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Massa

Grand Prix Du Canada

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The other pearl of F1. ;)

Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is notoriously difficult on tires, though not to the extent Le Circuit Jacques Villeneuve is; that track practically shaves the tires bald.

50_jacques_villeneuve-804050-large_image.jpg

Like the tires, he is full of custard.

(Poor Jacques, actually. How anyone can be an F1 World Champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner, from two laps down no less, and get no respect at all is sort of baffling if you come from the perspective where all other champions of both F1 and the 500 are considered the best of the best. No one else, in modern times, has made the transition from CART/Indy to F1 so smoothly, and many were afforded good equipment, as well. There's your measure and balance for the post...or just wishy-washiness. Not sure.

:P)

Anyway, they call this a street circuit. I don't believe it. If it operated as a street the rest of the year, it'd have a Tim Horton's drive-thru.

Still, it's a great track. It will feature two DRS zones, but only one detection point. If I understand that correctly, and I probably don't, even if the driver overtakes in the first zone, he, now leading, will be able to use DRS once again on the main straight. I'd prefer a pass/re-pass scenario, which would require two detection points, I believe.

d4cc333ef0d75e7cce8ed13fefa55145.jpeg

I also believed this guy was better than Sebastian Vettel.

Did you know (of course you did, I post this every year) that Canadian Oreos contain coconut oil? They are therefore healthy (they also taste better) and should be consumed in excess.

I feel as though you are now prepared to enjoy what is my favorite Grand Prix on the calendar.

What are the expectations this weekend?

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You copycat scoundrel. This is MY favorite venue!

So what's coming? Let's see:

1) Paradoxically it must be one of the least favorite in Alonso's calendar, at least judging from his performance there. Only one win here for him in 2006 and a 3rd place, plus many DNFs and last year's disappointment (and Takuma Sato's overtake in the past). Not many happy memories for him.

2) Pity about the single detection zone. In fact, this is one race in which no DRS would work better. Canada is hard on the brakes, hard on the tires, hard on the engine. It's the true attrition race in F1. It does not have heat, but it has rain. Drama is almost always guaranteed. Even when cars cannot overtake, the tension is there all the time, unlike Monaco. This race needs no fake boobs to look hot.

3) The wall of champions! The wall of champions!

4) Let's not forget that this was the first race in which Nico and Lewis showed their teamwork skills back in 2008... :whistling:

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Who says it does not have heat? I've been there 7 or 8 years in a row and it was over 30 in the majority of these races. It seems however that rain is coming our way this week-end.

Who says Jacques does not get any respect? He does in Italy, France, Spain and Quebec, but may be not in the great F1 nation you come from!

This GP is also my favorite (with the belgium gp) but it seems that it might disappear because the negotiations with Bernie are not going well at this point.

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Who says Jacques does not get any respect? He does in Italy, France, Spain and Quebec, but may be not in the great F1 nation you come from!

I don't know; it seems to me that every comment I read on the Internet about Jacques Villeneuve is negative.

Then again, every comment I read on the Internet in general is negative. ;)

But, no, I've seen a lot of people try to discredit what Villeneuve accomplished because he never repeated it, without realizing that doing it once is more than enough.

Is he an all-time great? Probably not, because his results never came back. But the fact that you don't typically hear Jacques Villeneuve in the conversation as a legendary driver, to me, is a lack of respect for him. Yeah, he had a lot of bad years, and some real failures in a few different series, but at the end of the day, he took two of the highest honors in all of motor racing. For perspective, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, and Emerson Fittipaldi are the only other drivers to ever win both the WDC and the Indy 500. Villeneuve never gets mentioned with them, and yeah, his career was less balanced. Still, I don't think Villeneuve gets the credit he deserves. In his prime, he accomplished everything a driver really can, and did it all so quickly.

As for nations, well, there is probably some truth to that. The U.S. really only knows Villeneuve from NASCAR, where he did not earn respect. He wrecked his competitors intentionally time and time again there, and never did accept blame. So, you have a good point; I am probably seeing a lot of comments from people who don't understand what Villeneuve did in F1 and CART because they don't realize those series exist(ed, in CART's case).

Will you be attending the race this year, Jean-Pierre? :)

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Who says it does not have heat? I've been there 7 or 8 years in a row and it was over 30 in the majority of these races. It seems however that rain is coming our way this week-end.

Who says Jacques does not get any respect? He does in Italy, France, Spain and Quebec, but may be not in the great F1 nation you come from!

This GP is also my favorite (with the belgium gp) but it seems that it might disappear because the negotiations with Bernie are not going well at this point.

By 'heat' I meant Malaysia-like heat.

I also hope this one (and Spa) do not disappear from the calendar. Ever. F1 has no better scenarios than these two.

As for Jacques, no offense, I quite liked the guy back in the day, I found him quite likeable. And in his WIlliams Renault days it was like heaven for me, the son of my much admired Gilles winning in a Renault(ish) car. Sadly, I can't find a single redeeming thing in his career afterwards, even if taking into account that he had to drive some pretty crappy cars. He was disappointing at BAR, Obliterated by a young Jenson and pushed out by a rookie Alonso at Renault, totally mediocre at Sauber.

