[Mark]

2008 - Canadian Grand Prix Preview








Race Track Diagram:





Location: Canada, Montreal

Race Date: 08 Jun 2008

Number of Laps: 70

Circuit Length: 4.361 km

Race Distance: 305.270 km

Lap Record: 1:13.622 - R Barrichello (2004)


Last Year Table:

f1.com text preview:

Back in the lead of the world championship after his victory in Monaco, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton is determined to become 2008’s first three-time winner on the circuit at which he took his maiden Grand Prix triumph last season, as the Formula One circus moves to Canada.


Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are similarly searching for their third victory of the season and after the Italian team’s disappointing Monte Carlo result, both will be out to make amends at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

“Winning at Monaco is the highlight of my career, it was a very emotional victory for me as it is something I have dreamed of since I was a kid,” says Hamilton. “I will never forget the moment, but now my only focus is Canada. We have good momentum right now and we are pushing to keep that going and to keep developing.

“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of my favourite tracks and following last year it is a very special place for me. I hope that we will be quick there again this year. It is renowned for its difficult track surfaces, particularly with tyre graining, and the walls. Despite being very fast, it can feel like a street circuit with the barriers very close, but it is good fun to drive.”


Twelve months on from his first pole position and victory, Hamilton reflected recently on how his career has developed.

“Last year in Canada was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, to take my maiden pole and victory in Formula One was incredible. Since then I think I’ve matured a lot. I have grown stronger as a driver and have become closer to the team.”


Similar things might be said of Massa, who is beginning to emerge as a real force at Ferrari. “I think we have gone very well in the recent test at Paul Ricard, with the car set-up for Canada,” the Brazilian says. “I think we will be a lot better there than we were last year, and I think we can fight for the win.”


Team mate Kimi Raikkonen, who won in Montreal for McLaren in 2005, needs a strong result after Monaco. He is convinced the F2008 will work better than last year around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when Ferrari had a relatively poor Canadian Grand Prix, with the Finn taking fifth place and Massa being disqualified for a pit lane infringement.

“Traditionally Canada is a good race for Ferrari,” says Raikkonen, “so let's hope that we can continue this tradition. It's possible to have strange races there, too, because it's very possible that the safety car will be employed, but we're ready for every kind of situation.”


Meanwhile, the BMW Sauber pairing of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld (a podium finisher here in 2007), are also hungry, the German-Swiss team currently just a point shy of second-placed McLaren in the constructor standings.

"Last year's race was very special for me,” Heidfeld says. “We put in a very strong showing in 2007. I came third in qualifying and finished second in the race on my own merit. Initially that result was obviously overshadowed by Robert's accident. Only when we knew he was okay were we able to celebrate.”


The Pole says that he has no qualms about the place despite the massive accident that befell him here in 2007.

“I don't think there will be any emotions for me,” he says. “Like always at every Grand Prix I will try to do my best. And after the accident of last year there was no effect - there was no effect until now so I don’t expect anything.”


The teams always run low downforce here because of the long straights, so mechanical grip becomes even more important. Brake performance and durability is also critical, as this is the toughest circuit of the season in that respect.

"It is very heavy on the brakes and we have to pay special attention to make sure they last the race,” says Heikki Kovalainen, who will be looking for his first victory with McLaren. “It is also definitely key to a good lap at this track to be able to ride the kerbs well; basically you are trying to straight-line them so you can go faster through the corner. The most important thing is being able to take those bumps and the hits well and for it not to disrupt the car too much. So in general the car needs to be quite soft."


The track has been modified at the point on the back straight where Kubica crashed. The wall that he hit on the outside has been moved closer to the track to reduce the angle of impact if a car goes off there in a similar accident. Improved debris fencing has also been added to reduce the possibility of debris being thrown across the wall into the path of cars exiting the hairpin.


The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve gets little use during the year so the surface tends to be very slippery until it cleans up with use and ‘rubbers in’. Thereafter, the grip level increases significantly.


