The Canadian Grand Prix: BMW to the Fore

The Canadian Grand Prix began with a crash filled final practise session which saw both Toro Rossos crashing with Sebastian Vettel damaging his car so badly it would not be ready for Qualifying.

Jenson Button didn't get to qualify for the Grand Prix either, damaging his gearbox in the early part of the first session. Both Button and Vettel would start their race from the pitlane. Elsewhere, the story of the qualifying sessions was actually the circuit rather than the action itself.

The tarmac at turns 2 and 10 of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve were breaking apart because it is manufactured from a resin tarmac rather than the sort of tarmac used in European races. Course officials blamed the cars new more aggressive tyres and lack of traction control for ripping up the circuit. Whatever the cause, the track was becoming a dustbowl, it was not unusual to see the Formula One cars sliding sideways around the hairpin at turn 10. Spectacular to watch but not the fastest way around the corner.

Lewis Hamilton found the fastest route around the track, finding a typically banzai line through the final corner paying little respect to the 'Wall of Champions' and skating the quickest about those problem corners. Kubica looked on for a first Pole Position but was pipped to the honours by the Englishman. Raikkonen was the fastest Ferrari claiming a lacklustre third place with Massa faring even worse with only sixth. Alonso and Rosberg were the stars of the show with fourth and fifth respectively while behind it was the second drivers of the front three teams, Kovalainen in seventh and Heidfeld for BMW in eighth.

The race began with the circuit drying just moments from the race start. To repair the damaged circuit some rather useless cement was put down as a binder at turns 2 and 10. The early stages of the race were relatively normal. Later the track began to break up once more.

When the lights went out Hamilton led away with Kubica in second and Raikkonen in third place. Hamilton was kept relatively honest by the BMW of Kubica whilst Raikkonen became slow and cruised in third with graining tyres on his Ferrari. On lap 14 Hamilton was beginning to haul out a commanding advantage and victory for Mclaren seemed assured. On this same lap Adrian Sutil, the people's hero of Monaco spun his Force India in the first chicane and the Safety Car was deployed to clear the stricken car.

When the pit lane opened the leaders all went for the pit lane. The rules in Formula One state that the Safety Car and the pack behind must clear the pits before the other end of the lane can be opened. By the time Raikkonen and Kubica had been serviced this had not happened and both the Ferrari and the BMW had to park at the exit of the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were next to have their cars service completed. In an odd turn of events so common to Montreal, Lewis Hamilton failed to see either the red light on the pit exit nor the stationary Ferrari. The Mclaren piled into the back of the Ferrari breaking the front and rear suspension of the two rivals cars. The two championship rivals were out of the race. Nico Rosberg also damaged his car sliding lazily into the rear of Lewis Hamilton.

When the safety car returned to the pit lane the race began afresh with Barrichello leading the race with the Williams of Kazuki Nakajima second and the two Red Bull cars behind him. BMW saw the chance for victory coming toward them. Kubica had taken advantage of the safety car period and stopped for fuel. Nick Heidfeld was switched to a one stop fuel strategy and was filled to the end of the race. With Kovalainen held in the pits and Massa having to make two stops with a fuel rig problem the two remaining rivals cars were out of play.

Heidfeld needed to build a large lead over Barrichello and also over his team mate Kubica to have a chance of victory. Barrichello's car was awfully slow and the German BMW driver surged into the distance. Heidfeld pitted on lap 21 and took on fuel enough for the remainder of the race. Heidfeld emerged from the pits ahead of Robert Kubica. Oddly, not long after the pit stop, Kubica passed his team mate into turn 1 in what appeared to be a team led instruction. Heidfeld did not resist. Kubica then catapulted into the lead. He opened out a 26second lead over his team mate and emerged from his final stop leading the race and on for an historic first victory for himself and for his team.

David Coulthard had managed a wise pit strategy and driven a cunning race to emerge in third place. He would end the race 23 seconds behind Robert Kubica but captured the Red Bull team their second podium. Heidfeld hung on for second.

Elsewhere Barrichello despite experience, left the circuit in the closing stages and handed both Toyotas his fourth and fifth positions. Later, Massa too overtook Barrichello and the two Toyotas. He managed fourth in the end. Neither Renaults managed to end the race. Piquet looked erratic again this weekend and had to retire from the Grand Prix with break problems after a spin. Alonso too was forced to retire with a spin on the gripless circuit. Giancarlo Fisichella spun in the same place as Sutil ending a miserable weekend for Sutil. It was a double points finish for the Toyotas in fifth and sixth places. Sebastian Vettel, who had suffered a torrid time in Canada to begin with took the final point of the race. Kazuki Nakajima ended a promising race in the pit lane, smashing into the pit wall atop his own front wing.

The finishing times for the drivers do not do the level of action and excitement justice. This was a thrilling Grand Prix full of, as with all Canadian Grands Prix, was full of action, history and controversy. Robert Kubica put himself in the history books as the first Polish driver to win a race, put BMW into second place in the Constructors Championship and he took the lead of the Drivers Championship race. This result had been a long time coming for the young Pole who, twelve months earlier had suffered that horror smash which might have killed him.