Will Canada produce yet another different winner?

2012 Canadian Grand Prix preview

Posted on

| Written by

After F1’s record-breaking sixth different winner in the first six races the obvious question that follows is: will we now get a seventh?

On paper it’s entirely possible. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher both have excellent records in Canada and both are yet to win this year.

And then there’s the Lotuses, which have looked very strong and are yet to win a race.

On top of that, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of those tracks which often sees chaotic, unpredictable races and multiple safety car interventions. The high speeds and limited run-off in places means it would not be a surprise to see the field headed by the Mercedes SLS AMG make at least one appearance.

Montreal circuit information

Lap length4.361km (2.71 miles)
Distance70 laps (305.3km/189.7 miles)
Lap record*1’13.622 (Rubens Barrichello, 2004)
Fastest lap1’12.275 (Ralf Schumacher, 2004)
TyresSoft and Super-soft

*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix

Montreal track data in full

In some ways it’s rather appropriate that the safety car was used for the first time in F1 at the Canadian Grand Prix, in 1973 – even if it was a bit of a shambles.

Set-up wise, Montreal is all about low drag, good low-speed traction, and consistent performance from the brakes. The latter take a pounding as the cars tackle five major braking zones per lap.

As in Monaco, teams will have the soft and super-soft tyres to use. This is assuming the race remains dry – which, as last year’s race showed, is not a given.

Red Bull

Although Red Bull have been the focus of considerable attention as the FIA has ruled the holes in the floor of its RB8 illegal, it is doubtful the deletion of such a minor tweak will have a major effect on their car’s performance.

At worst, it may serve to hinder their understanding of a car which had proved tricky at the start of the season but had seemingly come good with two wins in the last three races.

A win for them here would be the perfect response to the doubtful suggestions that they enjoyed a major performance benefit with they now-forbidden configuration. Double so for Sebastian Vettel, who saw victory slip through his fingers here on the final lap last year.

As for Mark Webber, his Monaco win not only underlined his return to form after a poor 2011, it also propelled him into the thick of the championship battle.

McLaren

McLaren’s fears about their failure to capitalise on their early-season performance seemed to be borne out in Monaco. Lewis Hamilton was outside the top two for the first time in qualifying, and slipped backwards in the race, never really looking comfortable.

But this is a circuit where he has excelled in the past, with three pole positions and two wins in four visits to his name. He will surely be in contention to break his 2012 duck here.

Last year’s winner Jenson Button has been perplexed by tyre performance in recent races, failing to reach Q3 in Spain and Monaco. Overtaking is far less difficult in Canada than at the last two venues, but even so he needs to reduce his race day handicap with a better performance on Saturday.

Ferrari

The Ferrari resurgence is on – and not just for Fernando Alonso.

In Monaco Felipe Massa looked much more comfortable in the F2012 and needs to carry that momentum into this race if he’s to stand any chance of retaining his seat for next year – a task which many already expect is a lost cause.

Low-speed grip and high-speed performance were notable early weaknesses of the F2012. This track will reveal how well Ferrari have addressed those shortcomings.

Mercedes

It’s not hard to see why many are tipping Mercedes as the team to watch this weekend. Their extra-efficient double DRS gives them a straight-line speed boost which should be especially useful here.

Out of the six tracks visited so far, China had the highest proportion of DRS-suitable straights: 53%. And, of course, that’s where Mercedes scored their single win so far, courtesy of Nico Rosberg.

But at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve drivers can use DRS over 63% of a lap in qualifying, which may enhance Mercedes’ advantage even further.

Rosberg may have their only win so far but Michael Schumacher’s form here is excellent. He’s won the race seven times before and had his best post-comeback result here last year (fourth).

Lotus

After a poor weekend in Monaco, Kimi Raikkonen’s progress will be watched keenly to see if he remains unhappy with his steering set-up.

Lotus suspect the low-grip surface in Monaco was at the root of his tyre trouble during the race. If so, they’ll have to work out a solution in practice at another temporary track which is often slippery.

Romain Grosjean, meanwhile, has a new circuit to familiarise himself with this weekend.

Force India

After six races, Force India have almost three times as many points as they did at this stage last year.

“I think we’ve demonstrated that we can carry on where we left off last year and fight for points everywhere,” said Paul di Resta.

