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Team
and Driver race preview (selected
team quotes, for a full team and driver preview click on the team name) Renault (
Fernando Alonso, Giancarlo Fisichella ) Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
We are going there to
win. I think this team knows how to make a car work in Montreal – historically, we have been very successful at this circuit.
Aerodynamic efficiency is very important – minimising drag while getting the right level of downforce. Equally the circuit demands
good traction, which we have, while we understood a number of important lessons about managing traction demands after Monaco. Both
our drivers like the circuit, so the mood is very optimistic. Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top McLaren (
Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya ) MARTIN
WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA ONE, TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES
"We had a productive session at Silverstone last week, completing
set-up and tyre work for Montreal, alongside pre-British Grand Prix programmes with Michelin. The Canadian Grand Prix is very
demanding in nature and is renowned as a race of attrition. It sees extremes of acceleration and braking and as a result engines and
brakes are key for this weekend. We will be fully loading the brakes a lot and therefore cooling is of prime importance and we
completed some positive work in this area at the recent tests. " Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top Toyota (
Jarno Trulli, Ralf Schumacher ) Mike
Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis:
"This year's hectic race schedule is placing unprecedented demands on every team
to maintain its development pace for each race weekend. We have barely had time to recover from the demands of the Monaco-Nürburgring
back-to-back races before we find ourselves preparing for the North American double-header in Montreal and Indianapolis. Montreal
has always been one of the most enjoyable races on the Formula 1 calendar. The track, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, was built around
the site originally developed for the world trade fair Expo 67 and comprises some public streets. For that reason it is not often
used, so it tends to be quite dirty for Friday free practice before it rubbers in. The circuit is especially demanding on the
brakes, but engine performance is also key to a good lap time due to the long straights. As such, the major changes to the car for
Canada will be the introduction of a lower downforce package, which will have been tested in Monza. In the past, we have enjoyed a
reasonable level of performance at Montreal. Given the speed and reliability of the TF105 this season, we have to look to get a
strong podium finish." Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top Williams
BMW ( Mark Webber, Nick Heidfeld ) Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
“Traditionally, heading to the
double header in America marks the half way point in the championship. We are going to Montreal after podium results in Monaco and
Nürburgring, and with a successful test this week at Silverstone under our belts. Montreal is a lower drag circuit, dominated
by straights between a lot of slow corners and chicanes. There are two good overtaking opportunities, and the circuit is the hardest
on brake wear and temperatures. We have brought a number of aerodynamic upgrades to the car, in the form of front and rear wings and
some bodywork parts, all a result of the ongoing development programme for the FW27. A lot of further investigation by BMW and
WilliamsF1 has gone into our starts so we hope to improve upon the current situation.” Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top Ferrari (
Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello ) Not yet available Full Team and Driver Preview Back
to Top Red Bull (
David Coulthard, Christian Klein ) CHRISTIAN HORNER, Sporting Director
“Following
Nürburgring which produced a very positive result for the team, we are looking forward to the race in Montreal. It is a challenging
and technically demanding circuit. I think our car should be reasonably well suited to it and we just need to try and extract a bit
more time out of the car over the single qualifying lap, having seen that we are able to run competitively in the race. Christian
had a good run in Canada last year and was very competitive. His confidence is high, following a good test in Silverstone and he is
looking forward to racing again. I’m sure he will be looking to carry on from where he left off after qualifying 7th in Bahrain.
Montreal is a track that rewards an intelligent and aggressive approach to the actual race and we know we can rely on David to
provide just that.” “For this weekend and next week in Indianapolis, we have decided to give Red Bull Junior driver Scott
Speed a couple of outings in the third car on Friday morning, following a successful test at Silverstone this week and in Barcelona
earlier in the year. These races coincide with a gap in his GP2 schedule. We will be watching his progress with interest. Scott is
obviously the most promising talent to come out of the USA for some considerable time. His achievements in Europe have been
extremely impressive.” Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top Sauber ( Jacques Villeneuve, Felipe Massa ) Willy Rampf (Technical Director): "Montreal is a medium downforce
circuit, because of the very long straight that runs from the hairpin to the last chicane. You need a car with high-speed poise and
good balance, and a high top speed so that you can defend yourself or try to overtake other drivers along the straight.
