Grand Prix 2011 Canadian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

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O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Thought this might be useful if you wanted to sing along to the Canadian National Anthem before the start of the race.

Anyway, on to the Grand Prix, after all that’s what we’re here for. Last year Bridgestone provided tyres, which didn’t like the surface at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve too much, and the powers that be in F1 thought “ah, ha here’s an idea to spice up the racing. Why don’t we ask those blokes at Pirelli if they can make sets of boots for F1 cars that fall apart on the warm up lap”, and they did.

In 2010 Hamilton put his car on pole (you may recall him pushing his car back to the pits, so light was it on fuel) and then went on to win an exciting race with teammate Jenson Button standing on the 2nd step.

So what for Canada 2011? Red Bull, at least car No.1, has been a tad difficult to beat but McLaren and Ferrari are getting closer during the race. With 5 wins out of 6 races Vettel has a healthy lead in the Championship and some bookmakers are already paying out on the title being his. Vettel was 3rd on the grid last year, behind teammate Webber, and finished 4th with unspecified gearbox problems, still ahead of Webber who had led for many laps but got caught out by the high tyre wear rate.

Fernando Alonso was 3rd last time out in Canada after getting mugged by a hard charging Jenson Button. Mercedes had a mixed race, Rosberg was “best of the rest” behind the McLaren’s, Alonso’s Ferrari and the Red Bull’s whilst Michael Schumacher treated the race like a destruction derby, straight lining chicanes and bouncing off other cars with gay abandon. What of Felipe Massa I hear you ask; well, he was one of Schumacher’s victims and lost time pitting for a new nose cone.

This is very nearly the last Hurrah for the exhaust blown diffuser and we have two, yes 2, DRS zones. So expect cars breezing past another before and after the pits, when they’re not in their getting new tyres of course.

Will it be another Red Bull walk over or can the McLaren’s and Ferrari’s tame the charging Bull? How will the Pirelli tyres hold up dusty and bumpy Ille Notre-Dame Circuit? Will it rain? Who will win? Can one of the minor teams struggle up into the points? I don’t know but I get the feeling there will be lots of speculation.

And we have our own track side reporter this year - take a bow Ray in Toronto and make sure you post some good photos

For Galahad’s excellent circuit write up, track history and all the stats a boy or girl could want click here http://cliptheapex.com/pages/circuit-gilles-villeneuve/
 
Does anyone feel slightly for Lewis? He always seems to be on wrong end of everything. He was so quick today in the first 20 odd laps. Was this his race to win? :(

IMO He has now lost three races which he should have won. I do feel sorry for him, and I don't think he was fault for the incidents at Monaco or Montreal (I view them as racing incidents).

Nonetheless, I do think he needs to think about why he ends up out of the game so often when he has the race pace to win. At some level you create your own luck.
 
You have to wonder where he would have finished if he hadn't have crashed.
I wouldn't bother it will just be depressing...

It was an incredibly frustrating race but I thought most people were fairly positive as soon as the action got underway. We had some great racing and battles - we had first Schumacher then Button charging through the field, we had Kamui trying to fend off Massa, interesting strategy with the timing of switching tyres etc.

Actually often of the first to switch were Button and Schumacher and they normally did well. What happened to Rosberg??
 
I would leave it at 50-50, you can easily argue it both ways, F1 mirrors are useless enough as it is, even before rain. Yes Hamilton could have backed off, but that's not in his nature and what makes him a brilliant and frustrating driver.
 
IMO He has now lost three races which he should have won. While I don't think he was fault for the incidents at Monaco or Montreal (I view them as racing incidents), I do think he needs to think about why he ends up out of the game so often when he has the race pace to win. At some level you create your own luck.

He isn't one to play the percentage game and doubt he ever will.
 
I'd just call it a racing incident. Lewis was quicker than Jenson, but Jenson left no room for Lewis because he didn't realise he was there, or so he says. I struggle to see how Lewis could ever be blamed for that one, other than for attempting an overtake, which in recent races it has started to look like may be against the rules.
 
It was a 70% Button 30 % Lewis fault then....I did after watching 3-4 replays and discussions feel that Lewis got shoved but could have aborted though.

I think Hamilton did take some form of evasive action which is why he ended up with two wheels on the grass. Button was simply moving across all the time. Anyway it's all academic now but I agree with your 70% -30% assessment.
 
Jenson was ahead before the corner.
You said it...

I don't get why being ahead into a corner allows you to run into another driver? Surely if you go into a corner on the inside you have to stay to the inside, and outside the same, or a crash is inevitable. I personally think it was just a racing incident, due to the speed carried by both through the corner. People solution to crashes seems to be, just let the other driver stay in front.
 
I think Hamilton did take some form of evasive action which is why he ended up with two wheels on the grass. Button was simply moving across all the time. Anyway it's all academic now but I agree with your 70% -30% assessment.

I'm sorry but i can't help but roll my eyes at this sort of arbitrary apportionment of blame.
 
Jenson stuck to the line, it's down to the chasing driver to choose his overtaking point. Better communication should happen between the drivers.

I'm going to send these to the drivers so they can talk to each other in the next race!

Mini_Toy_Walkie_Talkies_15531.jpg
 
I'd say that the race was very exciting apart from the fact they shouldn't have started under the safety car and the race should have got underway much quicker after the long break. Lewis was very unlucky and could have been on the top step had he not been taken out, but then again, he needs to learn from this and learn from Jenson in that, in changeable conditions, where both of them usually shine and where their car seems to shine too, he didn't need to be so aggressive so early on. It was as though he felt he had to get up behind Vettel in the first 10 laps. This wasn't a dry race and things can change so quickly, as Button showed.

I think the incident between Button and Alonso was a racing incident. It is hard to blame either really. There are arguments from both corners, but Ferrari will only hurt themselves by getting Button penalised. It would also be farcical for the sport if Button loses his win after such an amazing comeback.

Final word is for Michael Schumacher, who was on fire today and thoroughly deserved a podium. I said Button was my driver on the day, but I have to change my mind now, and I think Schumacher was. He came through the field throughout the race with a car that is no where near a Ferrari, RB or McLaren on pace and then showed some brilliant, but fair, defensive driving, holding back cars behind him for many laps that were clearly much faster. Even after losing 3rd place, he came round the final corner only just behind Webber, fighting till the end.
 

I just look at the line of the Mercedes Petronas....Alonso is on the same line, the race line and Button can only slam brakes to make cutting the other apex.....that is 'causing an avoidable accident...he also cliped the Ferrari from behind so he had no position out on the wet despite having a head to head in the build up.
 
I think the first thing F1 needs to do is admit there is a massive problem with the clarity of rules. Every incident seems to have two equally compelling sides. Also, for incidences where drivers are just trying to race, i think it is sad the stewards feel the need to punish someone for this, usually the person overtaking.
 
To compound Hamiltons bad luck, his suspension wasn't damaged in the crash and with a new tyre and front wing his car would have been right as rain.
 
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