The Formula 1 circus descends on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend for the running of the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix. The race has been held annually in Montreal since 1978, and the 4.3 kilometer circuit rarely delivers anything short of a spectacular contest.
In what has been an enthralling season thus far, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel leads the championship by 21 points ahead of fan-favourite Lotus pilot, Kimi Raikkonen. The last round of the season saw Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg achieve a spectacular victory, 30 years to the day since his father Keke was victorious around the tight streets of Monte Carlo. However, a great deal has happened since the chequered flag was waved in Monaco, with Mercedes and Ferrari under investigation having become embroiled in a tyre-testing controversy. So what does it all mean for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend? In YourRaceDepartment this week, we asked our much-appreciated contributors for:
“Your podium prediction for the Canadian Grand Prix and why”.
Manolis Sigoulakis
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
Many teams are on form and can take a victory at Montreal. First of all, it's Mercedes. They took victory at Monaco, but at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, they will undergo their first serious test after that bad race for them in Spain. However, Hamilton has always been fast here. Then we have Ferrari, who performed poorly last race, but I believe that the race at Monaco shouldn't be taken into account when we think about performances, because it is so special. That means that they are a candidate for the win. Red Bull shouldn't be discounted, but they have never taken victory at Canada before. Lotus won't be out of contention either, as Raikkonen is always strong, while Grosjean took a podium last year. I personally expect the McLarens to look strong, but not fast enough for the podium. My prediction for the podium is: Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen.
Timothy Huang
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 3. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
"Lewis? That's ridiculous, he obviously has brake issues." Well yes, he happens to struggling with his new car, but did he not qualify his Silver Arrow in P2 last week in Monaco? As much as he is struggling, his raw pace is still extremely impressive. But the question comes back to tyre management, can he manage those tyres? Or is there even a need for tyre management? Last year Lewis won with a 2 stop strategy as all the leaders 1-stopped and eventually had to pit a 2nd time. And considering that the Brit has extraordinary records here (crashed or won) I think Lewis looks extremely good for the GP win.
Nico is also a very capable candidate for this win. However, considering that Nico has never finished very high up in this track that suits very well with the Mercedes, I thought Lewis would be a better candidate. However, that being said, the margin between the two drivers is small. Nico is obviously capable of delivering, and has shown in the past 3 races where he qualified on pole and eventually won last week.
Why not Seb? Because Red Bull never had a good record in Canada. Does that exclude them from the podium positions? Not necessarily. But as of right now, Ferrari definitely has a higher top speed than Red Bull, and that is going to pay off in Canada, where that wasn't such a huge deal in Monaco (drag doesn't matter in Monaco). Red Bull is quick in places of high down force requirements, but suffers in drag situations such as Monza. Alonso has an extremely good chance in getting on this podium, or perhaps even winning the race or finishing runner-up.
Miroslav Davidovic
1. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 2. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
Fernando Alonso is seriously hungry now after a really difficult Monaco Grand Prix. I also think Alonso and Ferrari’s mistakes are well and truly behind them, and they won’t allow themselves to put in another disappointing showing reminiscent of their performance in Monaco. Considering that overtaking is also an easy task in Montreal (relative to Monaco), Fernando should be able to pick his way through the field even with his recurrent lack of pace in qualifying.
I think Sebastian Vettel is a good chance to occupy second position on the podium. The young German is always there or thereabouts, and should be right in the mix for yet another podium at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend. Lucky kid!
Kimi will probably lack the outright pace to challenge for a win in Montreal, however, with his ever-present consistency, I expect him to beat most of the field and take his rightful place on the podium. Go Lotus! I’d rather see him winning but realistically I don’t think he will have the pace for a victory.
Tristan Clark
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus), 2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 3. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
If I ever get reincarnated as a Pirelli tyre, I’d definitely want to spend my life on a 2013 Lotus F1 Car. I’m expecting pretty big things from the Ice-Man this weekend. Yes, it doesn’t appear that he has any outstanding qualifying or outright pace, however tyres are such a key determinant in Formula 1 this year and there is nowhere to hide at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (compared to Monaco) if you're having problems managing rubber.
Fernando Alonso wasn’t too thrilled with his performance in Monaco, and I’m predicting he will bounce back strongly in Montreal. Impressive showings at Barcelona and an impressive fight-back without DRS at Bahrain should translate to very competitive pace for the Spaniard this weekend.
Red Bull doesn't have the best record here, but you’d be a brave man to count out the hard charging German on any track under any circumstances. He will find a way to sneak on the podium, but probably won't occupy the top step.
We have seen some incredible races at Montreal in recent years, and fingers crossed that the 2013 edition of the Canadian Grand Prix will produce another epic chapter in an extremely competitive season. Bring it on!
Thank you for your contributions everyone! For details regarding how to contribute to YourRaceDepartment, please visit the details thread. Stay tuned for the announcement of our next topic here!
Images: MotorsportPress, Mercedes Benz Blog,
James Moy Blog