“The teams around us are all strong, but we’ve shown that we are consistent and can take on teams like Lotus, Williams and Sauber, who are all looking competitive. In terms of points scored we are well ahead of where we were this time last year we take a lot of positives from that.”

Sauber

A disappointing Monaco for Sauber yielded no points. Sergio Perez is yet to add to his tally since his superb second place at Sepang.

He missed last year’s race as he withdrew following the first practice session, still suffering ill effects from his Monaco shunt.

“I think at times in recent races we have been very unlucky, but the pace is there as my lap times during the Monaco race clearly proved,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing a good job in Canada and scoring as many points as possible.”

Toro Rosso

Jean-Eric Vergne briefly starred in Monaco before dropping back after an ill-chosen switch to intermediate tyres.

He’s had the beating of team mate Daniel Ricciardo in races so far this year. Will a move to a circuit neither has raced on before change that?

Williams

Williams were another team who failed to deliver on their potential in Monaco.

While Bruno Senna lacked his team mate’s speed, Pastor Maldonado effectively destroyed his weekend with a needless collision in practice. The team made it plain after the race the car was capable of better.

Caterham

The short, slow Monaco track always has the effect of narrowing the gaps between the teams. Even so Caterham will have been encouraged to see their deficit to the next slowest car dip under 1% for the first time this year last weekend.

HRT

Not having KERS will hurt the HRTs on a track where straight-line speed is important. However they do at least have some special aero parts for this track which demands a low-drag configuration, a luxury they have not always enjoyed previously.

Marussia

Marussia are also without KERS and Timo Glock and Charles Pic are likely to face another weekend in limbo between Caterham and HRT.

2012 driver form

Q avgR avgR bestR worstClassifiedForm guide
Sebastian Vettel6.54.831116/6Form guide
Mark Webber54.671116/6Form guide
Jenson Button5.83101186/6Form guide
Lewis Hamilton6.335386/6Form guide
Fernando Alonso7.54.5196/6Form guide
Felipe Massa12.8311.66155/6Form guide
Michael Schumacher7.51010102/6Form guide
Nico Rosberg4.676.671136/6Form guide
Kimi Raikkonen96.672146/6Form guide
Romain Grosjean5.54.33363/6Form guide
Paul di Resta13.339.336146/6Form guide
Nico Hulkenberg12.8310.88155/6Form guide
Kamui Kobayashi10.838.55134/6Form guide
Sergio Perez12.58.62115/6Form guide
Daniel Ricciardo1313.29175/6Form guide
Jean-Eric Vergne15.6712.178166/6Form guide
Pastor Maldonado1310.251194/6Form guide
Bruno Senna14.3312.26225/6Form guide
Heikki Kovalainen18.8317.413235/6Form guide
Vitaly Petrov18.6716.7516184/6Form guide
Pedro de la Rosa21.420.2519214/5Form guide
Narain Karthikeyan23.22015224/5Form guide
Timo Glock20.6716.8314196/6Form guide
Charles Pic20.6718.3315203/6Form guide

Are you going to the Canadian Grand Prix?

If you’re heading to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you.

We’ve got a dedicated group and forum for people going to the race.

You can embed your pictures from the race via Flickr and videos via YouTube and other major video-sharing accounts. Join in here:

2012 Canadian Grand Prix

    Browse all 2012 Canadian Grand Prix articles

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    97 comments on “Will Canada produce yet another different winner?”

    1. I, for one, hope we don’t have another new winner this season. If we do, it’ll only prove to the world that F1 is nothing but an extremely competitive, unpredictable, enthralling and exciting sport. Heaven knows we don’t want that, right?

      1. Totally agree, we can’t have people watching F1 and enjoying it. The last thing we need is for it to be popular with the masses….

        1. I can’t understand why you see it that way. Yes, it’s a little bit unpredictable with the tyres and their operation window and their sensitivity in minor temperature changes but we will not see a Marussia or a HRT first in the chequered flag. The rules this year are written in a way that the racing is very close so now we have 5 equal teams (Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Lotus) and even more equal the midfield teams. Ok, Maldonado win in Barcelona was a little surprise but he was in pole for Gods’ sake. Remember that in Catalunya the pole sitter is 60% winner. So, why shouldn’t Schumacher, Hamilton, Raikkonen or ever Massa (if Alonso retires) and Romain win this year?

