Here’s the video of my appearance on “The Flying Lap” yesterday, hosted by Peter Windsor and featuring McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale.
We talked about McLaren’s progress with the MP4-26, the new Pirelli tyres, Drag Reduction Systems and much more.
It was fascinating to see Peter’s set-up for the programme, which is all run online, managed from a remote studio and filmed using robotic cameras.
We had a great selection of questions including some from F1 Fanatic readers. I hope my answers were good enough!
You can watch earlier episodes of The Flying Lap featuring Mark Webber, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Pedro de la Rosa and others here:
RIISE (@riise)
17th February 2011, 17:03
Brilliant video. Keith, you’ll be on the BBC soon!!!
Macca25
18th February 2011, 15:14
Can someone please tell me what day and wgat time (GMT) TFL is on.
Thankyou.
Mike
17th February 2011, 17:17
You can replace EJ on the Beeb anytime you like Keith!
Dan83
17th February 2011, 17:19
Good interview Keith!
BrawnGP (@brawngp)
17th February 2011, 17:20
Your voice isnt how I imagined at all Keith :P shall we all sign a peteition to get u on BBC? :)
sato113 (@sato113)
17th February 2011, 18:32
so how did you imagine it? :D
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 20:11
You’re crazy!! As much as I wish Keith total success, if he got a higher profile job in F1 journalism who would run this site? No one could take over and keep it as top notch as Keith does!
ajokay (@)
17th February 2011, 17:21
Robotic Cameras? Blimey, what is the world coming to?
Very much enjoyed watching it last night. Missed the first few minutes due to the commute, so this is perfect for a catch up, and I’ll be needing to watch the older episodes as well.
sato113 (@sato113)
17th February 2011, 18:33
lol, I always thought cameras were made out of flesh and blood!
BasCB (@bascb)
17th February 2011, 21:25
I missed the first minutes as well. Had a rewatch today when it got downloadable.
Great questions and anwsers, the real F1Fanatic.
F1WithMySon
17th February 2011, 17:34
I’ve always been a fan of Peter Windsor, his grid walks on SpeedTV (US) were first-rate.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 20:11
I agree, although I’ve found WIll Buxton to be even better. He’s my favorite part of the SPEED team now.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th February 2011, 21:19
Luckily he send a picture of being on the plane now from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi (no direct flight home), so he will be part of the show!
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
17th February 2011, 17:36
Looking forward to watching this when i’m somewhere near a computer!
colinf
17th February 2011, 17:39
Peter’s got those microphones set up the wrong way. You address them from the side, not the top. Maybe you could pass a note onto him as the audio quality is really suffering because of the mistake.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 20:32
Broadcast microphones like that are actually dynamic mics, even though they look a lot like large diaphragm condensors, which would be side address. I can’t figure out exactly which mic that is, but it looks an awful lot like a Heil PR40, which is dynamic, and hence, not a side address. Also, if they were indeed condensors (or capacitor mics as I believe they’re called in the UK) and he were speaking off axis, it would probably be noticeable audibly, and would sound sort of comb-filtered… Sorry, mic geeking out!
Peter Urban
17th February 2011, 22:05
@US_Peter
You are right indeed these are Heil PR40 mics and they are so called end-fire microphones which means they only pic up sound form the front (or end however you look at it, not form the side. Those mics allow us to get relatively clean audio despite a sometimes high level of ambient noise. The downside is that you can’t be off-axis very much or your levels / quality suffers.
This episode was the first that Peter got a bit off sometimes – everybody makes mistakes sometimes and we promise to do better with every new episode ;-)
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 23:33
Thanks for confirming, and congrats on a great online show and a fantastic name! ;-)
BasCB (@bascb)
18th February 2011, 6:54
Great to see that cleared as fast.
Superb show, really shows what can be done without an enormous studio.
West059
17th February 2011, 17:55
Interresting video ! waiting the next one !!
Bellof (@bellof)
17th February 2011, 18:19
I’ve never seen it before now will need to watch the first 6 now.. Keith was good asking most of the qu’s the fanatic want answered! and is weird to hear his voice after following the site for so long..
BasCB (@bascb)
17th February 2011, 21:21
Really worth watching. Webber was great, the one with Craig Scarborough and Pedro dl Rosa as well. The first one about the Senna movie was pretty good as well. And he’s also had Amos in there.
tyresmoke
17th February 2011, 18:34
Keith, absolutely awesome, your questions serve to make the flying lap that much more interesting. clear, layman’s terms and then the expert, mcneale has a chance to really explain. peter is a great f1 commentator but i do prefer your plain and direct style.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 20:34
Agreed. Peter should invite you to co-host regularly. You’re more of a natural than he is.
Zahir
17th February 2011, 18:34
Keith the mug would have been a great advertising opportunity! Other than that very good interview, you handled the questions very professionaly and I really enjoyed watching it. Keep up the good work
Jack Sargeant
17th February 2011, 18:36
Great stuff Keith.
Where is TFL filmed out of interest?
Azwing (@azwing)
17th February 2011, 18:37
Great show Keith!
This is one of the best episodes of Peter Windor’s show to date, and they’ve all been pretty good.
kowalsky
17th February 2011, 18:38
very impressive keith. You are second to none in f1 knowledge.
One question i could do during the program.
Now that the champion of champions is senna. Is he your choice for champion of champions??
MATEUSZ
17th February 2011, 18:49
Nice! Brawo!
infy (@infy)
17th February 2011, 18:54
That balled guy just cant sit still!
Hare (@hare)
17th February 2011, 19:27
balled? I’m hoping they’re both ‘balled’. ‘de-balled’ doesn’t bare thinking about…
f1yankee
17th February 2011, 19:16
brilliant!
