quoteChances to shine as F1 teams head to Montreal
This weekend is the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal, one of the F1 fraternity’s favourite races and a solid favourite with many drivers. Battle will be resumed between the two Mercedes drivers, contesting the world title, but Ferrari has a major upgrade here and it will suit Force India, who could be podium contenders.
Montreal is unique, with its long straights and corners lined with walls, especially the “Wall of Champions” on the exit of the final chicane.
But it’s also a difficult race to win, as strategy is really important here. It has high (56%) chance of a safety car, which often turns races on their heads, a short pit lane, which means fast stops and an unusual track surface – low grip and used for racing only once a year.
Plotting the development of the grip levels as the track improves is one of the keys to success.
Track characteristics
Montreal – 4.36 kilometers. Race distance – 70 laps = 305 kilometers. 12 corners in total. A circuit made up of straights, chicanes and a hairpin
Aerodynamic setup – Medium downforce. Top speed 326km/h (with Drag Reduction System active on rear wing) – 316km/h without.
Full throttle – 60% of the lap (quite high). 15 seconds unbroken full throttle on main straight.
Time spent braking: 17% of lap (high). 7 braking zones. Brake wear – Very High.
Total time needed for pit stop at 80km/h: 18.8 seconds.
After the extreme of Monaco, qualifying is significantly less important at Montreal because overtaking is easy and with a short pit lane, this also has a big bearing on race strategy, generally pushing teams towards more stops rather than less.
Montreal has several long straights linked with chicanes and a hairpin. There are no high-speed corners to speak of. Good traction out of slow corners is essential as is good straight-line speed and a car that is good over the kerbs.
Form Guide
The Canadian Grand Prix is the seventh round of the 2014 FIA F1 World Championship.
Mercedes is the dominant force at the moment with six wins and six pole positions. This track is likely to flatter their package too, so expect a head to head once again for pole and the win between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton has the far stronger record here, three poles and three wins. Rosberg’s best qualifying is fourth and best race result is 5th. However he has worked hard on his braking and precision, which are key to speed here, when blended with aggression.
For the last few seasons, Ferrari has had a problem with traction out of slow corners, which is at a premium in Montreal. It has a major upgrade of chassis and power unit planned and much hope is riding on it.
Historically this has not been one of Red Bull’s strongest circuits; downforce isn’t a major factor here, but in 2012 Sebastian Vettel started on pole position and finished fourth; last year he won the race. Lack of power is likely to restrict the team’s competitiveness this season.
This should be the best chance for Force India to repeat the Bahrain podium result. The track will suit their slippery chassis, strong power unit and good traction. Sergio Perez drove very well here in 2012 to score a podium for Sauber.
As far as drivers’ form is concerned – Hamilton is the king of Montreal, having won the race three times. Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have also won the race.
Weather Forecast
Set on the St Lawrence seaway, Montreal can experience extremes of weather for the race; it can be very hot and humid, but also cold and wet, as it was in 2011 (above). This will have a huge bearing on the tyres. It is common to see huge temperature variations – 15 degrees of track temperature on one day and 35 degrees on another. It is one of the most extreme circuit locations for this phenomenon.
Likely tyre performance and other considerations
Pirelli tyre choice for Montreal: Prime tyre is Soft and Option tyre is Super Soft. This is the same combination as in Monaco.
This combination of Pirelli tyres in Monaco proved very durable and quite hard to warm up and this is likely to be repeated this weekend.
The track surface is smooth and the lack of long corners means relatively low energy going into the tyres, which means longer life, but difficulty with warm-up. The key to making the super soft last is to limit sliding and wheel spin with the rear tyres. This happens when the drivers accelerate out of the low speed corners. This is even more of an issue this year with the high torque levels from the hybrid turbo engines, which really spin up the rear wheels.
Race Strategy: Number and likely timing of pit stops
At Montreal the winning strategy is always to plan your fastest race from lights to flag and then prepare to be flexible in the event of a safety car.
