FORMULA 1 - 2010

[OZCUBAN]

Hi all

Will have to watch the race back as i got to the part when the Red Bulls were 1-2 then promptly drifted off to the land of nod

Must still be on Melbourne time? or was it the bottle of red wine

Cheers Oz

[MIKA27]

Massa penalised, Schu escapes

The race stewards were kept busy as they had to deal with several incidents after the Canadian Grand Prix.

First they slapped Felipe Massa with a 20-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane during the closing stages of the race. However, luckily for the Ferrari driver the penalty doesn't have an affect his 15th place finish as he was a lap clear of Heikki Kovalainen in 16th place.

Massa was forced to make a pit stop with just seven laps to go after damaging his front wing during a scrap with Michael Schumacher for P10.

He was clocked at 105.4 km/h in the pitlane, exceeding the speed limit of 100 km/h.

With the infringement coming so late in the race, the stewards had no option but to punish him a 20-second penalty instead of the normal drive-through penalty.

The stewards, one of which was former World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi, opted not to punish Mercedes GP driver Schumacher for his role in the collision after looking into the matter post-race.

"The Stewards after hearing the explanation of both the Competitors representatives and the drivers decided that the incident requires no further action," the stewards' official report said.

Meanwhile, Toro Rosso's Jamie Alguersuari was given a reprimand for his involvement in collision with Williams' Rubens Barrichello during the early stages of the race.

Robert Kubica also received a reprimand for his 'dangerous entry to the pit' at the halfway stage

The Renault driver dived across Force India's Adrian Sutil just before entering the pitlane.

[MIKA27]

Traffic terrific for McLaren

Lewis Hamilton admits traffic played a big role in his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 25-year-old led home Jenson Button for a McLaren 1-2 to make it two wins on the trot after his success in Turkey a fortnight ago.

However, he admits he got a bit lucky with the traffic when he leapfrogged Fernando Alonso while they were both trying to pass Sebastian Buemi.

"Traffic was the opportunity for all of us today to get past the guy in front and I capitalised on that," Hamilton said.

Hamilton and Alonso traded P1 once before they went head-to-head in the pitlane following their stop.

"I think I came in quite a bit ahead of him, but clearly did not have the best pitstop," he said of their battle.

"I saw him being released and as he pulled away I saw him in my blind spot. All of sudden he was there with me, so we raced all the way down to the first corner but then he got ahead of me... fair play to him."

His victory in Canada was the 14th of his career and Hamilton was quick to praise his team.

"It's been a tremendous weekend," he said.

"Things have just gone so well. I've had incredible support, so many Brits in the crowd, which is great to see.

"The race was one of the tightest so far, but the team did an incredible job and I'm so happy and proud of the team."

McLaren's back-to-back 1-2s in Turkey and Canada mean they now lead the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships despite the Red Bulls dominating the first few races of the year.

Hamilton is confident the Woking-based team will close the gap on the Bulls even further in the next few races.

"We are doing everything we can to close gap to them," he said. "On other circuits where downforce is a bit higher they may be a bit ahead still, but I have no doubts we will close the gap.

"Clearly on race weekends we are doing a better job, but hopefully we can continue with that. This is a special day for me. I won my first grand prix here and to repeat it after three years is a real pleasure."

[MIKA27]

Schu: Backmarkers aren't that slow

Michael Schumacher, who admitted ahead of the Canadian GP that he was worried about Merc's top speed, came up short in Sunday's race, finishing a disappointing P11.

Starting 13th on the grid, Schumacher had at least hoped for points in Montreal but it was not to be.

His race began with a puncture suffered in his battle with Robert Kubica, he then slumped down the grid after being overtaken by Sebastien Buemi, struck by Jaime Alguersuari and involved in Felipe Massa's front wing breaking before ending up with him being overhauled by both Force Indias on the very last lap.

And all this resulted in yet another visit to the race stewards, which saw him get away without any penalty, and a fresh round of criticism from those who reckon, like BBC commentator Martin Brundle, he was "appallingly today."

Schumacher, though, says there were other factors involved.

"At the start, everything went great and we made up places as we had been hoping for. The first stop was perfectly timed so it was looking quite promising," he said.

"Then I had a puncture on the front right tyre after my first pit stop, after I got together with Kubica, and that obviously decided my race.

"From there, I was stuck in traffic and there was nothing more to do because today our weapons were not very sharp.

"Towards the end, I was trying as hard as I could to defend myself but it was only possible to a certain degree and my tyres were just ruined after having done more than half the race distance.

"I was fighting cars with a good top speed which was quite tough. Otherwise I would have been in a good position I think so we have something to take away to the next races."

MIKA: Considering Mercedes need more straightline speed, I think they did amazing well this race weekend albeit the end result contradicts my statement. From P13 all the way to P4 by lap 7 was fantastic, I really thought Schumacher would get a podium but with the amount of tire graining going about for all teams, 70 lap Grand prix could be anyones win.

[MIKA27]

Vettel: No cause for panic

Sebastian Vettel insists Red Bull have not entered a state of panic despite losing the lead in the both Championships in recent weeks.

McLaren's 1-2 in Turkey, partly the result of Red Bull's own troubles when their two drivers collided while leading, saw the Woking team take the lead in the Constructors' Championship.

Two weeks later, Red Bull also plummeted down the order in the Drivers' standings, once again due to a McLaren 1-2, this time in Canada, putting Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at the top of the points table.

However, Vettel says Red Bull have no reason to panic as they are still third and fifth, with Mark Webber ahead of Vettel, and there's still a long way to go.

"Coming into the weekend we were not the favourites, but actually we had very good pace and we surprised some people with that," said Vettel.

"We couldn't really show our real pace during the race due to the way it unfolded, but it's promising.

"It's a close battle at the top of the table and, as we have seen, things can change very quickly.

"There is no reason to panic from our side, we have a very good car and we're looking ahead to Valencia."

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Ferrari need more podium finishes

Fernando Alonso has already set his sights on some home comfort in a fortnight after hauling himself back into the World title fight.