Hare (@hare)
17th February 2011, 19:25
Apparently, you’re lucid?! Always good in a human being I find… :)
So no monkeys are involved… robotic cameras are to blame.. mmm, they don’t take orders well these robots. Might need to upgrade to the one that won Jepody..
( what nonsense I come out with when I wake up… honestly! :P )
Malcolm (@)
17th February 2011, 19:57
Don’t worry Keith you did a great job. Even though I don’t view F1 races on the BBC, I can easily understand why people like BrawnGP and RIISE would want to watch you on the BBC.
ccolanto
17th February 2011, 20:00
Great video Keith! congrats on the interview, very well done and professional! Great number of informative and technical answers on your behalf!
Eddie Irvine (@eddie-irvine)
17th February 2011, 20:27
Great Interview Keith !! I am following this site since 2006, it’s amazing. I hope we see you in BBC or F1Racing, you’re doing a fantastic job, well done!
Hare (@hare)
17th February 2011, 20:31
I don’t see why Keith couldn’t do a 5 minute news round up every TFL show?
Would mix it up a little! :) I’m gonna suggest it on the TFL site… see what Peter says..
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 20:38
It would be a good collaboration.
Hare (@hare)
17th February 2011, 20:53
Sadly, Peter Windsor has blocked my @Hare_F1 account on twitter, presumably because he thought I was spam :P Take me back Peter!! I’ll never do it again!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
That’s the problem when you set up an account to match your F1Fanatic account, and you follow everyone significant.. but have only tweeted once. *sighs*
Hare (@hare)
17th February 2011, 20:54
To the forum!!! Maybe I can get some help there..
Dan Newton
17th February 2011, 20:55
Great interview Keith, really enjoyed it. Thanks for making the video available, I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. And while I’m at it thanks for all the hard work you put into covering the first two tests, it was an excellent insight into what currently giong on. I look forward to reading your work over the next few weeks (and beyond).
wout
17th February 2011, 21:23
Very cool. Nice touch on the F1F logo on the site too. Get well soon Robert.
PJ
17th February 2011, 21:34
It was great to hear you talk technical on F1; most bloggers don’t know that aspect and it was refreshing to see (saw it live :)).
barkun (@barkun)
17th February 2011, 21:51
fantastic interview Keith !! well done !
King Nigel Mansell
17th February 2011, 22:06
Congrats Keith, that’s soooo cool !!
Hairs (@hairs)
17th February 2011, 22:42
Excellent interview Keith, you were a showcase for what makes this site great – informative, clear, and knowledgeable.
Jack_Burton
17th February 2011, 22:42
I miss Peter on Speed. He’s great.
Hare
17th February 2011, 22:59
…. now that’s a sight I’d like to see ;)
US_Peter (@us_peter)
17th February 2011, 23:35
Ha! I don’t think he needs it!
sdtaylor91 (@sdtaylor91)
17th February 2011, 23:00
Discovered f1fanatic about 6 months ago, its brilliant, easily the best f1 website out there. Love the original, considered and informative approach. Also very impressed with how soon the site is updated with news on drivers, testing etc. Keep up the great work Keith !!
Victor.
17th February 2011, 23:04
I love how stereotypically British Keith is :).
I’ve already seen the interview yesterday and needless to say I found it great!
joc
17th February 2011, 23:30
Brilliant Keith!!!
What about creating your own F1 Fanatic show, it would be awesome to have you hosting a (weekly?) show!!!!
I am sure it would be a huge success.Think about it, we would love it!!!
SeattleChris
18th February 2011, 0:59
That’s awesome Keith! Once you started talking you really became much more comfortable visually. I thought it was funny that you had more, and more interesting questions than Mr. Windsor and you didn’t have long awkward silences in between them.
Although at one point Peter asks you about your estimations on why you thought Red Bull were fastest, but you reply that you only meant that they took care of their tires better.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
18th February 2011, 7:56
They were having a bit of a problem with the stream of questions not refreshing properly which is why there were a few pauses.
nano_rock (@)
18th February 2011, 2:21
Keith, start your own show, you´re great.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
18th February 2011, 2:28
LOL @ Keith going against Facebook AGAIN!.
Mark Zuckerberg must be VERY dissappointed :P
on a serious note, I don’t see a problem for Pirelli being in the position they are right now, when they are asked to come up with a tyre that wears down instantly.
Why all the fuss? if the thing works, then people will say: “you know why F1 is entertaining now? Pirellis!”. Perfect marketing there!
Shomir
18th February 2011, 5:15
Keith Sounds abit like DC doesn’t he? :)
Lord Stig (@lord-stig)
18th February 2011, 6:16
Great interview Keith!
BasCB (@bascb)
18th February 2011, 6:58
I saw Craig Scarborough tweeting, he enjoyed the show as well and learnt new things. Coming from him I thin that is a great compliment!
Boost (@boost)
18th February 2011, 7:53
Great show Keith! Only positive things to say.
Casanova (@casanova)
18th February 2011, 16:13
The way Jonathan Neale reacted to the question on flexiwings suggested to me that McLaren are fully on board with them now from the outset of MP4-26. Interesting…
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
18th February 2011, 22:58
Just watched this in full. Absolutely brilliant, stunning stuff. Particularly liked the section on the McLaren U-shaped sidepods, very interesting and for aero as I predicted.
Jeloz
19th February 2011, 5:57
Hi Keith – top work as always – i know you hav a great following on the Whirlpool forum in Australia – http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1632828&p=18
Cheers
Jeremy
Ps i will be at Melbourne and Shanghai this year…