[Official] Canadian Grand Prix 2019: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

[Born Racer]

We shift from one street circuit to another, as Formula 1 crosses the pond from the tiny principality of Monaco to the vibrant city of Montréal. Like the Monegasque event, it is held in distinctive surroundings and an area which embraces the event, and that is no mean feat in a large place like this Québec metropolis, which buzzes to the presence of the Formula 1 circus every June and has done so since 1978.

The Canadian Grand Prix is also, like Monaco, a massively anticipated race. In fact, it is one which seems to generate the momentous, the dramatic and at times the downright bizarre. The track is surrounded by barriers and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The similarities end there, for the former Circuit Île Notre-Dame, rechristened the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1982 following the Formula 1 hero's passing earlier that year, is low downforce and has long straights punctuated by various quick chicanes. It takes its toll on brakes, and chassis stability under braking is essential.

There is around a 60% chance of a safety car in Montréal, the possibility of which must be factored into race strategy. It is fair to say that this is an unpredictable race, for the pole position driver has gone on to win the Grand Prix under 40% of the time since 2000. Overtaking is highly possible. There are three DRS zones, on the back straight, start-finish straight and between Turns 7 and 8. This race also tends to lead to provoke close finishes. There is a short pit lane, with a pit lane time of around 18 seconds.

The history of Canada's Grand Prix goes back to 1961. The event was held at Mosport Park in Ontario and was for sportscars which conformed to the Canadian Sports Car Championship regulations. It was won by Canadian driver Peter Ryan in a Lotus 19-Climax, followed by Pedro Rodriguez in a privateer-run Ferrari 250 TR, with Stirling Moss making up the podium in his Lotus 19-Climax with the British Racing Partnership team. Over the coming years, the race would be won by drivers who had previously competed or currently competed in Formula 1. 1966 saw the race held to Can-Am regulations and formed part of that championship. Attracting a field of 30 starters, it was won by Penske driver Mark Donohue in a Lola T70-Chevrolet.

1967 began a sequence of four years in which the race switched between Mosport Park and Québecois circuit Mont-Tremblant. It was also the first time the event was part of the Formula 1 World Championship and it was a one-two for Brahham-Repco with reigning world drivers' champion and world constructors' champion team owner Jack Brabham leading home Denny Hulme. Canadian driver Al Pease lost six laps after changing a battery on the grid and after spinning and stalling, he returned to the pits on foot and changed battery again, finishing 43 laps down. The following season at Mont-Tremblant, Hulme took the spoils in his McLaren-Ford when Chris Amon, having dominated the first 72 laps, was hit by his infamous misfortune, his Ferrari's transmission failing. Bruce McLaren completed a New Zealand one-two.

In 1969, Jackie/Jackys Stewart and Ickx battled for the lead at Mosport Park but stumbled upon Al Pease and collided with each other. Stewart complained about Pease's speed regarding his crash with Ickx. Pease was shown the black flag and is the only driver to have been disqualified in Formula 1 history for just driving too slowly (he had completed under half the amount of laps of the leaders). After winning in '69, Jacky Ickx also took the 1970 event at Mont-Tremblant, leading home a Ferrari 1-2 with Clay Regazzoni runner-up.

The event reverted to being held solely at Mosport Park and Jackie Stewart won the next couple of races, including in the heavy rain in 1971, the first time a Formula 1 race was red-flagged. 1973 was another first, this time the first time the safety car was used in F1. In very wet conditions and after a collision between François Cevert and Jody Scheckter, the safety car driver picked up the wrong car, which meant that several drivers gained a lap on the leaders, including Peter Revson. At the finish, various drivers were considered to have won. Lotus boss Colin Chapman did his usual victory celebration of throwing his cap into the air for Emerson Fittipaldi. New Zealander Howden Ganley believed he had won the race. Race officials received various protests including one from Ganley's girlfriend, who had been keeping the lap chart; the official lap chart erroneously has him down as making a pit stop that he didn't. Eventually, Revson was declared the winner.

The race was run at Mosport Park three more times, although was not held in 1975. At the final of those events in 1977, Gilles Villeneuve made his Ferrari debut. The following year, the Canadian Grand Prix moved to the circuit we now consider its home. It had been built on a mainly man-made island developed for Expo a few years earlier. Villeneuve won the inaugural Grand Prix.

In 1982, Riccardo Paletti died when he charged into the back of Didier Pironi off the start-line. It was in that year that the event had moved from October to June, where it has remained ever since, except in 1987 when a sponsorship dispute between two breweries led to its getting called off and in 2009 when it also was not run.

