Sauber F1

    The 2003 season of Formula One was the last time there were three clear contenders for the World Championship, when Williams and McLaren dogged Ferrari all the way to the final race. 

    2004 saw Ferrari absolutely dominate, with Honda effectively the first loser of the rest of the crowd. 

    2005 saw an intense battle between Renault and McLaren with Ferrari unable to cope with the new tire rule instituted for that season. 

    2006 was the first of the "musical teams" seasons, where McLaren went winless for the first time since 1996 and the teams vying for the wins wore Ferrari red or the blue and yellow of Renault. 

    2007 saw the second rotation, with Renault completely out of the fight and the Silver Arrows returning to make the season a slugging match with Ferrari all the way to Brazil.

    Which brings us to the 2008 season.  At Montreal, three drivers had won two races each: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), and Felipe Massa (Ferrari).  Robert Kubica in the BMW had been nipping at the heels of these two teams for much of the season, hinting at the true pace the BMW possessed, but he had so far not been able to deliver the final word come race day. 

    Two Sundays ago, that all changed, and BMW gained its first win and 1-2 finish on the same day.  Now, Kubica heads the leaderboard, and BMW is right behind Ferrari in the Constructor's standings. 

    Does this mean BMW is in the fight for real? 

    Or will their pace fade and the season settle back into the two-team fight that existed pre-Montreal?

    The answer is that BMW are quite likely to maintain their performance, and while Robert Kubica may not rack up a string of victories, he may very well win in the way that Keke Rosberg won the 1982 World Championship. 

    BMW is known for their very technical, pragmatic approach to racing, and as the technical side of the former BMW Williams team had proven their ability to create a race-winning car.  Their pit-stops are considered the fastest in the paddock, and with Robert Kubica losing several kilos to give his car an edge, it shows a real physical and mental commitment to victory.

    The team's true brilliance shone through in Montreal, where they changed Nick Heidfeld's fuel strategy to a one-stopper and continued to run Kubica on a two-stopper, showing their flexibility and ability to deal with shifting conditions in a way which can yield victory. 

    It also shows that the team is able to work well with both its drivers, whereas other teams may appear to favor one driver or have one driver/engineer pair clearly dominant.

    While it can be argued that Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Raikkonen would have won the race had their collision not occurred, the truth is that Kubica and Heidfeld would have at the very least been right on their tails, if not fighting outright for the lead.  And the Canadian Grand Prix has always been chaotic, to say the least.  The ability of BMW to respond to difficult situations, adapt sound strategies, and execute them successfully, has proven that they have a formula which can yield victories. 

    McLaren and Ferrari may prove to have greater flashes of brilliance, but BMW can be counted on to deliver consistent, methodical results.  In essentially two years, they have become a front-running team, and it would be a mistake to consider the victory in Montreal a fluke.  Their pace is real, and BMW has a real opportunity to win the Driver's or Constructor's championships, or even both.

The dead-last finish of thoroughbred Big Brown in the 2008 Belmont Stakes illustrated that nothing is a sure thing in sport.

While the odds may favor one participant over another, in Formula One racing, any number of things can occur throughout the race that could catapult a driver from no points to podium. The race in Montreal underlined how anything can happen and that there are no sure-thing slam dunks.

There has been talk that perhaps Formula One has outgrown the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The speed of the cars contribute to the unstable track conditions that are a distraction at the very least, and track's close confines can cause spectacular accidents.

Last year, BMW's Robert Kubica went off-track, hit a bump in the grass, caught air, and slammed into the inside concrete wall of the hairpin turn. He rolled across to the other side of the track, and came to rest with his feet sticking out of the monocoque of the demolished BMW. Miraculously, he escaped injury save for a sprained ankle.

At this year's Canadian Grand Prix, the real shake-up happened in the pit lane, when several drivers ducked into the pits as the safety car was deployed.

After his stop, Lewis Hamilton failed to see the red light at the end of the pitlane, and ran up into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari, which had dutifully stopped at the light alongside Robert Kubica.

