Grand Prix 2019 Canadian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Back in 1991 Nigel Mansell had been persuaded not retire after his time at Ferrari and re-joined Williams. What took him back to Williams was the first Adrian Newey design Williams F1 car, the FW14. The 1991 car did not have the infamous active suspension of the FW14B but it was still a very advanced racing car.

The car proved fast but unreliable in the early races. Patrese took a second place in Brazil and Mansell the same in Monaco, in the other races the Williams failed to finish.

Then came Canada.

Patrese put his car on Pole, 0.4 seconds quicker than Mansell. At the start of the race Mansell took the lead and there he stayed for 68 laps. Meanwhile Patrese was having trouble with his gearbox and was passed by Nelson Piquet in the Benetton and Stefano Modeno in the Tyrrell.

Mansell was cruising at the front. On lap 65 he set the fastest lap and was stroking the car home. On the final lap he was over a minute ahead of Piquet and looked set to take his first victory on his return to Williams. As he approached the hairpin for the final time the car slowed, it rounded the hairpin and as Nigel attempted to accelerate down the straight towards the chicane the car simply wouldn't go. The Englishman vented his frustration and beat the steering wheel as the machine dribbled to a halt in front of one of the main grandstands. He got out and left the car where it was.

How could Mansell lose the race so close to the finish? When the car got back to the pits the engine started, the gearbox worked fine and it probably could have done another race. Unfortunately Nigel had let the revs drop too low as he approached the hairpin which lost electrical and hydraulic power causing the gearbox barrel to get stuck.

Meanwhile his nemesis, Nelson Piquet, over half a lap behind, kept it all together and cruised past to take what would be his last victory in F1 in his last season in the sport.

What of 2019? Expect a Mercedes front row with Hamilton on pole. Lewis will take a lights to flag victory and, I suspect, a Grand Chelem. Enjoy.

 

[Ruslan]

Given the way this race has been in recent years some of those critters showing up might be about the most interesting thing to happen there.

It is always a possibility. I have done walks around the track and seen all kinds of little animals. It is just a park most of the year.

 

[F1Brits_90]

this is intresting & ive heard rumours of this growing that the Mercedes dominance is only down to having the tyres in the window & Ferrari struggling bar Bahrain & baku until the sun went in during qualifying. Ferrari and Red Bull lead a front by teams who want to get back to the tires with thicker tread. & saying it is terrible for the show.

Red Bull sports director Helmut Marko railed: "It can not be that the tires decide everything. It does not matter how good your car is. If you do not hit the window, you have no chance.

Lobby gegen dünne Reifen: Pirelli lehnt schnelle Maßnahmen ab

 

[sobriety]

I'd argue that if you car isn't designed to get the tyres into their optimal operating window and maintain them there, then it isn't a well designed car.

 

[Ruslan]

this is intresting & ive heard rumours of this growing that the Mercedes dominance is only down to having the tyres in the window & Ferrari struggling bar Bahrain & baku until the sun went in during qualifying. Ferrari and Red Bull lead a front by teams who want to get back to the tires with thicker tread. & saying it is terrible for the show.

Red Bull sports director Helmut Marko railed: "It can not be that the tires decide everything. It does not matter how good your car is. If you do not hit the window, you have no chance.

Lobby gegen dünne Reifen: Pirelli lehnt schnelle Maßnahmen ab

So far this appears to be the story for the season. For some reason, Mercedes has been able to deal with the thinner tires, while Ferrari has struggled with them. Now....if they suddenly switched back to thicker tires, would Ferrari and Red Bull suddenly be competitive?

 

[Angel]

The tyres shouldn't be the deciding factor in who wins and who doesn't in my opinion. It should be down to the car and the driver. I get the tyres are part of the car and you could argue the most important part given they're the only part on the track, but they shouldn't be the crucial part surely.