          This exactly like the early 80s but in place of the tyre situation was the unreliability of the cars. Those days half of the field retired by blowing their engines or their turbos. After some races they fixed their problems so the reliability was better by the second half of the season. This season we have these Pirellis instead. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that F1 should have tyres like the early 2000’s, or ever better a tyre war. But Pirelli is the sole tyre manufacture, and more importantly they were asked to do this. So stop whining and enjoy it because you can’t do anything about it. B the second half of the season the teams will be on top of the tyres so the good will be better and the bad and mediocre will be worse.

          1. I’m pretty certain there was a healty dose of sarcasm in @magnificent-geoffrey and Uncle Bob’s posts there @babis1980

            1. I didn’t get that. And for that I am really truly sorry.

              But I still don’t get that we want to prove that F1 is “an extremely competitive, unpredictable, enthralling and exciting sport”. Why we want to prove that, and to whom?

            2. @magnificient-geoffrey @geemac I didnt see the sarcasm in their posts. I had already posted a comment against em and was about to give em a bashing like @babis1980

          2. I think @magnificent Geoffrey and @Uncle Bob were being facetious, and in fact agree with you. I do too as it happens. The tires are as they are; people can complain that the tires are ruining the racing and creating an artifical show, but everyone is in the same boat. If one team masters the tires better then they get an advantage, just like how Adrian Newey managed to work best with the aerodynamic rules the last couple of seasons – I didn’t hear too many people complain that it was ruining the racing having one team adapt to the regs better than others.

            As far as drivers complaining about them goes, well shock horror that Schumacher, a driver not doing very well (at least at the time he complained) blames his tools in the only way he can without blaiming his team. It is purely a scapegoat now that teams have an opportunity to blame something they have no control over, rather than say “We haven’t made a good enough car and haven’t got our heads round the tires properly”.

            1. How can you manage to spell “facetious” right and not be able to spell “tyres” ?!?!

            2. It’s the American spelling.

            3. So, why shouldn’t…Romain win this year?

              Because the odds are higher on him plucking it into someone else in the first couple of corners or so…

              Shameless, I know…

            4. Everybody knows we Americans invented the language and the correct spelling. If you don’t believe it, just ask us!

              And for those of you who are not sure….YES, that was sarcasm. :-)

          3. you silly billy…. and no, I’m not being sarcastic now!

      2. It’s a shame that some of the comments from the other side of the fence do not get taken seriously.

        We also have watched and enjoyed the sport for many many years and have an opinion that may just be valid too. It is based on the long-term good of F1, not the short-term sugar-coated fix we seem to be getting in 2012.

        Some of the drivers appear to share such opinions. Call us pessimistic, scrouges, naysayers, whatever – but we are fans just as much as you are and we have an opinion on the way the ‘show’ is going.

        Enjoy the sugar while it lasts.

        1. Except that the race could be incredibly one sided and follow expectation and still produce a new winner, so assuming that a new winner is a product of the so-called lottery tyres isn’t necessarily correct. Raikkonen (and Grosjean by extension) and Hamilton have been consistently on pace, and Schumacher was fast last time out in a car expected to suit Montreal. If a Sauber, Williams, Force India or Massa win I might be inclined to agree with you, but the chances are that another new winner wouldn’t be anything other than the product of a very talented and closely competitive grid rather than any of this supposed ‘tyre lottery’.

      3. Indeed, its getting really hard not to get exited this year, hope we can avoid any more of that :-)

      4. So you’re saying that Lewis Hamilton doesn’t deserve to win? and Raikkonen isnt the Lotus quick enough? Stop with the drama there’s nothing wrong with this season some teams are just trying to find reasons for their own faults.

      5. Carl Craven
        7th June 2012, 3:29

        Nice. Couldn’t agree more. Most people including the drivers don’t seem comfortable with so many drivers vying for wins, but it’s how it used to be pre MS days.

        Didn’t Keke Rosberg win his WDC with just one win and less wins than others that season (I could be wrong).

    2. I think having another winner will certainly not take away from the credibility of F1. Why? Because we still have some seriously likely winners left, who are yet to win.
      Drivers like Hamilton, Kimi and (maybe) Schumi. I’m sure there’s one more I’ve missed out.
      I think the unpredictability this season is down to Mclaren’s failures. Had they not ruined Lewis’ races, then it’s likely we would’ve seen him win in Australia (clutch problem at the start), Malaysia (pitstop problems) and Spain (fueling mistake)

      1. Indeed, possibly even china if he had started 2nd.

      2. Yes, I agree. Lewis would have been a multiple winner by this time and would have been sitting comfortable in the WDC lead.

