Formula 1 2012: Round 07 - Canadian Grand Prix

recyclebin

Looks like Formula 1 is under threat again. Protestors are using the Canadian Grand Prix to highlight issues that have nothing to do with F1.

I wish people wouldn't use international sport events to try get publicity for their cause. Sport and politics should be kept seperate where possible. It's not fair on the sporting organisations to have there events hijacked by political decisions that have nothing to do with them.

http://www.pitpass.com/46456-Organisers-cancel-Canada-open-day

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/18227/7794617/Protesters-make-their-mark

Myrddin

Bunch of jumped up clowns

Cookie_Monster

I expected that to be something silly like anti fracking nonsense, but tuition fees, seriously. Arrest the lot of them for wasting everyones time. I'd love to see the link between college fees and F1

Myrddin

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I expected that to be something silly like anti fracking nonsense, but tuition fees, seriously. Arrest the lot of them for wasting everyones time. I'd love to see the link between college fees and F1

If they used the faces of the students for practice starts, that'd make a link

magunkey

Red Bull told to fill in the holes in their floorpan ahead of Canada.

thegoth

Heading to Montreal in the morning for the Grand Prix. Was looking forward to the pit walk on Thursday. Errrrrrr

frostie500

thegoth wrote: »

Heading to Montreal in the morning for the Grand Prix. Was looking forward to the pit walk on Thursday. Errrrrrr

Thats some serious bad luck!

frostie500

Six races down and six different winners. Montreal is traditionally the most exciting race of the season but is it possible that the Canadian Grand Prix will provide a seventh different winner to open the season?

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve lies in the middle of the St Lawrence River which was used for rowing events during the Montreal Olympics.
It is traditionally one of the most demanding tracks of the season with tyres, brakes and engines taking a pounding over the course of the weekend. With the high kerbs needing to be attacked at numerous points, such as the final corner, the challenge facing drivers in difficult but one that they all look forward to.
Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen echoed the thoughts of everyone when he asked for his opinions on racing in Canada:
"Montreal is a very cool track,” said the Finn. “It's a temporary street circuit with a couple of long straights and low downforce settings and that makes the cars pretty tricky in the faster corners and into the braking areas, but it's a great track to race on. As with everywhere we race you have to find a good balance to get the best lap times, but you need a setup that means you can really attack the kerbs, particularly in the final corner as you head back to the start /finish line. You also need to make sure you have maximum speed down the back straight, so we'll look closely at the gear ratios we use and balance seventh gear against the speeds we could be doing with DRS and KERS both engaged.”
There will only be one DRS zone this year, as opposed to the two last year, with the entry to the hairpin acting as the DRS detection zone, where driver have to be within one second of the car ahead. The overtaking zone will be 600m long on the way into the final chicane.
This area has been shortened from 650m last year following complaints that it made overtaking too easy. The run into the final chicane has however always allowed cars to get quite close to one another and even with a shortened DRS should allow for a lot of overtaking.

The Magnificent Seven?

