F1 Canada 2012: Montreal GP Recap & Discussion

Roger Wright94 said:Given how this season has played out—and looking at the stats—Sebastian Vettel is the clear favorite to take the win tomorrow.
There isn't much room between the start line and that first turn, which makes overtaking right off the line pretty tough.

Plus, Sebastian Vettel has a car perfectly tuned for that initial launch.

Raymond Anderson4 said:I really think there's a solid chance Alonso finishes ahead of Hamilton... Hamilton just can't seem to find any consistency during the race, whereas Alonso looks stronger in terms of pure race pace.
Starts aren't exactly Hamilton's strong suit.

So, what you're saying is Hamilton nails the start tomorrow and ends up ahead of Alonso? ☕

Qualifying went exactly how you'd expect. Lotus was surprisingly sluggish, though I’m betting they’ll find some pace for the race today... same goes for Mercedes, who managed to scrape through slightly better in qualifying.

My prediction for today? Hopefully no rain, right?...

George White52 said:Qualifying results went exactly as anticipated. The Lotus performance was surprisingly lackluster, though I am inclined to believe they will show significantly more grit during today's race; the same could be said for Mercedes, who managed slightly better positioning during qualifying.

What is the forecast for today? Are we looking at clear skies, or is rain still on the table?

http://www.weather.com/forecast/us/new_york

No rain in sight, so I’ll be rooting for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso. 👋
I should also mention that Lotus has been an utter disappointment as a team; how does one drop out of the top five after Q3 so abruptly?

With Romain Grosjean 7 and Kimi 12, I find myself questioning how Lotus could possibly be in such dismal form at the Canadian Grand Prix. 😕
Even Mercedes, despite their DDRS, seems unable to fully harness that specific potential.

When a team fails to secure a top three spot at the Canadian Grand Prix—a circuit defined by its lengthy straights—one has to wonder where they truly stand in the hierarchy.

It appears that Ferrari, McLaren (which is steadily losing ground), and Red Bull are beginning to pull away from the rest of the pack. Furthermore, Jenson Button has essentially become "Felipe Massa"; given the caliber of the McLaren car, I certainly expected much more.

It seems the competition has not only caught up to McLaren but has actually surged past them, specifically Red Bull and Ferrari.

All this Lotus stuff just reminds me of waiting on Torres to finally score for Chelsea. Only difference is, Torres actually pulled it off once in a while.😢

I’m really not a fan of this evening schedule. It feels like nothing is happening all day long just to have everything hit us at once tonight.
It makes it so hard to actually focus on the action without feeling rushed. I much prefer it when the race is scheduled for the morning or maybe around 2:00 PM.

Just grab ITV 4 and you can binge BTCC all day long from 12:30 to 5:00.😉

Jason Campbell70 said:Plus, Vettel’s car was basically set up just to bolt at the start.

Well, that should be the standard for every car, shouldn't it?
To me, it looked like Vettel was on something. He didn't just find that one "perfect lap" you occasionally see; he was hitting them one after another.
Still, Webber is trailing by 0.6s, which is a massive gap.
Not sure how much those SuperSoft tires have been chewed up yet, or if anyone's going to run into grip issues.
It's 2012, anything can happen. Usually, the championship leaders take the win, but these two behind them have a real shot. Though, Lewis Hamilton definitely needs this one more than anyone.

stormybadger8 said:You should really grab a subscription to ITV 4; it makes for a perfect day of racing if you can tune in to catch the BTCC from about 12:30 through 5:00 PM.😉

I’m going to go catch some BTCC, but I was actually thinking about hanging out here instead—I much prefer the debates we have after the races.
As for the races, it’s all just speculation at this point—everyone’s got their own theories on who might pull it off and who's likely to fall short.

Roger Wright94 said:Well, that's how every car ought to be set up.
To me, it looks like Vettel was on something. He didn't just stumble upon one "perfect lap"—he was cranking them out left and right.
Still, Webber is down 0.6s, which is huge.
Not sure how much those SuperSoft tires have been chewed up, or if anyone’s going to run into restrictions because of tire usage.
It's 2012, anything goes. Usually, the championship leaders win, but these two behind them have a real shot. Though, Lewis Hamilton definitely needs this win more than anyone.

I'm actually a bit surprised—he's terrible in the speed trap, yet somehow he's way faster in Sector 3, which is where the speed trap even is.
Takaj is basically cutting that gap to Webber in half during that third sector.
My only theory is that his car just handles corners better.🤷

Looks like Vettel prefers this Red Bull without the hole over the one with the EBD. 😍
Seems like someone's sitting there right now writing a thank-you note to Martin Witmarsh. 😁

Recording started: 7:00 PM
Duration: 5 hours and 30 minutes 😬

Good grief, there’s no way it could possibly take any longer than this. 🙂

Jason Clark14 said:This whole situation with the Lotus cars reminds me of waiting on Torres to score for Chelsea. Only difference is that Torres actually managed to find the back of the net.😢

Well, Lotus (Romain Grosjean) will find a way to score too... 😁

mistybear87 said:filming starts: 7:00 PM
filming duration: 5 hours and 30 minutes 😬

Give me a break, there's no way on earth it lasts longer than that 🙂

the race kicks off at 8:00 PM so I'd honestly suggest you don't even bother filming the show before then😁

mistybear87 said:filming starts: 7:00 PM
duration: 5 hours and 30 minutes 😬

Give me a break, there's no way it lasts longer than that... 🙂

I bet you're still watching stuff on VHS too, huh? 😬

Grabbed myself a 4-hour tape—should be plenty... 🤣 🤣

stormybadger8 said:I’m actually a bit puzzled by this. He’s struggling through the speed trap, yet somehow manages to be significantly faster in Sector 3, which includes that very trap.
In that third sector, Takaj covers more than half of the gap to Mark Webber.
My only takeaway? The car just handles the corners better.🤷

Just watch Vettel's on board from qualifying and it'll all make sense.

What’s going on with Vettelov's onboard?
Is it just me, or is it totally unclear?

It’s actually pretty wild to see—Pedro de la Rosa was clocking faster times than both the Marussia cars, and he sounds genuinely pumped about the upcoming race 🙂 :

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100250

Drew Bennett68 said:Pretty interesting—Pedro de la Rosa was actually outperforming both those Marussia cars and seems super pumped for the race 🙂 :

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100250

If I remember right, his result from last year in Canada actually landed him ahead of Marussia in the constructors' standings

We’ll definitely need to keep a close eye on Pedar heading into that first turn. 😉

Let's look at today's lineup. Here are my top picks for potential collisions during the start and throughout the race:

1. Justin Wilson and Mario Andretti. The first is looking to redeem himself after yesterday's performance, while the second seems hungry for just about everything. Then there's a dark horse lurking behind them, feeling like his car is absolutely dialed in for this weekend: Scott Dixon. 😁

2. Checo Perez and Max Verstappen. One is a complete rookie at this track, and the other has been struggling to find any rhythm lately, so... anything could happen.

3. Michael and Roman are neck-and-neck again, and those opening corners are notoriously tight. Honestly, the whole track feels pretty cramped. 😁

4. Kimi Räikkönen and Danica Patrick haven't crossed paths yet, which makes a collision today a real possibility. Plus, you have someone who lives for wheel-to-wheel combat, especially against Kimi: Takuma Sato.

5. A little something to wrap things up. Think back to that wild start in 2007. Why wouldn't Fernando Alonso try to make up for that unforgettable season—specifically that race in the USA? Lewis Hamilton, sitting right there beside him, might just be the perfect catalyst for that. 😁

Anyway, I'm off.

pizz,