#Formula1 @Pirelli Grand Prix Du Canada 2019 Preview – #F1 #CanadianGP

After Lewis Hamilton took an intense victory fending off a charging Max Verstappen on the streets of Monte Carlo, round seven of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship returns to the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix Du Canada 2019. This will be the 56^th running of the Canadian Grand Prix and the fiftieth time as a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship since the sport began in 1950. Also, it is the 40^th time that the Canadian Grand Prix has been held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

 

 

A Look at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

 

 

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and has been held there since 1978 when it was formerly known as the Circuit Ile Notre Dame.

 

The circuit is located in a part of the city of Montreal known as Parc-Jean Drapeau. The park is named after the mayor of Montreal who was responsible for the organization of Expo 67.

 

The circuit lies on Ile Notre Dame, a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River most of which was originally built up for the Expo 67. Also, the neighbouring island Ile Sainte-Helene had been artificially enlarged for the fairgrounds and a prominent remnant of the fair, the Biosphere can be regularly seen during television coverage of racing events. Almost half of the track from the hairpin turn until after the pit area runs alongside the Bassin Olimpique, a huge rectangular basin which was created for the rowing and canoeing events of Montreal’s 1976 Summer Olympics. Barriers run close to the circuit and many experienced drivers have been caught out by them.

 

A particularly famous part of the circuit is the wall on the outside of the exit of the final chicane before the start/finish straight. During the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix the wall, which bears the name Bienvenue au Quebec (“Welcome to Quebec”) giving it the nickname “Mur du Quebec” (Quebec Wall), ended the race of three Formula One World Champions, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve along with FIA GT champion Ricardo Zonta. Since then the wall has been nicknamed “The Wall of Champions. In recent years 2009 world champion Jenson Button (2005) and 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel (2011) have also fallen victim to the wall.

 

Before the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve became Canada’s permanent home of Grand Prix racing, the Canadian Grand Prix was first staged Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario in 1961 as a sports car event before it alternated between Mosport and Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec after Formula One took over the event. After 1971, safety concerns led to the Grand Prix moving permanently to Mosport. In 1978, after similar safety concerns with Mosport, the Canadian Grand Prix moved to its current home on Ile Notre Dame Circuit (which was renamed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1982 weeks after Canadian Gilles Villeneuve tragically lost his life at Zolder in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix) in Montreal.

 

Canadian native Gilles Villeneuve was the first winner at the circuit for Scuderia Ferrari in 1978 and is the only Canadian driver to win a Canadian Grand Prix.

 

The circuit runs in a clockwise direction and is 4.361km (2.71 mi) in length with 14 corners.

 

Race distance is 305.270km (189.694 mi) with 70 laps in total.

 

Rubens Barrichello holds the fastest lap record from 2004 with a 1:13.622 set in his Scuderia Ferrari F2004.

 

Michael Schumacher holds the record for most Canadian Grand Prix victories with seven.

 

Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful Constructor at the Canadian Grand Prix with 13 victories to their name.

 

Onboard Lap of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

 

 

Here is an onboard pole lap of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from last year’s Canadian Grand Prix from Sebastian Vettel in his Scuderia Ferrari SF71H. His time was a blistering 1:10.764. You can see it here at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCv0qcyrUeU

 

The Last Five Winners

 

 

2018: Sebastian Vettel, Scuderia Ferrari. 2017: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2016: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2015: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1. 2014: Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing.

 

Tyres

 

 

Sole tyre supplier Pirelli will be bringing with them to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the C3 white-branded Hard compounds, the C4 yellow-marked Mediums and the C5 red side-walled Soft rubber along with the green-coloured Intermediates and blue-branded Full Wets in case of rain.

 

Ferrari and Red Bull have taken a more conservative approach than championship leaders Mercedes for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

 

While the teams had favoured the C5 softer rubber in their allocations for Monaco, they were more keen for the harder tyres for Montreal.

 

Ferrari and Red Bull opted for only seven sets of the C5 soft compounds for their drivers, with only ROKiT Williams Racing’s George Russell also having the fewest sets of the C5’s among the rest of the field.

 

The Scuderia selected five sets of the C4 yellow-marked medium tyres for both Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.

 

Reigning Champions Mercedes have given Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas eight sets of the C5 softer rubber each whilst the former will have an extra set of the mediums at the expense of another set of the harder tyre.

 

Alfa Romeo Racing, McLaren and Racing Point went the most aggressive in the field selecting nine sets of the C5 softs for all their drivers.

 

DRS Zones

 

There will be three DRS Zones in Canada with a new zone being added between turns seven and eight. The first detection point will be 15 metres after turn five and the activation point 95 metres after turn seven. The second detection zone remains unchanged, located 110 metres after turn nine. The second DRS activation point is 55 metres before turn 12 and the third 70 metres after turn 14.

 

Pitlane Speed Limits

 

Pitlane speeds will be 80km/h during practice, qualifying and the race.

 

ICYMI: Monaco GP Rewind – Hamilton holds off Verstappen to thrilling Monaco GP victory

 

 

Lewis Hamilton withstood intense pressure from hard-pushing Max Verstappen to win a thrilling Monaco Grand Prix, as a pit-lane incident with Valtteri Bottas cost Verstappen second place.

 

Hamilton had to manage his yellow C4 medium rubber for 60 laps and ultimately resisted pressure from Verstappen and his pursuers behind who were all on harder compounds.

 

As Verstappen was unable to be by the Mercedes and move clear – despite a late lunge dive at the Nouvelle Chicane with two laps remaining – the Dutchman fell from second to fourth following his five-second time penalty.

