Tag: canada

F1 2013 Canadian Grand Prix Preview: Canada, a game of chance

In 1978 Canada’s Île Notre-Dame circuit bowed to the country’s greatest Formula 1 driver. In a short amount of time Gilles Villeneuve captivated the racing world with utter class and driving talent. Despite not becoming a world champion the Canadian great remains revered as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.

In celebration of Villeneuve the Île Notre-Dame circuit now bears his name and remains an essential part of the F1 calendar. The paddock crosses the Atlantic for the first time this year as it heads into the seventh round of the 2013 championship.

The stop/go nature of the circuit Gilles Villeneuve offers a technical challenge both teams and drivers. With few real high-speed corners, and the requirement to ride all kerbs in sight, most of the corners throughout the 4.361 km layout can be taken at first or second gear. In previous years a lot of time and energy would have been spent on brake wear in preparation for the circuit with the highest demand on brake energy. However, with the evolution and development of brake discs in the last several years the only concern will be ensuring that brake temperatures remain in the optimal working range.

But this is not the only pitfall that lingers around the famous track. The close proximity of the walls and limited run-off areas amplifies the chance of crashing and makes the appearance of the safety car highly likely. The changeable weather conditions can also play a part in tyre performance for which Pirelli have chosen the super-soft and medium compounds. Neither of these compounds may cause a problem if the current weather forecast remains as is. The rain in Canada has a tendency to come down in biblical proportions and looks set to make an appearance this weekend.

The Canadian Grand Prix is renowned for its unpredictable nature giving the race a distinct lottery-like ambiance. Qualifying remains an important piece of the puzzle but the few opportunities that exist for overtaking will add to Sunday’s showpiece. Seventy laps in total are what Lewis Hamilton will have to get the better of teammate Rosberg. Although Nico Rosberg is nurturing some very special form as a three time previous winner of the Canadian Grand Prix, this is a track where Hamilton should be able to turn the tables.

By Sebastian Vettel’s standards it has been a relatively quiet start to the season. Despite this he leads the championship by twenty-one points from Kimi Raikkonen. Ultimately, the Red Bull has not been the fastest car this season and their tyre woes, although not as obvious, have been well documented. Nevertheless, if Raikkonen and Alonso are to make a serious play for the title the Canadian Grand Prix seventy laps seems as vital a time as any to do just that. In the fight between the two challengers Alonso would be expected to hold the upper have in changeable weather conditions in terms of car performance.

Twenty-two raring-to-go racing drivers and a famous stretch of Canadian asphalt looms large in a grand prix weekend filled with potential for both drama and electrifying battle.

June 5, 2013
F1 2013: Pirelli tyre plans reigned in by FIA

Pirelli’s planned ‘tweaks’ to the 2013 tyres from the Canadian GP onwards has been reigned in by the FIA.

A ruling made by the sport’s governing body has stipulated that it will only allow changes to be made to the tyres on the grounds of safety. As a result the expected changes will be less significant that intially planned.

The FIA has clearly stated that it will not accept changes aimed at cutting down on the number of pitstops much less to reduce tyre degradation. Instead of reverting back to 2012 specification tyres Pirelli have been instructed to make adjustment to the current specification of tyres.

Article 12.6.3 of the technical regulations have been cited by the FIA with regard to their decision. The rule states:

“Tyre specifications will be determined by the FIA no later than 1 September of the previous season. Once determined in this way, the specification of the tyres will not be changed during the championship season without the agreement of all competing teams.”

There is however a different clause within the regulations which states that changes could be introduced “if the tyres are deemed by the tyre supplier and technical delegate as technically unsuitable.” But the FIA is adamant that the current ‘issues’ with the 2013 tyres falls within the purview of this rule.

Pirelli motosport director Paul Hembery admitted that the changes to the tyres would now be of a more modest nature. “Let’s wait and see exactly what changes we will be making, but we are doing everything we can to minimise what will be different,” he said.

The prospective changes were expected to benefit teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull who have been struggling to get on top of the tyres. In contrast, Ferrari and Lotus will breathe a sigh of relief as they look to maintain their tyre advantage.

May 19, 2013
A change is gonna come – Pirelli to change tyres from Canada

Pirelli have announced that it will make changes to its tyres from the Canadian grand prix onwards.

This announcement comes after a raft of criticism has been aimed at the Italian manufacturer. Several teams have voiced their unhappiness about the excessiveness of the tyre degradation.

The Spanish grand prix saw four stop strategies implemented by the majority of the field.Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told AUTOSPORT: “We never intended for there to be four-stop races, so we are going to make construction changes to the tyres.

“We will be taking some of the design of the 2013 tyres, but also some of the elements of the 2011 and 2012 products that served us so well during that period. We want to go back to having two or three stop races.”

Pirelli’s inexperience in the highly competitive world seems to have found them out. Hembery admitted that they had understimated the increase in performance the cars would make from year to year.

“They have basically been stressing everything far too much, and probably we underestimated the performance,” he said. “We cannot test with the current cars, and all we have access to is a 2010 Renault that laps four or five seconds slower than the current F1 cars do on a Sunday.”

Pirelli motorsport director, Paul Hembery.

Revisions to the structure of the tyres will be made along with possible changes to compounds. When asked about the possibility of the changes shaking up the competitive order Hembery responded with relative certainty that all should remain as is. “There have been concerns from some of the teams that the changes will favour one team or another, but we don’t think that will be the case,” he said.

May 16, 2013