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The Canadian GP is, peculiarly, the only F1 race held in North America these days.
Considering the size and affluence of the North American auto market (and the sheer volume of motorsport fans who reside in this geographic area), it's amazing that there is only a single race held here.
F1 may only come to North American once a year, but its remains a severe test for teams, drivers and component suppliers.
Mix low aerodynamic grip (as demanded by Canada’s 4.361km Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s elongated layout); low chemical grip (tyre/mixed surface interaction); green surface (due to disuse); rapidly degrading (Pirelli) rubber and the Italian sole tyre supplier’s (as yet) unproven wet weather specification; drag reduction systems tailor-made for this layout; 58kW boost provided by kers on the long straights; 70% chance of at least one pace car phase; forecast rain during qualifying and the race, and the outcome can only be chaos of epic proportions.
That's my prediction for Sunday’s Canadian F1 GP, Round 7 of the 2011 FIA Formula 1 World championship, to be raced on Montreal’s Notre-Dame Island, a man-made island slap-bang in the middle of the Great St Lawrence Seaway created in-10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated during construction of the city’s metro as venue for the 1967 Expo.
It houses a civic park whose access roads make up the circuit that just hosts two motor races a year - F1 and Nascar.
The region’s harsh winters readily destroy the track’s tarmac, resulting in a bumpy, pocked surface, while regular repairs have resulted in inconsistent asphalt. The surrounding water gives the island a unique micro-climate while failing to shield the exposed roads from high winds.
You can see where this heading, can’t you?
Last year’s Canadian race was without doubt the best of the season – despite Bridgestone’s most durable rubber. After the race the teams requested that incoming tyre-supplier Pirelli "give us a Canada each race, and thus far the company has obliged. For Monaco, effectively a slow version of Canada, the company supplied supersoft (denoted by red markings ) and soft (yellow) compounds, and they are specified here, too.
Will all this make a difference to Sebastian Vettel’s domination? Possibly, for although the 23-year-old champion is at the top of his game as proven by his five wins in six starts this year (and eight of the last nine races), combined with his Red Bull Racing team being the class of the 2011 field - particularly on high speed tracks - the RB7’s tyre usage is suspect, while the runaway championship leader’s team has yet to get its kers functioning reliably.
HAMILTON'S HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Lewis Hamilton, second in the title hunt with 85 points to Vettel’s 143, emerged from last year’s chaos to score a stunning victory, but we should not overlook that the year before he crashed into Kimi Räikkönen – in the pits lane! The Briton, champion in 2008, has a mercurial relationship with most circuits but Canada, where the McLaren star won his first F1 race in 2007, seems to bring out the best or worst in him, and never in small doses.
Which way will it fall for him come Sunday?
Vettel’s team mate, the outspoken Mark Webber, has 79 points, and needs to pull finger out if he is to close the deficit. The Australian, blessed with the same sublime RBR as Vettel, is as capable of winning on the streets as on high-speed circuits, as proven by his dominant victories in Monaco and Silverstone a year ago, so has the perfect skills set for Canada. But does he have the final ‘edge’ required to master all Canada’s challenges?
Then there is the ultra-smooth Jenson Button, who has matured into the
sport’s thinking driver – precisely the qualities required for victory
under the variable conditions the race is likely to throw at the 24-car
field. JB’s McLaren seems the second-best car out there, being just a
sliver slower than the Red Bull, while his tyre management is probably
the best of the current crop. Not to be overlooked, Jenson.
The final danger man is Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, winner here in 2006 for Renault. The Spaniard drove the race of his season to date in Monaco, and is a real street fighter who could so easily have won here last year had his strategy matched his pace. Ferrari is exiting its recent doldrums after a technical restructure, and Canada could be where it all comes together. That said, too much has to gel too fast for Ferrari this year, and that is where slips enter the equation.
While the winner is likely to come from the above quintet, Canada’s ability to spring surprise never ceases to amaze – recall BMW’s 2008 1-2 with Robert Kubica/Nick Heidfeld, and Kubica’s horrific demolition derby the previous year.
Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, is champing at the bit, as is Renault’s Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov. So often this race marks the turning point of a season, making the only North American round on the calendar a complex call. The 70-lap race will start at 7pm South African time, qualifying at 7pm on Saturday.
Considering the size and affluence of the North American auto market (and the sheer volume of motorsport fans who reside in this geographic area), it's amazing that there is only a single race held here.
F1 may only come to North American once a year, but its remains a severe test for teams, drivers and component suppliers.
Mix low aerodynamic grip (as demanded by Canada’s 4.361km Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s elongated layout); low chemical grip (tyre/mixed surface interaction); green surface (due to disuse); rapidly degrading (Pirelli) rubber and the Italian sole tyre supplier’s (as yet) unproven wet weather specification; drag reduction systems tailor-made for this layout; 58kW boost provided by kers on the long straights; 70% chance of at least one pace car phase; forecast rain during qualifying and the race, and the outcome can only be chaos of epic proportions.
That's my prediction for Sunday’s Canadian F1 GP, Round 7 of the 2011 FIA Formula 1 World championship, to be raced on Montreal’s Notre-Dame Island, a man-made island slap-bang in the middle of the Great St Lawrence Seaway created in-10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated during construction of the city’s metro as venue for the 1967 Expo.
It houses a civic park whose access roads make up the circuit that just hosts two motor races a year - F1 and Nascar.
The region’s harsh winters readily destroy the track’s tarmac, resulting in a bumpy, pocked surface, while regular repairs have resulted in inconsistent asphalt. The surrounding water gives the island a unique micro-climate while failing to shield the exposed roads from high winds.
You can see where this heading, can’t you?
Last year’s Canadian race was without doubt the best of the season – despite Bridgestone’s most durable rubber. After the race the teams requested that incoming tyre-supplier Pirelli "give us a Canada each race, and thus far the company has obliged. For Monaco, effectively a slow version of Canada, the company supplied supersoft (denoted by red markings ) and soft (yellow) compounds, and they are specified here, too.
Will all this make a difference to Sebastian Vettel’s domination? Possibly, for although the 23-year-old champion is at the top of his game as proven by his five wins in six starts this year (and eight of the last nine races), combined with his Red Bull Racing team being the class of the 2011 field - particularly on high speed tracks - the RB7’s tyre usage is suspect, while the runaway championship leader’s team has yet to get its kers functioning reliably.
HAMILTON'S HAPPY HUNTING GROUND
Lewis Hamilton, second in the title hunt with 85 points to Vettel’s 143, emerged from last year’s chaos to score a stunning victory, but we should not overlook that the year before he crashed into Kimi Räikkönen – in the pits lane! The Briton, champion in 2008, has a mercurial relationship with most circuits but Canada, where the McLaren star won his first F1 race in 2007, seems to bring out the best or worst in him, and never in small doses.
Which way will it fall for him come Sunday?
Vettel’s team mate, the outspoken Mark Webber, has 79 points, and needs to pull finger out if he is to close the deficit. The Australian, blessed with the same sublime RBR as Vettel, is as capable of winning on the streets as on high-speed circuits, as proven by his dominant victories in Monaco and Silverstone a year ago, so has the perfect skills set for Canada. But does he have the final ‘edge’ required to master all Canada’s challenges?
LUCK TO GO HIS WAY?: Will Lewis Hamilton be smiling this Sunday?…
The final danger man is Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, winner here in 2006 for Renault. The Spaniard drove the race of his season to date in Monaco, and is a real street fighter who could so easily have won here last year had his strategy matched his pace. Ferrari is exiting its recent doldrums after a technical restructure, and Canada could be where it all comes together. That said, too much has to gel too fast for Ferrari this year, and that is where slips enter the equation.
While the winner is likely to come from the above quintet, Canada’s ability to spring surprise never ceases to amaze – recall BMW’s 2008 1-2 with Robert Kubica/Nick Heidfeld, and Kubica’s horrific demolition derby the previous year.
Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, is champing at the bit, as is Renault’s Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov. So often this race marks the turning point of a season, making the only North American round on the calendar a complex call. The 70-lap race will start at 7pm South African time, qualifying at 7pm on Saturday.