Alonso grabbed only his third podium finish of the season, taking third spot in Sunday's captivating Canadian Grand Prix behind a second consecutive McLaren one-two.

After finishing 46 seconds behind the Britons in Turkey two weeks previously, Alonso believes he and Ferrari are firm championship contenders again after trailing the McLaren duo by nine seconds.

The double World Champion is now 15 points behind new title leader Hamilton, the sixth different Championship frontrunner after eight races this season.

"We have definitely taken a step forward this week," said Alonso.

"In Turkey we were under-competitive, too slow, finishing something like 50 seconds behind the McLarens.

"But here we were fighting wheel to wheel, so we took our chance of being on the podium, to be in front of the Red Bulls and fight for the win.

"So it's definitely been a very positive weekend for us and I am already looking forward because I think this result will provide the team with plenty of motivation."

Next up for Alonso is his second home race of the year in Valencia for the European Grand Prix on June 27.

After finishing second in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona in May, the 28-year-old Spaniard would love nothing more than to go one better in front of his home fans.

In particular as he has not fared well around the street circuit in his two previous outings, retiring in 2008 and finishing sixth last year.

"We are moving in the right direction, and I think we are back in the fight," added Alonso.

"If we want to be World Champions hopefully we can be on the podium more often, starting in Valencia.

"It's the second home race for me and I'm hoping to do well as I've never been on the podium there, so it would be a nice feeling if I could do that in front of my home crowd."

As for team-mate Felipe Massa, he was involved in two incidents in which he pitted for a new front wing, stopping four times overall.

The final stop after a collision with Mercedes' Michael Schumacher saw him caught for speeding in the pit lane for which he had 20 seconds added to his race time.

As he finished a lap down in any case, it hardly mattered, although team principal Stefano Domenicali claimed his drivers' results were "very regrettable" as he felt Alonso could have won.

"The result does not match up to the potential we had shown during the weekend," said Domenicali.

"But the fact we had a car virtually identical to the one in Turkey where we were definitely not competitive, is cause for thought.

"Now we must push as hard as possible on the development of the car.

"The Drivers' Championship is very open, and if the Constructors' one looks a bit trickier, the situation can change really quickly."

[MIKA27]

Fastest lap: Kubica tops the charts

Robert Kubica was by far the fastest driver around the Montreal circuit on Sunday but unfortunately for him it was a pace he could not maintain.

Just three laps from the end of Sunday's Canadian GP, Kubica clocked an extremely impressive 1:16.972, 0.834s quicker than race winner Lewis Hamilton, which must make Renault wonder exactly why he finished the grand prix down in seventh place and almost a full minute behind the McLaren race winner.

Nico Rosberg was third quickest for Mercedes GP, just 0.026s slower than Hamilton. More to the point, though, he was a massive 1.745s over a single lap quicker than his seven-time World Champion team-mate Michael Schumacher, who had a race weekend to forgot.

Jenson Button was fourth for McLaren, showing why he finished right behind Hamilton in the grand prix while Mark Webber's fifth quickest time put him on course for his P5 finish.

Fernando Alonso was sixth quickest, ahead of his team-mate Felipe Massa, the Brazilian another driver who must be wondering if he hadn't encountered so many problems just where that pace could have put him in the results. But he did have problems, and finished down in P15.

Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello completed the top ten, the latter two showing an impressive turn of pace in the midfield Williams cars.

Times

01 Robert Kubica Renault 1:16.972

02 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:17.806

03 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP 1:17.832

04 Jenson Button McLarens 1:18.144

05 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:18.148

06 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:18.207

07 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:18.325

08 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:18.417

09 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 1:18.912

10 Rubens Barrichello Williams 1:19.175

11 Tonio Liuzzi Force India 1:19.349

12 Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:19.453

13 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:19.530

14 Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP 1:19.577

15 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso 1:19.784

16 Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso 1:19.842

17 Pedro de la Rosa Sauber 1:20.574

18 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus 1:20.654

19 Jarno Trulli Lotus 1:20.791

20 Timo Glock Virgin 1:21.669

21 Karun Chandhok HRT 1:21.884

22 Lucas di Grassi Virgin 1:21.937

23 Bruno Senna HRT 1:24.524

[MIKA27]

Sun: McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Merc

Lewis Hamilton headed up McLaren's second successive 1-2 with Fernando Alonso third ahead of the Red Bulls...

McLaren

Lewis Hamilton:

"It was an incredibly challenging afternoon, especially in the last 20 laps, when I was trying to look after my tyres while also keeping Jenson and Fernando [Alonso] behind me. It wasn't easy, I can tell you that! This track is unique - you can never be too confident, because you really have to look after your tyres, and it's so hard to know how long you can make them last. Fernando put a lot of pressure on me. We had a really good battle, but, although he was pressing me hard, I was able to pull out a small gap and then maintain it. It was such a sensational feeling to cross the line. In terms of pure pace, I still think the Red Bull car is still a little bit faster than ours. But, as a whole, I think our package is now stronger. So, going forward, we need to build on the progress we've made recently, and we're going to do just that; we'll now knuckle down and make a really big effort to increase that gap. We've got good momentum now, so I hope we can continue our winning run through to Valencia in two weeks' time. The feeling and atmosphere within the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team is better than ever. The contribution that Jenson has brought is the best I've ever witnessed from a team-mate. He did another great job today to come from fourth to second - he's doing his part and I'm doing mine. The team is happier than ever. This has been a truly fantastic day."

Jenson Button:

"Turn One was a bit too exciting for me - I got hit by Felipe [Massa], and I feared I'd damaged the car, but fortunately it was just rear graining that I felt, not a puncture. Then, when I got onto the Prime tyre, the car started working really well. But it's so difficult around here - you've really got to look after the tyres, even the Prime, which was also liable to graining. But I looked after my tyres carefully, and in traffic I was able to pull out five seconds on Sebastian [Vettel]. After that, I decided to focus on driving flat-out to catch Fernando. And it worked: when we both hit further traffic, I was able to pounce and make my move. After that, I began trying my best to reel in Lewis, but I'd taken so much out of my tyres while chasing Fernando that I couldn't get any closer to Lewis than about two seconds. Overall, then, this has been a great weekend for us. Lewis did a phenomenal job in qualifying - I couldn't touch him - but it feels good to have finished second in the race just behind him. Hopefully, next time the order will be reversed!"

