Times – GMT-4
9 June: Practice 1 (10:00) / Practice 2 (14:00)
10 June: Practice 3 (10:00) / Qualifying (13:00)
11 June: Race (14:00)
Track: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Location: Montréal, Canada
First race: 1978
Laps: 70
Length: 4.361 KM/ 2.709 M
Fastest lap: 1:13.622 (Rubens Barrichello, 2004)
2016 winner: Lewis Hamilton
Corners: 14
Formula 1 moves westwards for the first race in the Americas of the season.
Hamilton won last year whilst Vettel had a unfortunate meeting with some seagulls.
This is a mostly a power circuit. It has twisting turns, chicanes, a hairpin and the huge back straight. But with a medium to low downforce level. As such it will be a strong showing for the Mercedes powered cars although the Ferrari engine is close. And Red Bull are expecting not just a difficult race but a difficult few races as Canada, Austria and Baku all being power circuits.
I expect both Hamilton and Vettel to walk away with the race, which way it will go is hard to say, both are fairly successful here and both have a capable car. But I’m gonna put Hamilton for both pole and the win with Vettel close behind
It was a similar case last year where Vettel got a monster start, overtaking both Mercedes whilst the latter clashed at turn one sending Rosberg across the kerbing.
It however turned into another bad strategy move for the Scuderia and left the four time world champion behind Hamilton and after Rosberg gained a puncture and then spinning whilst battling a Red Bull he ended in 5th.
I would also like to see Ricciardo do well here. After all it’s where he got his first win back in 2014 after Perez and Massa crashed on the final lap.
He hasn’t had much success since that year with only a few podiums and has been shadowed by team mate Verstappen since the day he arrived.
Oh and expect to see one or two groundhogs invading the track.
Top 5 prediction
- Hamilton
- Vettel
- Ricciardo
- Bottas
- Raikkonen