If anyone is to become the seventh different winner the smart money has to be on Lewis Hamilton. The 2008 world champion has opened the current campaign in solid fashion with six points finishes but returning to the scene of his first F1 victory might be the spur he needs to claim a victory.
Hamilton has started from pole position at three of the last four Montreal races and with McLaren traditionally very strong in Canada he could be very well placed to challenge on Sunday.
The McLaren driver is fourth in the championship standings but having taken three podiums from the opening six races he knows that claiming a win is important to his title challenge. However having spent recent season mired in a spiral of costly errors it is unlikely that he will be willing to overstep the limit to claim the win.
After enduring a problematic title assault in recent seasons Hamilton knows that points win prizes and a failure to score points at races is far more costly than a failure to win races. The newfound maturity has played a crucial role in allowing Lewis to move on from difficult races this year and concentrate solely on the “endgame” of winning a second title.
Another former champion, Kimi Raikkonen, will know that Montreal will present him with an opportunity to challenge for victory.
The Finn has had a promising return to the sport and has looked very competitive at some races, Bahrain and Barcelona, but his refusal to take part in Thursday’s opening practice has cost him a lot of favour within his Lotus team.
Raikkonen refused to use an updated steering rack, he claimed that it lacked feeling and made the car undrivable. This cost him dry weather running in the Principality and played a key role in his inability to challenge for a decent haul of points in Monaco.
The Lotus team has been strong so far in 2012 but the former Renault team know that claiming a first win since 2008 is now crucial for their season.
Montreal has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Enstone based team with Fernando Alonso winning in 2006 and the squad enjoying a host of podium finishes at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.
Romain Grosjean has had a mixed season thus far. The Frenchman’s pace has not been in doubt, a stunning second row start in Australia opened the season, but Monaco showed again the frailties of Grosjean.
Having shone throughout practice and qualifying his race was over after barely 100 yards having clattered with Michael Schumacher off the starting line. Mistakes like this, and his other early laps crashes, have made it perfectly clear that while he has the talent he still needs to mature.
Montreal however could offer him a good platform to showcase his ability. The slick and slippery track surface should play to his strengths, like Monaco did, and the Lotus is generally quite fast through the speed traps.
Mercedes penchant for topping the speed trap figures should offer them a lot of hope for another strong weekend.
With Schumacher having claimed pole position in Monaco and showed the paddock that he still possess the one lap speed needed in qualifying Montreal could be a terrific opportunity for him.
The car should be strong and with Michael having claimed seven victories in Montreal it has been a very happy hunting ground for the German. His race pace has been impressive over the last two years but if he finally cracked the qualifying conundrum and can replicate his Monaco form elsewhere he is surely a threat for race wins.
His team boss, Ross Brawn, is clearly ready for the weekend and looking for the team to continue their strong form:
"On the back of a successful weekend in Monaco which saw Michael qualify first on Saturday and Nico finish in second place on Sunday, everyone at the team wants to keep the momentum going and get the racing underway in Montreal next weekend,” commented Brawn.

Engineering challenges facing teams in Canada

Sauber Giampaolo Dall'Ara, the Swiss team’s head of Track Engineering, spoke about the challenges facing engineers this weekend as they search for a good balance between top speed on the straights while still giving a driver confidence under braking and through the corners.
"The Montreal track is narrow with walls that are very close in some places. It offers interesting challenges. The first one is to find the right level of aerodynamic efficiency, because the level of downforce and drag is lower than on most of the other tracks,” said the Italian. “The time spent on the straights requires maximising the speed, while the corners, with the exception of the hairpin, are low speed and feature changes of direction. Therefore the car needs to be well balanced under braking, needs good traction and must be reactive. The next interesting challenge is the fact Pirelli has decided to provide us with the soft and the super soft tyre compounds as they did in Monaco. We don't expect any problems with the super soft tyre in qualifying, but then the more difficult part will be to find the right race strategy to get the maximum out of the tyres. What's different to last year is that there will only be one DRS zone. However, I don't expect this to make a big difference, because overtaking is normally possible on the Montreal track."
From an engine perspective Montreal places a tremendous strain on the powerplants and Remi Taffin, Renault’s head F1 operations, clearly knows that his V8 will be firmly in under focus throughout proceedings:
“Canada is a completely different track to Monaco and also unique in itself,” said the Frenchman. “The long straights demand good top end power but the heavy braking zones of the hairpin and chicane need effective engine braking and good pick up on the exit, so it's rightly called an 'engine breaker' because the engine doesn't get any respite at all. The challenge is to find the right balance between delivering maximum performance and maintaining 100% reliability, just like at Spa and Monza where the risks have to justify the gains."

Tactics in Canada

Montreal has one of the shortest pitlanes in use in Formula 1. The short time needed to make a stop means that teams generally make more stops here than they would at most races.
With the soft and supersoft tyres being used it will be crucial for teams to know that they can make stops and pit for fresher rubber with minimal time lost. This has played a key role in Canadian races in the past and it would not be surprising to see one or two teams take a strategic gamble on Sunday and make even four stops.
The majority however will run a three stop race and try and to avail of the numerous overtaking opportunities that present itself around Montreal. The first corner, hairpin and final chicane are the prime positions for overtaking and because there are so many opportunities teams might feel that having a faster car, and using an additional pitstop, might make it possible to win using the more aggressive strategy.