Ferrari

Fernando Alonso:

"It's great to be back on the podium and especially to be able to fight for the top places once again. Today, we could have won but we did not manage it because, on a few occasions, we paid a heavy price for the traffic. These things can happen to anyone in a race and this time it was our turn. If we want to reach our objective, we must try and always finish on the podium and this result is a great motivation for a team that today did a great job, in terms of strategy and handling the pit stops. It was difficult to manage the tyres: the softs at the start suffered from degradation very quickly, but even the hard ones had a different problem with graining. Luckily, our car is reasonably kind to the tyres. From what we had seen in Turkey, we had not really expected to have this level of performance. Now we have a lot of updates coming for the next Grand Prix in Valencia: I really hope they will allow us to be competitive on all types of track. I have never finished on the podium in my second home race, after the one in Barcelona and I would love to do that in two weeks time."

Felipe Massa:

"This was a horrible race, in which everything happened to me. At the first corner, I had an accident that put me out of the game in terms of fighting for a top place finish. I got a very good start, but I found myself sandwiched between Button and Liuzzi, who touched me and you all saw how it ended up. A shame, but these things happen. The car was very good today, as is usually the case in the races when compared to qualifying. After that, I was always in a lot of traffic and when I had at least managed to get back into the points, there was another collision, this time with Michael and that put an end to even that slight chance of points. I expect to do better in Valencia because there will be updates on the F10 and I hope to be in the fight for the top places."

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel:

"I was surprised that I came in for my first pitstop as the leader, but came out in fourth. I think everything we predicted to happen from our side was the case. The others came in early for new tyres, as we expected. Usually though, their race would then be over because they should come out in traffic, but that wasn't what happened. When we came out from our pit stop, they were ahead of us, so we need to understand what happened there. Otherwise, I had a gearbox problem from around halfway through the race, which meant I had to slow down. Also, due to lapped cars, I lost six seconds to Jenson in two laps, so I was unable to fight for the podium. But, it's good that we got these final positions. Coming into the weekend we were not the favourites, but actually we had very good pace and we surprised some people with that. We couldn't really show our real pace during the race, due to the way it unfolded, but it's promising. It's a close battle at the top of the table and, as we have seen, things can change very quickly. There is no reason to panic from our side, we have a very good car and we're looking ahead to Valencia."

Mark Webber:

"Tyres played a huge role in the race today and, in the end, we did the best we could. I have mixed emotions after the penalty this morning (Mark took a five place grid penalty due to a gear box change). I had a good first few laps at the start, but that took its toll on the first set of tyres, so I needed to pit a little earlier than I would have liked. In the second stint I was ahead and was monitoring the gap to Lewis. I was moving away a bit at the start, as he was pacing to get to the finish. I was trying to keep my pace constant, but in the end the tyres didn't want that pace and they go away from you. It's virtually impossible to keep the tyres from degrading here, no matter how slow you drive. In the end it wasn't really a surprise to come back out from my second pit stop in fifth, as I knew people in front had been packed up tightly behind Lewis. We then turned the car down to save it for the next race. We expected this to be a tough event and in the end we were closer than we thought. I wanted to get some champagne today, it didn't happen, but we'll be back."

Mercedes GP:

Nico Rosberg:

"Sixth place was probably the best result that we could have achieved today so I'm pretty happy. It's been a difficult weekend with a poor qualifying performance yesterday due to the tyres not working properly and I was unlucky on the first lap today to lose so many places from the chaos in front of me. But from there, I was able to do some good overtaking and push to make up the positions and our pace was quick. We had a great strategy but it was really difficult to manage the tyres. I drove smoothly to control the graining but every time I looked in my mirrors, it was getting worse. Thankfully the primes held after my second stop so we were able to finish with sixth place and get some decent points moving me up to sixth in the Drivers' Championship."

Michael Schumacher:

"At the start, everything went great and we made up places as we had been hoping for. The first stop was perfectly timed so it was looking quite promising. Then I had a puncture on the front right tyre after my first pit stop, after I got together with Kubica, and that obviously decided my race. From there, I was stuck in traffic and there was nothing more to do because today our weapons were not very sharp. Towards the end, I was trying as hard as I could to defend myself but it was only possible to a certain degree and my tyres were just ruined after having done more than half the race distance. I was fighting cars with a good top speed which was quite tough. Otherwise I would have been in a good position I think so we have something to take away to the next races."

[MIKA27]

Sun: Renault, STR, FIndia, Williams

There were points in Canada for Robert Kubica, Sebastien Buemi and both Force India drivers...

Renault

Robert Kubica:

"The six points I got this afternoon were my toughest points of the year. We chose to qualify on the prime tyre yesterday and hoped it would be an advantage in the first part of the race, but unfortunately it didn't work out. I had a lot of rear degradation in the first stint, which meant I pitted early, then the rear tyres went off in the second stint as well. But it was an action-packed race: I had a close battle with Michael after my first stop, and then with Sutil before my second one. I was racing him on my in-lap and we were side by side before the last corner. I was on the right, so I backed off and pulled behind him to take my line for the pits, but he braked very early and hard: I had to go round him to avoid causing an accident. At the end of the race, I did a short stint on the option tyre and I was pushing to close down the gap to Rosberg, but I ran out of laps even though I was catching him quickly. It was a tough race for me but I think we must be optimistic for Valencia: the circuit should suit our car, and we will have more new developments to help us improve our basic pace."

Vitaly Petrov:

"My race was almost over at the start when I spun. I was trying to overtake on the right hand side when I got pushed out onto the grass and lost the car, which put me at the back of the field. I was lucky that I only damaged the front wing, which we changed at the stop. Then I had the drive-through penalties, which dropped me further behind. So it's not really a race to remember for me, but it's still good experience because I finished the race and I learned a lot about the track, which will help me next year."

