Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: The Canadian Grand Prix makes a very welcome return to the calendar having been missing for the last two years due to the pandemic. Both the city of Montreal and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve itself are traditional highlights on the Formula 1 calendar and as a team we are looking forward to getting back there.
The layout of the circuit lends itself to good racing and overtaking and makes multiple stint strategies attractive. Pirelli bring their softest compounds, which are the same as we used in Monaco and Baku. However, the combination of the circuit layout and tarmac roughness make this circuit unique in terms of tyre behaviour. Having not seen the circuit for a couple of years, we will need to see how the tarmac has evolved since we were last there.
Aerodynamic efficiency, PU power and strong braking performance are all key to lap time in Montreal and must be traded against bump and kerb riding, especially with the current generation of F1 cars. As always, we will be using the sessions on Friday to look at these trades as well as understanding the tyre behaviour.
For Nicholas, the recent Covid-19 interruptions to the F1 calendar mean that this event marks his first full home F1 weekend. The whole team are looking forward to the local support that Nicholas will get.
Nicholas Latifi: I’m super excited to finally be heading to Canada for my first home race! Getting the opportunity to compete at home and seeing all the Canadian fans will be a great feeling. It’s another track with long straights, which we seem competitive on. However, some corners may not be particularly well suited to our car, based off my previous experience from FP1 sessions, so that might balance us out a little bit. With it being a double-header, we’ve got the chance to put Baku behind us and immediately use what we’ve learned to make the most out of this weekend.
Alex Albon: Canada is a cool circuit and it’s great to come back. I’ve raced there once before in 2019 and it’s a nice mix of chicanes with a good flow to it. So, if you’re good in chicanes you tend to go pretty well around there. You’ve also got the walls which make it really exciting to drive. I really enjoy being in Montreal and obviously it’s a home race for Nicky. I can’t wait for the weekend to get started.
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