Williams looking to score more points at Montreal
Formula One fever grips Montréal this week as the teams cross the Atlantic for the only North American round on the calendar this season, the Canadian Grand Prix. Widely regarded as one of the country’s most favoured sporting events, the Canadians will be celebrating their 40th Grand Prix this year having hosted a race ever year bar one since 1967.
Twenty nine of those have been held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a track enjoyed by the drivers for its challenging layout, while also regarded with some degree of trepidation as its perilous walls loom threateningly close and are renowned for claiming even the most seasoned of drivers.
Traditionally a good track for the team, AT&T Williams has a strong record at Montréal with seven victories, second only to Ferrari’s nine, seven fastest laps and nine pole positions. Nico Rosberg will be back in the cockpit in Canada having been given the all clear after his accident in Monaco, and will join Kazuki Nakajima in the team’s fight to collect points to augment its position in the Constructors’ Championship.
Nico Rosberg: "Monaco was a difficult race for me, which was a real shame as we’d been competitive all weekend. After two incidents in the opening stages of the race, I thought I’d settled into a rhythm but, coming to swimming pool after Tabac, the rear of the car twitched suddenly, probably on a patch of water, and I ended up in the Armco. After consulting the doctors on site, I decided to go to hospital as precaution for some routine checks. Fortunately, they came back clear so I was released on Sunday evening.
"Following a couple of days’ rest, I resumed my normal training programme in preparation for Canada.
"I’m heading to Montréal a few days early to get used to the time difference and to see the city. There are lots of cool bars, restaurants and clubs, and there are some good places to go shopping. There are also some beautiful places around the city, especially near the mountains, where I like to go for my daily run. The locals really get behind Formula One and they seem to be quite supportive of me too as many of them remember my father when he raced there.
"AT&T Williams has a strong history around the Circuit Gilles Villeneueve and have traditionally been quick there, which gives me a lot of confidence and allows me to go to Montréal with positive expectations. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car because the speed we showed in Monaco was very promising and the track should suit our car."
Kazuki Nakajima: "I’ve only been to North America once when I went to Canada for last year’s race and drove in Friday morning’s practice session. Because of that, I do have some experience of the track, but this will be my first full weekend of racing there. The circuit is very challenging with its walls and high kerbs. It’s not an easy track, but it should be fun to drive. Montréal itself is a great city. It’s really picturesque and I enjoyed my time there last year so I’m looking forward to going back. Before heading to Canada, I’m going to New York for a week to have a look around and do some training."
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1: "Montréal always produces good racing, mainly because the cars run so close to the walls so there’s a higher chance than normal of the safety car being deployed. As one of the few street circuits on the calendar, the grip level changes significantly over the race weekend, so the teams are continuously chasing the perfect set-up.
"The circuit is dominated by long straights so the rear wing level has to be set lower than normal to ensure that the car is running at its optimum aerodynamic efficiency. The long straights induce high top speeds but, combined with the slow speed corners, also make Montréal the hardest track on brakes so we have to monitor their wear. Most teams opt for a one or two stop strategy in Canada. Our target for this race is to obviously score points, which we should be able to do considering the upturn in competitiveness we demonstrated at the last race in Monaco."