Toro Rosso:

Sebastien Buemi:

"I am super happy to have scored four points because we did not expect that much. The team did an excellent job, especially during the pit stops and also the strategy was spot on. I enjoyed some fights, including passing Schumacher which was difficult because, even though we were on the same tyres, with his being older than mine, he is a real fighter. Generally it was a tough afternoon, because there was a lot of degradation which is why we planned to make three pit stops; something we are not used to. The other worry I had was a broken exhaust from quite early on. I also enjoyed leading the race for a lap, which was a nice feeling. I hope this means my season will really kick off now, because I have not had much luck and the team has been working really hard. It feels so much better to have had a "normal" race today. Eighth place, leading the race and passing Michael. What a day!"

Jaime Alguersuari:

"On the positive side, I finished the race. It was a tough afternoon which did not go so well for me, even if I was involved in a lot of exciting incidents and moves. The best point for me is that the team once again gave me a reliable car with which I could finish the race and gain more valuable experience. So now, I'm already looking forward to Valencia, another race on Spanish soil."

Force India:

Tonio Liuzzi:

"It was a tough race and I drove every lap pushing so hard. The team deserved to get a good result after the hard work they have done this weekend and in the past weeks on the developments. We should ultimately have had more points than we got in the end, but it's always OK to get another few points on board, particularly after the last race when they seemed so far away. Unfortunately we lost a big part of the race as the door was closed on me in the first corner by Felipe [Massa]. It was a race accident as Jenson was on the other side and there wasn't anything I could do - I was on the inside and holding my line. We lost the front wing and had to change the strategy then and there, but in the end we still got some points. The team is pushing like hell and we want to confirm the progress we've made with more results. Today showed we're strongly in the top 10 and - more importantly - we will never give up."

Adrian Sutil:

"Like Tonio, it was a pretty hard race. At the start I was racing Kubica and it seemed we could have got into the top five again, but then we touched and I got a puncture. Unfortunately it was at the first corner so I had to drive the whole lap back to the pits. I lost a lot of time like this and dropped out of the top ten, and then had to fight my way past Hulkenberg and then Schumacher to get back in the points. At the end of the race we knew Michael had some problems with his tyres so I really pushed to close the gap and I just got past him on the last corner to get the final point. Of course I'm disappointed as I think we could have got some serious points here today but I think I drove well, the car was good and we were fast the whole race."

Williams:

Nico Hulkenberg:

"Although the race started well - I was up to p8 on the first lap - the rest of my afternoon didn't go as well. The first problem occurred when I was fighting with Sutil and I damaged my front wing, which meant that I had to make an unscheduled stop on lap 6. Then unfortunately on my second stop I broke the speed limit, which meant a drive-through penalty. All of these incidents cost a lot of time and we didn't achieve a points finish which was clearly possible today. In summary, I think we had a much-improved car here and I am sorry that I did not manage to capitalise on all the hard work the team put in this weekend."

Rubens Barrichello:

"We were there today with our pace to bank some points, but it became a very busy race. I had a problem on the grid, so I had to make up some places. I passed Alguersuari, but he came across me to cover his line too late as I was already there. He hit me with a big, 2g impact. The damage blocked my front left brake duct and when the temperatures climbed, I lost the pedal and had to let cars by until I could pit. Even after the stop, it took three laps for the brake pedal to come back, so the incident really destroyed our race and it is frustrating for the whole team as we certainly had a car capable of a good finish today."

[MIKA27]

Sun: Lotus, Hispania, Virgin, Sauber

F1's three newcomers all saw one car reach the finish in Canada. The same cannot be said of Sauber...

Lotus:

Heikki Kovalainen:

"It's been a great weekend, and I'm really pleased for the whole team with the result today. We finished ahead of Petrov and lapped the other new guys, and although it was hard work managing the tyres, it's still great to show what we can do. The race itself was tough, but it's all about the result - I didn't have any technical problems with the car, but the rear wasn't working quite as I'd have liked, and I think that was down to the tyre wear."

Jarno Trulli:

"It's such a shame I had to pull over - I had a great start and then I was really flying during the race. We got the strategy right on the tyres, and my pace was good - I was keeping up with the boys in front, and I was overtaking our other rivals. But then I felt a vibration that caused a problem with the braking system and I had to pull over. Still - we have to move on. It's another learning curve for the team and I think it's great to see that in the race I could really push and was putting in some very good lap times."

Hispania:

Karun Chandhok:

"Obviously I didn't drive at all yesterday and it was a good race under these circumstances. We were racing both Virgins and I was eight seconds ahead of Timo Glock even before he stopped in the end. I am quite pleased, at the end realistically we were only racing those three cars and we were ahead of them. It was a tough race with the traffic and everybody was struggling with the tyres. The team did a great job today and the guys did good pit stops under pressure today. The car was reliable, which is what we were struggling with this weekend."

Bruno Senna:

"We had a gearbox failure apparently. The second gear was lost and there was no way to finish the race without it on this track. So, we decided to retire which is really disappointing as it could have been a good race for us. Now, we have to make the best of this weekend and focus on the next race in Valencia."

Virgin:

Lucas di Grassi:

"The beginning of the race for me was very positive. I got a good start and then got by Timo and Bruno Senna and we were catching the Lotus of Jarno Trulli. The first stint was very strong and we were running in P10 for a while - our first time in a points-scoring position. Unfortunately, towards the end of the race we had a loss of hydraulic pressure and I had to stop shifting to conserve the car. A disappointing end but it was good that we were able to keep going and get the car home."

Timo Glock:

"A really crazy race all round. I had an okay start but then in turn eight Bruno Senna crashed into the back of my car, which destroyed the rear of the car and cost me a lot of downforce, as well as pushing me off the track which put me last. I tried to catch up but the problems we anticipated with the tyres started early on and our main focus was preserving the tyres. The pit stops were very quick - all five of them! - and the team did a great job. But then I had a steering rack leak ten laps before the end and my race was over. Generally, as great as it is to be back racing in Canada, it has been a tough weekend here for us and we hope for better things in Valencia in two weeks' time."

