2012 Canadian GP - Gilles Villeneuve

[raymondu999]

In FP and Quali last year there was almost no degradation. I remember in quali that the Ferraris were happy to do long runs in order to get heat into the supersoft tyres, whilst not having to worry about degradation. Even if we do have a lot degradation, i think teams will pit for new tyres rather than try and conserve they're current tyres since the pit lane is short and overtaking is quite straightforward on this track.

I would probably put the DRS on the straight just before the hairpin, though tbh i don't think this track really needs a DRS zone.

Bahrain is the best indicator, since it is another stop start circuit. However, Lotus said they struggled with traction at Monaco and this led to the tyre problems for Kimi. You'd imagine they would have similar problems at Canada.

100% agreed, though Lotus was a mystery to me - strong in traction/braking heavy Bahrain, but weak in a similarly traction/braking heavy Monaco. Mind you they also said that they were weak in traction, so maybe that's not where Lotus made the laptime gains in Bahrain.

[mcalex]

It was way hotter in Bahrain.
If you can't get the temp in the tyres you're sliding around just as much and destroying the surface.

[Teechnical]

I think so too raymondu. Most of the car's pace came from their amazing top speed. And Bahrain has quite a lot of straights.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I think it'll be between McLaren and Mercedes. Lewis in particular tends to shine in low downforce situations where car control is king, part of the reason he's always gone so well here.

Agreed. But I think either Mercedes driver will be just ahead of Hamilton.
Mercedes have a good straighline package which will suit sections of the Circuit. Not only this, but it's low and medium speed mechanical grip is probably as good as anyone's at present. This part of the track will suit Mercedes perfectly methinks.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwUIhDGdMc[/youtube]

Im going to predict the Merc's having the best final sector by some margin with McLaren having the lions share of the rest. If true could be a titanic battle between them.

[FrukostScones]

cold weather predicted for the GP weekend: 17-20° C, maybe rain.
I think Lotus,Mercedes and Sauber maybe Williams will be strong there. So nearly everyone will be able to win. Red Bull will struggle a bit I guess. If degradation of the tyres is high, than a Lotus or Williams victory.
I expect another "shock grid".
Like this:
Hamilton
Grosjean
Rosberg
Perez
Schumacher
Maldonado
Alonso
Kimi
Kobayashi
Massa
Button
Senna
Vettel
Webber
Hulk
DiResta

[Miguel]

There'll be a Lotus on Pole, but I can't see either Lotus driver winning the race. Their tyre preservation doesn't seem ideal, one of their drivers likes to linger around in very worn tyres and the other one doesn't have the patience to lose a bloody spot. Look, if Quick Romain doesn't have the patience not to crash into anyone here, when he will have the topspeed and the DRS, I'll lose all hope on him.

[nacho]

100% agreed, though Lotus was a mystery to me - strong in traction/braking heavy Bahrain, but weak in a similarly traction/braking heavy Monaco. Mind you they also said that they were weak in traction, so maybe that's not where Lotus made the laptime gains in Bahrain.

I am not sure Lotus was weak really, Grosjean was fast throughout the qualy and we didn't see his race pace.

Raikkonen's car looked quite bad in qualy and race, might be to do with the lost time from FP1 and the steering. Looked like driving on a wet track sometimes.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

There'll be a Lotus on Pole

Fancy a wager?

[wesley123]

I would dare it. The Renault is great on the straight and pretty good in the turns, they certainly have a big chance

[kooleracer]

I think this track will be dominated bij MSC. Just have a feeling that the W03 will go good around this track. Alot of traction zones combined with topspeed and quick change of direction. Also MSC and Rosberg were mighty quick in Monaco. I was also surprised about how well there tires held up. W03 got alot of updates since the mugello test and in Monaco the all seem to work even with the limited track time the got.


This will be top ten after Quali.
1.MSC
2.ROS
3.Grosjean
4.Button
5.Alonso
6.Hamilton
7.Raikonnen
8.Massa
9.Maldonado
10.Koba

[FrukostScones]

There'll be a Lotus on Pole, but I can't see either Lotus driver winning the race. Their tyre preservation doesn't seem ideal, one of their drivers likes to linger around in very worn tyres and the other one doesn't have the patience to lose a bloody spot. Look, if Quick Romain doesn't have the patience not to crash into anyone here, when he will have the topspeed and the DRS, I'll lose all hope on him.

+1
Well said, after his contacts with Maldonado/Schumacher/Alonso, I hope he learned something NOW! Go Grosjean, be the 7th Winner. Go Lotus, relax (don't run outsider strategies when your are a big player) and take the victory.

[myurr]

I would dare it. The Renault is great on the straight and pretty good in the turns, they certainly have a big chance

Lotus tends to suffer in colder conditions, they prefer it when it's hot. I think McLaren and Mercedes will have the legs to beat them.

[wesley123]

True, but I dont think they have the edge on Lotus then, in the race sure, but not on that one lap.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

If they were racing in Canada today I would say we would probably see a Mercedes or Lotus on the pole with Lewis just behind them. But they're not. Lots of teams are bringing updates to Montreal so I honestly think it's impossible to know who will start P1.

I think it's a safe bet the aforementioned teams will be there, but McLaren could bring a large update that puts them ahead of Mercedes and Lotus. Ferrari could bring a package that puts them in serious contention. Sauber & Williams too. It's all about the developments and how much they improve the car. I just think nothings set in stone obviously and while Merc & Lotus will more than likely be two of the fastest cars, the updates from some of the others could surprise us.

[Miguel]

If they were racing in Canada today I would say we would probably see a Mercedes or Lotus on the pole with Lewis just behind them. But they're not. Lots of teams are bringing updates to Montreal so I honestly think it's impossible to know who will start P1.

I think it's a safe bet the aforementioned teams will be there, but McLaren could bring a large update that puts them ahead of Mercedes and Lotus. Ferrari could bring a package that puts them in serious contention. Sauber & Williams too. It's all about the developments and how much they improve the car. I just think nothings set in stone obviously and while Merc & Lotus will more than likely be two of the fastest cars, the updates from some of the others could surprise us.

Actually, the Saubers could be pretty handy around here too. Either way, I don't remember a boring Canadian GP, so my expectations are high.

There'll be a Lotus on Pole

Fancy a wager?

Yeah, sure. Nothing too serious. For example, if there is no Lotus in pole, I'll change my signature to "Senna is the greatest ever. Only Hamilton is close to his level". Or something like that. You see, I'm more of an Alonso/Prost fan.