 |
|
|
|
| 2003
Canadian Grand Prix Race Preview |
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
Download the NewsOnF1.com |
Drivers Championship
Constructors
Championship Two in a row for Montoya ?We had a new winner at Monaco but against my expectations it was Montoya in
the Williams. With the Canadian track a complete opposite to Monaco and where
maximum power is crucial, Montoya can make it 2 in a row. Michael Schumacher
would be the other contender with Kimi Raikkonen an outside possibility. Teams were testing at Monza and Silverstone last week. At Monza, Ferrari
was fastest although McLaren, Williams and BAR were very close. At
Silverstone, Williams were fastest ahead of Renault and Jordan. McLaren: They regain the lead in the Constructors' Championship
from Ferrari following Kimi's second place at Monaco. They've completed a
successful test of the new McLaren last week and they are hoping to race
it at the Nurburgring. Their current car may not be able to compete with
the Ferrari and Williams in Montreal due to their relative lack of power
but if they play the strategy right they might come up with a surprise. Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen extended his lead over Michael in the
Drivers' Championship by 2 points following his second place in Monaco. Kimi
has now finished 6 out of the 7 races so far this season on the podium. An
impressive result. David Coulthard was outclassed by his team-mate even at Monaco where he was expected to do better than Kimi. He is consistent but no longer fast!. A points finish is likely. Ferrari: They've dropped back to second in the championship. At
Monaco their problem was their tyres and if Bridgestone don't get it
right, they'll struggle in Canada too. It will be interesting to see how
the new Ferrari will perform on low downforce tracks. Expect it to be
strong though. Drivers: Michael Schumacher was clearly disappointed with the Bridgestones at Monaco and will be hoping for a better tyre at Montreal. If he's got a tyre that matches the Michelins then he'll be the clear favourite. It is more likely though that he'll struggle with the tyres and will have to fight hard for the win. Rubens Barrichello finished a low 8th in Monaco. It seems that like Coulthard, his fast days have passed. Williams: Following their win in Monaco, they've moved into 3rd and clear of Renault. The Canadian GP should give them a good chance of moving further up and closing in on McLaren and Ferrari.. Reliability 9.0/10 - Speed 9.0/10 Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya has finally secured his second F1 race win of his career after numerous missed opportunities. If he gets the right tyre and his BMW engine doesn't fail him then he could make it 2 in a row. Ralf Schumacher's pole position in Monaco was impressive but dropping from 1st to 4th is disappointing. He is in a similar situation to Coulthard and Barrichello but more consistent being the only driver to finish every race so far this season in the points. Renault: They didn't do as well as they expected at Monaco and as
we move to the faster tracks they'll start to fall back. With the
announcement that they'll be reverting to a traditional V angle, the
current engine won't get improved by much. Whether this is a good decision
remains to be seen but don't expect Renault to compete at the top this
season. Drivers: Fernando Alonso drove a good race in Monaco and managed to get ahead of his team-mate and Coulthard to finish in 5th. Canada will be a tough race for Renault as their car is underpowered. Points likely, podium tough. Jarno Trulli is being outclassed by his younger team-mate and if he doesn't pick up his game he won't be with the team next year. A points finish is likely. Jordan: With all top 4 teams finishing both their cars, the rest of
the field didn't have a chance. Same applies in Canada. At least for
Jordan they managed to finish both their cars. Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella isn't happy being stuck in Jordan and now even team boss Eddie Jordan is trying to get his a drive with a top team!. Points will be very very hard. Ralph Firman will have to learn this track and so a good result is unlikely. BAR: Jenson Button managed to get out of his massive crash
unscathed but had to sit out the race. His team-mate though must be
wondering when will he ever drive a reliable BAR. Drivers: Jenson Button missed the Monaco GP due to his heavy crash and is keen to race in Canada. The car is fast so he should be good in qualifying and could challenge for the points if the car lasts. Jacques Villeneuve's time is running out if he is to show
other teams that he still has what it takes. He was out-qualified on Friday by
Button in Monaco by a big margin and if that is repeated here then don't
expect a top team to pick him for next season and nor will he remain at BAR.
There might be some truth in the rumour about Toyota but what is the point of
moving to another developing team!. Sauber: Currently in 7th and by the way they are going they may
even drop down further. They are not fast and becoming less reliable. In
Canada points will be hard!. Drivers: Heinz Harald Frentzen had brain fade in Monaco crashing on the first lap. He usually does well in Canada but the car won't help. Nick Heidfeld like Frentzen, he can do well but the car isn't improving as fast as the competition. Jaguar: Had a double retirement in Monaco and they had a
double retirement here last year. They could be fast but will they last ? Drivers: Mark Webber has to be patient with the team and hope that they'll get it right soon. Points finish is a possibility provided the Jaguar lasts. Antonio Pizzonia wasn't too impressive in Monaco and so don't expect wonders here. Toyota: Finished 9th in Monaco behind the top 4 teams which
is a good result particularly given that da Matta is new to the track.
They should do better in Canada. Drivers: Cristiano da Matta finished 9th in Monaco which is impressive given his lack of experience on the track. Points could be possible in Canada. Olivier Panis seems to be frustrated with his luck and with his team. Rumours going round that he may leave the team. Minardi: A double retirement meant no points for a team that
counts Monaco as one of the venues where they could score points. As it
turns out, none of the top 4 teams dropped out so they never had a
chance!. Canada will tough on them. Drivers: Jos Verstappen isn't showing the skill that he used to have. The car surely isn't helping. Justin Wilson will have another tough race at another new track. Join
8 'n'
Pole and see how your predictions stack up against the others.
Loading
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