Sauber

Pedro de la Rosa:

"To be left empty handed certainly is deeply disappointing. On the first lap of the race Vitaly Petrov spun in front of me on the straight, and hit my car when he came back from the grass. The front wing was broken and I pitted for a new nose. Also the rear wing had some damage, but it wasn't too bad. I then continued and the car was quite good. We anticipated my pit stop because suddenly the rear tyres went. After this pit stop it seemed all okay but then on lap 31 I felt a sudden loss of top speed on the straight and knew immediately it was a serious problem."

Kamui Kobayashi:

"This should not have happened. I had made a very good start from 18th and on the first lap was fighting with Nico Hülkenberg down the back straight for ninth. In front of us was Michael Schumacher, apparently having some troubles with braking before the chicane. All three of us were braking late and then I suddenly had nowhere to go. I hit the kerb, the car jumped and I had damaged it so badly that I had to stop."

[MIKA27]

James Allen's Canadian GP verdict

Source: ITV-f1.com

I really loved this race. It had everything: unpredictability thanks to the tyres falling apart and different strategies for dealing with that; some great duels; and plenty of overtaking and drama.

At times it was hard to keep up with what was going on, such was the intensity of the race.

Lewis Hamilton deserved his win because he did a superb job in qualifying and drove a race which was at times patient, at times aggressive, particularly when racing Fernando Alonso.

Hamilton has always gone well in Montreal. I think it has a lot to do with the walls that line the track. Even when he doesn’t have the fastest car here, you can see that he likes to get really close to the walls.

But today the McLaren team did a better job of predicting the right strategy than Red Bull.

The tyres were like soft cheese in the early going and everyone had to manage the situation carefully. It’s no coincidence that Jenson Button rose to the top on a day like this.

This weekend may prove to have been a turning point for McLaren.

For the first time they took pole position, partly because Red Bull’s downforce advantage didn’t really help them here.

They then out-thought Red Bull in planning the tyre strategy for the race.

Sebastian Vettel was hamstrung by a problem with his gearbox – which might have to be replaced for the next race with a five-place grid drop – while Webber’s gearbox problem dropped him back five places on the grid here.

Whereas Red Bull sacrificed a little in qualifying to have what they thought would be the more durable tyre in the race, McLaren figured that everyone would be struggling on both types of tyre in the early laps, and so it proved.

Ferrari felt the same way and it gave them their best result for a while.

The first half of the race, when the cars were full of fuel and the track wasn’t rubbered in, were brutal on the tyres and they gave up very quickly.

But once we got halfway into the race, things normalised. The guys who started on soft tyres ran a very long second stint, but Red Bull were forced to run compromised strategies for Vettel, who got his soft tyre run out of the way in the second stint, and particularly for Webber, who didn’t take the soft until later on and lost track position as a result.

To be fair to RBR, Webber did start the race in seventh place due to a gearbox change, but thanks to Button holding everyone up in the opening six laps, he was right on Vettel’s gearbox by lap seven and in a position to challenge for the win.

Alonso fought hard for the win, but lost out twice when boxed in behind slower cars. Ironically one of them was leading the race (albeit briefly): Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso.

The other was Karun Chandhok behind whom Alonso was caught out horribly in turns six and seven, losing second place to Button as a result.

There were some brilliant performances further back, particularly Nico Rosberg, who started 10th, dropped to 13th on the opening lap and then fought his way back to finish sixth.

Buemi, too, was a hero to even be up in the lead briefly in a car which looked horrible all weekend and qualified 15th.

His pass on Michael Schumacher was perfectly judged and he fully deserved four points.

The momentum is with McLaren now. Valencia will be interesting, with Ferrari due a major upgrade. McLaren have one for Silverstone.

The championship has been wide open and tonight has its fifth different leader. There is a long way to go yet.

[MIKA27]

Formula One, a logistical nightmare

Here's a quick article to put the logistical side of Formula One into some (almost) understandable numbers.

It's a massive task getting 12 teams worth of gear, as well as the FIA's and FOM's equipment to each race on the calendar. But how do they do it? And just how much is there?

Well, in total there is around 350 tonnes, thats just under 5,000 average weight humans (70kg) or 65 African elephants (5.4t), worth of freight from five countries;

the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland to an overseas race, such as that of the season opener in Bahrain, over 5,000 km (3,150 miles) away?

Now, imagine having to do that several times a year. It's quite an undertaking and something the Formula One travelling circus has to do for the several flyaway races on the calendar.

F1's official logistics partner, DHL, manage to get over 20,000 items of equipment ranging from the smaller items to cater for VIP guests such as; serviettes and champagne, to the larger items such as; engines, gearboxes and the cars themselves, from Europe to Bahrain, Australia, China, Canada, Japan, Brazil and many more locations spread all over the globe.

It takes an army of people, a small fleet of 747's five in fact, that's enough to carry over 2,500 people in an economy layout, 35 container units plus a ship to get them from A to B, multiple trucks and even the odd helicopter for any late arrivals.

The teams also have their own trucks which travel to the races. These include engineering workshops, meeting rooms, technical offices as well as their impressive motor-homes which dominate the paddock area.

These custom built motor-homes aren't what you'd find in any old campsite. They take days to construct and then de-construct after the race before moving onto the next location. They feature all the latest mod-cons, for example, the Force India motor-home has voice-recognition entry which automatically recognises who you are and prepares your preferred drink on entry. The Red Bull structure even has its own swimming pool for those oh-so hard to gain access to pool parties.

Once it's all over, it all needs to be repacked in a couple of days for the next race in yet another country. Quite an undertaking, yes, but a vital part of a sport which is truly global.

[OZCUBAN]

Great posts once again from the F-1 guy

Keep it up mate

cheers Oz

[MIKA27]

  OzCuban said:

Great posts once again from the F-1 guy

Keep it up mate

cheers Oz

A little late compared to the norm where I post in the mornings but today was super flat out, I was super tired from staying up for the F1 and Soccer Germany vs Australia and in the end, I was SUPER disapointed with the end result.