Oh, well, I give you that he was great at Stefan GP.

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lovely stuff Eric...

I really apprecate your inputs and the effort you put into it... even though we're on different spectrums like rating Monaco and now Villeneuve... anyway, fans will always like different aspect of this lovely sport...

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This venue is legendary.

I find it slightly funny that some people dub Monaco as the "dangerous" GP, while it is quite dangerous, Canada is where an F1 driver can likely have a very serious crash. I seem to remember how horrified I was when Kubica crashed there in his Sauber BMW.

I don't however think I've ever watched a boring race at this place. Of course, Jenson's epic win 2 years ago was a nailbiter. All 4 hours of it

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The people at indianapolis sure remember him.

The problem with jv is that after his world championship he turned down an offer from Renault to follow a creep, pollock, in the BAR crazy adventure. Had he gone with Renault, history might be different today. He was amazing. As frank Williams said, "he is the only driver who can beat Schumacher".

I've been at the GP approx. 10 times, but this year I will look at it on tv.

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Expecting good things from McLaren. Their car seems to be able to conserve tyres well, a small fact that escapes a lot of notice especially since the car is slow by their own standards and general consensus. Fingers crossed that this race will display the side of Perez that mainly Jean-Pierre and I see in him to all of you.

If the tyre wear is as bad as forecasted, that is.

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I was thinking...I know Vettel crashed against the wall last year, and I think Jenson crashed too but I don't recall any cashes there by Nando, Lewis or Kimi (the other champions present)

Anybody?

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Expecting good things from McLaren. Their car seems to be able to conserve tyres well, a small fact that escapes a lot of notice especially since the car is slow by their own standards and general consensus. Fingers crossed that this race will display the side of Perez that mainly Jean-Pierre and I see in him to all of you.

If the tyre wear is as bad as forecasted, that is.

Don't count me in with the riff-raff thankyou....

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I was thinking...I know Vettel crashed against the wall last year, and I think Jenson crashed too but I don't recall any cashes there by Nando, Lewis or Kimi (the other champions present)

Anybody?

They may not all be champions but....

1988 it was Derek Warwick

1997 and 1999, JV tagged it

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2005 was Buttons turn

All up, the 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011 word champions have binned it there. That is not to mention the others:

Rubens, Trulli, Maldonaldo, Montoya, Koybayashi, Gerhard Berger, Christian Albers, David Coulthard and Ralfy boy too.

Of course Lewis and Kimi have their own thing going on in Canada when exiting pitlanes....

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Ahem, I will point out that I am a Jacques Villenueve fan, was a paid up member of his fan club for many years too, so be careful what you say about him around me! ;):P You have been warned. I still have a lot of memorabilia of his including diecast models of all the cars he drove etc.

You have to love champions wall, so many people have crashed there, all the big names plus a few others as well, though didn't they change the layout slightly so they don't go quite as near anymore? I have a feeling they did. Some might still manage it though.

I also always consider it one of the better races of the year as well, thankfully it's a live race and not just a highlights one for me :) It could well rain for Friday and quali but it looks dry for race day. Can't wait :)

I think tyre wear is going to be a huge issue here as well, that will be something to watch, I just hope it doesn't spoil the racing.

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Ahem, I will point out that I am a Jacques Villenueve fan, was a paid up member of his fan club for many years too, so be careful what you say about him around me! wink.pngtongue.png You have been warned. I still have a lot of memorabilia of his including diecast models of all the cars he drove etc.

Really? tongue.png

Like I said, I was a fan of him when he was a champion, just never could find any other reason to like him as a driver afterwards, no matter how hard I tried. I did consider him charismatic (until he started singing, that is)

And if you think that I only support winning drivers thing again, because I am the founder, president and only member of the Vitantonio Liuzzi fans club and Batracer Scuderia.

I also have memorabilia,for example a horse's head his cousin left on my bed once.

No idea why.

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Part of the hate I think for JV is that people actually wanted him to to well. And staying on year in year out at BAR, that is when people started to go well screw you man, maybe you're only here for the $$.

I remember watching JV in IndyCar and those were the days when Indy was epic. Great looking cars, great races, it really was the good old days, as it was another form of racing to tie me over until the next F1 race. Once IndyCar split into 2 series, that was the end. It's never been the same, and probably never will be.

JV is a great. An Indy 500 winner, an IndyCar Champ, and a F1 WDC. That is a great. The problem is, maybe he had too much faith in Pollock. Maybe he truly believed they would turn things around. You could say Brawn did that, but that was a fluke of epic proportions unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. Had Brawn started 2009 still as Honda they wouldn't have won IMHO. The Merc engine combined with the double diffuser was the X factor, the magic combination.