 

Verstappen was handed the punishment due to an unsafe release in the pit-lane that put him ahead of the second-placed Mercedes of Bottas, who he made slight contact with and snagged the wall.

 

Thus, Verstappen was relegated behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Bottas, who rounded out the top three despite needing to make another stop under the safety car after brushing the wall and causing a puncture.

 

When the 78 lap Monaco Grand Prix began, pole-sitter Hamilton retained his lead at the start ahead of Mercedes team-mate Bottas, despite Verstappen having a look at the inside of the Mercedes at St Devote on the opening lap.

 

The front-running places remained stable in the opening stint until the safety car was deployed for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who started 15^th on the grid due to the Scuderia’s qualifying mishap – scattered the streets of Monte Carlos with debris after a puncture.

 

Leclerc hit the inside wall with his SF90 racer at Rascasse and half-spun attempting to pass Renault F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg.

 

The young-Monegasque driver attempted to continue racing but picked up a puncture and littered the track with a significant amount of debris as the rubber fell apart around the rest of the lap.

 

Mercedes decided to pit both drivers under the caution period and Bottas fell behind Hamilton under the safety car to try and make enough of a gap to prevent losing time.

 

When they pitted, Verstappen was released just as Bottas was coming by and although Verstappen was a nose ahead of the Finn’s Silver Arrow, a small amount of contact was made as Bottas touched the wall on the right-hand side.

 

The incident damaged the wheel rim of Bottas’ F1 W10 EQ Power+, which caused a puncture, but with the safety car still on track he only dropped behind Vettel to fourth and eventually Verstappen was hit with a five-second time penalty.

 

When the race went green, Verstappen was pushing Hamilton to his limits, but only got much closer to the Mercedes with ten laps remaining to hound the five-time World Champion.

 

The Dutchman took a slight look on the outside at Fairmont Hairpin with eight laps remaining but was not get close enough on the exit of Portier to get a good run at Hamilton into the Nouvelle Chicane.

 

With two laps remaining, he took a lunge at Hamilton into the Nouvelle Chicane, but the Briton moved across. Verstappen locked-up and they made slight wheel-to-wheel contact – Verstappen’s right-front to Hamilton’s left-rear and Hamilton took a trip through the run-off area, but both continued unscathed with no damage.

 

Hamilton crossed the line to win the Monaco Grand extended his advantage in the World Driver’s Championship to 17 points over Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

 

Vettel and Bottas were slightly behind the leaders reaching the chequered flag but within five seconds and crucially within the five seconds to demote Verstappen to fourth.

 

Red Bull Racing’s Pierre Gasly completed the top five and secured his best result since being promoted to the senior team, with the Frenchman also taking the bonus fastest lap point after building enough of a gap to make a free pit-stop and bolt on a fresh set of soft rubber.

 

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz came home in sixth place and took his best result for the Woking-based outfit after not opting to stop under the safety car.

 

That strategy was also followed by Toro Rosso pairing Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon who finished in seventh and eighth respectively.

 

Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo ended the Monaco Grand Prix in ninth place, the leading midfield runner who opted to pit under the safety car.

 

Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean who replicated the same strategy as Sainz/Kvyat/Albon completed the top ten and took the final point available.

 

The other McLaren of Lando Norris finished outside the top ten in 11^th place and in-front of Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen who was 12^th and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez who was 13^th.

 

Renault F1 Team’s Hulkenberg was 14^th and ahead of ROKiT Williams Racing’s George Russell who took 15^th and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll who was 16^th.

 

The two Alfa Romeo Racing C38’s of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi finished a low 17^th and the rear with the second Williams of Robert Kubica taking 18^th.

 

The aforementioned Leclerc was the only retirement at the Monaco Grand Prix after initially wanting to push on following his early setback but soon parked his SF90 in the pits.

 

There was another bit of drama at La Rascasse shortly after the safety car period, when Giovinazzi hit Kubica’s FW42 causing him to spin.

 

The circuit was briefly a parking lot with cars held up, but Kubica managed to reverse and move out of the way quickly to prevent anything more than waved yellow flags.

 

The Situation

 

 

Lewis Hamilton returns to Montreal sitting on top of the World Driver’s Championship with 137 points and a 17-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas who is second on 120 points while Sebastian Vettel is third on 82 points and a further 55 behind the Briton.

 

Mercedes comes to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve leading the World Constructor’s Championship with 257 points and a huge 118-point gap over nearest rivals Ferrari who are second on 139 points while Red Bull Racing are third on 110 points and a further 147 behind the Silver Arrows.

 

Formula 1 2019 World Driver’s Championship Standings – Top 10

1. Lewis Hamilton – 137 Points.
2. Valtteri Bottas – 120 Points.
3. Sebastian Vettel – 82 Points.
4. Max Verstappen – 78 Points.
5. Charles Leclerc – 57 Points.
6. Pierre Gasly – 32 Points.
7. Carlos Sainz – 18 Points.
8. Kevin Magnussen – 14 Points.
9. Sergio Perez – 13 Points.
10. Kimi Raikkonen – 13 Points.

 

Formula 1 2019 World Constructors Championship Standings

1. Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport – 257 Points.
2. Scuderia Ferrari – 139 Points.
3. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing-Honda – 110 Points.
4. McLaren-Renault F1 Team – 30 Points.
5. SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team – 17 Points.
6. Rich Energy Haas F1 Team – 16 Points.
7. Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda – 16 Points.
8. Renault F1 Team – 14 Points.
9. Alfa Romeo Racing – 13 Points.
10. ROKiT Williams Racing – 0 Points.

 

The Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix Du Canada 2019 weekend kicks off Friday June 7 with Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying Saturday June 8 and the 70 lap Race Sunday June 9.