Thanks to the high definition broadcast of this race on FOX, we were able to really see the disappointment on daddy Hamilton's face as he paced to the McLaren garage immediately after the accident.

Raikkonen was rather good-natured about the shunt, probably feeling like the accident was a bit of a payback for taking Adrian Sutil out of the race at Monte Carlo and making him cry, although during a Finnish TV interview, Raikkonen referred to Hamilton as "a man with a wooden eye."

Nico Rosberg was also involved in the incident, which will cost both drivers a 10-place grid penalty at the next race (6/22) at Magny-Cours.

It was nice to see Renault newbie Nelsinho Piquet's sudden gust of confidence in his passing skills against Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli, but it was even better to see Robert Kubica hold onto his lead on the track that just one year ago could have claimed his life.

By the way, just how the heck is Kubica's name pronounced? I've heard  KOO-bee-ka, Koo-BEE-ka, CUE-bee-ka, KOO-beet-za, Koo-BEE-cha and Koo-BEECH-ka. Go to www.namethatdriver.com and decide for yourself.

At Montreal, it was pronounced WIN-ner, as he and BMW teammate Nick Heidfeld avoided on-track attrition to secure a wonderfully executed one-two finish.

After the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, it is safe to say that this Formula One season is shaping up to be the one of the best in recent memory. But from some people's perspective, it is shaping up to be the worst season in recent memory.

Let's take a look at the 2008 Formula World Championship as it stands today:

High: BMW-Sauber Becomes A Household Power

After struggling for over ten years in Formula One, Peter Sauber sold a majority interest of his Swiss based team to German auto manufacterer BMW in 2005. Just three years later, BMW-Sauber has become a force to be reckoned with in Formula One.

Any doubters of this team were silenced after BMW-Sauber swept the top two spots on the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix. Robert Kubica won the race, one year after his infamous crash in the same race. Nick Heidfeld came home in second.

However, many will say this victory would not have happened if Lewis Hamilton had not crashed into Kimi Raikkonen in the pit lane during the lap 18 safety car period.

Looking at the drivers and constructors standings sums up BMW perfectly this year. Kubica took the lead in the drivers' standings with 42 points, and BMW is only three points behind Ferrari in the constructors' championship. It is clear that BMW is now a power in F1.

Low: The Loss of Super Aguri Honda

In 2006, former Formula One driver Aguri Suzuki and Honda put together an F1 team at the last minute for Japanese driver Takuma Sato, because Honda wanted Japanese driver in a Honda powered car.

In 2007, the "Super Best Friends" had an amazing season for a team of their size. They scored points in Spain, and in Canada.

Everybody who saw the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix will remember three things that happened during the race. The first being Kubica's accident, the second being the disqualification of Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa for running the red light in the pit lane, and the third would be Takuma Sato overtaking the two-time defending World Champion Fernando Alonso with two laps remaining to secure a sixth place finish.

The result would end up being the team's second finish in the points in its history. Unfortunately, it would be their last.

In 2008, Super Aguri looked to be prepared for the season. However, the team's sponsor, SS United did not pay the bills, and SAF1 was left for dead.

Suzuki received help from his engine supplier and participated in the first four grand prix of the season. But after weeks of trying to find financial support, Suzuki decided to withdraw his extremely popular team from the world championship and file for bankruptcy.

Their absence from the grid is highly noticeable. It feels like that there is a huge hole that just cannot be filled. It is sad to see such a popular team go—especially the "little team that could."

High: Very Exciting Racing Action

The Monaco Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix have been both two of the wildest and most messed-up races in recent memory.

Monaco saw a rain-soaked track at the start of the race. This led to many collisions and accidents, which caused the race to be shortened by two laps.

Adrian Sutil was on his way to a fourth-place finish in his Force India-Ferrari—until Kimi Raikkonen lost control of his Ferrari and slammed into the back of Sutil. Sutil was told he was finished, and could not even watch as Raikkonen passed him by in the pit lane to rejoin the race, only suffering minor damage.

