Canada – Presentation: Which of Hamilton, Ricciardo, or Vettel will clinch their third victory first?
With two respective victories, each has made their mark against their teammate, and the battle is shaping up around the top three in the championship. The Briton and the German are confident about their car as they arrive in Montreal, which is not the case for the Australian. Renault has announced that it will not supply the engine upgrade to Red Bull this weekend, and Ricciardo will receive numerous grid penalties due to several changes to the power unit of his RB14.
« I have always enjoyed racing in Montreal. It has everything to make a good track, with the characteristics of an elevated street circuit and a nice city to visit. I’ve had some great races in Canada and won the one in 2006, so it’s a special Grand Prix for me. Even more so this weekend, which will be my 300th Grand Prix.
It’s certainly going to be a difficult circuit for us but we are making progress with our package race after race. An incident or a weather change, things we have seen several times in the past here, could offer us opportunities – it will be up to us to seize them.
Large fast sections and technical low-speed curves, the circuit delights the drivers. The brakes, however, do not particularly appreciate the exercise, and teams always adapt their system to prevent overheating and failure. Charles Leclerc experienced this in Monaco when, on the 70th lap, his front brakes gave out as he approached Brendon Hartley’s diffuser.
Brakes are not the only important component in Montreal. Speed tracking, the engine has a major impact on performance at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit. Mercedes, Renault, and Honda have announced they will introduce updates to their power units, which will benefit their customer teams – with the exception of Red Bull for the French engine. This evolution is welcome for McLaren, which still lacks speed, but Fernando Alonso anticipates a difficult weekend for him and his team. This anniversary of the 300 Grand Prix of his Formula 1 career will surely have a touch of bitterness for the Spaniard.
The grand tour
No, this is not déjà vu. Same #Fit4F1 colours, different track. Hypersoft may have made its appearance at Monaco, but Montreal will be the real debut. #CanadianGP https://t.co/YKyFDRhzRp pic.twitter.com/C7XLH7Cwd6
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 4 juin 2018
For posterity
Upon seeing these images, we wonder “how?” How did he manage to continue driving his Ferrari 126 CK with the front wing in front of his eyes? How did he succeed in keeping it on the track without front downforce on his single-seater and in the rain? Did the marshals head for cover or did they let the local driver continue his race because a podium finish was at stake?
One thing is certain, his performance and mentality have inspired more than one driver since that 1981 Canadian Grand Prix. The latest example is Fernando Alonso’s feat of bringing his MCL33 back with both the front and rear right tires punctured and a significantly damaged floor, before managing to finish in an unexpected 7th place.
Being the victim of one of the most violent crashes in Formula 1 during a Grand Prix and winning the next edition by setting aside all the apprehensions of an accident that almost cost you your life, Robert Kubica deserves all the admiration. The Pole looks back on the 2008 edition of the Canadian Grand Prix, the unique and symbolic victory in his record.
More and more DRS – The double penalty for Ricciardo
As with the Australian Grand Prix, the FIA has decided to add a third zone where the drag reduction system can be used. Announced on Tuesday, this new zone is located between turns 7 and 8, where the cars were already reaching over 300 km/h before dropping to 130 to take the right-left leading to the hairpin at turn 10 before another fast section.
Victorious two weeks ago in Monaco, Daniel Ricciardo will have a much smaller smile when arriving at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit. His MGU-K, which was defective during the last Grand Prix and nearly cost him his victory, will be replaced before hitting the track on Friday. This third change since the start of the season already earns him a 10-place penalty. The situation could worsen if Renault declares other parts of the power unit defective by Friday.
The Australian will also suffer from his team’s wait-and-see strategy regarding their choice of engine supplier starting next season. Faced with Red Bull’s multiple maneuvers to buy time before making a decision, the French engine supplier has decided not to provide the Austrian team with the new version of the engine, which Renault and McLaren will benefit from. This will give the Australian driver more to consider in his decision-making process for choosing his employer for 2019.
Tarmac and mistral
We haven’t even unpacked from the #MonacoGP and it’s already time to pack our bags for Montreal! Here are the #Fit4F1 sets we’re bringing with us to the #CanadianGP! More on: https://t.co/yJxO8NgkiY pic.twitter.com/UAnndJhxss
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) 29 mai 2018
Highly appreciated in Monaco for its performance in qualifying and its relative longevity in the race, the hyper-soft is still in high demand by the teams this weekend. The exception is with Mercedes; the Brackley team has chosen to shun the pink-walled tire after a disappointing use on the Monaco track (the W09 failing to make this tire last). The other little surprise comes from Williams, who have selected far more super-softs (the hardest tire) than their opponents and than usual.
On the weather front, expect plenty of sunshine for this Grand Prix. Friday will be sunny with temperatures of 18-19°C for the first session and 23°C for the second session in the afternoon. Saturday will be cloudier, but temperatures will be the same as the day before, ensuring less strain on the mechanics during the qualifications.
For the race, the weather will be pleasant and the temperature will range between 23 and 24°C.
The TV program!