"You
do a lot of running close to the concrete walls on the back section of the circuit, so you need very good balance to give you the
confidence to get the lap time.
"They have resurfaced the track since 2004 so we do not really know what to expect with
regard to the tyre performance. Normally in Montreal we would go for a fairly soft tyre compound because of all the braking and
accelerating that you do and the need for good traction.
"Montreal makes the highest demand on brakes of any circuit on the
calendar, so we have to maximise brake cooling and use the highest performance brake materials. It also places high loadings on the
engine. Since the ambient temperature can be unpredictable, we also need to have a wide range of engine cooling configurations
available. Because of the medium downforce configuration we will have a revised aero package with new front and rear wings which we
tested first at Le Castellet before Monaco, and again last week at Monza.
"The track offers opportunities for overtaking: on
the exit to the hairpin, along the main straight, and under braking for the last chicane. Brake stability and traction are important
here, so we look forward to perform well at this race." Full Team
and Driver Preview Back to Top Jordan ( Tiago Monteiro, Narain Karthikeyan ) Trevor Carlin, Sporting Director
“We are really looking forward to
the next two fly-away races. We would like to do especially well in Canada, which is the home base of the Midland Group. Canada will
be a new track for Narain, however I am sure he will learn it very quickly. Tiago has raced there in Champ Car, so it will make his
job a bit easier.” Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top BAR Honda ( Jenson Button, Takuma Sato ) GIL
DE FERRAN, SPORTING DIRECTOR
"The two days we spent testing at Monza were for the purposes of determining tyre
specification for the US Grand Prix and evaluating our aero package for the Canadian Grand Prix. The test was successful on both
counts and the test drivers were pleased with the way the car was performing. We are hopeful of a better showing in both of the
North American races as a result." Full
Team and Driver Preview Back to Top Minardi
( Christijan Albers, Patrick Freisacher ) Not yet available Back to Top Bridgestone Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director
of Motorsport
“It is always a pleasure to compete in the city of Montreal where the F1 community is made to feel so
welcome. What’s more, as we head across the Atlantic to North America, the track on the Ile Notre Dame is sure to produce a
challenging but exhilarating weekend of racing. Michael Schumacher has been particularly successful there in recent years and both
the Jordan and Minardi teams regard it as one of their stronger tracks so I am looking forward to watching our teams there again
this year. Following the previous back-to-back races in Monaco and Germany, our teams and engineers have had a brief opportunity to
test at Monza and Silverstone so I am expecting to be able to provide our supporters this weekend with a good show.” Full Bridgestone Preview
Back to Top Michelin Pierre
Dupasquier, Michelin motorsport director
“In common with certain other circuits on the calendar, Montreal features a blend
of high-speed straights, tight corners and heavy braking zones. Drivers negotiate the chicanes at relatively low speeds – about
80-120 km/h (50-75 mph) – and it is vital to gauge your traction control settings correctly to optimise exit speeds onto the long
straights.
“The absence of quick corners and the frequent need for hard acceleration places a great deal of emphasis on
rear-tyre performance – and the possibility of hot ambient temperatures increases the potential strain. You have to take care not
to let the rear wheels spin too much, because that accelerates wear rates. To counter this phenomenon, we will offer our partner
teams tyres with fairly stiff sidewall constructions.
“The Montreal circuit has been completely resurfaced since last season.
Our engineers have taken a look at the track and their research indicates that the asphalt won’t be particularly abrasive. That
said, it is completely new and has yet to be tested by any racing cars. It is likely that track conditions will evolve significantly
throughout the weekend, largely due to the chemical reactions that are an unpredictable by-product of any freshly-laid surface.” Full Michelin Preview
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