Montreal – an altogether special track and not just because of its history
Three famous circuits have hosted the Canadian F1 Grand Prix, with the first race dating back fifty years. The “Gilles Villeneuve Circuit” might be the most recent venue, following on from Mosport and Mont-Tremblant, but it is also the best known. It was built on the Ile Notre-Dame, with the paddock running alongside the rowing basin used in the 1976 Olympics and the first GP was held here two years later. Gilles Villeneuve won for Ferrari and a few years later the facility was named in his honour. Gilles used to own a house nearby, a small wooden cottage, painted white and he would also live in a caravan near the track.
Scuderia Ferrari feels very much at home in Montreal. The trip across the ocean that splits the European season is much liked by everyone in the team, as the capital of Quebec is always welcoming and is home to an Italian community of around 200,000 people. From Monaco to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit is a long way and not just geographically: the 4.361 kilometre track is one of the shortest on the calendar, but it is also very fast. It has several straights split by hairpins and chicanes.
Fuel consumption and engine power, as well as good traction out of the slow corners are the technical themes of a pretty special race. The nature of the track surface leans towards the use of the softest compounds in the range. Seb Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will each have just one set of Softs, three of Supersoft and nine of Ultrasoft. Dry conditions are forecast for qualifying and the race with temperatures no higher than 24 degrees.
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