In 1991, Nigel Mansell, ever the show man and having dominated the Grand Prix in his Williams-Renault and with a massive lead over Nelson Piquet's Benetton-Ford, let the revs drop too low on the final lap while waving to the crowd and stalled the engine. Piquet came through to win from Stefano Modena in a Tyrrell-Honda. The following year, despite having dominated all the races and taken all the wins, except Monaco when he was stuck behind Senna, Mansell couldn't make it work here. Senna had taken pole, with Mansell only third, one of just two pole positions not taken by the Englishman that season. When he tried to pass Senna at the final chicane, Nigel ran wide and spun out. Gerhard Berger won.

In 1993, Alain Prost took a fairly commanding win over the Benetton of Michael Schumacher and the Williams of his team-mate Damon Hill. Schumacher took one of his many wins in 1994, leading Hill home, with Jean Alesi third for Ferrari. The following season, Alesi took a widely popular win, coming home first in a Ferrari, Car Number 27, just like Gilles Villeneuve. It was to be his only win in Formula 1. It was an interesting set of results, with the Jordans of Barrichello and Irvine completing the podium, Olivier Panis fourth in his Ligier and two Footworks, a Tyrrell and the Minardi of Luca Badoer in the top ten. Only nine drivers completed the distance.

Damon Hill beat new team-mate and son of Gilles, Jacques Villeneuve in 1996. The following year, Olivier Panis broke his legs in a crash. 1998 had a dramatic start to the race when Alexander Wurz collided with Alesi, Johnny Herbert and Jarno Trulli and rolled over at the first corner. The race was red-flagged and they all took the restart in their teams' spare cars. This time, after Ralf Schumacher spun, Alesi and Trulli again got caught up in an incident and were out of the race. Michael Schumacher won, despite a 10-second stop-go penalty for driving Frentzen out to the grass at Turn 1 and making him spin off.

1999 was the year that caused the outer wall on the final chicane to become known as 'The Wall of Champions' after three world champions, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve crashed there. Reigning world champion, Mika Hakkinen, did not, and won the Grand Prix. The safety car was deployed an at-the-time record four times and it was also the first race to finish behind the safety car, following a big crash for Frentzen.

Two years later, two brothers finished 1-2 for the first time in Formula 1 history, and it was Ralf Schumacher who finished ahead of Michael. They repeated the feat for the fourth time in their career two years later, although this time it was Michael ahead of Ralf. In 2004, Michael Schumacher again finished just ahead of Ralf Schumacher, but the Williams driver was disqualified along with his Williams team-mate Juan-Pablo Montoya and the two Toyotas of Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis, due to illegal brake ducts.

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton won in his first season from pole to take his first Grand Prix victory. Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso had a scrappy race involving running wide at least three times, before he was finally overtaken by Takuma Sato's Super Aguri near the end. Alexander Wurz got his last podium in third, ten years after his Grand Prix debut at the circuit. Robert Kubica crashed in spectacular style and was sidelined for the next race, which is what led to Sebastian Vettel's Grand Prix debut for BMW next time out at Indianapolis.

In 2008, Robert Kubica made up for what happened the previous year, by taking his first Formula 1 win and also the lead of the world championship. Lewis Hamilton drove into the back of Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane when the red light was on and Nico Rosberg went into the back of him. David Coulthard completed the podium for Red Bull.

Jenson Button took an excellent win in 2011, after rain and a massive delay before the restart. It was an epic race, the longest from the start time to finally finishing due to such a long red-flag period. Button had an extremely incident-packed one, involving crashes with Alonso and Hamilton (when Lewis tried to overtake alongside the pit wall), a puncture and a penalty, culminating in taking the lead from Sebastian Vettel, when, after applying pressure, he got past the Red Bull driver on the last lap.

Lewis Hamilton became the seventh winner in the season's seven races in 2011, which was yet another record. In 2014, Daniel Ricciardo, like Hamilton seven years before him, took his first Grand Prix win in Montréal. The race ended under the safety car after a big crash between Sergio Pérez and Felipe Massa. The next year, Lewis Hamilton won from pole position, extending his championship lead over Nico Rosberg to 17 points. He has since won for the next two years.

Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Ferrari, if indeed we are at the end, for if the Maranello team don't pull their finger out, the championship is gone. Last year, Vettel won here, with the chequered flag being waved one lap early, at the end of Lap 69. Hamilton only managed 5th. It is a track where Ferrari's lap of downforce may not carry such a disadvantage. It will also be a good test for Red Bull's Honda engine. As we enter this 50th Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has six wins in the country and the record-holder is Michael Schumacher with seven.

What are your memories of the Canadian Grand Prix?

