Friday, June 06, 2008 Double Canadian for Hamilton? By Steve Slater Special Contributor
THE Canadian Grand Prix has always had a reputation for being one of the “‘wacky races,” a race where almost anything can happen on the track.
In contrast this week, there is an inevitability about the prime topic of conversation in the Montreal paddock. The fallout from the “vote of confidence” in FIA President Max Mosley may even threaten the future running of the Canadian race.
One of the most immediate fall-outs from the decision by the representatives on Wednesday is that some national motoring bodies in Germany, the US, Canada and other countries have openly discussed pulling out of the FIA. If they do, there will be no official international sanctioning powers for races in their respective countries.
This would mean that races including the German and Canadian Grand Prix may be placed in jeopardy. The strongly-worded comments from the American Automobile Association may also end hopes of the United States Grand Prix being reinstated on the calendar in the near future.
In the country which hosts the opening Grand Prix of the season, The Australian newspaper described Mosley as a “pariah” saying: “In this image-conscious sport, whose revenues depend on its reputation for sophistication and prestige, a man revealed to have a penchant for sado-masochistic bondage sessions with prostitutes is an unwelcome guest.”
It was a sentiment supported by Bernie Ecclestone who went on record as
saying: “There were many people who didn’t want to speak to him before. I can’t think they will want to speak to him now as a result of what has happened. Nothing has changed in that respect. Just because he gets a few clubs from Africa voting for him will not make the King of Spain want to shake his hand”.
Whatever one’s personal feelings on “Mosleygate,” it seems that rather
than giving closure to the issue, Wednesday’s FIA vote is stirring up an even bigger storm.
Whatever happens behind the scenes, I believe we’ll have another cracking Canadian Grand Prix to savor. Lewis Hamilton returns to Montreal with the best possible chance of adding a second Canadian victory to his maiden Formula One victory in 2007.
The reason for McLaren fans to feel confident stems from their car’s traditional ability to make the most of mechanical grip and traction, in comparison to aerodynamic downforce. It is the same attribute that gave Lewis his winning edge in Monaco too.
At first there may seem to be little in common between the tight confines of Monaco, and the long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In Monaco the cars simply never go fast enough for the wings to give a major effect. In Montreal the fastest chassis set-up is to “trim” the wings for the minimum drag and a maximum speed of down the long back straight, accepting the compromise of slower cornering speeds on other parts of the track.
Masters
McLaren have proved masters of this in past years. In addition to Hamilton’s victory in 2007, the team won with Kimi Raikkonen in 2006 and the Finn would have won in 2005 too, but for a fumbled pit stop. The last time a Ferrari has won at the track was with Michael Schumacher in 2004.
In fact, if the form book is repeated, the Ferrari drivers might even struggle to make the podium on Sunday afternoon. The unique nature of the Montreal track traditionally seems to work well for the BMW and Williams teams too.
Last year of course, the headlines were dominated by Robert Kubica’s BMW. It speared off the track after clipping the rear of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota, hitting the barriers
almost head-on at 280 km/h, before barrel-rolling to a halt on the outside of the track.
Thankfully the Pole escaped injury, which allowed BMW to celebrate a fine second place for Nick Heidfeld. The car will once again be one of the fastest at about 320 km/h on the straight and I would not be too surprised to see both BMW drivers on the podium this year.
Another driver not to be discounted is Heikki Kovalainen. Last year at Renault, Montreal marked the start of the turn-around in the Finn’s season, with a brilliantly-judged drive from 22nd and last place, to finish fourth. This year he has a McLaren under him—need I say more?
Likewise Williams could spring a surprise in Montreal. Last year Alex Wurz was one of the stars of the race as he carved through the field on a one pit stop strategy to claim third place after starting 20th on the grid. His Williams team-mate Nico Rosberg might also have featured last year, but along with Fernando Alonso, was given a ten-second “stop-go” penalty for entering the pits at the start of a safety car period.
They at least fared better than Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella. They were both disqualified for jumping red “traffic lights” at the other end of the pitlane.
It seems that anything can happen in Montreal. The tight first corner has triggered at least two multi-car pileups in recent years and more than one world champion has ended his race sliding along the infamous “Champions Wall” at the chicane in front of the pits.
Last year also saw the unfancied Super Aguri of Takuma Sato blast past Alonso’s McLaren on the straight to claim fifth place, while Anthony Davidson was robbed of a points-scoring finish after running over a squirrel!
However perhaps the ultimate late race drama came in 1991. The British driver Nigel Mansell had such a big lead he began waving to the crowd on the final lap, but let the engine revs drop too low at the final hairpin.
The car stalled and rolled to a halt, allowing Nelson Piquet senior (Nelsinho’s dad!) to claim his third victory at the track. I told you this was a wacky race!
(Steve Slater is the expert half of the popular F1 commentary duo on Star Sports. Slater is a veritable encyclopedia of motor racing and has been involved in the sport at many levels including as journalist, race-organizer, radio broadcaster, and now commentator).
