F1 Madness

Tag: circuit gilles villeneuve

  • Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

    Broadcast Times for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

    Formula 1 is in Canada this weekend for round 6 of the Formula 1 world championship at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

    With the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg settling their differences, you can be certain that both of the drivers will be going all out to one up each other this weekend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has always been a favorite of Hamilton’s and he will be looking to stamp his dominance over his team mate.

    After a rather quiet drive at the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will be hoping to split the Mercedes pair or even beat them. Ricciardo has had an amazing start to his career at Red Bull and has out-qualified his team mate Sebastian Vettel on a number of occasions. Vettel supporters will be hoping that the young German’s luck will change after suffering yet another mechanical problem at the Monaco Grand Prix which forced him to retire from the race.

    The rest of the teams will be looking for an overall improvement for their cars with some teams delaying their major update packages to be released at the Canadian Grand Prix.

    The track itself is fast with long straights and very tight chicanes. And lets not forget the famous wall of champions at the exit of the final corner. The stop-start nature of the track makes it rather heavy on fuel consumption. Pirelli have brought the soft and super soft compounds to the track. With the slow chicanes and exit speeds of some of the corners the cars will depend heavily on mechanical grip provided by the two compounds.

    With the race in North America, we can expect things to happen in the late afternoons and in the evenings for the folks in Europe and Africa. Below is the full broadcast schedule for the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2014

    Free Practice 1: Friday 16:00

    Free Practice 2: Friday 20:00

    Free Practice 3: Saturday 16:00

    Qualifying: Saturday 19:00

    Race: Sunday 20:00

    All times are GMT+2

    You can get all your free practice updates on our Twitter account @F1_Madness. We’ll bring you live updates for qualifying and the race.

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

    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.

    3184699639_6cb240e96a_zIn 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.

    Lewis_Hamilton_Wins_Canada_2012But 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 Sebastian Vettelto 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.