      3. Sorry, but that is a load of cr*p!

        Problem or not off the start (as far as I’m concerned, he didn’t have much of a problem at all – Jenson only just beat him to the corner) there is no way he would have beaten Jenson in Australia. Button was on form in that race and Hamilton couldn’t even keep up, so why do you think he would have won? Button just drove away from him. In Australia – Button was faster than Hamilton – simple as that.

        I think it’s extremely rude that anytime Hamilton has a ‘problem’, people always say ‘well, if he didn’t have that problem, he would have one’, no matter how far ahead the eventual winner ends up or how much faster than Hamilton they were.

        Give Button the credit he deserves!

        And another thing – any chance that Hamilton just fluffed the start??? People sure are quick to say how terrible Mark Webber is at starting, yet, whenever Hamilton ‘fluffs’ the start, it’s always the cars fault, the teams fault etc. Really?

        1. Calm down, it’s just an opinion that with a little more luck Hamilton could have won. I don’t agree about Australia either actually, but his point still stands about the other races.

          1. Ummm, what exactly don’t you agree with about Australia? That button was faster than Hamilton the whole race and was driving away from him? That Buttons fastest lap was 4 tenths quicker than Hamilton?

            Sorry, but thats not something you can disagree with, it’s fact.

            Oh, hang on a minute, you’re going to tell me that Whitmarsh had somehow sabotaged Hamilton’s car to give Button the advantage aren’t you? Damn, I forgot that Button can only beat Hamilton with Whitmarsh’s help!

            1. No, I’m telling you that I’m not sure i agree with Zubair listing Australia as a race Hamilton was unlucky to win. I was agreeing with you but also saying there wasn’t any need to get so worked up over it. But you beautifully further illustrated my point about needing to calm down a bit.

            2. @matt90

              Haha, yeah ok, fair one! Time to take a chill pill me thinks!

        2. @matt90 @nick101 HAM or BUT, I believe that McLaren could have won atleast 3 races this year had they not had fuelling/pit problems. BUT has taken the brunt of their messy pit stops

      4. Lewis would have been a multiple winner by this time and would have been sitting comfortable in the WDC lead

        The fact is, he’s not. There is no guarantee he would’ve won those races; I firmly believe that Jenson was the rightful winner in Australia, in Malaysia Alonso drove a fanatstic race and deservedly won, and in Spain Maldonado was consistently quick.
        You could also argue that Vettel’s collision with NK lost him 12, maybe 15 points (as he was catching Hamilton and had a likely opportunity to overtake him as he wasn’t running particularly fast) which would’ve put him almost 10 points clear, but he isn’t. I agree that Mclaren have completely cocked up this season (as they had by far the quickest car in the opening 2 races and have been consistently fast throughout) but the fact is Ferrari have maximised what they have with Alonso (something Mclaren have failed at), and as a result he is leading the championship.

    3. I think it’ll be a Mercedes day – not because of the double DRB (that’ll help them a lot in qualy, for sure), but because they did pretty well in the cold conditions of China with the tyres. As we saw last year, if you get DRS in the race you’re pretty much gonna pass the person in front, regardless of how good your DRS system is.

      1. @mole agree, as long as temps remain lowesh for the Merc I think Schumacher may well prove to be the man this weekend. And this track is almost made to measure for what we know so far this season about the Merc. I kind of get the feeling Schuey is just getting his head around things now. He has been unlucky this year (and clumsy as well I know!) Hope he can put it together, but if not Lewis may prove to be a bit of a suprise.

        1. Environment Canada’s forecast for Montreal has Saturday as Showers and a high of 22C while Sunday is to be Sunny and 26.

          I too think the Mercs will be amongst the stronger cars this weekend, and given that, I see no reason NR cannot be the first repeat winner this season.

          1. So Kimi also will have a good chance? Or is 26 degrees still too cold for Lotus?

    4. I really hope we have another winner the next race. Thats what F1 needs. We want to see close racing. And that also means that we will see many winners. People who do not want a new winner must choose between close racing and not-close racing

      1. I want close racing but not just because the tyres are doing it. It is almost becoming a lottery to win a grand prix. The teams cant understand the tyres and don’t know why they are good in some conditions and bad in others.

