Canada carnival always a joy for Honda
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. The event 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.
“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,” says Sporting Director Gil de Ferran.
The race is also a big hit with the drivers. "The Canadian Grand Prix is really one of my favourite races on the calendar,” confirms Rubens Barrichello. “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.”
Jenson Button echoes those sentiments: "Montréal is a great circuit and I really enjoy racing there. 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 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."
