Honda looking forward to Montreal
The Honda Racing F1 Team heads across the Atlantic this week to the cosmopolitan city of Montréal for the first of the two long-haul, back-to-back races which mark the mid-point of the 2006 season. The Canadian Grand Prix is always a firm favourite on the team’s calendar as Honda Canada is a major sponsor of the race and its associated activities always add to the carnival atmosphere of downtown Montréal.
Long-haul races always present their own special logistical challenges for the race team, and their arrival in Montréal marks the start of an intensive 15-day schedule. Last week, the team conducted a three-day test in Monza, Italy, in preparation for the two North American races, covering a total of 707 laps and 4094kms of aerodynamic, chassis set-up and tyre evaluation work to tailor the RA106 race cars to the demands of the medium downforce circuits in Montreal and Indianapolis.
Rubens Barrichello “The Canadian Grand Prix is really one of my favourite races on the calendar. First of all, the track is quite challenging and we have been doing a lot of work in testing to work on the set-up for this race. We had a positive test last week in Monza and I think we should be able to have a good weekend. Secondly, Montreal is a great city and it always provides a good backdrop to the racing action. I’m looking forward to it.”
Jenson Button “Montréal is a great circuit and I really enjoy racing there. Our car seems to be well-suited to the track; it’s a medium downforce circuit which requires much less wing than we have run in the last few races and the car seems to work well on that wing level. We’ve done some good work in testing and I’m generally pleased with the results but we‘ll have to wait and see how things go at the weekend. The critical thing is to make sure we get the very best out of what we have.
“As well as being one of a number my favourite circuits, there’s always a great atmosphere in Montréal. It’s a big weekend for Honda Canada, so I hope we have an enjoyable weekend on and off-track.”
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director “The Canadian Grand Prix represents a completely different challenge to the last few races, as the circuit consists of a series of slow corners and a very long straight, and so demands a lower downforce configuration to achieve high top speeds. In preparation, we were busy testing last week in Monza to evaluate our latest performance developments in a configuration appropriate to the Montréal circuit. Montréal is a great city and we are especially proud that Honda Canada is a major sponsor of this race and will have a significant trackside and downtown presence, including the Crescent Street Festival which is a great opportunity for the fans to get close to the team and our drivers. All in all we are looking forward to our two week visit to North America.”
Shuhei Nakamoto, Management Board Member – Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering Director – Honda Racing Development
“After a frustrating run of races over the past few weeks we are looking forward to getting both cars back into the points in Canada.”
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal
Race Distance: 70 laps
Circuit Length: 2.709 miles (4.361 kms)
The Canadian Grand Prix is run on a temporary circuit situated on Île Notre-Dame which is a man-made island in the middle of the St Lawrence Seaway, close to central Montréal. Set among lakes and parkland pavilions used in the Expo 1967, and alongside the 1976 Olympic Games rowing basin, this unusual track has frequently been the scene of high drama. The start of the race is often incident-packed, but generally drivers enjoy the track, which gives reasonable overtaking opportunities and requires medium levels of downforce. However, it is unlikely that the hard-working Formula One teams share their driver’s enthusiasm. With so many fast blasts, slow chicanes and hairpins, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a reputation for being a real car-breaker.