Circuit length: 4.361km
Number of laps: 70 (or when the chequered flag may be waved)
Race distance: 305.27km
First Canadian Grand Prix: 1961
First World Championship Canadian Grand Prix: 1967
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 1978
Dry weather tyre compounds: C3, C4 and C5
Lap Record: 1:13.622 – Rubens Barrichello – Ferrari (2004)



To join in our predictions contest and Fantasy F1 contest, go here: https://tentenths.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Constructors’ championship standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2019/team.html

Drivers’ championship standings:
https://www.formula1.com/en/results....9/drivers.html

Canadian Grand Prix tyre selections: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...iyxOF5DK2.html

[E.B]

Another great intro BR> Thanks for taking the time and trouble.

Even though it has been disappointing of late I always enjoy and look forward to the Canadian race. Even though it is a 3.00am start for me I will be up watching it live.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by E.B

Even though it is a 3.00am start for me I will be up watching it live.

Ouch! That is dedication. I stopped getting up early to watch live and just record races these days. This one... I may watch live.

Richard

[djinvicta]

Again, cheers BR..
It's on live in France at 8.30pm Sunday.

[S griffin]

Thanks for the intro BR. Should be another good one

[skycafe]

Great intro again. Love this circuit, which seems to often produce an interesting result.

[Last2LiftOff]

More onboards please Sky TV....and without the constant chatter, even better.

[Adam43]

Great intro, great circuit.

Lewis had a little moment. Looked cool, apart from the bit with the wall. Come on Ferrari please have a good weekend.

But that Merc, it looked settled. Great over the kerbs, and out of the corners. The Ferrari, seems to have it with top speed. Could be fun.

(Obviously it won’t be, don’t watch it)

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Ouch! That is dedication. I stopped getting up early to watch live and just record races these days. This one... I may watch live.

Richard

Just checked the schedule and realised my 3.00 claim was before the 1 hour later start introduced last year.... now a 4.00am start! (4.10am to be precise.)

[S griffin]

Crash for Hamilton. Ferrari looking strong. Now it seems that it's not all cut and dried who's gonna win

[GT6]

We can all hope it will not be the usual mercs whitewash but we will see

[Adam43]

Ooops. That didn't work out well for Haas.

Still, it'll give Max something to do tomorrow.

[Richard C]

Congratulations to Ricciardo and Renault.

Richard

[GT6]

Well a few surprises in qualy, Mercedes showing hey can be beaten perhaps

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro as ever and Vettel gets his first pole in 17 races, can he translate that into a win?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Excellent intro as ever and Vettel gets his first pole in 17 races, can he translate that into a win?

The Ferrari's seem to be quick on the fast circuits, less downforce than the Mercs, will have to see if they can make their tyres last.

Kubica did not make the overly generous 107% rule, imo this car should absolutely not be allowed to start.
Williams need a clear indication that their levels of performance are not acceptable.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by wnut

The Ferrari's seem to be quick on the fast circuits, less downforce than the Mercs, will have to see if they can make their tyres last.

Kubica did not make the overly generous 107% rule, imo this car should absolutely not be allowed to start.
Williams need a clear indication that their levels of performance are not acceptable.

How do you figure he didn't make the 107%? I don't know if the rule is the pole time or time in Q1 but either one has a 107% time of over 1:15 (Q1 of 76.184 seconds and pole time of 75.157) and he was under that. That's not to say the car isn't embarrassingly slow but it appears to be within the 107 rule.

[Last2LiftOff]

To wit ☝️

[Adam43]

3.2s off the fastest time shouldn’t be allowed to start? Imagine that in the good old days! Johnny Herbert doesn’t start in the 1992 British GP after qualifying seventh (over 4.5% off pole). Although even at an actual 107% there are only 12 starters for that race.

And that was when F1 was good.

[peebee2]

What a silly post, he was well within 105%!

[Adam43]

Leclerc is still over driving and making mistakes. Still, it’s a good year to play at this as the Ferrari is quick, but not the title contender hoped for. Get it out your system

[S griffin]

Ferrari finally beat Merc in quali, should make for an interesting race

Ricciardo, what an effort by him. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Gasly did a good job too, although with Max missing out on Q3 due to bad luck/judgement means we don't know how much closer he is to Max

Anyone else notice Ben refer to the Racing Points as Force Indias?

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by E.B

Just checked the schedule and realised my 3.00 claim was before the 1 hour later start introduced last year.... now a 4.00am start! (4.10am to be precise.)

Was a good race to watch before going to work, back when it was live on tv.

Let's hope for an interesting race without the usual Mercedes domination.

[GT6]

Fingers crossed

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Anyone else notice Ben refer to the Racing Points as Force Indias?

Kimi Raikkonen recently did the same.

It's like when Lotus changed to Renault. It took a while for many to get used to saying that.