Canada saw Lewis Hamilton take a commanding lead in the race after starting from pole. However, when Sutil stopped on track, the safety car was brought out. When the pit lane opened, many of the front runners came in for service.

After a slow stop, Lewis tried to race off pit road. He did not realize that the light was red, and when Kimi Raikkonen stopped his Ferrari, it was too late. Lewis slammed into Kimi, forcing both to retire from the race. This opened the door for BMW to take the victory.

There was a ton of overtaking, including a pass by Felipe Massa on both Jenson Button and Hekki Kovalainen in the hairpin corner. If more F1 races were like this, Americans would look at it in a whole different light.

Low: Max Mosley Wins Vote of Confidence

I will not get into what Mosley did, but it is the consequences of his actions for the sport that have many people worried.

FOM boss Bernie Ecclestone has talked of forming a breakaway series from the FIA. This leaves many fearing a similar situation to what American open-wheel racing was in for the past twelve years.

Only time will tell if Mosely's actions will have a detrimental impact—not only on Formula One, but on all motor sport in general.

Just over twenty four hours after Lewis Hamilton snatched a spectacular pole from Robert Kubica, the Pole took full advantage of Hamilton's shunt into Raikkonen by not only gathering the first win of his so far impressive career, but also going ahead in the drivers' championship.

The circuit has not been Ferrari's favourite in recent times going by their impressive record. In the last ten seasons, 1999-2008, they've managed pole only thrice, in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and have won only four times, in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. So statistically the odds were heavily stacked up against them to qualify or to win.

Also none of these qualifying or race results has been with the new regulations. This Saturday was no different from the recent past for the prancing horses. They could only manage third and sixth after we witnessed Robert Kubica taking pole from Hamilton who stole it again in the dying moments of qualifying.

Another variable in the equation this time was the track, which has started to break and give way especially at the hairpin. Drivers were given firm instructions to watch it at the apex of the hairpin. On race day Bernie Ecclestone's response was on the lines of it's the same for all drivers like rain or fog. No driver has any advantage.

Fair enough, it was time for red lights to go out again. Hamilton got off to a fantastic start with Kubica hot on his trail, but the biggest beneficiary of the start was Nico Rosberg, who surged ahead at the expense of Alonso.

As the race began to unfold, Adrian Sutil, the most unfortunate driver of the season so far had to bring his car to a standstill after what looked like brake discs overheating, (later revealed as loss of gears). Safety car came in and tossed Hamilton's advantage out of the window. Pitlane was closed and uncertainty prevailed everywhere.

How much fuel does each one have? When will they pit? Now? Next lap? Three laps from now? There were questions cropping up all over the place. Once the safety car exitted, the pitlane became a hub of activity as the top three, Hamilton, Kubica and Raikkonen came in.

Now what happened here changed the whole course of the race. Kubica and Raikkonen got out of their respective bay and accelerated towards the pitlane exit, coming to a stop waiting for the red light to go green. But Hamilton bolted out of his bay seconds later and ploughed straight into Raikkonen's back, taking himself and the World Champion out of the race.

Rightly to his name "Iceman" Raikkonen calmly pointed the red lights (now green) to Hamilton. For the first time in more than three seasons we now find Rubens Barrichello in the lead!

He should have however taken a comfortable fourth but for his spin on lap 59. Adding to his worries however was fantastic Felipe, who did a double overtaking on him and Kovalainen to take fifth. Further ahead, another veteran, David Coulthard took his maiden podium in I can't remember how many seasons. A good result for him, on his one stop strategy.

Now before I proceed further about this race, I'd like to post a few lines from my season preview posted before the season even began. Here goes... "BMW Sauber is one team that has been consistent all along in recent years. They’ve been oscillating between fourth and sixth till they came second in 2007, courtesy of Mclaren being stripped off all their points. In Dr. Mario Thiessen, they have a veteran engineer, who has the technical and managerial mindset to guide them to the top. I like the resilience and consistency they’ve shown season after season and that too without any glitz or glamour. You don’t notice them coming till they’ve arrived. My personal favourite to take the fight to Ferrari and Mclaren this season."