        1. i still believe that each car is suited to various circuits. If the tyres are the only reason, then we will have Force India winning a race….Dont forget that Maldonado was good all weekend in Spain. And the remaining winners were good in quali and race. @julian @sallicedj

      2. People who do not want a new winner must choose between close racing and not-close racing

        You can still have close racing without a new winner and you can have not-close racing with a new winner.

        Claiming people must choose between the two is not correct.

    5. Depends on the weather. If it’s cool, I expect Schumacher to win it. If it’s quite warm, Merc will struggle and I expect (hope) Hamilton will win it.

      1. I think Button needs to finish well this weekend, otherwise I sense he could suffer the way Ham did last season.

        1. Hamilton suffered last season because of penalties, incident related frustrations and basically because he was distracted off track. He didn’t struggle with his pace.

          Jenson on the other needs to show that he has some speed and can perform idecently in a car that his teammate can still take more out of

          1. That’s my point, his mind wasnt ‘in the right place’

          2. Jenson on the other needs to show that he has some speed and can perform idecently in a car that his teammate can still take more out of

            @todfod LOL I think you’re expecting too much from Jenson.

      2. They are expecting rain both on saturday and sunday. for details: Saturday Sunday

        1. Environment Canada has Saturday as showers and 22C for a high, while Sunday is to be sunny and 26C.

          I’m not convinced that Merc’s success depends on it being cool. I think the team has learned a lot since the start of the season, as have others, and I think as long as they nail the setup for the predicted track and air temp such that they get the tires working right, it doesn’t matter so much the temp of the day.

    6. I’m taking a punt on Schumacher this weekend. Monaco proved there’s life in the old dog yet so if the team can offer him a car that is as reliable as his team mates for a change he could just bring the magic.

      I’d love to see him win again, it would be a special moment for F1.

      Also, reckon Michael will be a force to be reckoned with at Spa!

      1. He and Kimi will both be fun to watch at Spa.

    7. I know what you tried with the first pic @keithcollantine , Force Indias or Massa to be that seventh winner ;)

      1. LOL. Good joke, anyway I’d love a Hamilton-Schumi front row because they’re drivers that feel they really need to get a great result this weekend if i’m honest but who knows, who really knows this season. With the Super-softs being used for this weekend I hope Massa can take the fight again to Alonso in qualifying especially.

    8. I would like to see a rivalry emerge. F1 has its own Federer-Nadal-Djokovic in Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel yet we haven’t seen a proper fight between them. More damning is the fact that in F1, instead of being treated to each of their individual qualities, the tyres have turned them into homogenous tyre conservationists. It’s almost becoming like women’s tennis, where someone turns up out of nowhere and wins a race.

      My theory for the winner is simple. Roll a dice for the constructor of the winning car (1=Red Bull, 2=McLaren, 3=Ferrari, 4=Mercedes, 5=Williams, 6=Sauber) and flip a coin (heads for lead driver, tails for second driver).
      My tip for the weekend is 4 & tails, Michael Schumacher. The aleatory deities have spoken.

      1. Sorry, my number 6 was Lotus not Sauber.

      2. More damning is the fact that in F1, instead of being treated to each of their individual qualities, the tyres have turned them into homogenous tyre conservationists

        This is also my view. We need drivers to be able to express their individual driving style. It was that contrast that made the Senna-Prost (yes yes, that one again) rivalry great because they both had different driving styles that could both achieve wins but different ways.

        Now we have a single optimum way to win a race worked out on the pit wall achieved by driving to lap delta times. Me no like.

        1. @john-h, I think that the reason Senna and Prost could both win races using entirely different strategies was not because of the rules but because of the lack of sophistication on the pit-wall.
          If they were to race today, they would be briefed by their race engineers on Sunday morning about which strategy is fastest and both would have done the same strategy.
          Also, aerodynamics and dirty air wasn’t such a big factor back in late 80s/early 90s.

      3. LOL @ the tennis comparisons. Who’s Andy Murray? Nico Rosberg or Jenson Button?

        1. @todfod Definately Nico Rosberg, always the nearly man, although you can Hiedfeld would also fit the bill I imagine :) ! Massa feels like an Andy Roddick, dazzles and deceives.