Bridgestone will have their soft and super-soft tyres again, as in Monaco, but the indications from the weather forecasts are that they may well need their wet-weather rubber instead. A chance of thunderstorms is predicted for all three racing days.

Weekend weather update - thunderstorms expected in Canada





Welcome to the seventh round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Montreal’s Ile Notre Dame.

It looks as if we could be in for a very wet weekend, with predictions veering from thunderstorms to showers and back to thunderstorms in recent days.

At present, Thursday is forecast to be partly cloudy and dry with an ambient temperature high of 24 degrees Celsius. There will then be thunderstorms on Friday through to Sunday, with the temperature fluctuating between 26 and 29 degrees.


Saturday practice and qualifying will each start an hour earlier than usual (1000 hours and 1300 hours local time respectively). The race, which will run over 70 laps or 305.270 kilometres (189.694 miles), will start at 1300 hours local time, four hours behind GMT.









30 years of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal

Montreal staged its first Canadian Grand Prix back in October 1978 and this weekend’s race will mark the 30th anniversary of the race coming to the French-Canadian city. In honour of this special occasion, we delved into the archives to bring you a few highlights from the last three decades…


- Prior to 1978 the home of Formula One racing in Canada had principally been Mosport Park (although Mont-Tremblant hosted two events). However, the Toronto track had gradually fallen out of favour and when it was eventually deemed outdated the sport switched its attentions to Montreal, where it has remained ever since.


- Motivated by the success of up-and-coming local hero Gilles Villeneuve, but somewhat short on time, Montreal decided to combine public streets with purpose-built sections for their new circuit. Taking the Ile Notre-Dame as their starting point, officials spent $2 million connecting all the island's roads to make a track that could satisfy Formula One racing’s exacting standards.


- They succeeded. With a mixture of long straights and tight chicanes, it quickly became one of the most popular tracks on the calendar - a claim it can still make today. Although a stone’s throw from the bustle of downtown Montreal, the circuit’s location on the man-made island in the St Lawrence seaway is relatively tranquil, with slippery conditions on the opening day (due to the track’s infrequent use) and rogue groundhogs among the regular hazards for drivers.


- The first race held in Montreal took place on October 8, 1978 and the 72,000 Canadian fans that packed into the grandstands were gifted with a dream result when French-Canadian star Villeneuve, in his first season with Ferrari, took a memorable maiden victory.


- Villeneuve almost won again in 1979, but after a close tussle it was Williams’ Alan Jones who claimed victory (a feat the Australian would repeat again in 1980). In 1981 it looked like Villeneuve would get another chance to score the top step of the podium, but a collision between his Ferrari and Arnoux's Renault during the rain-hit event meant he could only manage third. The race was eventually won by Jacques Laffite for Ligier.


- In 1982 Formula One racing was rocked by the Villeneuve’s death during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix and in his honour the Montreal track was renamed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, that year’s race did not escape tragedy either, when Riccardo Paletti drove into the back of the stalled Ferrari of Didier Pironi and was killed. Nelson Piquet won for Brabham.


- The following year the name Villeneuve returned to the Montreal entry list with the younger brother of Gilles, Jacques, attempting - and unfortunately failing - to qualify in a Ram March. Rene Arnoux was more successful, winning for Ferrari. A season later Piquet and Brabham were again victorious, before Ferrari returned to winning form in 1985 with Michele Alboreto leading team mate Stefan Johansson home.




With Montreal set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend, we take a look back at some of the track’s highlights from 1986 to the present day…


- Montreal’s ‘Honda era’ began in 1986 with a win by Nigel Mansell driving a Williams. Mansell, however, was powerless to repeat his victory in’87 when the race was cancelled following a legal dispute. The resulting changes, including a partially redesigned circuit and new garages, meant the track welcomed the Formula One fraternity back in 1988.


- Ayrton Senna took the first of his two Montreal victories at that race. The Brazilian's second triumph, again for McLaren, came two years later (Thierry Boutsen won in ’89 for Williams) at the expense of team mate Gerhard Berger, who jumped the start and was handed a one-minute time penalty. Berger, however, made amends with victory in 1992 for the British team.