Formula 1 revolves around Pirelli tyres

Paul Henbery, Pirelli’s motorsport czar, is looking forward to the challenges of Canada where the same compounds as those used in Monaco will be raced again. The supersoft and soft compounds fared well in the previous race but Montreal should be a more reflective indication of their performance characterisics according to Hembery:
"We go from Monaco to Canada: two of the most spectacular races of the year,” said the Englishman. “Not only is Montreal a fantastic place to hold a race, but it's also a great circuit. The soft and supersoft tyres should be able to demonstrate more of their natural characteristics than they were able to in Monaco, where drivers are constrained by very low average speeds and not much energy going through the tyre. This enabled them to complete very long runs even on the supersoft, which should not be the case in Montreal where the tyres have more work to do.
"Tyres have traditionally played a very important role in this race, especially if it rains. We saw how being on the right tyre at the right time enabled Jenson Button to win the Canadian Grand Prix last year even after six visits to the pit lane. That race was far from typical though, so we've not yet had experience of running the supersoft in Canada under normal conditions. The practice sessions will be vital for the teams to understand how exactly it works on full tanks in particular. We think we will see several different strategies at work, with teams likely to split their strategies in order to cover every possibility."

Weather for this weekend

Last year’s race in Montreal lasted six hours are a lengthy red flag meant that Jenson Button had to wait until the evening to claim a superb victory.
The weather looks set to play a key role in the outcome of this weekend’s race once again. Showers are expected on Friday and Saturday and while these are expected to clear on Sunday. According to local forecasts however rain is unlikely to affect the race on Sunday.

recyclebin

magunkey wrote: »

Red Bull told to fill in the holes in their floorpan ahead of Canada.

They don't need to fill it in they just need to cut a piece from the hole to the edge of the floor. This would do the job.

Jordan 199

Would like to see Hamilton win this weekend. He's been driving very well so far this year.

freestyla

EnterNow wrote: »

If they used the faces of the students for practice starts, that'd make a link

I'm myself huge F1 fan seriously but everything should have human side of things.

Maybe local schools wouldn't need to raise charges if they wouldn't have to pay sky high fees to mr. greedy Eclestone? I don't know but maybe.

Myrddin

freestyla wrote: »

Maybe local schools wouldn't need to raise charges if they wouldn't have to pay sky high fees to mr. greedy Eclestone? I don't know but maybe.

In a country that made the ten richest economies in the world for 2012? Yeah, the student fee's are certainly F1's problems.

As to what I am...a normal, working class, F1 fan
A Capitalist supporting pig? Definitely not, I've a very low opinion of fat cats & politicians
*** poor & below average? Again nope, I'm struggling just like everyone else to bail out the rich & secure the corrupt.

But just because these students think they have it tough & are taking the easy way out to get their message across, it does not endear them to me one bit. In fact, all this 'occupy' sh1te & is nothing but a nuisance & hurts the image of those who protest. If they're really serious, perhaps they should protest in the parliamentary area of the capital, grind the place to a halt, embarrass the heck outta the country & put it in the spotlight. But no, these brave warriors decide to disrupt a sporting event, which will get very poor coverage, & make anyone affected by the disruption hate them & their message.

So before you defend this kind of foolish bullsh1t, maybe think for a second next time, & tone down the personal insults eh? Cheers

Autosport

Cant wait to see Vettel on the podium when he wins the arm wrestle against Webber

My new slogan is I love Vettel and hopefully if I keep this going he will lose

Daniel S

Speaking as a university student, the "protesters" are ****tards. :mad:

They shouldn't be using this as a stage to whinge about fee's.

Ghost Train

Will be hard to beat last years Canadian GP, hopefully it will still be one of the better races of the season this year

Myrddin

Ghost Train wrote: »

Will be hard to beat last years Canadian GP, hopefully it will still be one of the better races of the season this year

What a race that was, utterly brilliant

Andrew76

Ghost Train wrote: »

Will be hard to beat last years Canadian GP, hopefully it will still be one of the better races of the season this year

With the exception of a Schumi win, I'm hoping we don't have another new winner. Strangely enough the unpredictability is getting boring for me - I'd much prefer to see one or two teams winning regularly and see a decent fight between them, not the lottery we have now.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

With the exception of a Schumi win, I'm hoping we don't have another new winner. Strangely enough the unpredictability is getting boring for me - I'd much prefer to see one or two teams winning regularly and see a decent fight between them, not the lottery we have now.