        2. Lovely comparison. Lets see, with the top 5 cars :

          Alonso : Federer : beautiful style, has been top of the crop for the last 6 years. Can surprise when you forget he still is top dog.
          Hamilton : Nadal : Imperial on some terrains. Has faults on others. At some point thought to be the future of the sport. Has a tendancy to have off days.
          Vettel : Djokovic : Most recent kid on the block. Impressed from the off, but took a bit of time to shed his error prone kid tag and become a strong world number 1.
          Schumi : Pete Sampras : Former great, still good, shouldn’t play with the younger kids .
          Button : Henman / Murray : British’s great hope, Undoubtly a great talent. Doesn’t always deliver the goods.
          Rosberg : Del Potro : Has only won one of the big boys trophy after having soundly beaten opposition in junior categories. One of the undisputable Alpha Dogs, but not the one you would usely bet on.
          Raikkonen : Safin : Huge talent, has won his fair share of silverware… Can end up showing his undies in public. Most likely to be seen in a night club at three.
          Grosjean : Tsonga : French hope, has the goods, hasn’t won anything worthy with the big boys yet.
          Massa : Soderling : Remember when we thought he could become world number one when he posed problem to Nadal / Hamilton ?

          1. LOL..I was thinking about the sampras – Schumi comparison as well.

            Lets not forget the Hewitt-Webber combination

            1. Lets not forget the Hewitt-Webber combination

              Ewwwwwww

          2. Brilliiant comparisons mate!!

          3. If Pirelli made tennis balls… they’d lose their bounce and hit “the cliff” after 4 or 5 games. Players would have to use both the familiar yellow balls and the new super-soft red ones during each game. And they’d have to start the match using the balls they warmed up with earlier.

            Just pointing out again how stupid the F1 tyre rules are.

            1. If Pirelli made tennis balls … they would ask players and trainers what they look for in a ball, consult it with the ATP and then make a ball to fit.

              As you rightly say in the last sentence of your comment, this is about what F1 asked from Pirelli, not about what the manufacturer is able to bring @bullfrog

    9. I think that the teams with most suitable cars for this track will be Mercedes and Lotus. For qualifying, I bet in Nico Rosberg, but for the race Lotus and Kimi may be the favourites, because Mercedes won´t use so much DRS where they have an advantage to the rest of the field and Lotus don´t struggle as much as Mercedes when looking for the tyres in the race.
      But of course there are three drivers that we can never put them aside as serious candidates for victory – FA, LH and SV.
      On a third level of candidates I would put only MS.
      I don´t think that MW will be competitive here, RG has no experience, FM won´t have a shot because Ferrari will make him assist FA and JB won´t solve is issues from day to night.
      With so many candidates I think we´re on for a great race.

      1. I think Hamilton is going to be strong this weekend as well. If there is one circuit he is likely to break his winless streak, it’s got to be Canada.

        I’m going with Rosberg pole but Hamilton win. I have a feeling Lotus are going to struggle here. Red Bull are hard to predict..

    10. Kimi will win it easy.

      1. I hope he wins in Canada but if by miracle he doesn´t, he´ll nail it at Spa-Francorchamps!

        I´m a bit unsure about the weather, Kimi is not the best when we have changeable weather during a weekend as we will have in this one.

      2. Nobody wins easy these days.

        1. I know, yes?

          Wondering about all the people complaining about it being unpredictable, like results pulled out of ***. They forget how much works goes into every win. This is what you get when gaps are not as big as they used to, whole team have to perform.

    11. The backend teams are quite embarrassing perhaps they should be given some standard start configuration or simply allowed to use drs thru the race so we can see some competition between them, that’s more of an issue than 7 winners !

    12. jeeeeeeesus i hope we get a seventh winner. wouldnt that be extraordinary?

    13. I think with both Lotus, Schumi and Hamilton all yet to win, we’ve got a strong chance of a new winner.

      However, I think that Rosberg is gonna be top dog this weekend, making him the first double winner of the season…

      1. Me too.

    14. Schumacher has to be favourite for Montreal win, if not at least pole position with the mercedes DRS

      1. x2

        The only concern Mercedes will have is the rain expected on Saturday. It’ll likely there will be 10mm during the daytime which means DRS could be disable for quali.

