“Welcome to Quebec”: A Technical Look at Montreal’s Supersonic Circuit
Located on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, the Canadian track winds between strips of land, surrounded by concrete walls. Like Monaco, any mistake here results in a crash. There are no large sand traps, and the narrowness of the track is difficult to gauge. Mixing numerous chicanes with record speeds, the circuit is atypical and often witnesses impressive racing feats. Let's take a technical look at this very specific track.
No. 1: 4th gear engaged – passing speed: 150 km/h
Launched at full speed from the home straight, the drivers start a very slight right-hand curve before engaging heavy braking to enter this left-hand turn. A significant advantage is given to the driver following, benefitting from DRS Zone 1 and then being able to overtake on the left along the slight right to try to sneak inside during braking.
No.2 « Senna Corner »: 2nd gear engaged: passing speed 80 km/h
In the extension of turn 1 like a long chicane, turn 2 offers little grip and creates a tendency to understeer. Maneuvers initiated at turn 1 are difficult to complete here due to the tight right-hander. Acceleration follows a long right-hand bend, brushing against the track limits, with the wall less than 2 meters away, separated by a thin strip of grass.
« Canada is a very demanding high-speed track, which is surrounded by rails and concrete walls, » declared Sebastian Vettel. « We clearly take big risks there, especially in the last corner, where you can quickly get to know the wall of champions if you go a few centimeters too far to the right. »
No. 3 & 4: 4th gear engaged – speed: 140 km/h
First true chicane of this circuit, the right-hand corner sees the single-seaters, already engaged in a long right-hand turn at full load, dive into the heart of corner no. 3 while negotiating a delicate braking. The exit is made very close to the wall, along the right edge of the track for an acceleration towards a slight left-hand curve.
Overtaking here is relatively complicated due to the speed and the nature of the chicane.
No.5: 6th gear engaged – speed: 260 km/h
Long straight parabola at full speed. The wide track can be deceptive as the wall quickly approaches at the end of the corner on the left side of the track. Any driver lacking judgment by straying will end up in the wall, leading to an unavoidable straight-ahead incident at the next turn. Lance Stroll and Brendan Hartley likely remember the turbulent 2018 episode.
#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 | T 1/70
[Replay]Stroll seemed to have lost control of his car and squeezed Hartley against the barriers 😬 #F1 pic.twitter.com/BoIbT4iGFb
— Secteur F1 🚒 (@Secteur_F1) June 10, 2018
No.6 & 7: 3rd gear engaged – crossing speed: 110 km/h
Once again, a sequence of chicane-style turns. To be approached in two parts, the first part consists of a tight left turn, right-angle type. Tensions are steady here due to the speed gained in curve turn no. 5 and the importance of braking. Overtaking opportunities are present at no. 6. The exit from the sequence goes through no. 7. Long right turn negotiated at full speed, the external rumble strip borders the wall which, once again, will severely penalize any excessive widening. Gaining momentum is essential for the straight line that follows, especially in the DRS zone 2.
No. 8 & 9: 4th gear engaged – passing speed: 130 km/h
From 310 km/h (without slipstream) at the end of the straight to 120 km/h to negotiate turn 8, the braking is formidable. While the chicane remains relatively open, the curbs, although limited in height, cause numerous disturbances for the drivers, as seen with Lewis Hamilton in FP2 this Friday. As usual on this circuit, the wall is the judge of peace for any mistake.
It’s pretty rare to see Lewis Hamilton make a mistake like this…
…especially at a track where he’s won SIX times 👀#CanadianGP 🇨🇦 #F1 pic.twitter.com/kgefZbtC0Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) 7 juin 2019
No. 10 « Pits Hairpin »: 2nd gear engaged – speed: 65 km/h
Preceded by a slight left-hand curve, a reminder of Robert Kubica’s terrible crash in 2007, turn no. 10 hairpin literally cuts the dizzying average speed of the single-seaters at the start of this lap. The combination of the left curve and the right hairpin creates a real barrier to overtaking. Often considered of little interest, the Pits Hairpin nevertheless remains decisive in gaining momentum for the final straight.
No. 11 & 12 « Casino Straight »: 8th gear engaged – passing speed: 320 km/h
Located at the beginning of the straight, turn no. 11 is a slight left bend at full throttle. DRS zone 3 precedes the next right curve, which constitutes turn no. 12. Surrounded by walls, this area is conducive to slipstreaming.
No. 13 & 14 « Wall of Champions »: 4th committed report – passing speed: 150 km/h
Last chicane and the biggest braking zone of the circuit, turn No. 13 precedes the famous Wall of Champions, venue of numerous accidents caused by legends of the discipline. Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher… many champions have encountered the curb of this final turn on which the mythical phrase “Bienvenue au Quebec” is located.
With its omnipresent walls and an average speed of over 200 km/h, the Gilles Villeneuve circuit leaves no room for error. With an 80% chance of seeing the safety car appear, everything seems set for a great spectacle on Sunday, hoping that the top speed of the Ferraris can rival the agility of the Mercedes on a fast circuit with low grip.
Time to pack our bags and ✈️ across the pond for the #Pirelli #CanadianGP 🇨🇦!
More #Fit4F1 🥯 details: https://t.co/28dH7WdfrE pic.twitter.com/VmVpKjy90U— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) June 3, 2019
