Race Preview 2013 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX JUNE 2013

Transcription

1 Race Preview 201 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX 0 09 JUNE 201 After two races in Europe, Formula One once again moves into flyaway mode, travelling to Montreal and the Canadian Grand Prix. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve hosts the seventh round of an enthralling 201 FIA F1 World Championship. Canada never fails to provide an entertaining grand prix. The high speeds and heavy braking zones make it a paradise for overtaking, while the unforgiving walls which hem in the race track on all sides provide a drama all of their own. Additionally, the weather rarely fails to play a part in the race: searing heat and tremendous downpours have both been commonplace in recent years either of which can serve to turn race strategy on its head. While the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve creates a host of challenges for engineers, the standout problem around its.1 kilometres is braking performance. The long, thin course is a stop-start race track, with a succession of straights broken up by chicanes and a hairpin. The combination of heavy braking zones and relatively short straights sees pads and discs pushed to their limits but denied decent intervals in which to cool down. It means brakes are pushed harder here than anywhere else on the grand prix calendar. F1 comes to Canada with the familiar sight of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing leading their respective World Championships but neither the German driver nor his Anglo-Austrian team has demonstrated any conclusive superiority this term. Four teams have recorded victories in the opening six races of the season, and despite each proving itself capable of dominating under the right circumstances, none has reached the top step of the podium without being made to work exceptionally hard for the privilege. The Canadian Grand Prix promises no less. CIRCUIT DATA Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Length of lap:.1km Lap record: 1:1.22 (Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 200) Start/finish line offset: 0.000km Total number of race laps: 0 Total race distance: 0.20km Pitlane speed limits: 0km/h during practice. 100km/h during qualifying and the race. CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2012 Gravel and grass around the outside of turn eight and the apex of turn nine has been replaced with asphalt. A speed bump approximately 0mm high and 00mm wide has been installed parallel to the track edge on the driver s left before the apex kerb in turn nine (around the outside of turn eight). Another has been installed to the driver s left after the apex kerb in turn 1. Additional guardrail posts have been installed in places where the spacing between them was greater than 2m. DRS ZONE There will be a two DRS zones in Canada with a single detection point, 110m after T9. Activation One is m before T12 (Casino Straight), Activation Two is 0 after T1 (Start-Finish Straight).

2 FINIS H T DRS DETECTION 8 DRS ACTIVATION T DRS ACTIVATION Pit Lane T : Speed Kmh 10 Gear Braking Lateral G-force T :12.2 Canadian GP Fast Facts The have been Formula One Canadian Grands Prix, the first being won by Jack Brabham in 19. That race was held at Mosport Park, as were the races in 199, 191- and 19-. In 198 and 190 the race was held at Mont-Tremblant. It moved to its present home in 198. The Canadian Grand Prix was not held in 19, 198 or McLaren is the leading constructor at the Canadian Grand Prix with 1 victories, to Ferrari s 11 and Williams seven. Nine of McLaren s total came at this circuit, including a hat-trick of victories in the past three years. Michael Schumacher is the leading driver at this race by some distance, with seven victories. Lewis Hamilton is the only multiple winner in this year s field. He has three victories here (200, 2010, 2012). Other winners racing this year are Kimi Räikkönen (200), Fernando Alonso (200) and Jenson Button (2011). Of the seven braking points at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, four have Timing Sector Sector Time Lap Time Sector 1 Sector 2 Sector Circuit Safety Car Light Panels loads in excess of G, the harshest of which is the approach to the hairpin, at which cars will brake from 00kph down to a first-gear 0kph for the tight turn. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve offers a rare opportunity to compare various elite series. Champ Car made its final appearance here in 200 and Sébastien Bourdais took pole position with a time of 1: When F1 visited in the same summer, Fernando Alonso had pole with 1:1.92 (though went quicker in Q2). The 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series race had Alex Tagliani on pole with a time of 1:0.8, in contrast to Sebastian Vettel s 2012 F1 pole time of 1:1.8. Unlike the previous grand prix, held on the streets of Monaco, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve does not confer any particular advantage on pole position. Since 2000, the race has only been won from pole on four occasions. It has also been won from second on the grid four times in this period. Start Medical Car Run-off Areas Finish Marshals Gravel Traps On his way to victory in 2011, Jenson Button occupied last place as late as lap 0. That notwithstanding, the race doesn t particularly favour a charge through the field: it has never been won by anyone starting outside the top ten, and then only once from the fifth row, when Jacques Laffite won from tenth position for Ligier in Originally named the Île Notre-Dame Circuit, it was renamed in honour of Gilles Villeneuve after his death. In 198 Villeneuve won the inaugural grand prix held on the island. Of the current F1 calender, the other circuit named in honour of a former driver is the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, home of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Like Villeneuve, Pace was a grand prix winner and local hero at the circuit now bearing his name. Villeneuve s win was the first of his six grand prix victories. Four other drivers have taken their debut win at this circuit: Thierry Boutsen (1989), Jean Alesi (199), Lewis Hamilton (200) and Robert Kubica (2008).

3 Championship Standings (Drivers) Australia Malaysia China Bahrain Spain Monaco Canada GB Germany Hungary Belgium Italy Singapore Korea Japan India Abu Dhabi USA Brazil POINTS 1. Sebastian Vettel Kimi Raikkonen Fernando Alonso Lewis Hamilton Mark Webber Nico Rosberg Felipe Massa Paul Di Resta Romain Grosjean Jenson Button Adrian Sutil Sergio Perez Daniel Ricciardo Nico Hulkenberg Jean-Eric Vergne Esteban Gutierrez Valtteri Bottas Pastor Maldonado Jules Bianchi Charles Pic Max Chilton Giedo van der Garde

4 Championship Standings (Constructors) Australia Malaysia China Bahrain Spain Monaco Canada GB Germany Hungary Belgium Italy Singapore Korea Japan India Abu Dhabi USA Brazil POINTS 1. Infiniti Red Bull Racing Scuderia Ferrari Lotus F1 Team Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Sahara Force India F1 Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Scuderia Toro Rosso Sauber F1 Team Williams F1 Team Marussia F1 Team Caterham F1 Team

5 Formula One Timetable & FIA Media Schedule THURSDAY Press conference FRIDAY Practice session Practice session Press conference 1.00 SATURDAY Practice session Qualifying Followed by unilateral and press conference SUNDAY Drivers Parade 12.0 Race 1.00 Followed by podium interviews and press conference ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES QUALIFYING All drivers eliminated in Q1 or Q2 are available for media interviews immediately after the end of each session, as are drivers who participated in Q, but who are not required for the postqualifying press conference. The TV interview pen will be inside the paddock, in front of the race control tower RACE Any driver retiring before the end of the race is available at the team s garage/hospitality. In addition, during the race every team will make available at least one senior spokesperson for interview by officially accredited TV crews. A list of those nominated will be made available in the media centre. FIA COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT press@fia.com T