    15. My money has to be on Hamilton, he seems to go really well at montreal. I just hope he avoids hitting anyone or having an incident with anyone ( Jury is still out on the Button/hamilton crash in last years race). Also last year schumi probably would have had a podium if not for the double drs last year. All i know is it is going to be exciting. It is my favourite track.

    16. I think we will have another winner, but with the predictable unpredictability of this season so far, why limit ourselves to official driver entries?
      My money is on Luca de Montezemolo.
      I expect he will go for a short but incredibly stylish first stint, in a classic black suit and expensive Italian shoes.
      Then he will take to the pits on lap 20 and change to some comfy trainers for a consistent final stint and take the win right in front of Hamilton.
      At least he wont have any issues with overheating shoe soles.
      I think Hamilton’s best bet is to wait for the rain. Montezemolo will have to pit for a pair of wellies, and those things are stupid to run in as we all know.
      If his ankles even survive a stint on wellies, his lap times will so slow that he will be a sitting duck.

    17. It’s ironic that the first three cars pictured above will not be winning the race in Montreal

    18. It should be an unpredictable race because Canada is always a crazy race. The track seems tailor made for Mercedes and their trademark straight line speed and good traction should fall into their hands, so I think they will be fast. This grand prix as Alonso has already said is the acid test for Ferrari they had a poor top speed and straight line speed and looked a little shaky on braking so we will find out this race if they have taken a step forward. Mclaren and Hamilton normally tend to do well at Montreal and Red Bull are fast and will be in the mix, Lotus could be dark horses if Kimi gets this constant steering problem and Grosjean gets to grips with the track quickly. Aside from those teams I can’t see anyone getting close it rains or there are some big accidents at the front. I think Schumacher will get pole but Lewis Hamilton will pick up another win in Montreal leading home Rosberg and Schumacher.

      It should be a cracker.

    19. Many drivers could win this: Mercedes are looking quick, especially in cooler conditions, Ferrari and Alonso are consistently performing well, Mclaren will be confident they can win (as long as they don’t ruin their race due to stupid, unecessary errors), Lotus have a very quick car, Red Bull appear to have regained their form (and both their drivers are performing well)…this could be incredibly close. A 7th different winner? Definately a possibility…

    20. I hope we don’t see a new winner so we can start to see a proper championship picture emerging.

      Seeing all the different winners & stuff this year has been great for stats & headlines but its starting to take away from the overall season, Its like each race is an individual event rather than part of a full championship season.

      There’s no flow to this year so im finding it hard to get into the season as a season, Usually by this point you have a clear picture of who the best cars/drivers are & who the title contenders are so you can start to focus on who to watch for the rest of the year.

      For me there is just something about this season thats not getting me excited, Can’t really put my finger on what it is but im just not getting into it at all. For the 1st time in about 30 years im starting to lose intrest in F1 big time.

      1. I agree with you about the chapmionship, no real picture has emerged, normally the first 4 or 5 grand prix’s give you that inclination of who are quick and who are not and a championship battle emerges from there but this year it seems more about the race than the standings, I still enjoy it but my bugbear is that it shouldn’t be all about the tyres and people looking after them, it should be on the limit wheel to wheel racing.

      2. Its like each race is an individual event rather than part of a full championship season.

        know what you mean.

        i don’t know if its good or bad, i myself dont really know what to think of it all, part of my doesn’t mind it but the purist in me hates it.

        i think thats what it comes down to, the more casual fan & those who want constant action & unpredictability all seem to be loving this year, often proclaiming it the best ever.
        however it seems many of the more long term, more hardcore, purist fans either dislike or totally hate the way things are.

        the problem i see is what happens if/when things return more to normal? will even exciting races be called boring again as we saw towards the end of 2011?

      3. Bunch of fantasy football talk.

        “I hope we dont see a new winner” – are you serious? Winner will be who will get the best out of that day and all the other drivers, it’s called Grand Prix for a reason. Geee….

    21. Why is it convention wisdom that the AMG is strong top end when it’s always the Lotuseseseses that top the speed traps?

      1. Mercedes can afford to run a higher downforce set-up since the DDRS reduces drag to a much greater extent than other teams systems, so they may not be the fastest (although it appears the Mercedes engine is the most powerful) but they can most likely corner faster than the Lotus and brake harder.
        Also, last year Mercedes regularly topped the speed traps, and have been competitive in that area so far this year, unlike teams like Red Bull who regularly end up 9th or 10th fastest.

