Tag: kimi raikkonen

Nurburgring German Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Lotus F1 Team

Preview Quotes from the Lotus F1 Team ahead of the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

“I have always enjoyed driving in Germany, but the problem is that luck has never been on my side there and something has always happened to stop me winning. I’ve got four poles to show my speed on German soil, but six retirements at this race haven’t been what I wanted. Obviously in the past both circuits – the Nurburgring and Hockenheim – have not been very kind to me, but I like them both and I have always been very competitive; in terms of pace if not maybe results. I’ve gone very well at the Nurburgring before, just never won. A couple of times I’ve had to stop while leading the race which always sends you home with a bad feeling. Hopefully I can finally get everything right this time. Last year we made the top three in Hockenheim, so let’s wait and see how it goes at the Nurburgring for the first time with this team. It’s pretty good circuit, but probably not as much fun as the old one. It should suit us, but the fact is you need a really good car to be competitive there. Most of all you need good traction out of the corners and a stable car under braking. We’re pretty reasonable in both these areas. We have had our issues with cooler weather and unfortunately it’s not usually that warm at the Nürburgring, but we’ll just see what we get and get on with it.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

“The Nurburgring is quite a nice track with a quite a lot to it. There’s a really interesting mix of corners which means you have plenty to think about over the course of a lap; you’re certainly kept busy! The first section relies on mechanical grip and Turn 1 can be interesting at the start of the race if people go too deep into the corner. It can also be a good overtaking opportunity during the race too. After that there are some higher speed corners down to the hairpin – which is another good place you can overtake – then nice high speed stuff for the rest of the lap. You need a well-balanced car so I think we should go pretty well. This will be my first time racing there in Formula 1, but I’ve raced at the track previously in F3 and the GP2 Series. Last time I raced there – 2011 in the GP2 Series – I scored a podium and a win so my most recent memories of the circuit are certainly good.”

Eric Boullier

“There’s nothing about the Nurburgring to cause us any concern so we should be in the hunt again in Germany. We brought plenty of upgrades to Silverstone and we have a lot of data from the weekend so there should be some more pace to extract there. Another positive for the team to take from Silverstone was that all our race pit stops were completed in 2.5 seconds or under. It’s great to see the hard work in this area making improvements, so a big thanks to the pit stop crew – who practice their stops so many times both at the track and at the factory – as well as the design and manufacturing departments for all the equipment and relevant car parts too.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director

“The Nurburgring is a good track and one that the drivers really seem to enjoy as it has a real mix of everything. The opening sector is really quite technical, with good traction and a strong front end needed for some of the longer radius low speed turns. Then of course there’s a couple of swooping, medium speed downhill turns towards the hairpin, followed by the high speed kink which – despite the gradient – is taken flat out in 6th or even 7th gear at around 280kph and really pushes the drivers. Next, you have a couple of medium / high speed corners leading onto the long back straight, followed by a tight chicane and the last corner, where a good front end is again required to counter the understeer inducing nature of the turn. In terms of chassis setup there’s a little bit of everything required; good change of direction for the medium speed corners, decent traction and front end for the tricky first sector and good top end speed for the long straights. Having only just been to Silverstone there won’t be anything major (in terms of upgrades), as the crew will be driving straight down to Germany to rebuild the cars without stopping at the factory. That said, we still have a new wing which we haven’t used yet and we still have to try various permutations of the latest upgrades on both cars. If it’s good weather and everything goes to plan, we could unlock quite a bit of speed this weekend.”

July 4, 2013
Kimi Raikkonen furious over Lotus strategy error

Kimi Raikkonen seemed pretty furious after the Lotus F1 Team decided not to pit him under the final safety car for new tyres.

The retirement of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull 11 laps before the end of the British F1 Grand Prix brought out the safety car with Raikkonen running in second place behind race leader Nico Rosberg.

Behind the Iceman, both Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso took the opportunity to pit and although they both lost track position the fresh tyres allowed them to quickly pick off the cars ahead of them and finish in second and third place respectively.

