2007 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The Formula 1 fraternity departs for North America this
week for the Canadian and United States double header, which
kicks off with the Montreal round of the Championship next
Sunday.
Following the opening five races of the season, Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes leads the Constructors’ World Championship
with 76 points. Fernando Alonso and teammate Lewis Hamilton
lie in first and second positions of the Drivers’ standing
respectively, both with 38 points.
FOUR FAST FACTS
What is the main characteristic of the Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve?
The track, which was named in the memory of the French-Canadian
driver, comprises a number of very high speed straights punctuated
by slow corners and hairpins, with the drivers braking hard
from top speeds of up to 315km/h. The slowest corner is the
L’Epingle hairpin, which is taken at 55km/h. To avoid
losing time on the straights, this characteristic means that
the cars need to have excellent corner balance to allow the
drivers to get on the power as they are exiting the corners.
The nature of the track also sees the greatest demands with
regards braking. Canada-specific brake packages are run, including
an increased cooling capability and in addition the set-up
of the car has to ensure excellent braking stability. Vodafone
McLaren Mercedes spent time at the recent Paul Ricard test
evaluating this area with Pedro de la Rosa at the wheel of
the MP4-22. Finally, the location of the track can lead to
significant head and tail winds, which have an effect on the
performance of the cars.
How does the nature of the circuit affect Bridgestone
Potenza tyre choice?
The track has relatively low grip levels and as a result,
softer compound tyres tend to deliver the best performance
as they provide the grip required. The surface is not massively
abrasive, so it does not affect the performance greatly. The
track is not a permanent racing circuit, and as a result it
gets grippier during the weekend as more rubber is laid down.
What levels of downforce are used in Montreal?
At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a low-medium downforce configuration
is used. This is to ensure the cars can be as fast as possible
on the long main straight. The low downforce and low grip
conditions means that cornering is more of a challenge, and
even though the turns are all largely low speed, it is still
necessary to be very precise. The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
will also run a Montreal-specific aerodynamic package for
the race in order to optimise performance.
When did the freight and the team depart for Canada?
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes sea freight departed the UK
for Canada in the week prior to the Spanish Grand Prix. The
contents will cover both the Canadian and United States Grands
Prix. It is scheduled to arrive on Friday 1st June. Air freight
will leave the McLaren Technology Centre on Saturday 2nd June,
arriving in Montreal on Sunday 3rd / Monday 4th.
TEAM QUOTES
Fernando Alonso
"We have a great momentum in the team right now after
such a fantastic result in Monaco, which is a positive way
to be going into the North American double-header. There has
been no opportunity to test since Monaco; however the team
has been pushing hard off track to keep the momentum going.
Until last year, I hadn’t had great results in Canada,
so it was fantastic to win there. It is always a tough race,
and you see a lot of retirements because you are stressing
the whole car with the high speeds and the hard braking zones.
The track conditions also change over the race weekend, the
grip levels improve as more rubber is laid and the dusty conditions.
On race day, it is much better than Friday. We have some new
packages on the car for Montreal; we are all pushing hard
to attack and fight for more race victories. It is a good
circuit to race on as there are a number of places you can
overtake, which makes it more exciting for the drivers, teams
and fans."
Lewis Hamilton
"The result in Monaco was great for everyone in the team,
it was a dream result considering it was my first year there
in a Formula 1 car, and it means we are going to North America
at the top of both Championship tables. I cannot wait to get
back on track and continue to focus on racing. This will be
my debut at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, because of the
chances there are to pass; it looks like a great track to
compete on. It has some very distinctive characteristics,
such as the low grip, the long straights, hard braking and
so on, so my initial laps will focus on understanding all
these and how best to drive the track to get good times. I
have completed preparation work with my engineers at the McLaren
Technology Centre specific to Canada and the US, and it will
be great to finally take to the track here in Montreal."
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Formula 1, Vodafone McLaren
Mercedes
"The Canadian Grand Prix is a very different event to
the Monaco race. We go from the slowest, tightest track packed
with corners on the calendar to a circuit that is all about
long periods of power and braking. The MP4-22 performed incredibly
well in Monte Carlo, however as the track conditions are poles
apart, we are not going to Montreal with the same expectations.
We go to Canada aiming to fight for the victory and to maintain
our positions at the top of both the Constructors’ and
Drivers’ Championships; however are realistic about
the potential to dominate. The test at Paul Ricard prior to
Monaco had two days of Canada running and useful intelligence
was gained. It is going to be a tougher battle and the track
is notoriously tough on race cars, but we will keep pushing."
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The first three letters are almost the only things which
the street circuits of Monaco and Montreal have in common.
The layout of the track located at the Île Notre Dame,
the Olympic park of 1976, could hardly be more of a contrast
to Monaco. Instead of maximum aero downforce as in Monaco,
there will be only a little; instead of slow turns we will
see fast corners, instead of short straights, there are long
ones. The longest straight is the section between the L’Epingle
hairpin and the chicane prior to start and finish; 1,100 metres
or 15 seconds are run under full throttle. This is particularly
demanding for brakes and engines; four times per lap, the
drivers slow down from speeds of more than 300km/h to about
100km/h. During the test one and a half weeks before Monaco,
our team completed an intensive test at the Paul Ricard circuit’s
long version to prepare for this race."
CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE INFORMATION
Circuit length 4.316 km / 2.709 miles
Race distance 305.270 km / 189.694 miles
Laps 70
Number of corners 13
Inaugural race 1967
2007 Constructors’ World Championship
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 76
Ferrari 56
BMW Sauber 30
Renault 16
WilliamsF1 7
Toyota 5
Red Bull 4
Super Aguri 1
2007 Drivers’ World Championship
Fernando Alonso 38
Lewis Hamilton 38
Felipe Massa 33
Kimi Raikkonen 23
Nick Heidfeld 18
Giancarlo Fisichella 13
Robert Kubica 12
Nico Rosberg 5
Jarno Trulli 4
David Coulthard 4
Heikki Kovalainen 3
Alex Wurz 2
Ralf Schumacher 1
Takuma Sato 1
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