Because pit stops cost less time (18 secs) the temptation is to do two stops, but a Safety Car at the wrong moment can hand the advantage to a one-stopping car. There are many examples of this in recent years.
Because of the ease of passing, track position is less important than at many other venues. The most important thing is to qualify well and run your fastest race and see where that puts you at the end, because you will not have problems overtaking. Running in clear air as much of the race as possible is key, so if a car doesn’t qualify as well as expected, we may see the team try an aggressive strategy to keep the driver in clear air. For a fast car out of position, getting out of sequence is an idea, so the car can run in clear air as much as possible.
Historically it has worked out that going with one stop would mean that the car was ahead of the two stoppers at their final stops, but they can usually pass the one stopper in the closing stages as his pace drops on worn tyres. However a safety car would swing things towards the one stopper, so there is always an element of gambling in Montreal.
One stop would pit around Lap 26/28. Two stops, which should be faster, would pit around Laps 16 and 44.
Chance of a safety car
The chances of a safety car at Montreal are very high at 56%. Seven of the last 12 Canadian Grands Prix have featured at least one safety car.
This is because, with the track lined with walls and several blind corners, there are frequent accidents and the conditions for the marshals when clearing debris from an accident are dangerous.
Recent start performance
The run to the first corner in Montreal is short (just 150m to braking point) and there have been many first corner incidents over the years. But it is also a first corner where there are many lines and making up places is possible.
In the 2010 race, for example, only the front four cars ended the first lap in the same position in which they started!
From a strategy point of view, the start is a key game changer.
As far as 2014 start performance is concerned drivers have gained (+) or lost (-) places off the start line this season, on aggregate (taking total places lost away from total places gained), as follows –
Gained 12 Kobayashi, Massa 11 Maldonado 10 Gutierrez 9 Bianchi, Hulkenberg, Bottas 8 Ericsson 4 Perez 2 Chilton, Raikkonen, Sutil 1 Grosjean, Alonso
Held Position Rosberg
Lost 12 Vergne 4 Button 2 Magnussen, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Hamilton 1 Vettel
Pit Stop League Table Of course good strategy planning also requires good pit stop execution by the mechanics and we have seen tyre stops carried out in less than two and a half seconds by F1 teams.
With heavy penalties for unsafe release from a stop and loose wheels, teams have calmed down their stops to aim for consistency and no mistakes.
The league table below shows the order of the pit crews based on their fastest time in the Monaco Grand Prix, from the car entering the pit lane to leaving it. NB – The sample is not totally representative as in Monaco many stops were conducted under a safety car.
1. Williams 24.264s 2. Mercedes 24.672s 3. Lotus 25.029s 4. Caterham 25.116s 5. Ferrari 25.282s 6. Toro Rosso 25.444s 7. Force India 25.714s 8. Sauber 25.906s 9. McLaren 25.992s 10. Marussia 26.137s 11. Red Bull 26.586s
Kimi is already in Montreal, pic this morning on the way to the airport
Montreal, 4 June – At the start of the year, Kimi Raikkonen was surprised to learn that he is currently the oldest driver on the Formula 1 grid. The Finn will turn 35 in October. And now, another statistic has caught his attention. “I’ve been told this weekend’s Canadian GP will be my 200th Grand Prix, which shows how time flies”, says the Scuderia Ferrari driver. “I’ll still be racing flat out and the numbers don’t really change anything, but I’m sure it’s a milestone I will look back on with pride in years to come”.
Hitting the 200 puts Raikkonen fourteenth in the all-time table, which is headed by Rubens Barrichello on 323 Formula 1 race starts. In a career that dates back to 2001, with a two year “sabbatical” in 2010 and ’11, Kimi won the Canadian Grand Prix back in 2005. “Apart from this being my 200th race, I’m not here just to make up the numbers and getting a good result in Montreal would give us a better reason to celebrate” – continues Kimi – “The Canadian race is one of the most challenging of the season and a track where you have to get everything just right in terms of the car set-up.
