2011 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix: An in-depth analysis of Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit
The host of 47 grands prix over the years, the Canadian Grand Prix is once again going to spice up the Formula 1 world when on June 12, 2011, 24 F1 cars will roar on its semi-street track.
The track and the venue itself bring a lot of charm to the Formula 1 racing world as we look at some of the important features of the Gilles-Villeneuve Circuit.
The Canadian Grand Prix is the only circuit of the 2011 Formula 1 season located in the North America. It is located in the beautiful city of Montreal in the Quebec province of Canada. Apart from the Formula races, the track also hosts some of the other
motorsports events.
The track is 4.3 kilometres long with an excellent combination of high and low speed corners. The total number of laps contested on the track is 70 which make a total race distance of more than 305 kilometres.
Montreal features 14 turns out of which turn numbers 2 and 10 are the slowest whereas the rest of the turns are relatively high-speed corners and chicanes. A total of 4 chicanes make up the Montreal circuit- the slowest of which are the ones on turn 6 and
7.
The track features one very tight chicane which is the one on turns 13 and 14. This one is dangerous as the track gets narrow and most of the rookie drivers find the barrier on this turn.
The high-speed corners of Montreal are the ones to watch out for especially the one on turn 10. Here the speed of the car gets too slow and is perfect for an overtaking opportunity. It is also on this turn where Robert Kubica crashed in the 2007 Formula
1 season and almost escaped death.
Other than that, the track gives a lot of adventure and thrill to the drivers and the spectators as well.
The first race was first held in 1961 under the Canadian Sports Car Championship in which many Formula 1 drivers participated along with other category drivers.
In 1966, the first Formula 1 event took place which an American driver Mark Donohue won. Until then, the track was jointly run by Formula 1, CSCC and Can-Am. In 1978, Formula 1 officials took over the circuit and the first winner of that race was a Quebec
native Gilles Villeneuve. Gilles died in 1982 on the same track in the practice sessions and the Montreal track was renamed in his memory.
Ferrari are the most successful team on the Montreal circuit as they have managed 13 wins on the track. Michael Schumacher has won the Canadian Grand Prix seven times. Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello has the record of the fastest lap on the track when
in 2004 he posted a time of 1 minute and 13.622 seconds driving for Ferrari.
In 2010, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton took the victory in Canada starting from pole position.
However, for the 2011 Formula 1 season, some new ammunition has been added to the Formula 1 cars which make it difficult to predict this season’s Montreal winner.
However, regardless of the outcome of the race, one thing is for sure. The Formula 1 world will be thrilled when the Kinetic Energy Recovery System and Drag Reduction System loaded cars hit the Gilles-Villeneuve track on Sunday.
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