Raikkonen eventually finished in fifth place and after the race made his feelings pretty clear about the team getting the strategy wrong.

“I don’t understand how we can get it so wrong,” Raikkonen said. “I asked the team, they said no and we had more than half a lap to make the
right call. I think we gave up second place today and I think it’s pretty simple. We had an easy P2 … it was absolutely the wrong call. It’s disappointing but not my fault this time.”

Lotus F1 Team principal, Eric Boullier, explained that Lotus didn’t expect the drivers who pit under the final safety car to gain such a performance advantage.

“It’s very easy after the race to look at it if you look at the three cars on a two pit-stop strategy which were Sutil, Ricciardo and us. We considered the pit stop, to be honest we were not expecting such a big gain in performance by switching to fresh tyres and that’s it, end of story. Alonso was lucky to pit before and Webber had to stop anyway so yes we should have stopped, no question.”

June 30, 2013
Silverstone Grand Prix Preview Quotes – Lotus F1 Team

Preview quotes from the Lotus F1 team ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix this weekend.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

“Silverstone is a more normal circuit and we’ve been okay at every other permanent circuit so far this year. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be back to the positions we should be with this package. We just have to be patient, do our very best over the entire weekend and step-by-step we
can start catching the leaders. Silverstone is all about long sweeping high-speed corners and high downforce levels. It’s one of the fastest circuits on the calendar; it’s very challenging and the flowing corners are pretty good fun to drive. Hopefully our new parts will help us; particularly in the faster corners. If that’s the case, it could be a good weekend.

It’s always such a good feeling going to Silverstone. It’s a great place to race and it has been a good circuit for me since the very beginning of my career. I have a long history there. It was the real base for the start of my international racing career in Formula Renault in 1999 and 2000. Since then I’ve always enjoyed racing at Silverstone. I don’t know why; there must be this nostalgic feeling that I have every time we go there. When you win in Silverstone, it gives such a good feeling. You have to get everything exactly right. I won there in Formula Renault and then in Formula 1 with Ferrari in 2007. It would be fantastic to win again there, especially with the factory just down the road. I’m sure we would have some fantastic celebrations. It’s always windy at Silverstone. Often it rains too, like we saw last year in qualifying. The track conditions change very quickly, which makes the car more tricky to set-up. Obviously when you are running at the front it’s best to have stable conditions, but I don’t mind really. The weather is just a part of the fun of racing in England. I’ll enjoy the weekend whatever the weather will be.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

“(Silverstone) is a fantastic track with a lot of high speed corners which should suit the E21; especially with the upgrade package we have for it. It’s a home race for myself and the team so we’re sure to have a lot of support. I won there in the GP2 Series in 2011, so I have to say I quite like it! I also scored points on my Silverstone Formula 1 debut so it’s a run of results I’d like to continue.
Silverstone is challenging, but it has a good feel. It’s one of the quickest tracks of the year, with legendary corners like the Magotts, Becketts, Chapel complex. It’s quite a feeling going through there and I can’t wait to feel that sensation once more. It’s also a special Grand Prix for the team as the factory is very close to the track. It’s always nice to see not only the race team, but also some of the many people from the factory who come to see us in action. It’s thanks to all their hard work that we’re out on track and they are all doing an amazing job, always working so hard. I
will be visiting them after the race and hopefully I will go there with some silverware to show them. Last year there was quite a bit of wet weather over the weekend; not that this was much of a surprise to the Englishmen I’ve spoken to! I live quite near to the track now and my experience of regularly visiting Enstone means that I know the weather can change quite a lot. An English summer’s day is wonderful, but sometimes you have to look hard to find one!”

Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal

“We’re certainly not going to let two weekends of poor results (in Monaco and Canada) stop us in our efforts. We have a very reasonable package to fit to the E21 for Silverstone – with a number of elements which should help with our performance – and we have plenty of other upgrades to come later in the season too. We head to Silverstone with a determined strategy to be back fighting for podiums.”