It was a year ago, when Robert Kubica had his horrific accident, that almost threatened his career. Who would have thought that a year on, he would redeem himself in such a memorable fashion. A strong qualifying put him on the front row of the grid. When asked about a maiden win, he coolly played down his chances. But with a little red intervention, he was able to score his first career victory, take the lead in the drivers' championship and also lead a BMW Sauber 1-2.

Dr Mario Thiessen earlier had mentioned that his aim for this season was to score their maiden win. But to score a 1-2 and have his leader at the top of drivers title and team only three points adrift of top spot in the constructors' title was something he could have never imagined.

Wishing Dr. Thiessen and the entire BMW Sauber team a hearty congratulations (anyone hearing) and all the best! If on one of my favourite sports, a Pole driving for a German-Swiss team had made it a memorable day for them, in another of my favourite sports, a Polish born young man scored two goals for Germany against his country of birth in a tournament cohosted by Switzerland. Now that's what I call coincidence.

Lukas Podolski, assisted by fellow Polish born Miroslav Klose gave Germany an early lead, in a match dominated by them as Joachim Low's team had a great outing. He followed it with a second after Klose's mis-hit shot and climbed into the leaderboard for goals scored in Euro 2008.

The worrying concern for me was Germany's defence. Except Philip Lahm and later Thomas Hitzlsperger, the defence lacked substance. More about it and the Italy Netherlands game, when I am in the mood to write. Time to get some sleep now, long day at office tomorrow.

Ciao!

It should have been Lewis Hamilton's day. The young McLaren-Mercedes driver, who claimed his very first Formula 1 victory at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2007, looked poised for a repeat. Indeed, the last-second panache of the young Brit enabled him to dramatically snatch the pole position away from the BMW-Sauber of Robert Kubica.

As the sun rose over Montreal on Sunday, it was beginning to look as though Lewis might be returning to his season-opening form, of which he'd been struggling to chase since.

The Goddess of Speed can be a cruel mistress with an awful sense of irony. She giveth and she taketh away.

Last year at this very circuit it was Robert Kubica who was under her destructive heel, taking his BMW-Sauber airborne after hopping the curb just before the turn 10 hairpin and violently slamming into the wall at more than 200 kph.

Despite the complete destruction of the BMW and the almost sickening scene of Kubica's head lolling around in the cockpit like that of a rag doll, the Polish driver was able to figuratively walk away with only a sprained ankle. It was a testament to Formula 1's commitment to driver and spectator safety, but a result Kubica was reluctant to repeat this time around.

Each stop of the F1 circus is challenging, some more renowned than others. Monaco certainly has a reputation for some of the slowest corners on the calendar and track widths barely adequate for the cars themselves to pass through. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could be considered the near polar opposite of the famed circuit at Monte Carlo.

The highest speeds of the year are achieved here, and the aerodynamic down force enhancements are kept at a minimum. The flip side is that the hardest braking areas of the year reside here. By race's end, there are nearly 20 sets of destroyed brake systems.

Indeed, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve presents a veritable cornucopia of potential issues, which includes a quickly degrading section of track at the bottom of the hairpin at turn 10.

Just how badly degraded is it? It had corroded so much during qualifying on Saturday that crews had to spend that evening resurfacing the entire corner. With so much margin for error, it's surprising that the results weren't dictated by high-speed physics or a crumbling track, but rather the simplest of driver's errors.

As the race started, Hamilton, Kubica, and Raikkonen were absolutely adamant about not losing any ground in that all-important dash for the first corner. Once there, however, it quickly became all about Lewis Hamilton. The Brit immediately set about crafting himself a beautiful lead, picking up seconds per lap over the blue and red BMW of Robert Kubica. 

