6 June: Canadian Grand Prix Preview - McLaren Mercedes
The Canadian Grand Prix is the first race of the 2005 Formula One season's North American double header, taking place at the
Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, on the Ile Notre Dame on the St Lawrence river close to downtown Montreal.
KIMI RAIKKONEN "The
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of the fastest tracks we race on, with speeds reaching 320km/h on the back straight. This of course
means there are big braking zones, and as a result we will run with larger brake ducts than normal, and have a set-up that gives us
good stability under braking. If you were looking to compare it to another track, the Canadian circuit would be most similar to
Imola, and, despite the end result, the MP4-20 was suited to its characteristics, so hopefully we will run well this weekend.
However, I will be out pretty early for Qualifying on Saturday, which will be a disadvantage as the track is always really
dirty."
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA "I always enjoy the Canadian Grand Prix, the atmosphere is really lively and
the fans are so enthusiastic, so it is great fun. The track itself demands high speed grip, whilst running a low downforce set-up.
This in particular means that the car has a feeling of being lighter, you feel like you are on the limit with it the whole time.
Because the Armco are very tight and you have the high speeds, this means you have to be very precise, as with Monaco. The set-up of
the car also needs to give good traction out of the slow corners. There are also good overtaking opportunities, for example going
into the hairpin, so hopefully we can have another exciting race for the fans."
PEDRO DE LA ROSA "As the
Montreal circuit has been re-asphalted, the new asphalt characteristics are unknown for everyone. We will do as much work as we can
during the two Friday sessions to understand how this will affect temperatures and wear on our Michelin tyres."
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. "
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ
MOTORSPORT "Everybody in our team is looking forward to the upcoming two races within eight days in Canada and the USA. In
the last three races Kimi led 192 of a possible 203 laps. We should have won the last one ? no doubt ? but the potential to do
better is there. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at Montreal features a fast layout, which allows top speeds of more than 300 km/h.
More than 65 per cent of a lap is run under full throttle. The combination of long straights, tight chicanes and hairpins is very
demanding on the brakes."