Really? Aw man after last season give me this kind of stuff any day. The lack of any single domination is what made 2010 such a great ending, hopefully this year will equal it

Andrew76

EnterNow wrote: »

Really? Aw man after last season give me this kind of stuff any day. The lack of any single domination is what made 2010 such a great ending, hopefully this year will equal it

I'm sure I'm in the minority alright. I just prefer to see someone doing the best job, take the lead proper and for others to challenge. Kinda like a "we're the best, come get us" type scenario. Didn't bother me when Vettel & Red Bull were dominating as they deserved to be, same with the Schumi golden era. Although the rule makers don't seem to allow dominance anymore. Seems if you do too good a job then you get pegged back. :rolleyes:

Mitch Connor

Andrew76 wrote: »

I'm sure I'm in the minority alright. I just prefer to see someone doing the best job, take the lead proper and for others to challenge. Kinda like a "we're the best, come get us" type scenario. Didn't bother me when Vettel & Red Bull were dominating as they deserved to be, same with the Schumi golden era. Although the rule makers don't seem to allow dominance anymore. Seems if you do too good a job then you get pegged back. :rolleyes:

in the subject of another different winner - i'd love to see hamilton make it 7 in 7 and really place himself among the contenders this season. He has scored consistently and driven smartly so far this season, so I'd like to see him get the win I feel he deserves this season.

Andrew76

Mitch Connor wrote: »

in the subject of another different winner - i'd love to see hamilton make it 7 in 7 and really place himself among the contenders this season. He has scored consistently and driven smartly so far this season, so I'd like to see him get the win I feel he deserves this season.

I wondering if the win keeps eluding him (say from more team screw ups) will it delay him signing a new deal. Maybe move elsewhere.

Mitch Connor

Andrew76 wrote: »

I wondering if the win keeps eluding him (say from more team screw ups) will it delay him signing a new deal. Maybe move elsewhere.

A lot of talk over the last week or so that he could leave before the season even ends (would be shocked).

Could be Hamilton and Vettel at RB next season.
Alonso and Webber at Ferrari next season.

Myrddin

Seriously? Are things that bad for him now at McLaren? Would RB really want two number 1 drivers?

Mitch Connor

EnterNow wrote: »

Seriously? Are things that bad for him now at McLaren? Would RB really want two number 1 drivers?

Talk Vettel has agreed a deal with Ferrari for the season after next so Hamilton could be brought in as No.1 in waiting.

frostie500

Cant see the benefit in Lewis moving to another team. Would he be willing to work with Alonso again? Is there a guarantee that Red Bull will be competitive for three years (or thereafter)? If Adrian Newey decides to leave the sport Red Bull would clearly be an unknown quantity. Is there a guarantee that Merc will be more competitive than McLaren?

I dont think any of these teams offer a guarantee of better performance than McLaren and that will ultimately win out with Hamilton's decision. i cant see him leaving the team

Myrddin

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Talk Vettel has agreed a deal with Ferrari for the season after next so Hamilton could be brought in as No.1 in waiting.

Really?? Mad, I suppose the money would be the attraction there. I couldn't see Vettel getting the Ferrari to perform the way Alonso does.

frostie500 wrote: »

I dont think any of these teams offer a guarantee of better performance than McLaren and that will ultimately win out with Hamilton's decision. i cant see him leaving the team

Agreed, McLaren have some kinks to iron out is all...I think they're the safest bet really for any driver with an eye on a championship

Andrew76

EnterNow wrote: »

Really?? Mad, I suppose the money would be the attraction there. I couldn't see Vettel getting the Ferrari to perform the way Alonso does.