Anyway, JV deserves way more credit that he gets, but the problem now I think lies a little with him. He's got a mouth on him, but he's been getting nastier when using it. Almost bitter. In a way I don't blame him since he probably knows himself he's not universally loved, but really he should not be hated by anyone. I mean what has he done to cause all the hate.

Look at Teflon Alonso. Crashgate, Ferrari spy blue prints, nothing sticks to this guy. While poor old PQ Jr was left with little choice to play along in that debacle, Alonso came out with no tar or feathers. Even Lewis has done and said some pretty daft things, tweeting confidential practice data. JV never did any of that, but I think at the end of the day, it's actually peoples disappointment that he didn't get the results. Only the non informed would say he wasn't a great driver. And they use that argument alot by saying well he had the fastest car, blah blah. You know what, most of the WDCs have had the fastest car. Even then you have to win the race, it's not a shoe in.

Anyway, I like the Montreal track, love watching it when on the tv when it's nice and sunny. Such a great vibe and setting for it. I really like the Barca, Monaco, Montreal trio of races. Finally feels like F1 has arrived after the show ponies of the weird sandy and deserted tracks, other than the OZ Gp.

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The problem with Canadian people is they are so tiddy they wash the track almost every year during the GP!!!! Another rain qualy lotto? It seems...

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Part of the hate I think for JV is that people actually wanted him to to well. And staying on year in year out at BAR, that is when people started to go well screw you man, maybe you're only here for the $$.

I remember watching JV in IndyCar and those were the days when Indy was epic. Great looking cars, great races, it really was the good old days, as it was another form of racing to tie me over until the next F1 race. Once IndyCar split into 2 series, that was the end. It's never been the same, and probably never will be.

JV is a great. An Indy 500 winner, an IndyCar Champ, and a F1 WDC. That is a great. The problem is, maybe he had too much faith in Pollock. Maybe he truly believed they would turn things around. You could say Brawn did that, but that was a fluke of epic proportions unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. Had Brawn started 2009 still as Honda they wouldn't have won IMHO. The Merc engine combined with the double diffuser was the X factor, the magic combination.

Anyway, JV deserves way more credit that he gets, but the problem now I think lies a little with him. He's got a mouth on him, but he's been getting nastier when using it. Almost bitter. In a way I don't blame him since he probably knows himself he's not universally loved, but really he should not be hated by anyone. I mean what has he done to cause all the hate.

Look at Teflon Alonso. Crashgate, Ferrari spy blue prints, nothing sticks to this guy. While poor old PQ Jr was left with little choice to play along in that debacle, Alonso came out with no tar or feathers. Even Lewis has done and said some pretty daft things, tweeting confidential practice data. JV never did any of that, but I think at the end of the day, it's actually peoples disappointment that he didn't get the results. Only the non informed would say he wasn't a great driver. And they use that argument alot by saying well he had the fastest car, blah blah. You know what, most of the WDCs have had the fastest car. Even then you have to win the race, it's not a shoe in.

Anyway, I like the Montreal track, love watching it when on the tv when it's nice and sunny. Such a great vibe and setting for it. I really like the Barca, Monaco, Montreal trio of races. Finally feels like F1 has arrived after the show ponies of the weird sandy and deserted tracks, other than the OZ Gp.

Exactly, what did HH Frentzen do in the same car as him? Diddly squat that's what. Having the best car doesn't make you a world champion, having the best car and getting the best out of it with plenty of good results however, does. Webber has had the best car and not won it, DC had it for a while but didn't win etc.

Really? tongue.png

Like I said, I was a fan of him when he was a champion, just never could find any other reason to like him as a driver afterwards, no matter how hard I tried. I did consider him charismatic (until he started singing, that is)

And if you think that I only support winning drivers thing again, because I am the founder, president and only member of the Vitantonio Liuzzi fans club and Batracer Scuderia.

I also have memorabilia,for example a horse's head his cousin left on my bed once.

No idea why.

My daughter bought me a signed copy of JV's album. I played it once being excited to listen to it, then a second time to be sure I'd heard what I thought I had. It's been in the back of a drawer ever since wink.png

I started to support Vettel when he was at Toro Rosso, I looked at him and thought, damn this kid is good. Seems I was right too.

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The pits are open to the public today so it is possible to talk with the team members of each team and if you're lucky with a driver. It is crowded at the track, as is down down Montreal. F1 fever is back in Montreal.

Probable rain for tomorrow (I wonder if PIrelli has brought new rain tires as well as dry tires for the test) and for the qualifications.

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Ahem, I will point out that I am a Jacques Villenueve fan, was a paid up member of his fan club for many years too, so be careful what you say about him around me! wink.pngtongue.png You have been warned. I still have a lot of memorabilia of his including diecast models of all the cars he drove etc.

JV was good, I followed him in CART and he was awesome then.

He just made a huge mistake in staying too long at BAR/Honda (oh and releasing an album).....

Just awful seeing him trudging round mid pack in a crappy car - just like Schui in the Merc sad.png You have to know when to say: "enough"

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It is raining hard in Montreal right now and the morning practice will be on the wet for sure.

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