We have some upgrades for this weekend, but of course the other teams have not been standing still, so the order should not have changed much. Hopefully we can close the gap a bit and get the best result of the season so far for my 200th race, which would be great for the whole team”.
Montreal, 4 June – It was an interesting afternoon in Montreal for Kimi Raikkonen who made a special three-dimensional journey thanks to Scuderia Ferrari sponsor Shell. With the help of a special pair of glasses he was transported to the inside of a road car’s six-cylinder engine.
The 3D glasses allowed Kimi to immerse himself in a drop of V-Power fuel and to see how far petrol technology has evolved in recent years thanks to motor sport. After all Formula 1 has always been the home of the most advanced research and it has often been considered the final test bench before top products are put into the marketplace.
Kimi, who enjoyed this new experience, admitted that fuel technology was still an area that was not easy for him to understand: ‘But I realise that this is a field that requires a very high level of professionalism, just as with the engineers and drivers in Formula 1. I have a great admiration for the work that Shell carries out both for and alongside Ferrari and I have the utmost faith in the people who work on developing the fuels and oils that we use.”
Raikkonen finished with a word on the Canadian Grand Prix: ‘The Montreal track is easy only in appearance. I believe the preparation for Sunday’s results will start on Friday and I hope the evolutions we have brought will confirm they work on the track. Obviously our target for the race is a good result after a start to the season that has been hard, especially for me. But we will have to see how our improvements compare to those of our opponents who certainly haven’t stopped work over the last few days. From Friday we will know more.” - See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/fantast...h.dLdkBnUS.dpuf
MONTREAL - Kimi Raikkonen Finn hopes to forget his failures this season at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, but he knows that the two representatives of the Mercedes team, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will be difficult to overcome.
So far, two men totaled 240 points since the start of the campaign, already providing the constructors' title to their team. Meanwhile, the color-door Ferrari plays second fiddle behind his teammate Fernando Alonso. Indeed, the veteran has only meager 17 points in 2014, which earned him the 12th.
Still, a ray of sunshine trying to break those big gray clouds, as Raikkonen was in third place in the final race of the Formula 1 Monaco presented when hooking up with the Marussia car Max Chilton ruined his day.
"It is not a matter of personal abilities, but more bad luck. We continue to work hard and overall, we did well. The results will come eventually and also, things can change quickly in Formula 1. I lost several points on the track and it was the result of chance, he said Wednesday at a press conference held by Ferrari and Shell Oil at the Science Museum in Montreal.
Now, the driver of 34 years hope heaven will be more lenient in his place on Sunday. However, he would like them not to dump rain on his head.
"I'll wait until Friday before I decide, but it is certain that the weather remains a factor, more than downforce, for example. A wet system forces us to make decisions at the right time when it comes time to change the tires in particular has he said. This simple detail can make all the difference. " Happy to be in Montreal
In addition, the 2007 world champion is always happy to stand in the Quebec city, where he triumphed there nine years, driving a McLaren-Mercedes racing car.
"It is a beautiful place where there is a good fan base who know the car race, he added. And there is always a lot happening on the circuit [Gilles-Villeneuve]. Usually, the race is interesting here, inter alia, because of several parts which can be carried out passing. "
"This track can be a challenge because of the high speed 3-4 segments found there. This is the path which is the second most demanding of F1 in terms of maximum pumping gasoline and can be problematic if it rains, "added the project manager Formula 1 Shell, Ian Albiston.
More performance, less noise and odors!
To introduce a new technology to visualize the path of the gas inside a Formula 1 racing car the press conference jointly organized by Ferrari and Shell had intended to.
Thus, members of the media have become more familiar with the operation of a V6 turbo engine, known to generate less noise and less odor. In the latter case, the Shell company took the opportunity to extol the benefits of its V-Power product, which helps to clean the fuel injectors.