The possible Ferrari deal is supposedly performance based I think - if they reach a certain position at the end of next season then the move could happen, something like that. I reckon if Vettel was to bag a 3rd title with Red Bull he'd be more willing to move (unless they started to dominate again ofc). I don't think anyone else on the grid could get the results Alonso is getting with that car, Schumi used to be able to but not anymore.

EnterNow wrote: »

Agreed, McLaren have some kinks to iron out is all...I think they're the safest bet really for any driver with an eye on a championship

Got to disagree there, sure they're always close to the top but they've only won 1 drivers title since '99, and haven't won the constructors since '98. That's pretty poor form for one of biggest teams on the grid.

I'm guessing he's probably feeling short changed in terms of titles won for the years he's been in the sport when he's probably the fastest out there. He knows what it's like to drive a dog of a car after his title winning year (so a big money team isn't always a safe bet) and probably realises matching Senna's 3 titles isn't so easy. As frostie500 says though, right now there's nobody else looking dominant to make a switch easier to make.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

Got to disagree there, sure they're always close to the top but they've only won 1 drivers title since '99, and haven't won the constructors since '98. That's pretty poor form for one of biggest teams on the grid.

Hard to argue that really.

I suppose they always seem 'near' the top, with other teams like RB, Brawn, Ferrari etc tipping them out for short times. They need that little bit extra to go on & dominate.

The big names teams are too unpredictable to move to though, RB have been caught up to, Ferrari are doing well or is that just the mastery of Alonso, Mercedes need another year or two I think to be in contention for championships...

Andrew76

EnterNow wrote: »

I suppose they always seem 'near' the top, with other teams like RB, Brawn, Ferrari etc tipping them out for short times. They need that little bit extra to go on & dominate.

The big names teams are too unpredictable to move to though, RB have been caught up to, Ferrari are doing well or is that just the mastery of Alonso, Mercedes need another year or two I think to be in contention for championships...

Agreed. I didn't think RB could lose so much ground this year but obviously that blown defuser was much more important to them than others - I guess it's very hard to predict who's going to have the best car for the following year, or maybe the car that can best handle it's tyres.

Myrddin

Andrew76 wrote: »

Agreed. I didn't think RB could lose so much ground this year but obviously that blown defuser was much more important to them than others - I guess it's very hard to predict who's going to have the best car for the following year, or maybe the car that can best handle it's tyres.

Agreed re RB, either the others have made huge leaps forward, or the RB's advantage has been nullified. I know it's been said & done to death, but their front wing looks a lot less flexi this year, especially at high speed. The FIA have also introduced much tougher load tests on the front wings. Coincidence it may be, but that RB wing for the last two years has looked like it was made of straw.

Max_Charger

frostie500 wrote: »

Cant see the benefit in Lewis moving to another team. Would he be willing to work with Alonso again? Is there a guarantee that Red Bull will be competitive for three years (or thereafter)? If Adrian Newey decides to leave the sport Red Bull would clearly be an unknown quantity. Is there a guarantee that Merc will be more competitive than McLaren?

I dont think any of these teams offer a guarantee of better performance than McLaren and that will ultimately win out with Hamilton's decision. i cant see him leaving the team

I'd say not a hope in hell will Hamilton work with Alonso again. He has publicly stated before that he wants to stay with McLaren until he retires from F1. Unless something goes drastically wrong then i can see that happening.

andrewg82

hamilton to do the business this weekend!!!

Charlie-Bravo

EnterNow wrote: »

Agreed re RB, either the others have made huge leaps forward, or the RB's advantage has been nullified. I know it's been said & done to death, but their front wing looks a lot less flexi this year, especially at high speed. The FIA have also introduced much tougher load tests on the front wings. Coincidence it may be, but that RB wing for the last two years has looked like it was made of straw.

Defo RB got the low wing doing an incredible job of giving plenty of downforce over the last couple of years. Aero performance starts at the front, and now that a key ingredient is removed, their car is not as quick on twisty parts of circuits where they made a huge chunk of time in recent years. With no slot gap before the rear tyres, another performance gain is removed. I see RB going backwards from here on this season unless Adrian has Plan B ready to roll for the second set of European races.