Alan Permane, Lotus trackside operations director

“(Silverstone) is a circuit which is similar to Barcelona in the regard that it exposes weaknesses in downforce. You need an efficient car; one with a decent amount of downforce, but one which remains slippery for the straights. There are two straights where the cars exceed 300kph, so too
much drag will hurt here. There are some very high speed corners, with the first sector of the lap consisting entirely of high speed turns. The new layout has brought a few more technical corners, but overall it’s still counted as a high-speed track. You need to set up the car aerodynamically to be as quick as possible through the medium and high speed corners and along the straights. The circuit is windy with a
scarcity of shelter which – added to unpredictable weather – makes set-up difficult at times. The wind can lead you to run with less than
optimum levels of front wing to keep the car consistent. With regard to upgrades, we have a tighter, figure-hugging bodywork package which
should give some benefit; especially if the weather is quite cool at Silverstone. There’s a new front wing, suspension profiles and suspension upgrades in addition to various other aero upgrades, which combine to give us what should be our biggest step forward of the year.

This is a good thing, of course, but we’ll be running them in the context of all our rivals probably unveiling significant upgrade packs too. We conducted a couple of days of straight-line running after Canada with positive results and some of the fruits of this work should be seen in Silverstone.”

June 27, 2013
F1 2013: British GP Preview – Silverstone: The Heart of Motorsport

On this same Silverstone circuit legends such as Senna, Fangio, Stewart and Clark unleashed their virtuoso talents. The circuit, the ground, the grandstands, everything here is drenched in motorsport history and is considered one of the most unique racing venues in the world. The memories will linger forever but the times and the talents have changed as F1 heads into the eighth round of the 2013 season.

There wasn’t much wrong with the ‘old’ Silverstone layout, in fact, it was pretty darn special. The magnificent Copse corner, the breathtaking Maggots and Becketts section, ultra quick Stowe corner is enough to make any race fan nostalgic. Nevertheless, an upgrade in time for the 2010 grand prix vaulted the circuit into the 21^st Century and what is considered the modern Formula 1 era. But it wasn’t some wishy washy attempt. The major overhaul of the paddock area was slick and eye-catchingly impressive and the changes to the layout, importantly, retained the essence of what makes this place great.

It wouldn’t be Silverstone if the perennially unpredictable weather wasn’t a topic of conversation. The British weather is sure to have its say at some stage during the weekend and the forecast predicts showers for Friday with low temperatures present throughout the weekend.

Three weeks have elapsed since the Canadian GP but F1 is after all the sport that never sleeps. Sebastian Vettel has entrenched himself deeper into the Red Bull Racing family by extending his contract to the end of the 2015 season. Talks about who will partner the German continue as Mark Webber is yet to announce his plans for 2014.

Mercedes escaped the International tribunal in France with a mere slap on the wrist. The Brackley based team was called to the tribunal in Paris on the 20^th of June to explain a secret 1000 kilometer tyre test they had completed after the Spanish GP. Despite being found to be in breach of the sporting regulations Mercedes’ only penalty was a ban from the young driver’s test slated for mid-July. It seems tad light considering the possible advantage that they could’ve gained. Ironically, the two races following the Spanish GP, both street tracks, wouldn’t have given any indication if Mercedes’ had gleaned a genuine advantage from the test. Silverstone is a return to a ‘proper’ high-speed F1 circuit and should be a better gauge.

With any luck it will also be a return to proper racing instead of days spent in front of tribunals and waiting for verdicts. Patience is what Kimi Raikkonen has called for in his pursuit of the driver’s crown. The Finn has conceded a hefty forty points to Sebastian Vettel but believes that the title is still within reach. In pursuit of his quest Lotus is planning its biggest upgrade package of the year at this weekend’s race. Lotus’ track operations director, Alan Permane, laid out the parts that will be fitted to the car. “We have a tighter, figure-hugging bodywork package which should give some benefit; especially if the weather is quite cool at Silverstone. There’s a new front wing, suspension profiles and suspension upgrades in addition to various other aero upgrades, which combine to give us what should be our biggest step forward of the year.”

