This weekend the Formula One teams will be in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. The only North American race on the calendar for this season and the Williams team are expecting a good result.
It will be the 40th Grand Prix in Canada this year and the 30th to be held at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
The circuit is known for it’s long straights leading to heavy braking and several slow corners needing strong traction and good engine torque to propel the cars out of them. It is one of the most demanding circuits of the season for the brakes therefore basic brake wear will be one of the primary concerns for the teams.
Nico Rosberg who ended his Monaco Grand Prix with a heavy crash into the barriers and went to hospital as a precautionary measure, has now been given the all clear and is upbeat about the Canadian Grand Prix.
He said “I’m heading to Montreal a few days early to get used to the time difference and to see the city. There are lots of cool bars, restaurants and clubs, and there are some good places to go shopping. There are also some beautiful places around the city, especially near the mountains, where I like to go for my daily run. The locals really get behind Formula One and they seem to be quite supportive of me too as many of them remember my father when he raced there.”
“AT&T Williams has a strong history around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and have traditionally been quick there, which gives me a lot of confidence and allows me to go to Montreal with positive expectations. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car because the speed we showed in Monaco was performing and the track should suit our car.”
Kazuki Nakajima has a very limited experience on the track but is looking forward to the challenge, he said “I’ve only been to North America once when I went to Canada for last year’s race and drove in Friday morning’s practice session. Because of that, I do have some experience of the track, but this will be my first full weekend of racing there. The circuit is very challenging with its walls and high kerbs. It’s not an easy track, but it should be fun to drive. Montreal itself is a great city. It’s really picturesque and I enjoyed my time there last year so I’m looking forward to going back. Before heading to Canada, I’m going to New York for a week to have a look around and do some training.”
Sam Michael, Williams Technical Director has said “Montreal always produces good racing, mainly because the cars run so close to the walls so there’s a higher chance than normal of the safety car being deployed. As one of the few street circuits on the calendar, the grip level changes significantly over the race weekend, so the teams are continuously chasing the perfect set-up.”
“The circuit is dominated by long straights so the rear wing level has to be set lower than normal to ensure that the car is running at it optimum aerodynamic efficiency. The long straights induce high top speeds but, combined with the slow speed corners, also make Montreal the hardest track on brakes so we have to monitor their wear. Most teams opt for a one or two stop strategy in Canada. Our target for the race is to obviously score points, which we should be able to do considering the upturn in competitiveness we demonstrated at the last race in Monaco.”
Lewis Hamilton won the last race at the circuit in 2007 after starting from pole position but let’s hope that Williams do score some much needed points this weekend.
photo: ©Kpangel68
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