Thanks for reading OZ.

[MIKA27]

  sje said:

Button was correct, Tire wear realy did cost the race, webber was nearly 18 sec ahead at one stage as Hamilton caught him in a hurry with a better tire strategy,

in my eyes the fact that Horner (i think thats his name "red bull boss) sent the 2 redbull on different strategies, to be (and i am no expert) this is guess work rather than clever strategy.

just my 2c

spiro

Hi Spiro.

Your 2c are worthy of a lot more mate.

I often think in light that pit stops are only limited to tire changes and not fuel stops, it doesn't really leave much for strategy and as such, with past races where you have fuel loads varying from one car to another, tire degradation is never uniform dependent on kgs of fuel on board vs tire compound on the said vehicle.

This season, I don't believe the tires are all that great. Bridgestone have not delivered very durable rubber and I wonder if that was purposefully part of the plan?

The Canadien GP in practice and qualifying showed the tires being degraded at a super fast rate and as such, in RBR's case, Christian Horner decided to go with different tyre set ups for both Vettel and Webber hoping one or the other would pay off. Yes, guess work and neither really delivered.

I hope next season sees the return of fuel stops. Whilst this will ultimately bring back a far more interesting race strategically, it will also see tire wear last a lot longer.

[MIKA27]

Pirelli edge closer to F1 return

Pirelli are believed to have taken a step closer towards a Formula One return after holding talks with the teams in Canada.

The Italian tyre manufacturer's director of motorsport, Paul Hembery, reportedly met with several of the teams on Sunday to iron out issues that are standing in the way of a formal contract being signed.

The next step in the deal is winning over the FIA after president Jean Todt recently made it clear that motorsport's governing body would have the final say in next year's tyre supplier.

"Hopefully it can be a collective consensus of opinion," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Autosport.

"What is massively important for us as an independent team is that costs are under control. Ideally there will be a single tyre supplier in order to ensure consistency and compatibility with all teams.

"I think the Pirelli deal that seems to be on the table looks to be commercially and practically very attractive, and that seems to be the consensus of the majority of teams.

"But it is important that the FIA and FOM agree with the relevant tyre supplier."

[MIKA27]

Gascoyne: Massive step forward for Lotus

Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne has hailed Sunday's Canadian GP as a "massive step forward" for the team.

Lotus proved to be by far the best of the new teams in Montreal, with Heikki Kovalainen even briefly running in seventh place, although that had more to do with pit stop sequences than his own pace.

And even though he fell down the order as the big names rather easily overtook him on sheer pace, he finished the grand prix in 16th place, two laps ahead of Hispania's Karun Chandhok and three in front of Virgin's Lucas di Grassi.

"I think overall we can be very happy with the race, and the whole weekend," Gascoyne said. "I think this weekend has been a massive step forward for the whole team.

"Rather than being just one of the new teams, we actually got stuck in and raced the teams ahead, which is what we wanted to do.

"In the end we lapped both of the other new teams, so it was a great effort."

He added: "Heikki drove a fantastic race, fighting all the way with the guys in front, and kept it up right to the end to keep (Vitaly) Petrov behind him."

However, the race wasn't without disappointments as the team only brought one car to the chequered flag after losing Jarno Trulli on lap 48.

"The one disappointment was obviously Jarno's problem - we will have to look at it in more detail, but it looks as though the vibration put paid to his race.

"Before he pulled over he was absolutely flying and the strategy would have really paid out for him, so that's a plus."

[MIKA27]

Ferrari to run KERS equipped car in 2011

Ferrari will run KERS in 2011, according to team principal, Stefano Domenicali, who confirmed it after the race in Montreal.

A FOTA agreement to not run the system, despite it being allowed under the FIA regulations, is set to expire at the end of this season.

The teams however failed to reach an agreement on its power output, which will remain at the levels of 2008 when McLaren, Ferrari and Renault ran the system, with varying degrees of success.

"We would have preferred to see a solution in which much more energy is available," said Domenicali. "But more unfortunately no agreement could be found. We as a compromise, then stayed with the existing regulations."

The biggest issue which comes when running the system is the added weight which caused problems in 2008. That will however change, with the minimum 620kg weight for this season increasing to 640kg.

"The teams have agreed on a higher basis weight of the car," the Ferrari team principal confirmed.

Ross Brawn also hinted at his Mercedes team running the system, with a decision expected to be made in the next few weeks.

"In four to six weeks at the latest a decision will be made," Brawn told Auto-und-Motor-Sport.

[MIKA27]

FIA clarifies qualifying in-lap rule

The FIA have moved to clarify a 'memo' which requires drivers to return to the pits on their qualifying in-lap within a specified time, after Lewis Hamilton's debacle in Montreal.

The McLaren driver managed to secure pole, however he was later fined £6,600 ($10,000) and reprimanded for stopping on track after running low on fuel. Hamilton then jumped out of his moving car, pushing it a few yards before getting a lift back to the pits.

The FIA issued a memo a few seasons back to ensure drivers didn't travel too slowly on their in-lap, therefore penalising drivers still setting a time. However, as it was just a memo, the FIA made the decision not to demote Hamilton.

Ross Brawn said after the incident, that he hoped it wouldn't set a precedent for drivers running light in qualifying: "I don't know all the details so it's hard to comment," he said. "But we must not come to a situation where cars run out of fuel after their last lap because they want to be running as light as possible."

The FIA discussed the situation before the race on Sunday, with race director Charlie Whiting clarifying that any team found doing the same in future would have to explain their actions in front of the stewards, and would be penalised if the explanations wasn't sufficient.

[MIKA27]

Kubica eyes step forward in Valencia

Robert Kubica thinks Renault can look forward to a stronger performance in the next race in Valencia, claiming that it got its tyre strategy wrong in Canada.