There are a few others drivers who will have the same desire for the top step of the podium. Mark Webber has been more than handy around Silverstone in the past and needs a good performance to bolster his lacklustre season. By having won the race on two previous occasions and the very fact that he is Fernando Alonso the Ferrari driver will be a factor.

There aren’t many things better than a grand prix in the very heart of motorsport; besides the fact that twenty-two of the world’s best drivers will add 52 more laps of history to magnificent Silverstone.

June 27, 2013
F1 2013: Canadian GP Review – Sublime Seb monsters Montreal

The Canadian Grand Prix weekend is famous for its unpredictability. Even though it didn’t stand up to its usual erratic nature there were still some surprises in the offing.

The two biggest surprises came in the form of no driver hitting the famous Wall of Champions – at any stage of the weekend and the none appearance of the safety car at a grand prix where it has been a near certainty in the past.

The rain that had dominated the first two days of running was nowhere to be seen as race day brought with it blue skies and little chance of rain. Sebastian Vettel effortlessly led the pack into turn one as Bottas in the Williams was quickly mugged of his third place starting position.

The pace that Vettel had threatened throughout the practice sessions was finally unleashed as he pulled away from Hamilton to the tune of a second per lap. With the benefit of hindsight the race for victory was over the second Vettel stuck his Red Bull on pole. So was the German’s dominance that he came within several seconds of lapping fifth-placed Nico Rosberg. The pace shown by Red Bull, particularly Vettel, is not something we’ve seen so far in 2013. A closer look at the run he put together in Canada reveals that he pushed from lights to flag; sometimes lapping more than second faster than second-placed Hamilton. This lends itself to deduce that the pace may have always been available in the car but limited by the obligation to protect the Pirelli tyres. Red Bull’s complaints about the tyres seem to have a lot more basis now, don’t they?

Vettel may have been long gone but Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso entertained the masses with a late race scrap for second position. Hamilton had the younger tyres of the two but it was no match for the relentless Fernando Alonso as the he scythed past his former teammate to take second place. Hamilton left Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg well behind but still described his third place finish as ‘disappointing.’

Mark Webber looked an early threat to finish on the podium but for a clash with back marker Giedo van der Garde. The Caterham driver appeared to turn in Webber at the hairpin causing the Red Bull driver to lose part of his front-wing. Webber finished a distant fourth well ahead Nico Rosberg. Red Bull have announced Sebastian Vettel’s contract extension to the end of 2015 while Mark Webber’s future with the Milton Keynes based team remains a mystery. The Silverstone grand prix has traditionally been the weekend that the Australian has made any announcements regarding his career.

Jean-Eric Vergne went about his business fairly anonymously and scored an excellent sixth place finish for Toro Rosso. Results like this certainly won’t hurt the rumours that suggest Jev could be in the running for the second Red Bull seat. Scotsman Paul di Resta started his race down the field but a brilliant stint of 56 laps on the medium compound tyres transformed his 17^thstarting position into seventh on race day.

Felipe Massa overcame a qualifying crash to finish in eighth ahead Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus in ninth. Raikkonen’s chances had looked good on a one-stop strategy but a problem with the rear-jack in his pitstop and a brake issue put the podium well beyond reach. Kimi Raikkonen is now 44 points adrift of Sebastian Vettel in the championship standings – a hefty deficit but the high-speed circuits will play to Lotus’ strength.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil survived a spin and a drive-through penalty for ignoring blue flags to finish in tenth place. Jenson Button described the race as a ‘painful’ experience as neither McLaren driver was able to score points. For the first time in 64 races McLaren failed to score a point – surely it is now time to admit that somewhere something went seriosuly wrong. Is it a coincidence that several of McLaren’s key people have jumped ship?