"We use 99% of the components we use in everyday life on our roads. The difference is the technology that we take to send gasoline injectors, expressed Project Manager Formula 1 Shell, Ian Albiston
"Basically, the car consumes less power and is obviously less polluting. Say that we are far from stinking cars of the 1980s! Through a unique recovery system, can bring more energy to the motor; it is the result of work started in March 2011 and has enabled us to make dozens of tests, 24 hours 24, seven days a week "
For its part, the Kimi Raikkonen pilot highlighted the efforts to improve the car.
"This is my second stay at Ferrari and it's still the same team that works as hard. Our cars have greater durability and reliability than before. Much has also been made to increase the level of horsepower over the years."
quoteMONTREAL - There could be a rabbit's foot, a four leaf clover or a horseshoe aboard the car of Kimi Raikkonen for the Formula One Grand Prix of Canada, to be played during the weekend on Île Notre-Dame.
The Finns readily admits, he knows a frustrating season on his return to Ferrari. Raikkonen, who is 34 years old, is currently the 12th level of the championship Formula One drivers with a thin crop of 17 points. His teammate, Spaniard Fernando Alonso, is much better in comparison with a total of 61 points allowing it to regain third, behind the two Mercedes drivers.
The champion of the Grand Prix of Canada in 2005 attributed its failure since the beginning of the season in a "run of bad luck", which resulted in clashes in Malaysia, Bahrain and most recently in Monaco, there are two weeks .
"This is certainly not the ideal situation, but I do not feel pressure, assured the man nicknamed 'Iceman'. I want more than anyone else to get good results. I have just been unlucky, because it looks like it always happens to me something. "
The Ferrari driver had started from sixth place on the grid in Monaco and was raised in third place when he was the victim of a freak collision with the Marussia driver Max Chilton while the safety car was track.
"In the last race, I could have the opportunity to score points, but it was destroyed by someone suggested the former world champion in 2007, the frustration was still palpable, Wednesday, during a joint press conference of Shell and Ferrari Montreal Science Centre. It was unfortunate. I do not much believe in luck and bad luck, but I'm sure we can improve.
"My goal is always to win and fight for the championship, even though I have a lot of catching up to do. "
To observe its results this season have to admit he's right. His best results after six races are seventh place at the Australian Grand Prix and the Grand Prix of Spain. Asked whether he was beginning to feel pressure from his bosses, Raikkonen said he was always confident in his ways and he hoped that soon the chance eventually promote it.
"We need to improve at all levels, at least where this is possible, said Raikkonen, who is rarely verve. We'll see how it goes Friday, I hope the temperature is mild, and with the new improvements that have been made to the car we hope to achieve concrete results on the track. Even if they are minimal. "
These statements were made while the Ferrari technical director James Allison said that Raikkonen is a little slower than Alonso. The Spaniard has qualified four times in front of him during the first six races, and he scored the best result in each of the Grand Prix this season.
Raikkonen, who will play this weekend his 200th career Grand Prix, also took the opportunity to shoot an arrow to the FIA when he noted that the popularity of F1 in terms of attendance was down to a general point of view.
"We try to offer the best possible races, but we can not do everything. We try to participate in promotional events for the public, and I'm sure some things, like changing the sound of the engines, did not play in our favor. In addition, if you are talking to Montreal, we must not forget the presence of hockey. The Canadiens struggled until recently to participate in the final of the Stanley Cup. (...) I think the changes will come from within the F1 side owners. "
Despite its recent failure, the Finn reiterated he did not regret his time at Ferrari, having worked in the previous two seasons with Lotus, after an experience of two seasons in rallying, in 2010 and 2011 .
quoteCanadian GP – Raikkonen: “We are making progress”
Montreal, 5 June –Some days the press get “talkative Kimi” and other times it’s “laconic Kimi” and today it was a case of the latter, as the Scuderia Ferrari driver was not interested in commenting about feuds between other teams’ drivers, nor seeing much significance in the fact that this Sunday he takes part in his 200th Grand Prix.