Kubica, in his own right, found it rather easy to hold off the charging Ferrari of reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen, but couldn't overcome tire pressure woes to properly take the fight up front to the McLaren-Mercedes. 

By lap 15 it appeared that Lewis had returned to the form exhibited at Australia at the season opener, when Adrian Sutil's transmission woes caused the Force India to stall out, smoking, after turn 10. With the top drivers still on qualifying fuel, it was an ominous sign to see the safety car make its appearance while Sutil's VJM01 was removed from the track.

For more than three minutes and two laps the safety car lead Lewis, his carefully-crafted lead now nullified, and company around the course. When the safety car finally made its way back into pit lane the top cars dove in after it.  Lewis Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Kimi Raikkonen, and Nico Rosberg were among those who made the initial charge for more fuel.

Raikkonen and Kubica were first out, with BMW-Sauber being recognized as the hands-down best team during pit stops, but found that the light at the end of pit lane was lit red. As Lewis Hamilton made his way out of pit lane he failed to see the stopped Ferrari and BMW. The resulting wreck destroyed the rear of Raikkonen's Ferrari and stalled the McLaren-Mercedes of Hamilton.

A split second later saw Rosberg's Williams-Toyota careen into Hamilton. The Goddess of Speed can be a cruel mistress, indeed. In the blink of an eye, Lewis Hamilton's hopes of winning (or even finishing) the Canadian Grand Prix were dashed, and Robert Kubica's were suddenly elevated.

From that point forward Robert Kubica neglected to put a wheel wrong, as BMW-Sauber delivered a driver's clinic. Nick Heidfeld, long thought to be the leading man at BMW but struggling as of late, returned to his previous form of solid and consistent driving. Following the spin of Renault's Fernando Alonso, Quick Nick found absolutely no resistance in helping to secure two spots on the podium for BMW-Sauber's thrilling maiden win.

BMW-Sauber's Director of Motorsports, Dr. Mario Theissen, was quoted in 2006 as outlining 2008 in which to expect the team's first victory.  As he, Nick Heidfeld, and Robert Kubica took to the podium, Theissen flashed a smile rarely seen on his mustachioed face, and was visibly shaken as he hefted the Constructors trophy above his head.

It can only be surmised the feeling of not only achieving that which he set out and boldly proclaimed to do, but also that in that moment of victory the best possible result was achieved. A truly epic day for the young team.

Despite BMW-Sauber being the story of the day, one would be remiss in not mentioning the brilliant drive of Red Bull-Renault's David Coulthard.  The most senior driver in Formula 1 (he's 37 years old) finally returned to the podium after a long drought of mechanical unreliability and non-fault accidents by climbing up to third place.

And so it was that parc ferme, for the first time, was host to two BMW-Saubers and a Red Bull-Renault. Not to be completely counted out, Ferrari fought back after the demise of Raikkonen, with Felipe Massa handing in a brilliant race. The Brazilian simply outdrove the middle of the pack after a fuel-delivery issue put him at the back.

Following a plethora of replay-worthy moves, including a double-pass at turn 10, and the out-and-out trouncing in the straightaways following, Massa was able to secure a fifth place finish for the Scuderia.

Consequently, both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been penalized ten places at the coming French Grand Prix for their roles in the pit lane stop light debacle.

Regardless, the day belongs to Robert Kubica, Nick Heidfeld, Dr. Mario Theissen, and the team at BMW-Sauber for their first win in Formula 1. Congratulations.

In over a season of racing only Mclaren and Ferrari drivers have laid claim to grand prix victories; after such a long time since another team had managed to allow one of its drivers the package to deliver P1, we formula one fans were left betting on either Silver arrows or Red devils for victory. This time is no more as today on the sixth of June 2008 BMW Sauber outfit has written a momentous page of history in formula 1.

Eventually it happened, a victory they promised they would deliver in 2008 and it came sooner rather than later; Robert Kubica the first ever pole F1 driver winning his first ever Grand prix in a 24 GP career has embraced glory beyond all measures with teammate Nick Heidfeld securing second place; guaranteeing a first ever one-two in the process, he may have come second yet credits where it is due allowing Kubica through marking one of the most amazing team effort yet to be seen by other teams, whilst doing the dirty work of holding Alonso in the resurgent Renault in third place.