    22. Just for info, the Montréal weather is predicted as:

      Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 13. High 23.
      Saturday: Showers. Low 14. High 22.
      Sunday: Sunny. Low 16. High 26.

      … but please don’t blame me if the weatherman has got it wrong gazing into his crystal ball.

    23. I would like to be Button butt I would’t be surprise to see Kimi on P1 let’s see!!!

    24. Never been more clueless about a prediction, to be honest.

      We have a track with a serious history in chaotic racing on a weekend that could or could not be affected by rain, with 24 cars running on bi-polar tyres on the grid, part of a season that has the potential to deal a lucky hand to pretty much any team from Red Bull to Force India – if not for a win, at least for a podium finish.

      I wouldn’t place a bet unless I’d have the ability to accurately tell the future…

      The facts, as I see them for this weekend, are these:
      – Hamilton will definitely be a BIG threat in the race as he always is in Canada;
      – Rosberg, Schumacher, Raikkonen, Grosjean have cars that suit the track very well;
      – Button could play the smart card and capitalize on a potential shower in the race;
      – Alonso, Massa could deliver a surprise given Ferrari’s latest pace;
      – Vettel, Webber could pull a winning strategy move again, especially in the event of a shower…
      – Sauber, Williams could take advantage of a potential safety car period or a good quali session…

      From here on, to be honest it could go either way. Some options more likely than others, sure, but still unpredictable…

      Personally I’d love to see Schumacher breaking the bad-luck cycle and backing the good qualifying session from Monaco with a much-expected win. I mean, if it’s gonna come this season, it’s either here or Spa…

      We’ll see…

    25. A wet qualifying might be the catalyst for another surprising Grand Prix. Could Felipe Massa, Paul di Resta or Kamui Kobayashi control the race front the front in case one of them finds himself on pole on Saturday?

      Of course, overtaking is possible in Canada, but with the differences between the cars so small, it might not prove so easy, especially with a shortened DRS zone. In case an unlikely driver finds himself out front – and gets his tyres to work – he might be able to hold of the Alonsos, Vettels, etc., especially if they are squabbling over fifth place, or somewhere.

    26. A bit off topic…but looking back, how good does the F10 look??

      And it’s got to be Hamilton. If he doesn’t win this weekend, it’ll start to become a bit of a psychological issue. We also have two quick-looking world champions in cars with great straight-line speed – Schumacher and Raikkonen.

    27. With Canada being arguably Hamilton’s strongest track, if he can’t pull it off here, I think I’m selling my Hamilton WDC betting slip.

    28. Michael Schumacher 7777 would be fantastic, hearing the crowd cheering him in Monaco when he set fastest time is great.

    29. Schumacher might very well win this one. He`s in attack mode coming off a pole position in Monaco and has always loved Canada. If he`s in a position to win ecpect him to go all-in.

      I`m surprised writing this as I was convinced the old dog was washed up and ready for retirement. He`s certainly not the driver he used to be, but given a chance he can obviously still compete with the best of them.

      A win in Canada could also set the old dog up for a new career. He feeds off success and grows stronger and stronger. If he wins Canada I wouldn`t be surprised if he becomes a force to be reckoned with in F1 again.

      I have learnt a lesson, never underestimate the truly greats in sports. Even when they`re some way off their previous level you can never count them out. I suspect what separates them from the rest is their determination to succeed at nomather what, and Schumacher is certainly a determined individual. If there`s a way for him to be successful again he`ll find it.

    30. I reckon, like many, that Mercedes will have a good weekend. The car is just perfectly suited to the circuit and provided the weather is decent, they shouldn’t have any issues with the tyres here, considering Schumacher stuck the W03 on pole in Monaco on the super-softs.

      I’d like to see a Mercedes win. That would be just as good as a 7th different winner for me. They would be the only team with Red Bull to win two races this year which would hopefully be vindication that China wasn’t a fluke and they are genuine title contenders.

    31. The bookies have Schumi at 10/1.. Easy Money :)

    32. Can I just say @keithcollantine that this is a fabulous preview

      1. @timi Thanks you very much :-)

    33. I am of the opinion that I am beginning to lose interest in F1. I don’t know why, but the feeling and excitement of watching a race live is no more there. I’ve either grown out of it or its because of the bizarre races this year.

    Comments are closed.