Formula One fever grips Montréal this week as the teams cross the Atlantic for the onlyNorth American round on the calendar this season, the Canadian Grand Prix. Widely regarded as one of the country’s most favoured sporting events, the Canadians will becelebrating their 40thGrand Prix this year having hosted a race ever year bar one since1967. Twenty nine of those have been held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a trackenjoyed by the drivers for its challenging layout, while also regarded with some degreeof trepidation as its perilous walls loom threateningly close and are renowned forclaiming even the most seasoned of drivers.
Traditionally a good track for the team, AT&T Williams has a strong record at Montréalwith seven victories, second only to Ferrari’s nine, seven fastest laps and nine polepositions. Nico Rosberg will be back in the cockpit in Canada having been given the allclear after his accident in Monaco, and will join Kazuki Nakajima in the team’s fight to collect points to augment its position in the Constructors’ Championship.
Nico Rosberg
Monaco was a difficult race for me, which was a real shame as we’d been competitive all weekend. After two incidents in the opening stages of the race, I thought I’d settledinto a rhythm but, coming to swimming pool after Tabac, the rear of the car twitchedsuddenly, probably on a patch of water, and I ended up in the Armco. After consultingthe doctors on site, I decided to go to hospital as precaution for some routine checks. Fortunately, they came back clear so I was released on Sunday evening. Following a couple of days’ rest, I resumed my normal training programme inpreparation for Canada.
I’m heading to Montréal a few days early to get used to the time difference and to seethe city. There are lots of cool bars, restaurants and clubs, and there are some goodplaces to go shopping. There are also some beautiful places around the city, especiallynear the mountains, where I like to go for my daily run. The locals really get behindFormula 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 Villeneueve and havetraditionally been quick there, which gives me a lot of confidence and allows me to go toMontréal with positive expectations. I’m looking forward to getting back in the carbecause the speed we showed in Monaco was very promising and the track should suit our car.
Kazuki Nakajima
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 experienceof the track, but this will be my first full weekend of racing there. The circuit is verychallenging with its walls and high kerbs. It’s not an easy track, but it should be fun todrive. Montréal itself is a great city. It’s really picturesque and I enjoyed my time therelast year so I’m looking forward to going back. Before heading to Canada, I’m going toNew York for a week to have a look around and do some training.
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1
Montréal always produces good racing, mainly because the cars run so close to thewalls so there’s a higher chance than normal of the safety car being deployed. As one ofthe few street circuits on the calendar, the grip level changes significantly over the raceweekend, 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 thannormal to ensure that the car is running at its optimum aerodynamic efficiency. The longstraights induce high top speeds but, combined with the slow speed corners, also makeMontréal the hardest track on brakes so we have to monitor their wear. Most teams optfor a one or two stop strategy in Canada. Our target for this race is to obviously scorepoints, which we should be able to do considering the upturn in competitiveness wedemonstrated at the last race in Monaco.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal
Located on the Ile Notre Dame, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a wholly differentproposition to the previous race in Monte Carlo and demands a completely different set-up direction and a return to optimum aero efficiency. Above all, Montréal is a powertrack. The 4.361km lap is driven at an average of 200km/h with top speeds peaking at320km/h on the start-finish straight where throttles will be fully open for 15 secondsgoing into Turn 2. As such, engine power and durability will be deciding variables thisweekend.
Sufficient torque to power the car out of the corners will also be key as the high speedstraights are met by a combination of slow and medium speed corners, the slowest ofwhich being L’Epingle hairpin taken in second gear at just 65mph. Low downforce settings for the straights must therefore be complemented by medium grip levels and awell balanced set-up for good cornering capability to achieve a quick lap time.
With a total of 15 corners around the lap, the circuit is notoriously hard on brakes (temperatures can reach up to 1,000°C during the race) so the teams bring bespokebrakes and pads to Montréal which can withstand the high wear levels andtemperatures. The stop-start nature of the circuit also places considerable demands onthe gearbox as up to 3,500 changes can be made during the 70-lap race. Combinedwith Montréal’s imposing kerbs and the unforgiving run-off areas, the Circuit GillesVilleneuve invariably claims a number of casualties, but the fans’ enthusiasm is alwaysrewarded with an exciting Canadian Grand Prix.