I feel the Merc engines will have the power advantage, and I think it'll be interesting to see how races develop when you have both Merc and McLaren battling for race wins. Canada will be a Merc engine for-sure.

Jordan 199

Ghost Train wrote: »

Will be hard to beat last years Canadian GP, hopefully it will still be one of the better races of the season this year

The Canadian GP is one of my favourite races of the year. Some memorable races were held there too.

Jean Alesi won his first and only GP there in 1995.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvzYQwU5c70

losthorizon

I have to concur - The Canadian GP is also one of my favourites. Its simply a great track and suited to exciting racing and memorable events.

Jordan 199

Mitch Connor wrote: »

in the subject of another different winner - i'd love to see hamilton make it 7 in 7 and really place himself among the contenders this season. He has scored consistently and driven smartly so far this season, so I'd like to see him get the win I feel he deserves this season.

Hamilton has been excellent so far this season.

andrewg82 wrote: »

hamilton to do the business this weekend!!!

Hopefully

Dcully

andrewg82 wrote: »

hamilton to do the business this weekend!!!

Anyone but him.

Daniel S

Dcully wrote: »

Anyone but him.

+1

Weather is shíte here so I'm still hoping for a repeat of last year!

lord lucan

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Ah rage the footie is on at the same time!

I swear to all that is holy if Schumacher wins while I am watching the football I am banning everybody in this forum :pac:

I'd happily take a ban for that!:D

the culture of deference

lord lucan wrote: »

I'd happily take a ban for that!:D

Me too.

Here's to MS winning the next 4 or 5 races, and getting right up there where he should be, (or at the very least wins in Canada and Spa).

Jordan 199

the culture of deference wrote: »

Me too.

Here's to MS winning the next 4 or 5 races, and getting right up there where he should be, (or at the very least wins in Canada and Spa).

I would love it if Schumacher won at Spa this year, won his first GP there 20 years ago. It would be sweet.

I think I'll miss the race and record it. It'll be the first time in probably 100 races I haven't planned to watch a race live.

Daniel S

I think this calls for the two tv's on one stand solution...

Jordan 199

Daniel S wrote: »

I think this calls for the two tv's on one stand solution...

Or a tv and a laptop

the culture of deference

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I would love it if Schumacher won at Spa this year, won his first GP there 20 years ago. It would be sweet.

He certainly deserves it with the sh1t luck he has had this year. How is the guy still smiling. How does he still motivate himself.
20 years on what a Legend.

I don't think there would be a disappointed person in the pit lane if he won

the culture of deference

Deleted User wrote: »

I think I'll miss the race and record it. It'll be the first time in probably 100 races I haven't planned to watch a race live.

I don't watch it live. No TV

I D/L p1 p2 p3, qual, and race + forum. The coverage between BBC and sky is fab nowadays, compared to what we use to get in the olden days.

smellslikeshoes

the culture of deference wrote: »

I don't watch it live. No TV

I D/L p1 p2 p3, qual, and race + forum. The coverage between BBC and sky is fab nowadays, compared to what we use to get in the olden days.

There is ways to watch it live without having a tv *cough*

recyclebin

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

There is ways to watch it live without having a tv *cough*

Yeah nothing beats going to the track itself. I presume that's what you mean

the culture of deference

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

There is ways to watch it live without having a tv *cough*

Yea. but The lag and signal loss can get irritating

Jordan 199

the culture of deference wrote: »

He certainly deserves it with the sh1t luck he has had this year. How is the guy still smiling. How does he still motivate himself.
20 years on what a Legend.

I don't think there would be a disappointed person in the pit lane if he won

Schumi is a driver who doesn't let disappointment grind him down.

smellslikeshoes

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Streaming unless your doing it properly i.e through BBC iplayer or Sky player is a waste of time.

I disagree, so far this year I've just searched for streams 10 mins or so before the race/qualifying and have gotten a reliable one every time. Sure the quality is never as good as would be on the TV but after a couple of mins you don't even notice.

Admittedly I done the same last year and did struggle sometimes but since Sky have taken the rights there is more competition between streamers and the reliability has taken a big step up.


(Hoping that discussing the feasibility of streaming is not crossing the line)