What a historic moment this has been for the BMW-sauber squad, the F1.08 deprived of its viking horns, the beast came out on top of the trickiest track conditions, performing to the highest level; and again credits where it is due the brilliant team strategy paramount to the build up to victory in the form of fuelling Heidfeld to the max, switching from a two stop strategy to a one stopper taking advantage of the safety car deployment, thenceforward calculatting a formidable tactical plans of evil genius beyond measures, the likes of which will send chills down the spines of both Ferrari and Mclaren staffs.

Most importantly Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica have shown what an amazing pair of drivers they are and how their teamwork is contributing to the team's standing in the manufacturer's championship, Felipe Massa could only salvage Ferrari's spot at the top of the hierarchy for now, gasping for air, no where near safety the BMWs are on hot pursuit for everything that has silverware on it!!!

Regardless of Hamilton's crash with Raikkonen taking both men out; ignore for one minute Alonso's fast deteriorating brakes for a second, and take a deep breath for BMW the essence of racing has finally materialised!!!

History has been made today in Montreal and I cannot help to look forward to the next level!

BMW over to you...

Historically, the Canadian Grand Prix is the theatre of exceptional performances and has a lot of surprises in store. Today's edition was no different.

The 30th Canadian Grand Prix was the occasion for the BMW-Sauber to shine. Not only did Robert Kubica finish in first place for the first time in his career, but Nick Heidfeld, who was starting from the eighth spot, finished in second place.

A pleasant and unexpected one-two finish for the team—who finished in first place for a first time also.

The main incident of the race came at the 19th lap when the Force India of Adrian Sutil stalled and was forced to retire. The safety car was sent out on the track, and the leaders decided to pit in.

Lewis Hamilton, who was starting from the pole position, came out of the pits after his service behind Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton committed a fatal mistake when he came out of the pit lane. He did not see the red light and the stalled Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and rammed him. Both drivers had to retire because of the accident.

The incident coupled with the victory propells Robert Kubica in front of the drivers' championship.

Here is the top ten finish of the Canadian Grand Prix:

Winner: Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber)
2-Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber)
3-David Coulthard (Red Bull)
4-Timo Glock (Toyota)
5-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
6-Jarno Trulli (Toyota)
7-Rubens Barrichello (Honda)
8-Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso)
9-Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)
10-Nico Rosberg (Williams)

Drivers' championship after 7/18 races:

1-Robert Kubica 42 points
2-Lewis Hamilton 38 points
3-Felipe Massa 38 points
4-Kimi Raikkonen 35 points
5-Nick Heidfeld 28 points
6-Heikki Kovalainen 15 points
7-Mark Webber 15 points
8-Jarno Trulli 12 points
9-Fernando Alonso 9 points
10-Nico Rosberg 8 points
11-Kazuki Nakajima 7 points
12-David Coulthard 6 points
13-Timo Glock 5 points
14-Sebastian Vettel 5 points
15-Rubens Barrichello 5 points
16-Jenson Button 3 points
17-Sebastien Bourdais 2 points

Constructors' championship:

1-Ferrari 73 points
2-BMW-Sauber 70 points
3-McLaren 53 points
4-Red Bull 21 points
5-Toyota 17 points
6-Williams 15 points
7-Renault 9 points
8-Honda 8 points
9-Toro Rosso 7 points

(Picture: Robert Kubica, Getty Images.)

Canadian GP History and Guide at a Glance:

This weekend is the 7th round of the world championship held at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit at Montreal in Canada. The track is named after the legendary father of Jacques who was loved by all in F1, but was killed tragically in the final practise session on the Belgian GP weekend in 1982.

Canada has been part of the calendar since 1967. The race was first staged at Mosport Park, and it then alternated between this circuit and Circuit-Mont-Tremblant.