Just like Red Bull Racing, Renault had hoped that it would get a big benefit from running the Prime tyre in the opening stages of the race - but it found that the medium compound rubber lasted nowhere near as long as predicted.

Kubica's struggles with his tyres was also exacerbated by incidents with other drivers – including a brush with Heikki Kovalainen, an off-track moment with Michael Schumacher and a near-miss with Adrian Sutil as he came in to the pits.

On the back of all those difficulties, Kubica believes the seventh-placed finish he delivered was the best possible.

"Looking at how difficult this race was for us, I think the result was the maximum we could achieve – especially because there were many moments when I thought the race was over," he explained. "I think if we had qualified on the option and started a bit nearer the front, then we could have got some more points.

"Our tyre strategy did not work – although after the race it is easy to say that. We faced a lot of tyre degradation and had to pit very early in the first stint – while in the second stint I had such slow pace as soon as the tyres started going off."

Having learned the lessons from Canada, Kubica believes the extra grip provided by the Valencia circuit, plus development updates that were postponed for this race - including new front suspension - will help his team deliver more speed.

"It is quite a big track with a lot of braking areas and low speed corners," said Kubica. "I am expecting more grip then Canada – which has low grip. And finally we will get the upgrade that we were supposed to get for here."

[MIKA27]

Liuzzi happy to reward team with points

Vitantonio Liuzzi says his points finish in the Canadian Grand Prix at least provided some payback for his team after they helped him overcome his qualifying woes.

Although Liuzzi's chances of fighting near the front in Montreal were wrecked by a coming-together with Felipe Massa at the first corner, which forced an early pitstop for a new nose, the Italian was pleased with the recovery he made.

And, after hauling his car up from near the back to take ninth place by the chequered flag, Liuzzi was delighted that his team could take some reward - having brought him a new chassis for Montreal after discovering a problem with his old car after Turkey.

"We showed strong pace here, and showed in qualifying that we were there, so could pay back the effort that was made in understanding what happened in the last few races, " Liuzzi told AUTOSPORT.

"We had a good qualifying and it was a shame what happened at the start, but I could not disappear. Felipe did everything and, at the end of the day, we had contact – and you cannot win the race at the first corner.

"We had strong race after that, with strong consistent performance and good overtaking, and two points is good payback for the effort done. If we had stopped on the second lap then that would have been a big shame."

Despite confident that his step forward in pace in Canada shows he and the team have got a grip on the problems he has faced earlier this season – Liuzzi is unsure about how well he will go in the next race in Valencia.

"It is a bit of a weird circuit, because it has maybe more run off than Spa," he said. "But it will be a new thing for me – as I have never driven there. So there will be a question mark."

[MIKA27]

Paddock Life: Montreal edition

You could sense the spring in everyone's step as they boarded the flights from home to Montreal.

The return of the Canadian Grand Prix to the calendar was undoubtedly been one of the best pieces of news regarding the F1 schedule for many years - and its absence last season made everyone realise just how much the sport loved it.

For although Montreal's facilities will never be a match for the mega-venues like Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and Bahrain, the Canadian GP makes up for it with a very tricky track, a great location near a brilliant city and, more importantly – passionate fans who packed the grandstands on all three days to make the weekend not just a race but a proper sporting event.

Monaco may have its harbour. Abu Dhabi may have its Marina, but Montreal has something that no other track has – an Olympic rowing lake.

The lake was constructed for the 1976 Summer Games and runs along the back of the paddock – providing a lovely waterside setting for the teams as they go about their business.

For some people that meant a spot of fishing – and Renault even cheekily had a sign up outside its catering unit offering to sell sweet corn bait for $2 a bag.

Jenson Button felt the lake would provide the perfect opportunity for some extra training before his appearance in the London Triathlon later this summer – so he donned a wetsuit and swam 1500 metres. "The water was actually a lot cleaner than it looks," smiled Button.

But the real highlight for many was the mechanics' rowing race that took place on Saturday evening – although only Williams and Lotus opted to lodge entries.

Williams obviously showed that experience counts for a lot in F1 when mechanic Mark Pattinson crafted a fine ship out of a front wing travel case. Skippered by his team-mates Matt Webb and Nick Matthews in the race, the craft proved much quicker than Lotus' machine – which developed a steering problem and seemed to spend more time going sideways than along the course.

The Williams duo even managed to avoid a sabotage attempt from the Lotus boys – who steered into them and jumped onboard to capsize them – before coming home in front and claiming the Grove-based team's first victory of the season.

If you walked down the paddock at any point from Friday afternoon onwards, you could not help but notice small huddles of mechanics and team staff all gathered around television sets.

Yes, F1 got taken over by World Cup fever once again – as the battle of the nations tended to dominate most conversation in the paddock, and more than a few football shirts started appearing in the paddock.

The big talking point of the weekend was the England v USA encounter, which took place just 30 minutes after qualifying had finished on Saturday afternoon.

As the clock ticked down immediately after Lewis Hamilton had grabbed pole position, you could sense a huge effort by a lot of people in the paddock to get their post-qualifying work done as soon as possible to leave as much of the afternoon free as they could.

While some teams were forced to ban their mechanics from watching it – as there was still a race to get prepared for – most of the hospitality units were crowded with people all trying to keep up with the events from the game.

Even some of the drivers were keen to get their post-qualifying work done quickly – although Robert Kubica said he couldn't care what happened in the World Cup since Poland never qualified for the finals.

Jenson Button was one of many who said he would do all he could to try and watch the games.

"I'm very patriotic and I'll always support my country," he said. "I get very excited by international sport, so I'm looking forward to it.

"It's an amazing event because the whole world will be watching, and everyone becomes so competitive and so patriotic. I love it. It's such an important thing, and I'm sure the whole of England is going crazy with excitement at the moment."

It was a shame then that the English had to spend the rest of the weekend being politely asked if their team wanted to borrow a new goalkeeper...

F1's love affair with Montreal, and the laid back attitude of the city, obviously brushed off on paddock people over the weekend.

