Formula 1: Canadian Grand Prix Preview

The world of Formula 1 heads to the Americas for the first time in 2012 this week for the Canadian Grand Prix—and the schedule-makers couldn't have chosen a better antidote for the disappointing race in Monaco. 

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is named after one of the most exciting drivers of all time, and the races it produces are usually among the best of any given season.

Last year's grand prix was packed with action all the way to the final lap.

So where better to see if we can have seven different winners from the first seven races?

As It Stands

Six winners from six races (and plenty of inconsistency) has left us with a very tight Formula One Drivers' Championship table at this stage.

Fernando Alonso leads the way, closely followed by the two Red Bulls and then Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

	Driver	Team	Points
01	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	76
02	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	73
03	Mark Webber	Red Bull	73
04	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	63
05	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	59
06	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	51
07	Jenson Button	McLaren	45
08	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	35
09	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	29
10	Sergio Perez	Sauber	22

In the Formula One World Constructors' Championship, nine teams have scored points and despite Red Bull's lead, it's still very close.

	Team	Points
01	Red Bull	146
02	McLaren	108
03	Ferrari	86
04	Lotus	86
05	Mercedes	61
06	Williams	44
07	Sauber	41
08	Force India	28
09	Toro Rosso	6

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a semi-permanent track on the man-made Île Notre-Dame, Montreal.  The island was constructed in 1967 using rock excavated to build the Montreal Metro.

The first race at the track—then called the Circuit Île Notre-Dame—was won by local hero Gilles Villeneuve in 1978. The circuit was renamed in his honour after his death in 1982.

Surrounded by walls and with little in the way of run-off, it's difficult to compare the Montreal venue to any other on the current calendar.

In a world of carefully-crafted "international circuits" and "perfect blends" of corner types, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is basically two hairpins connected by two straights, with a few chicanes in between.

There are hints of Monza, a bit of Albert Park and a few characteristics of Monaco, but it really does stand apart, and that's why fans love it.

A Lap of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

From the start-finish line on the pit straight, the cars have a short run down towards Turn 1. This tight left-hander often sees overtaking moves and mistakes, and the grandstands overlooking it provide some of the best views of the whole year.

The exit off Turn 1 blends into the entry for Turn 2, a right-hand hairpin which anchors the southern end of the circuit. If a move didn't work into the first corner, a driver will often have a second go here—with varying results.

The pit lane exit is on the outside of this corner.

From here, it is a short run down to the first of the chicanes, Turns 3 and 4. A right-left, the entry is tighter than the exit, and drivers can get the power down early—but there's absolutely no room for error here due to the closeness of the wall on the outside.

Turn 5 is a fast right-hander taken flat out, exiting into the braking area for Turn 6—a reasonably tight left-hander, and part one of the second chicane. At a push, overtaking is possible here, especially if a rival got out of shape a few corners back.

Drivers can get the power down early out of Turn 7 (part two of the chicane), which opens onto a medium-length straight. 

The cars can reach close to 190 mph before the braking zone for the third chicane, Turns 8 and 9—another right-left, and yet another potential overtaking point.

Again the chicane opens on the exit, and the cars begin the run down a curved straight to the northernmost part of the track and the second of the hairpins, Turn 10. 

This is perhaps the second-best overtaking point on the circuit, and one of the few places with a sizable run-off area. Mistakes will cost time, but probably not the car.

Out of the hairpin, the drivers set off along the track's longest straight. Turn 11 is apparently here, the tiniest of right-hand kinks. Continuing on and reaching speeds of over 200 mph, it's either straight on for the pit lane entry, or brake for the final chicane (Turns 12 and 13).

This tight right-left flick is a true test of nerve. It's taken faster than you might expect from looking at it, the drivers having to just turn in and trust their car to negotiate the nasty curbs and spit them out at the other side.

Get it wrong, and you'll almost certainly meet the most famous barrier in F1—the Wall of Champions. Bienvenue au Quebec, gentlemen.

It's claimed dozens of victims down the years, including world champions Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill. It was this trio ending their races here in 1999 which earned it the name.

It's been quieter in recent years and hasn't claimed a current or former champion during a race for quite some time. But there are six on the grid this year, so there's certainly an opportunity for another man to add his name to the illustrious list.

Assuming the chicane is navigated safely, the cars enter the pit straight. The normal line is to move diagonally across to the left of the track by the time you reach the start-finish line for an optimal line into the right-hand kink preceding Turn 1. 

However, expect a few drivers to stay right during qualifying to try to save a few metres—and thousandths of a second.

Tyres and DRS

The semi-permanent nature of the circuit means it'll start off very low on grip after a year of public use, but as more rubber is laid down, grip will improve. But it'll never reach the levels of a permanent facility.

Perhaps for that reason, Pirelli will supply the super-soft and soft compound tyres for the race—the same as in Monaco. 

But we won't see any one-stoppers here. The most important thing there was track position, but in Montreal overtaking is quite easy and tyre degradation is higher.

It also has a pit lane which cuts out two slow corners and leads into the middle of a third, so time loss from a stop is relatively low.

Three stops might be the preferred number, but there should be some two-stoppers as well.

DRS

Last year, the FIA quite decided on two Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones—down the back straight and pit straight. This was a bit odd because Montreal is one of the few tracks which could reasonably get by with none. 

As everyone (except the FIA, it seems) predicted, passing was a little bit too easy.

This year they've seen sense and will have a single DRS zone. The detection point will be before the hairpin of Turn 10, with the activation point 600 metres before the final chicane.

Sounds about right.

Weather Forecast

The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was stopped for over two hours due to inclement weather, eventually finishing four hours, four minutes and 39 seconds after the lights went out.

Fans will fondly remember watching poor retiree Lewis Hamilton trying to explain his car to a somewhat bemused and extraordinarily out-of-place Rihanna while Jenson Button was plotting his strategy for the restart.

2012 looks like it'll be a dry race, according to the army of meteorologists providing forecasts for Montreal.

The Meteorological Service of Canada predicts a sunny Saturday and Sunday, without a raindrop in sight.

BBC Weather agrees, predicting a pleasant, warm afternoon for the race.

Accuweather says the same, and the Formula1.com website completes the first set of identical forecasts I've seen all season.

A shower is possible on Friday, though.

Session Times

As always, the Canadian Grand Prix weekend will consist of three practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

Practice One	10:00-11:30
Practice Two	14:00-15:30
Practice Three	10:00-11:00
Qualifying	13:00
Race	14:00

All are local time. The Formula1.com website will translate them to your own timezone.

Enjoy the weekend!

Follow me on Twitter if you wish, @JamesNeilsen