 

[F1Brits_90]

Now....if they suddenly switched back to thicker tires, would Ferrari and Red Bull suddenly be competitive?

i think yes because they spent yrs down the road preserving tyres. & now this thinner tyres need to be worked harder. which was mercedes weakness has become their stength

 

[F1Brits_90]

Autosport won't let me read that article because it has stupid rules. Does it say anything about Racing Point and Williams getting the upgraded engine?

according to Andrew benson on twitter. all teams have a new mercedes engine this weekend but considering it bottas issue on Friday & stroll blown engine in fp3. might not be reliable

 

[sobriety]

I get the tyres are part of the car and you could argue the most important part given they're the only part on the track, but they shouldn't be the crucial part surely

I agree, and I'd argue that all aspects of the car are equally important, if you balls up one area of the design hard, then you will be a lot less competitive, and while I'm not a fan of merc always winning, buggering about with the formula mid-season for the sake of the show is, frankly, bullshit.

By all means change it up in the off season so the teams have to do some thinking, but if your thinking wasn't as good as someone elses, then don't piss and moan and try to get the rules changed mid season. Work out what's wrong, and fix your car, there isn't a budget cap, and RedBull/Ferrari have more or less infinite resources, so get to it, boys and girls.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

Daniel Ricciardo qualifying 4th was the stand out drive for me in Qualifying today.With a few cars out of position on the grid we could also be in for a better race than normal tomorrow.

 

[olegg]

 

[Ruslan]

according to Andrew benson on twitter. all teams have a new mercedes engine this weekend but considering it bottas issue on Friday & stroll blown engine in fp3. might not be reliable

Yea, I wonder about the wisdom of that decision. If I had a new engine I would give to William first to run for the weeekend. If there are problems, it is not like you are going to ruin their weekend.

 

[olegg]

 

[olegg]

 

[Ruslan]

So why did Vettel outqualify Hamilton? Is it

1. Because Vettel ran a great lap?
2. Because Hamilton ran a not-so-great lap?
3. Because Ferrari finally got the tires to work?
4. Because Ferrari simply had too much power at this track for Mercedes?

 

[Angel]

5. Vettel found his rhythm

Oh and 6. I think Mercedes new upgrade might be like some of the Ferrari ones recently, as in not really an upgrade.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

The onboard from Bottas in the Q3 showed he was really on edge. The car looked pretty horrible. I was impressed how he managed to keep it out of the wall (and I don't just mean his sideways excursion).

 

[Izumi]

So why did Vettel outqualify Hamilton? Is it

1. Because Vettel ran a great lap?
2. Because Hamilton ran a not-so-great lap?
3. Because Ferrari finally got the tires to work?
4. Because Ferrari simply had too much power at this track for Mercedes?

• Vettel is a good driver.
• Track characteristics complementing Ferrari strong point. (I wish I would know which one it is.)
• Tires under ambient conditions grudgingly (for once) cooperated.

‘Canada pole proves Ferrari got car concept wrong'

That's what happen if you cannot test on real track (as opposed to evaluation of image on your computer).

 

[HansyRod]

• Track characteristics complementing Ferrari strong point. (I wish I would know which one it is.)

That one is clear: straight line speed. Ferrari obliterated everyone on Sector 3, and didn't lose as much time on the other sectors (of which a good portion are straights as well). Vettel was quite higher than everyone else on the speed trap, as well.

 

[Ruslan]

That one is clear: straight line speed. Ferrari obliterated everyone on Sector 3, and didn't lose as much time on the other sectors (of which a good portion are straights as well). Vettel was quite higher than everyone else on the speed trap, as well.

Yep. You can see that in the sector times in olegg post, where Hamilton is faster in the first two sectors but Vettel is clearly faster in the third one.

Here are the speed trap times: Montreal Speed Trap: who is the fastest of them all?

What stands out is how fast the Ferraris are and how slow the Red Bulls are.

 

[Il_leone]

Canada is unique in that its described as a fast Monaco . There are not many slow twisty corners nor any fast corners so neither mechanical grip or downforce is critical. Its mainly accelerate and heavily brake , the long back straights where Ferrari have the advantage is giving them up to 0.4 seconds of a lap.

So if Vettel gets cleanly away then he can control the race but if Hamilton can get in front of him then potentially Vettel could be in for a tough afternoon following the dirty air. It will be interesting to see if LeClerc is keeping up pace with the two of them how Ferrari will react now if he demands to move over Vettel