- The intervening race in 1991 was the scene of one of the most unlikely incidents in Formula One history. On course to a comfortable win, an over-exuberant Nigel Mansell accidentally switched off his Williams’ engine while waving to the crowd on the final lap and Benetton’s Nelson Piquet passed him to pick up the winner’s trophy. It was the Brazilian’s last Grand Prix victory.


- 1993 saw Alain Prost’s only Canadian triumph, while in 1995 Jean Alesi scored the sole victory of his Formula One career at the circuit. But by far the most successful driver in Montreal has been Michael Schumacher, who recorded a record-breaking seven victories. He clinched his first in 1994 but had to wait until 1997 for his next, which came at the expense of McLaren's David Coulthard, whose race was ruined by last-minute gearbox issues.


- With Gilles’ son Jacques on the grid, in 1996 Montreal had even more reason than usual to celebrate the arrival of the Formula One circus. Although his Williams team mate Damon Hill won from pole, Villeneuve finished second and successfully entered the history books with the fastest lap of the race. It would be the closest Jacques came to emulating his father’s Grand Prix win at the circuit.


- In 1998 Schumacher won again for Ferrari, despite a big first-corner crash, and was on course for victory the following year too, before spinning out and handing victory to McLaren's Mika Hakkinen. The German was back on mistake-free form, however, in 2000 when he took his fourth Montreal victory, again in the Ferrari.


- Over 300,000 fans watched the other Schumacher - Ralf - drive to victory for Williams in 2001. A year later, the elder Schumacher returned to the top step of the podium and so doing clinched Ferrari’s 150th Formula One victory.


- Michael went on to win in 2003, while his 2004 victory would prove to be his last at the Canadian track. Over the last three years, three different drivers having crossed the line first - Kimi Raikkonen for McLaren in 2005, Fernando Alonso for Renault in ’06 (also Michelin’s 100th Grand Prix victory) and Lewis Hamilton for McLaren last season.


- Since that 2007 race, the Montreal circuit has seen a number of modifications. A safety fence has been installed along the wall into which BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica spectacularly crashed last year and the paddock has been modernised to provide better facilities for the teams.

[Mark]

Friday analysis - big three teams all promising more

f1.com wrote:


McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was in confident mood after topping the times in Friday practice for the Canadian Grand Prix. The championship leader finished a quarter of a second clear of his opposition as he seeks his second successive victory at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, second-placed Robert Kubica believes there is plenty more to come from BMW Sauber, and Kimi Raikkonen looked like a man with little to worry about after he ended the day in third for Ferrari…


McLaren

Lewis Hamilton, 1m 18.303s, P6/1m 15.752s, P1
Heikki Kovalainen, 1m 18.133s, P3/1m 16.331s, P4

Hamilton saved wet tyres by not running much in the morning session, and went on to improve his car with every run in the afternoon. He said he was very comfortable with the set-up on both the soft and super-soft Bridgestones, and is feeling quietly confident on the track that yielded him his maiden victory last year. Kovalainen said he didn’t find a ‘truly perfect!’ balance all day, and that unlike Hamilton he has not yet started to attack the track.


BMW Sauber

Robert Kubica, 1m 17.809s, P2/1m 16.023s, P2
Nick Heidfeld, 1m 18.182s, P4/ 1m 16.589s, P6

Kubica was happy with the work he got done in the afternoon, which was necessary to make up for time lost to the wet track in the morning. His F1.08 was still nervous because of the general lack of grip, but he felt he established a decent baseline for Saturday. Second place in each session was hardly anything to grumble about. Heidfeld’s performance picked up again after Monaco, but though he was happy with set-up changes suggested by his few dry runs in the morning, he complained of yellow flags on his fastest efforts in the afternoon.


Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen, 1m 18.292s, P5/1m 16.093s, P3
Felipe Massa, 1m 17.553s, P1/1m 16.413s, P5

Though he was ‘only’ third fastest in the faster session, Raikkonen said he was happy with his day. He found a decent balance almost straight away, and built on it throughout the afternoon. Massa was happy in the morning but a lot less so in the afternoon after his F2008 suffered ‘some sort of blackout’ as all of its systems gradually shut down. The team have yet to confirm the cause.


Red Bull

Mark Webber, 1m 18.712s, P7/1m 16.604s, P7
David Coulthard, 1m 18.809s, P8/1m 17.334s, P12

Webber was quite happy with what he achieved in a ‘reasonable’ day which included a brief spin that did no damage. Coulthard said he preserved tyres after running out of time in the afternoon, and was also quite content with the way things had gone.


Williams

Nico Rosberg, 1m 19.093s, P11/1m 16.767s, P8
Kazuki Nakajima, 1m 18.971s, P9/1m 17.242s, P11

Rosberg got a lot of set-up work done in both sessions and felt that Williams found a solid direction for Saturday. He left the track feeling confident. Nakajima enjoyed the advantage of driving here last year and was happy with what he achieved.


Toro Rosso

Sebastian Vettel, 1m 19.228s, P12/1m 17.019s, P9
Sebastien Bourdais, 1m 20.541s, P19/1m 17.559s, P16

On his first acquaintance with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Vettel was happy with the way things went in the STR3’s first outing on a road course. He felt the team were in better shape than they had been on the first day in Monaco, which means progress. Bourdais had a difficult day, starting with a different set-up to his team mate’s and struggling throughout as he looked for better balance and grip.


Toyota

Jarno Trulli, 1m 19.568s, P14/1m 17.068s, P10
Timo Glock, 1m 19.346s, P13/1m 17.549s, P15

Trulli had a normal Friday, complicated by the circuit’s ‘green’ nature at this early stage. Glock had a tougher time after clobbering the wall near Turn Six in the afternoon and damaging his right-hand suspension badly enough to render his RF108 out of action for the remainder of the session.


Honda

Rubens Barrichello, 1m 20.173s, P18/1m 17.462s, P13
Jenson Button, 1m 21.542s, P20/1m 17.842s, P19

A difficult day here, as Barrichello struggled to hone the low downforce set-up of his RA108, but at least he felt he made progress in the afternoon. Button stayed unhappy, complaining all day of snap oversteer that made his car particularly unforgiving.


Renault

Fernando Alonso, 1m 19.005s, P10/1m 17.644s, P17
Nelson Piquet, 1m 120.091s, P17/1m 18.076s, P20

Renault had a difficult time, especially in the afternoon. Alonso went well enough in the morning but spun to a halt exiting Turn One in the afternoon and was unable to restart. He was thus unable to complete some crucial set-up work, but said he remains confident of making it through to Q3. Piquet’s unhappy time continued as he struggled to learn much about the track in the continually changing conditions.


Force India

Giancarlo Fisichella, 1m 19.815s, P15/1m 17.508s, P14
Adrian Sutil, 1m 19.888s, P16/1m 17.813s, P18

Fisichella called for more set-up changes after graining his tyres this afternoon, but had an otherwise problem-free day. Sutil was not 100 percent happy with his VJM01’s balance, but thought that might also be down to graining.



Paddock Pics!




Hopefully we'll have a promising race tomorrow!

[mark08]

heres to a good race!
duno how im gonn awatch the footy and the race tomo, but should be quality!

eventhough i dont like the guy, im impressed by alonsos qualifying lap in the renault!

got a feeling kubica is driving wid so much confidence at the mo that i think he will have a good race wid a podium finish!

[Mark]

Australia to keep GP

An agreement for Australia to continue to host a Formula One race until 2015 is expected to be signed within days, according to reports.

Originally Posted by eurosport.yahoo.com

The future of the Australian Grand Prix was placed in jeopardy in March with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone saying that it might be dumped after 2010 unless it switched to a night race to accommodate European television audiences.

