Canadian GP - McLaren Mercedes - PreviewThe F1 fraternity departs for North America this week for the Canadian and United States double header, which kicks off with the Montreal round of the Championship next Sunday.
Following the opening five races of the season,
McLaren Mercedes leads the Constructors’ World Championship with 76 points.
Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton lie in first and second positions of the Drivers’ standing respectively, both with 38 points.
After some controversy last time out in Monaco, the team will be hoping for a similar race result, minus the negative headlines.
Fernando Alonso"We have a great momentum in the team right now after such a fantastic result in Monaco, which is a positive way to be going into the North American double-header. There has been no opportunity to test since Monaco; however the team has been pushing hard off track to keep the momentum going. Until last year, I hadn’t had great results in Canada, so it was fantastic to win there."
"It is always a tough race, and you see a lot of retirements because you are stressing the whole car with the high speeds and the hard braking zones. The track conditions also change over the race weekend, the grip levels improve as more rubber is laid and the dusty conditions. On race day, it is much better than Friday.
We have some new packages on the car for Montreal; we are all pushing hard to attack and fight for more race victories. It is a good circuit to race on as there are a number of places you can overtake, which makes it more exciting for the drivers, teams and fans."
Lewis Hamilton
"The result in Monaco was great for everyone in the team, it was a dream result considering it was my first year there in a Formula 1 car, and it means we are going to North America at the top of both Championship tables. I cannot wait to get back on track and continue to focus on racing."
"This will be my debut at the Circuit Gilles
Jacques Villeneuve, because of the chances there are to pass; it looks like a great track to compete on. It has some very distinctive characteristics, such as the low grip, the long straights, hard braking and so on, so my initial laps will focus on understanding all these and how best to drive the track to get good times. I have completed preparation work with my engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre specific to Canada and the US, and it will be great to finally take to the track here in Montreal."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Mercedes CEO
"The Canadian Grand Prix is a very different event to the Monaco race. We go from the slowest, tightest track packed with corners on the calendar to a circuit that is all about long periods of power and braking. The MP4-22 performed incredibly well in Monte Carlo, however as the track conditions are poles apart, we are not going to Montreal with the same expectations. We go to Canada aiming to fight for the victory and to maintain our positions at the top of both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships; however are realistic about the potential to dominate. The test at Paul Ricard prior to Monaco had two days of Canada running and useful intelligence was gained. It is going to be a tougher battle and the track is notoriously tough on race cars, but we will keep pushing."
Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport VP
"The first three letters are almost the only things which the street circuits of Monaco and Montreal have in common. The layout of the track located at the Île Notre Dame, the Olympic park of 1976, could hardly be more of a contrast to Monaco. Instead of maximum aero downforce as in Monaco, there will be only a little; instead of slow turns we will see fast corners, instead of short straights, there are long ones. The longest straight is the section between the L’Epingle hairpin and the chicane prior to start and finish; 1,100 metres or 15 seconds are run under full throttle. This is particularly demanding for brakes and engines; four times per lap, the drivers slow down from speeds of more than 300km/h to about 100km/h. During the test one and a half weeks before Monaco, our team completed an intensive test at the Paul Ricard circuit’s long version to prepare for this race."
Source McLaren Mercedes