However, he was more forthcoming on the topic of the updates brought to Canada for the F14 T. “We have to see how practice goes tomorrow, before getting an idea of what they might bring,” said the Finn. “The weather forecast promised for Friday is not so good and we must hope it’s dry, so we can really get an idea of how things are. Any small improvements are always welcome. We know what we are doing and we are making progress. However, it’s a long process and it won’t happen in just a few weeks.”
As for the rest of the season, Kimi did not foresee a major change to the current hierarchy down pit lane. “I think it would be very hard to challenge Mercedes for the championship,” he maintained. “But within Ferrari we still want to do the best that we can at every race, we want to get stronger for the future and aim for the podium. But I am not prepared to start guessing about whether I can win a race soon.” As for this weekend – “usually, we have quite exciting races here because of the layout of the circuit and also the weather can play a part.” - See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/canadia...h.K5ZJbImY.dpuf
quoteNo clear-the-air talks between F1 rivals Raikkonen and Magnussen
Formula 1 rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Kevin Magnussen say they have not spoken to each other following the various on-track incidents between them this season.
Raikkonen blamed McLaren rookie Magnussen for "destroying" his Malaysian Grand Prix earlier this season, after a hit from behind, and also criticised the Dane for damaging his Ferrari in the next race in Bahrain.
They made contact again in Monaco last time out, when Raikkonen misjudged a pass on Magnussen at Lowes late in the closing stages.
Magnussen questioned his rival's judgement of the move after the race, and joked with Danish TV that maybe Raikkonen had been drinking.
But Magnussen told reporters ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix that he had not spoken to his rival about any of the incidents.
"There's not much to talk about really," Magnussen said.
"I'm pretty sure we both understand what happened in those different incidents, so we learn and move on from that.
"It's not something we do on purpose, it's something that is an accident."
Raikkonen reiterated that he only hit Magnussen in Monaco after running out of steering lock and needing to reverse to rejoin the track, and said he wasn't bothered by criticism from his rival.
"He can say what we wants in the news, that is his choice," Raikkonen said.
"Sometimes it goes like that.
"I tried [to pass him] in Monaco, but I didn't hit him - I just couldn't turn around any more.
"I hit him when I reversed because he was behind me, I had to push him backwards a little bit, but he can say what he wants. It is up to him."
quoteFerrari F1 duo tell team not to lose focus on long-term recovery
Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen think it is more important that Ferrari gets its long-term recovery plan in place than worrying about immediate results on track.
While the team is hoping for a step forward in pace at the Canadian Grand Prix thanks to some updates, its drivers say that what happens over the next 12 months is of more value.
Speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Alonso said: "Whatever these updates provide us with, we just need to keep working on both sides - on this year, because we need to be fighting for important things like the second place in the constructors' championship, and for next year.
"We can't do anything this year that will compromise next year's car.
"We need to keep developing in 2014 because many things will carry on for next year's car.
"But if there is something fundamental that requires a lot of time in the 2015 project then obviously we need to make that time. I'm not worried about this, to be honest.
"Since the arrival of Marco Mattiacci, I think things are moving in the right direction, he has a good vision and a very clever approach, either for this year or for next year, we're just going to get stronger and stronger."
Raikkonen has had a more difficult time than Alonso this season as he has struggled to get comfortable with the handling of the F14 T.
But with the team having only had one podium finish this season, thanks to Alonso's efforts in China, Raikkonen knows that Ferrari's problems go beyond just what he is experiencing.
"We have issues and we are not as fast as we want to be, and we just have to fix those," he said.
"Obviously if we would be happy we should be winning races, and we are not. So there are things that we have to fix.
"But there are many small things and hopefully once we fix those we will be where we want to be but it is a long process, it is not going to happen in three weeks.
"We are never happy - even if you win races or championships you are still never happy. There are always things that you can fix."
When asked if it was realistic to believe Ferrari could turn around its fortunate and fight Mercedes for the title, Raikkonen said: "It is very hard for anyone to challenge them unfortunately. I might be wrong about that, but that is how it goes.