Sebastian Vettel’s dominant victory wasn’t without a few nervy moments as he kissed the wall on the exit of turn four and took a trip across the grass of turn two. But such was his dominance that not even a few mistakes could put the champ under any kind of pressure. Vettel now holds a very healthy lead in the championship on 132 points to Alonso’s 96 and Raikkonen’s 88. But there has always been something special about Fernando Alonso and his driving in the last year and a half has been spectacular. Combined with his relentless tenacity this championship battile with almost certainly feature the Ferrari driver.

It was with great sadness that the FIA announced the death of a Canadian grand prix marshal on Sunday night. The marshal was helping to retrieve the car of Esteban Guitierrez when he was hit by a mobile crane. Very much considered the unsung heroes, the unidentified man is the third marshal to have been killed since 2000.

June 13, 2013
Raikkonen and Ricciardo hit with grid penalties

Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo have both hit with grid penalties for the start of the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The stewards found that both drivers had breached pit lane protocol, that warranted them being penalised with a two place drop each. However, with the drivers having to start alongside each other on the 5th row of the grid originally and the way the penalties are being imposed, each driver will effectively lose only a single place each.

Kimi Raikkonen will now start from 10th place on the grid and Ricciardo will start from 11th. Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who would have started 11th, will now start from 9th despite having originally missed Q3.

Here is the revised grid for the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Five drivers were summoned to explain their actions to the stewards following the chaotic Q2 restart after the red flag for Felipe Massa’s accident. Raikkonen and Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne, Pastor Maldonado and Sergio Perez were all called in to answer for their actions – all five of them cited for allegedly breaching Article 23.6 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.

Drivers countered allegations that they had not started from the “fast lane” of the pit exit with the defence that they had intended to make practice starts from the left hand side of the pit lane, which is permitted in the rules.

The stewards accepted the defence but stated that they still needed to leave in the order they arrived in the pit lane so Raikkonen – who left 2nd after arriving 4th, and Ricciardo who left 4th after arriving 6th, were still left with a two place penalty each.

Raikkonen also had to explained why he swerved around Mark Webber to overtake him in the queue as we all saw at the restart.

According to the stewards’ statement, “The driver claimed he intended to make a practice start from the left hand side of the pit exit, as permitted. The driver claimed he was unduly delayed by Car 2 [Webber].”

“Car 2 did remain stationary for almost 2 seconds following the start of Q3 and the Stewards conclude in the circumstances this qualifies as ‘unduly delayed,’” read their statement, concluding that no further action would be taken regarding the matter.

Raikkonen’s penalty is served first, dropping him from 9th to 11th behind Hulkenberg. Ricciardo’s penalty is then served dropping him from 9th to 11th meaning that they each effectively only lose one spot.

Click here to see the revised grid for the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.

June 9, 2013
Revised starting grid for the Canadian Grand Prix

Following penalties for Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as Romain Grosjean’s penalty for causing an accident in Monaco, here is the revised starting grid for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal this afternoon.

Row 1
1. Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull-Renault
2. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes-Mercedes

Row 2
3. Valtteri Bottas – Williams-Renault
4. Nico Rosberg – Mercedes-Mercedes

Row 3
5. Mark Webber – Red Bull-Renault
6. Fernando Alonso – Ferrari-Ferrari

Row 4
7. Jean-Eric Vergne – Toro Rosso-Ferrari
8. Adrian Sutil – Force India-Mercedes

Row 5
9. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber-Ferrari
10. Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus-Renault *2 place penalty for pit lane rule infraction

Row 6
11. Daniel Ricciardo – Toro Rosso-Ferrari *2 place penalty for pit lane rule infraction
12. Sergio Perez – McLaren-Mercedes

Row 7
13. Pastor Maldonado – Williams-Renault
14. Jenson Button – McLaren-Mercedes

