The Canadian Grand Prix - Preview

One of most appealing races on the calendar, next is the Canadian GP at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - a place known for great crowds and to produce sensational racing. Fans, teams and drivers alike all have nice words for the circuit…

From last year’s winner Daniel Ricciardo: "Winning has made me love (the circuit) a little bit more, but really I’ve loved it since my first lap, back when I was driving for Toro Rosso. I remember coming back into the pits and saying 'what a circuit'"

The semi-permanent track on the Ile Notre-Dame is a 4.361-kilometre layout that offers a combination of high-speed straights, two DRS zones and heavy braking. And the weather is always a mistery, though for this weekend it should stay mostly dry - except for Friday practice.

TYRES AND STRATEGY.

"(Canada) often throws up a few surprises and it’s also possible to win from lower down the grid, especially if you use a clever tyre strategy, or if it rains, or if there is a safety car: all of which are very possible in Montreal. Once again we have nominated the soft and supersoft tyres. As anything can happen in Canada, the best strategy is always one that has a certain degree of flexibility, allowing teams to react to changing circumstances."

DID YOU KNOW?

• Six drivers have made their maiden victory in F1 here: Villeneuve (1978), Boutsen (1989), Alesi (1995), Hamilton (2007), Kubica (2008) and Ricciardo (2014).
• Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver here, with 7 wins, 12 podiums, 6 poles.
• If Hamilton or Rosberg claim pole, it will be the 18th consecutive time, one more than Senna and Prost’s 17 straight poles between 1988-89.