Organisers of the race and the Victoria state government, which helps underwrite the Melbourne event, have refused to stage it at night but suggested a compromise to move the start time to 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

This year's Australian Grand Prix started at 15:30, 90 minutes later than in previous years.

While reports suggested the race could be moved to Asia or to oil-rich Gulf states after 2010, it now appeared likely to remain in Melbourne until 2015 after both parties reached a verbal agreement for a five-year extension.

The contract is expected to be signed within days, according to Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper on Sunday.

The race, however, would not be held at night.

"We have ruled out a night Grand Prix and that is not negotiable," Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding told the newspaper.

"This is a good event for the state. It's one we want to keep and we'll be working hard to ensure that it does remain here in Melbourne in the years ahead."

eurosport.yahoo.com | F1 | News | Article Here!




Great news guys, really great news!

I love the Albert Park, very fast circuit!

[funkdoctorspock]

This is definitely excellent news.

Its a great track. Very quick.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this GP turned into the first night race.

[Mark]

2008 - French Grand Prix Preview








Race Track Diagram:





Location: Magny-Cours, France

Race Date: 22 Jun 2008

Number of Laps: 70

Circuit Length: 4.411 km

Race Distance: 308.586 km

Lap Record: 1:15.377 - M Schumacher (2004)


Last Year Table:

f1.com text preview:

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen is busy telling the world that he wants to satisfy his lust for winning; BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica is quietly determined not to lose his lead in the world championship; and Lewis Hamilton has been admitting to the pressure he is feeling as McLaren’s (and his country’s) golden hope for title honours.

Frankly, the odds favour the Ferrari and BMW Sauber teams in Magny-Cours rather than Hamilton, as he will be given the 10-place grid penalty for his gaffe of running into the back of Raikkonen recently in Canada.


Raikkonen proclaimed earlier this week: "I don't remember when I had such a great lust for winning. The team had prepared a car, which was able to be strong on all the tracks, but it didn't go well during the last races.

“I don't like looking back and think about what happened at the last race. I don't carry bad thoughts with me, because that would just make me lose time, as you can't change the result anyway. It's much better to concentrate on the upcoming GP and try to get the best result possible."

The Finn won here last year, of course, and needs a strong result to contain the increasing challenge not just from Kubica but also from team mate Felipe Massa who drove storming races in Monaco and Montreal. For his part, Massa believes the F2008 will be well suited to Magny-Cours, though the Brazilian remains wary of the BMW Sauber threat.

“It is a nice track that usually suits the characteristics of our car,” he said. “In recent years, people would say that Canada and Monaco suited McLaren better than Ferrari, while it was the other way round in France and Britain, but I don't think that is really the case this year, as apart from any other factors, we have to consider the BMW team in this equation.”


Meanwhile, Hamilton told British broadcasters the BBC: “The sport is fun, but there's a way you have to learn to enjoy it. There's so much pressure, and I can't begin to explain how much pressure I have on my shoulders.”

The grid penalty will make it almost impossible for Hamilton to win at Magny-Cours, a circuit that historically favours the Ferraris and on which it is horribly difficult to overtake. However, there may be one thing that could disrupt anticipated form and that’s the weather. Severe thunderstorms are currently predicted for race day, after rain for qualifying.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself, and when you don't succeed it doesn't feel so great," Hamilton acknowledged. "But these are character-building days and the days that make you stronger. I didn't win the last race but I'm loving this. I get to come back here, work with the guys and push forward, and there's a great atmosphere, always pushing to get better and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm really enjoying myself."

He has put down his mistakes earlier in the year to the fact that he put a lot of pressure on himself. "Too much. And that led to mistakes, being too on the limit. I wasn't really enjoying it, to be honest."


Kubica, like Raikkonen, keeps his emotional cards close to his chest and never gives much away. Barely alluding to his lead in the world championship for drivers, he said: "For many people Magny-Cours is a boring place, but I like the track quite a lot. This is the place where I came back last year after my accident. It's an interesting track because it has all kinds of corners - high-speed, low-speed, high-speed chicanes, a hairpin and heavy braking. So I'm looking forward to the race and I hope that I can do as well as possible here, as I have done in most of the Grands Prix since the beginning of the season.

