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

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/

 

[KekeTheKing]

I didn't mean it to be a contradiction...

I wasn't necessarily saying you were Andy. That was just my take on the relation between those two sentences.

 

[Quintessentially]

How clumsy and cumbersome was this marshall?? Nearly caused an unnecessary safety incident.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/13748154.stm

 

[teabagyokel]

I really was alarmed when I saw him fall over, thank God that Sauber was travelling at the correct speed.
Imagine if, say, that had happened in Interlagos in 2003 when Alonso full speeded it around the last corner under SC. Needless to say, I didn't find it too funny.

 

[EvilWhippet]

Needless to say, I found it far too funny.

 

[MCLS]

That wasn't the first time a marshall went down on track, another did on Friday.

 

[EvilWhippet]

Aye, he did, was it the same fellow?

 

[MCLS]

I'm not too sure, it wouldn't be surprising though.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Must say I laughed my arse off at that moment haha!

 

[Brogan]

Brundle's thoughts...

In his collision with Button, though, I feel Hamilton is a bit of a wronged man.

I don't agree that it was more Hamilton's fault than Button's. Jenson clearly knew Lewis was there after he was slow exiting the final chicane - his head tilts twice as he is watching Lewis hard in his mirrors. The incident is 50-50 blame in my view at best. Jenson said post-race that he had apologised to Lewis.

Button was partly at fault in his incident with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

If you compare the collision between Button and Alonso with that between Paul di Resta and Nick Heidfeld, I'm not sure Button was any less to blame than Di Resta was - and the Scot got a penalty, even though he had a damaged front wing and therefore had already paid the price for the contact.

Alonso was ahead, Button was no more than halfway alongside and the Spaniard was entitled to turn in. He gave Button space, and the McLaren under-steered on the slippery kerbs into the Ferrari.

There were so many inquiries after that race that thankfully Jenson's spectacular victory was not taken away with penalties. This would have been very cruel on the fans who loyally stayed with the longest F1 race in history, although the stewards must be consistent.

Have to say I pretty much agree with everything there, although I think he's being very kind on Button after stating that "Jenson clearly knew Lewis was there after he was slow exiting the final chicane - his head tilts twice as he is watching Lewis hard in his mirrors".

Button can count himself very fortunate to not only have won with the help of the safety cars, but also to keep his win, managing to avoid being penalised for two separate collisions.

Oh and I thought this was the ultimate in hypocrisy, coming from Brundle:

It's like the hard-tackling footballer - he's perceived as likely to be guilty before he does anything.

Considering he and Coulthard have been so quick to blame Hamilton for recent incidents, and only later has Brundle changed his opinion after reviewing the footage.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula_one/13754746.stm

 

[johnnoble1990]

I'm glad Brundle has eased up on his criticism, particularly considering people will listen to his opinion because he is the commentator, and his treatment of Lewis in recent races has been completely uncalled for, even if you do think the incidences in question were totally his fault. People make mistakes.

 

[Quintessentially]

Brundle has a difficult job and i think it is a measure of his frankness that he openly admits it when he thinks he's got an opinion wrong. He admitted on live TV that Jenson looked in his mirrors despite DC's best efforts to deflect attention. I'm glad Jenson kept his win just to keep the politics out as a retrospective penalty would've been too damaging for the sport. Yes there is inconsistency in applying the rules and some would feel more harshly treated than others but sometimes the sport must come first and this was one of those occasions. For once in a very long time, we are actually talking about the racing and the stewards are no longer the main show ala Mosley.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

I saw it as a racing incident.

As per 'retrospective' time penalty (a la Hamilton at Spa 2008), I don't think the FIA or Ecclestone/CVC Partners would have liked 'yet another Vettel win' with 'Vettel Having Increased His Choke-Hold On The WDC'.

It's bad for tv ratings when the WDC is decided by July...and there's no way they would have wanted yet another Vettel victory.

The cynic in me suggests that there was one Safety Cars too many in order to bunch up the field because Vettel was clearing off at will almost every single time the race proper was on and, by then, Hamilton and Alonso had DNF and non-scored...and the Powers That Be probably wanted Button or Webber to win to make the WDC interesting.

It seems as if the Powers That Be will contrive to put a cap on Vettel's lead in the Points Tables at every opportunity they can as a closer championship is "better for business".

 

[Hamberg]

Nonsense of the week comes from a familiar source:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-Jenson-Button-team-mates.html#ixzz1P8yW6AE4

With no football on, the mass media are forced to talk about F1!

Wow, I couldn't read it all through fear of choking on my own vomit. Some of the Lorca drivel on 606 was more factual!

 

[Brogan]

Wow, I couldn't read it all through fear of choking on my own vomit. Some of the Lorca drivel on 606 was more factual!

I saw the URL and didn't even bother clicking it

 

[KekeTheKing]

This was Button having a look at Barrichello on Lap 15. Note where the dry line is starting to form and how much room Rubens leaves for the car that he knows is right behind him.

 

[Bullet190]

RE: Brundle's thoughts;
It's nice that having had time to reflect on the Button/Hamilton incident he has written this. Personally I think most of the incidents yesterday were racing incidents, in fact the only one I thought was a bit naughty was Shumi pushing Hamilton wide but difficult to be sure enough to call a penalty.
The biggest problem for me is I see many racing incidents with inconsistent punishment.
Brundle on Hamilton.....

It's like the hard-tackling footballer - he's perceived as likely to be guilty before he does anything.

There are many people guilty of this including Brundle and Coulthard, never a truer word spoken though.

 

[Brogan]

in fact the only one I thought was a bit naughty was Shumi pushing Hamilton wide

Which ironically was put down to Hamilton going wide, until they later corrected themselves and said it was Schumacher moving in the braking zone, changing direction more than once.

 

[teabagyokel]

Schumi was out of order there.

 

[teabagyokel]

The cynic in me suggests that there was one Safety Cars too many in order to bunch up the field because Vettel was clearing off at will almost every single time the race proper was on and, by then, Hamilton and Alonso had DNF and non-scored...and the Powers That Be probably wanted Button or Webber to win to make the WDC interesting.

1. At the start, the SC was an advantage to Vettel because he did not need to fend off the Ferraris á la Hockenheim last year.
2. The second SC was unavoidable because Lewis was parked in a really difficult place at Turn 5.
3. The third SC gave Vettel a free stop.
4. The fourth SC protected Vettel from attack by Massa because Kobayashi was still in 2nd place AND gave him another free stop.
5. The fifth SC didn't really disadvantage Vettel because he was getting caught hand-over-fist anyway and closing up the lead would have happened soon enough, only with Webber immediately behind rather than Schumacher.

So if those Safety Cars were to crock Vettel, they've done an awful job!

 

[Quintessentially]

@Keke - I don't buy this I didn't see him argument. I think this give your team mate room agreement can be scratched from now onwards. Another thing that if also often ignored about Hamilton is his fairness when defending. The weaving incidents didn't look pretty but he's not one to defend at any cost. Once you put a solid move on him he yields cleanly and this goes all the way back to the F3000 Euroseries.