Row 8
15. Esteban Gutierrez – Sauber-Ferrari
16. Felipe Massa – Ferrari-Ferrari

Row 9
17. Paul di Resta – Force India-Mercedes
18. Charles Pic – Caterham-Renault

Row 10
19. Jules Bianchi – Marussia-Cosworth
20. Max Chilton – Marussia-Cosworth

Row11
21. Giedo van der Garde – Caterham-Renault
22. Romain Grosjean – Lotus-Renault *10 place penalty for causing an accident in Monaco

June 9, 2013
F1 2013 – Canadian GP Qualifying Round-Up

The Canadian Grand Prix weekend is famous for many things including changeable weather conditions.

The Formula 1 pack had to contend with tricky track conditions as the rain rendered the use of slick tyres completely out of the question. The first session of qualifying sported the beginnings of a dry racing line but no driver was brave enough to venture out onto slicks.

Drivers filed out of the pitlane on the red-walled supersofts but conditions demanded a quick return to the pits and set of intermediates to negotiate the circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Paul di Resta and Romain Grosjean were the biggest causulties in the first session of qualifying as neither made the cut. Scot di Resta was especially critical of his team who he said chose the wrong time to ‘fix an issue’ with the car. Grosjean’s qualifying session was brought to an end as the Frenchman encountered a yellow flag and a tad too much rain on his final run. Grosjean will start the race in last place due a 10 place grid penalty incurred from the Monaco GP.

The second session of qualifying was no less dramatic as Felipe Massa binned his Ferrari in the barriers of turn 3. The Massa incident brought out the red flag with just about two minutes left on the clock. As the drivers scrambled to the pit exit it was Adrian Sutil and Daniel Ricciardo who made the most of conditions; both securing a passage into Q3.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Jenson Button painfully missed the chequered flag by a couple of seconds and was cemented in 14th place while teammate Sergio Perez was 12th. After stating his feelings about a poor start to the season earlier in the week Williams’ Valtteri Bottas sensationally advanced to the final top-ten shootout.

It was Sebastian Vettel who judged it best in the final part of qualifying. As conditions continued to fluctuate throughout the final ten minutes of qualifying Vettel set a time of 1:25:425s in the opening minutes. Only Lewis Hamilton came within striking distance of the German setting a time just 0.086s slower than Vettel. As the big guns duked it out for the front row it was rookie driver Bottas who stole the spotlight. The Williams driver, flying throughout the hour, set the third fastest time overall.

A noteworthy mention to Toro Rosso as both Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo qualified in the top ten for Sunday’s race.

Championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen qualified in 6th and 9th respectively.

June 8, 2013
F1 2013 – Kimi Raikkonen, making a point

Every single race since Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Formula 1 has had a point – literally.

Raikkonen returned to Formula 1 last year with the Lotus F1 team and has not been out of the points scoring position since the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix where the Finn took second place – twenty three races in total.

As it stands, only one man has racked up more consecutive points finishes. Seven times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher currently holds the record of twenty-four successive finishes in the points. Schumi’s run of finishes started, as Ferrari driver, with victory in the 2001 Hungarian Grand Prix and concluded with sixth place in 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Naturally, Raikkonen is unfazed by the prospect of breaking Schumacher’s record. “I am sure that it will all stop at some point,” he said. “Obviously we always try to get points and do good races but it can be some small part (that breaks) and it will stop.”

Raikkonen’s consistency in 2013 has earned him the third position in the driver’s championship standings. But the Iceman is keeping it all in perspective. The Canadian Grand Prix is foremost on Raikkonen’s mind and he knows what a lottery the circuit Gilles Villeneuve can be. “The weather can change a lot, sometimes the tyres or the track aren’t working very well, sometimes there are a lot of safety cars, or sometimes another driver runs into the back of you when you’re waiting at a red light.”

A tenth place finish will guarantee Raikkonen the record of most consecutive points finishes but the 2007 champion will undoubtedly by aiming higher than that.

June 5, 2013
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