“I hope we will again have some improvements on the car that will help us to close the gap to Ferrari and McLaren. My goal is to score as many points as possible and to still be in a strong position after the race.”


Bridgestone will bring the 'soft' and 'medium' tyre compounds from their 2008 range to this race, which, with characteristics akin to Monaco, is known to be particularly tiresome for rubber.

Weekend weather update - thunderstorms forecast in France





Welcome to the French Grand Prix at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, the eighth round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.

As in Canada, there is a possibility that rain could affect the outcome of the weekend. Showers are forecast for Thursday, with an ambient temperature high of 23 degrees Celsius. That will rise to 24 as the weekend approaches, but where Friday will be partly cloudy, there will be thunderstorms in the area on Saturday. It will be hotter still on Sunday, at 28 degrees, but again thunderstorms - described as severe - are a definite possibility.

The schedule reverts to normal now that the calendar is back in Europe, which means Friday morning practice running from 1000 to 1130 hours local time, Friday afternoon practice from 1400 to 1530, Saturday morning practice from 1100 to 1200, and qualifying from 1400 to 1500.


The race will run over 70 laps of the 4.411 kilometre (2.741 mile) circuit, or 308.586 kilometres (191.755 miles), and will start at 1400, which is 1200 GMT.





Paddock Pics

[Dirtycheat]

Thanks for the preview

Hopefully there wont be too many problems in the french qualifying sessions.

Ferrari 1,2 for me unless a ferrari finds itself in the pits at the same time as Hamilton (who is clearly getting driving lessons of his dad).


Massa to win for me

[Mark]

French GP - Ferrari's dominate French qualifying

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa will start on the front row of the grid at the French GP with penalty hampered Lewis Hamilton back in 13th.

eurosport.yahoo.com wrote:



The pole, the 16th of Raikkonen's grand prix career, left the Finn perfectly placed to repeat his 2007 victory at the circuit.

Poland's Robert Kubica, the championship leader for BMW-Sauber after his victory in Canada earlier this month, qualified seventh but will start sixth because of a 10-place penalty imposed on McLaren's Hamilton.

Hamilton, who picked up the punishment after crashing into Raikkonen in the Canadian Grand Prix pit lane, qualified third and will start 13th.

His demotion left Renault's double world champion Fernando Alonso sharing the second row with Italian Jarno Trulli in a Toyota.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen moved up to fifth. Kubica leads Hamilton and Massa by four points in the championship with Raikkonen a further three adrift after seven races.

Raikkonen failed to finish in Canada after the pit lane collision and drew a blank in Monaco after running into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India while in fifth place. But he has never failed to finish in France.

The Finn also finished second in France for McLaren in 2005 from 13th place on the starting grid and Hamilton will take comfort from that statistic.

However, the Briton, who had led the championship before his Montreal gaffe, produced errors on the exit to turn seven on both of his quick laps that cost him some time.

Australian Mark Webber, in a Red Bull, will start on the third row with British team mate David Coulthard alongside.

Germany's Nico Rosberg, also involved in Hamilton's Montreal crash and penalised 10 places, starts at the back for Williams while France's only grand prix driver Sebastien Bourdais qualified 14th for Toro Rosso.

Brazilian Nelson Piquet, still without a point, will make his first top 10 start after moving up to that position following Hamilton's demotion.



French GP - Qualfying Results

[funkdoctorspock]

watched the last bit of quali this morning. The BMW's were slow or was it poor driving?

Mclaren's car is just odd to me. Tracks that are long and straight, the Macs dominate. Tracks that are twisty/winding, the Macs are slow. They need to add more downforce.

Ferrari looked impressive. Massa will crash out and Kimi will win.

Hamilton needs to finish in the top 6 to keep the WDC close.

Hopefully its a good race.