With the thrill of the engines and the adrenaline pervading the air, one of the most anticipated events in the F1 calendar is approaching: the Canadian Grand Prix. For over fifty years, the Montreal circuit has earned a special place in the hearts of Formula 1 fans, becoming one of the most iconic and fascinating tracks on the calendar. There are several teams looking for answers in Canada. Aston Martin has already fitted both cars with updates important to make that leap in quality that would allow it to place itself immediately behind Red Bull. There Ferrari he needs a clean weekend to analyze the data coming from the SF-23 “evo”. Furthermore the team must understand if the problems had by Leclerc in Spain they may have much bigger foundations than a simple set-up problem. But already since Friday the situation seems to be positive. Red Bull knows they can take another win – number 41 for Max – but also that it could be more difficult to defend. So let's see who will line up at Fanta F1 and the forecast for the weekend!
A few considerations
From the data we were able to collect on an anomalous Friday given the technical problems with the circuit cameras which interrupted the proceedings FP1, and behaved FP2 of 90 minutes, interesting ideas emerge especially on the race pace. Ferrari seems, especially with Leclerc rather constant, an indication of a good feeling from the Monegasque who with the mediums was close to Verstappen's times, while Sainz was a bit more inconsistent. Even with the Hard tyres, despite the initial difficulties in getting them up to temperature, the Monegasque achieved a good performance. Aston Martin's race pace was also good with Fernando Alonso while Mercedes seemed less in shape in this aspect, but this was also because they did the completely opposite job, working on their race pace in the first part of the session. On Friday, Valtteri Bottas' performance stands out in the middle of the group, but also Lando Norris's good pace. Alfa Romeo managed to get both cars into the top 10 here.
However, there are also a couple of negative mentions to make and they concern Haas, Alpine and Perez. The French team had to bring the cars back to the pits in both FP1 and FP2. Haas, however, had to interrupt work with Hulkenberg due to a fire starting on the German's car. As for Perez, Friday saw him in difficulty. Both in qualifying simulation and in race pace he didn't shine.
Who to field at Fanta F1?
From a Fanta F1 perspective, we have opted for two types of teams for the weekend. A more conservative one, with Verstappen as captain and a more daring one with Leclerc as captain. Ferrari in Canada enjoyed perhaps their best Friday since the start of the season. Although it is still early to draw conclusions, it is not the first time we have seen a Ferrari at ease on a track like that of Montreal. To therefore provide an alternative to the classic team with Max as captain, we have chosen a wildcard formation in which Esteban Ocon also appears. Although Alpine had problems with both drivers on Friday - not exactly an encouraging factor - we think they can have a good pace in the race.
Here are the two possible teams, both with a base of 100 farms:
Verstappen – Norris – Bottas – Stroll – Sargeant
Leclerc – Alonso – Ocon – Bottas – Sargeant
Forecast advice
Let's look at the weekend forecast, also considering the risk of rain for Sunday, which however has reduced.
Safety Car in the race: YES
La Safety car in Formula 1 call Canada. It has its origins here and therefore this weekend will remember it 50 anniversary. For this reason alone can we think that she won't be called? Also watch out for champion wall.
Virtual Safety Car: NO
Red flag: NO
They are on the other hand, the cases in which the red flag was displayed in Canada are rare. The latest in 2011 due to the rain, in the longest Grand Prix in history! However, it shouldn't rain on Sunday.
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: NO
Team double in the race: NO
Although Red Bull has Sergio Perez's best car lately, especially in qualifying he struggles a lot to keep up with his teammate's pace. Furthermore, the fight for the podium is much closer than you might think, with Ferrari looking to have its say on the Canadian circuit.
Driver who starts from pole wins the race: YES
Qualifying will be played in very particular conditions as rain is forecast. A condition that Red Bull and Max don't mind.
Number of teams to bring both riders into the top 10: 4
The latest editions have seen more or less always 3 or 4 teams bring both drivers into the top 10.
Number of cars forced to withdraw: 3