"In the past years you can see how it can change, but when one team is winning it is hard to beat.
"But our aim is to fix the things that we think is the issue and get better all the time.
"We want to do the best that we can at every race, and hopefully win races or be on the podium - and just get stronger and sort out the things for the future and the upcoming races."
quoteRaikkonen says his F14 T issues have been overblown
Kimi Raikkonen says the media's reports of why he has struggled on his return to Ferrari have been misleading, suggesting instead the car is just not quick enough for him to be competitive.
There were high expectations coming into the season's about Raikkonen's partnership with Fernando Alonso, but so far the Finn has struggled to match his team-mate and has seemed off his best behind the wheel of the F14 T. The brake-by-wire system and adapting his driving style to the new cars have been reported as areas Raikkonen has struggled with but he says the issue is Ferrari's pace.
"The things that you people say are not always the true things," Raikkonen said when asked about his issues with the car. "We have issues and we are not as fast as we want to be. We should be winning races and we are not so there are things we need to fix, many small things, and once we fix those we will be where we want to be. But it's not going to happen in a few weeks. Even if you win races and win championships you are still not happy, there are always things you can fix."
When asked whether he believes a race win is possible in 2014, Raikkonen responded in the manner he has become famous for.
"I don't know. I have no interest in starting to guess."
Raikkonen believes Ferrari has been making clear strides forward and thinks that should start to translate to success on race days.
"Hopefully things can only get better. Obviously we are going in the right direction but the result hasn't shown, but we know what we are doing. Step by step we are going to improve.
"It's very hard for anybody to challenge [Mercedes] for the championship. I might be wrong but usually that's how it goes, though we've seen in the past how it can change. We are getting better all the time and we do the best we can every race, then maybe start to win races and podiums."
quoteKimi Raikkonen claims Ferrari title challenge unlikely
Kimi Raikkonen claims that Ferrari will not be able to improve their performance enough to challenge for the World Championship title this year.
The Finn's best results in 2014 are two seventh places in Australia and Spain.
"It hasn't been the best year so far but I'm sure we can turn it around and get where we want, not this year but in the future," Raikkonen said.
It is the first official admission that Ferrari are unlikely to catch Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
Ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, Rosberg is four points clear at the top of the drivers' title, with team-mate Hamilton his nearest rival.
The German team are also running away with the constructors' title having won all six races this year, with Hamilton taking four and Rosberg two.
Ferrari have managed one podium finish with Fernando Alonso so far this season.
And the Spaniard is already 61 points adrift of leader Rosberg in the championship.
Raikkonen's team-mate Alonso said after the last race in Monaco that he believed Ferrari would "be more and more competitive every race" and insisted: "So many things can be improved on the car.
"If we do improve those things we could still have some good races and results."
Raikkonen has been out-qualified by Alonso four times in six races and is 44 points behind him in the championship.
Raikkonen said he had no regrets about re-joining Ferrari, for whom he won the title in his first spell with the team in 2007, saying: "I thought it was the best for me and I'm still thinking the same way."
But he admitted he was struggling with certain aspects of the car's performance.
"It hasn't been easy for me this year, but I have been going through the same problems in the past," added Raikkonen, who is taking part in his 200th grand prix in Canada.
"It is to do with how you drive and you can change your driving style a bit, but certain things might still not work for you.
"The thing that can make the biggest difference for the drivers is the tyres. The tyres unfortunately make such a big difference.
"If they change tyres and the front end (of the car) is not strong any more, there are so many small details that have to come together to make things work for you.
"I am quite sensitive on certain areas and seem to struggle when it's hard to get the tyres working."
Raikkonen said his 200th grand prix, of which he has won 20, meant little to him.
"I don't count it and for me it's just another race this year," he added.
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Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:38 pm
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which shows how time flies”, says the Scuderia Ferrari driver. “I’ll still be racing flat out and the numbers don’t really change anything, but I’m sure it’s a milestone I will look back on with pride in years to come”.
everybody
A four leaf clover or a horseshoe? 
