium positions any time soon. Nelsinho Piquet had another disappointing weekend. He spun on some oil on lap 1 and later retired with technical problems. Piquet has time to improve, but he must do better than this in the long run.

Williams were disappointing again. They had such a great Australian Grand Prix, but Malaysia was a disaster. Come Bahrain practice and everything was looking good again. But it was a false dawn as Rosberg confesses to being disappointed to just scrape into the points. Nakajima, meanwhile, continues to disappoint.

Overall, I am less confident about the prospects of a close championship. As Ollie has pointed out, the Championships look really close at the moment. But the comprehensive nature of Ferrari’s victory today means that it might not be that way for long. Meanwhile, BMW will be eating into McLaren’s ability to respond to the red team.