Just before first practice on Friday, Lewis Hamilton glanced up from his car to find all his mechanics had sported clip-on earrings – after the former world champion had added the jewellery items in Turkey a fortnight ago.

Another man having a pretty chilled time was former champion Jacques Villeneuve, who was on hand in Montreal as an ambassador for electronics giant LG. He joined a special pre-grand prix party on Saturday night, shortly after LG had shown off some of its new High Definition and 3D television sets and viewing experiences

The current technology appears to point towards 3D being a step too far for F1 at the moment, and Villeneuve – a man who loves his technology – agreed that there was still a way to go before it became good enough for use at home.

Knowing that Villeneuve loves his games, we suggested to him that it would actually be brilliant for the racing title rFactor – which the 1997 champion is known to play a lot.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to make it too real," said Villeneuve about his gaming experiences. "I want to keep it a bit low definition, so it's like a computer game."

We enquired therefore what size screen Villeneuve used to ensure it didn't feel real for him. "Oh, I have three of them all linked up..."

So Villeneuve's own version of 3D then!

[MIKA27]

'It's all about where you qualify'

Renault are confident they can return to form in Valencia in a fortnight after a disappointing weekend in Canada.

The French manufacturer has been the surprise package so far this year with Robert Kubica making it onto the podium twice in the first seven races. However, they suffered a minor setback in Montreal after the Pole could only manage a seventh-place finish.

The team's sporting director Steven Nielsen says their poor result in Canada was down to the performance in qualifying.

"We re-learned the same lessons about going racing in 2010: it's all about where you qualify, making a good start and the pitstops," he said. "We didn't get the best out of the car in qualifying, and that makes the hill you have to climb even steeper than it would otherwise have been.

"Most of the other teams struggled with tyre management at some point of the race, but our rivals also made the tyres last better than us. Ultimately, though, we know that the car is quick, and that it's getting better all the time. After races like Canada, you simply want the next race to come as soon as possible so you can forget about the last one."

Kubica echoed Nielsen's comments, saying their tyre strategy backfired in Canada.

"Looking at how difficult this race was for us, I think the result was the maximum we could achieve - especially because there were many moments when I thought the race was over," Kubica said. "I think if we had qualified on the option and started a bit nearer the front, then we could have got some more points.

"Our tyre strategy did not work - although after the race it is easy to say that. We faced a lot of tyre degradation and had to pit very early in the first stint - while in the second stint I had such slow pace as soon as the tyres started going off."

Looking ahead to the European Grand Prix, Kubica hopes the upgrades will put them back on track.

"It is quite a big track with a lot of braking areas and low speed corners," said Kubica. "I am expecting more grip then Canada - which has low grip. And finally we will get the upgrade that we were supposed to get for here."

Meanwhile Nielsen believes things are also looking good for Renault for Valencia and beyond.

"We are full of optimism for Valencia, and beyond," he said. "Robert is continuing to put in sparkling performances and he's getting every ounce of performance out of the car."

[MIKA27]

Construction of Korea circuit on track

Organisers of the Korean Grand Prix are confident construction of the new Yeongam circuit will be complete in time for the race later this year.

The promotors have had to deal with a lot of negative press in recent months with some suggesting the venue won't be ready for it's inaugural race on October 24.

However, the latest press release reveals that contruction of 80 per cent of the Korea International Circuit is complete.

"We are extremely pleased with the progress of the circuit, facilities, and preparations for the Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix," said KAVO Chief Executive Officer Yung Cho Chung.

"Construction is on schedule for completion this summer, and we have encountered no obstacles whatsoever, either logistical or political.

"The Government, at both the central and provincial level, is fully supportive of the project, and the entire country looks forward to welcoming Formula 1 to South Korea this autumn."

[MIKA27]

Q&A with Williams' Sam Michael

Williams technical director Sam Michael reviews the team's performance at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Q: Please sum up the performance of the FW32 in Montreal.

SM: "We saw a marked performance improvement with the car in Canada, as demonstrated by the times the drivers achieved in qualifying and during the race. We raced all of the aero upgrade parts we took to Canada, including the front wing, diffuser and brake ducts, and they worked as expected."

Q: You introduced a new front wing over the weekend. Did that bring any specific performance benefits?

SM: "The new front wing gave us more downforce around Montreal, and it will stay on the car for Valencia."

Q: How much work did AT&T Williams put into the low downforce package that it ran in Canada?

SM: "We ran a couple of programmes in the wind tunnel to get the most efficient iteration of the rear wing. To be honest, the rear wing is the main difference for low drag tracks now with the top bodywork being so clean due to the rules."

Q: Why do you think the tyre degradation was so bad at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this year? Could AT&T Williams control it better than other teams?

SM: "Tyre degradation at Montreal was caused by graining. This sometimes occurs when grip levels are very low which makes it difficult to generate load and therefore sufficient temperature in the tyre. Every team had similar problems though."

Q: Brakes usually take a pounding in Canada. Did you have any problems, other than those experienced by Rubens as a result of accident damage?

SM: "We didn't experience any problems with the brakes, although Rubens did suffer with a long pedal which reduced his braking efficiency. This was caused by overheating following the damage sustained to the front wing."

Q: The drivers made seven pitstops between them during the race. Please explain the reasons for the unplanned stops.

SM: "RB had one unplanned stop due to his accident with Alguersuari. Nico had an extra stop due to his accident with Sutil. Nico's third trip through the pitlane wasn't for a pitstop; it was a drive through penalty incurred for speeding in the pitlane during his second stop."

Q: Nico Hulkenberg was closer to Rubens this weekend. In what areas did he take a step forward in Canada?

SM: "Things are coming together for Nico now so it's getting a lot closer between the two of them. It's a great combination of youth and experience which will yield results as the car's pace improves."

Q: The team has an upgrade package scheduled for the next race in Valencia. How do you expect it to perform?

SM: "Our next major upgrade is planned for release at the British Grand Prix after Europe. For Valencia, we will be taking the blown rear wing with us to test again."

MIKA: Now all Williams need to do is get a new engine supplier for 2011 and they may just accomplish something.