It was 1978 when F1 then moved to its current home in Montreal. The track is based on a man-made Island called the Ile-Notre-Dame.

In 1987 the race wasn’t held due to a row over sponsorship but the event has been held every year since and shows no signs of being under threat unlike other circuits currently on the calendar.

The Canadian GP continues to have a very huge following in the country.  Fans still come in by tens of thousands, and are all very keen, knowledgeable supporters. They have no driver to cheer for at the moment however, due to the fact that Jacques Villeneuve left the sport permanently in 2006.  That and Michael Schumacher’s retirement from F1 has never dampened the enthusiasm.

The circuit itself is very point and squirt, just as the previous race in Monaco was. The teams approach the challenges of Montreal rather differently than in Monte-Carlo.

The teams all use low down force settings as straight line speed is very important for the long pit straight and even longer back straight.  There are also some sweeping quick sections in between the niggling chicanes which have to be negotiated.

Although not as punishing a circuit as Monaco, mistakes in Montreal frequently end driver’s races, as the track is very close to the barriers in a lot of places.

One place in particular is on the exit of the last chicane leading onto the pit straight. Many drivers in previous races have taken that chicane wrong and hit the kerb, which has thrown them straight into the wall. Any small contact with that wall and your race is over.

In 1999 3 former world champions even hit the wall, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and even the great Michael Schumacher.  From then on this wall was give the title of “the wall of champions”. Alonso and Raikkonen will not want to be added to the list of champions to have ended their race at that corner.

With the point and squirt nature of the circuit the brakes are worked extremely hard, and preserving the brakes is vital to winning this event.

This track is one of the biggest tests of brakes in the whole calendar as there are a lot of big stops throughout the circuit. As the track is only generally used once a year for this race the surface is very low grip and takes a long time to rubber in.

In recent years the track also seems to break up in places throughout the weekend, making grip even less.

Another big issue is marbles from the tires.  These form huge death traps off the racing line as the race goes on, and in the last couple of years this has been a big feature in the final third of the race.

Canada normally provides a very interesting race, and one thing it has become known for is the amount of safety cars that come out. Due to the lack of runoff space in areas it is very hard to remove stricken cars from danger so the safety car becomes necessary. 

In last season’s race alone there were four safety cars, mainly due to cars hitting the wall and Robert Kubica’s huge accident.

Racing wise there are a couple of good points for overtaking. Down the long back straight it is possible to get a tow after the slow hairpin and have a go into the final chicane.

The end of the long pit straight is also a strong possibility if you can get close enough. These are the best two chances, but there is a half chance into turn nine, although you have to be quite brave to do it down there. Get it wrong and you are very likely to take your opponent out.

Past Races:

 

Canada has seen classic GPs take place.  Something always seems to happen in Canada is a cliche often used about the race nowadays.

1978 was one of them, when local Gilles Villeneuve excelled in very tricky wet conditions to take the win and wowed all the on-lookers. This race is still one remembered vividly today.

In 1995 Jean Alesi took his only F1 victory. Everyone remembers Schumacher giving him a lift back to the pits as he ran out of fuel on the parade lap after the race. It was also a race with high attrition, a very common them in Canada. This allowed Jordan to get their best finish at the time with a 2-3 for Irvine and Barrichello.

The 1998 race was very crazy. At the start Wurz was squeezed by other cars and forced into a barrel roll; he rolled 3 times. Trulli and Wurz were also all involved in the incident and the red flag was forced to come out. At the restart there was more trouble to come.

Ralf Schumacher pushed too hard, went across the grass, and spun in the middle of the track as Trulli’s car mounted on Alesi’s car. Five cars retired from the race at this point. On lap 13 Diniz brought dirt onto the track and the SC came out. After that, Salo and Herbert had an incident and brought the SC out again.

Coulthard, who was leading then, had a transmission failure. Schumacher pitted, came out of the pits, rushed across to the other side of the track, and barged Frentzen off the track and out of the race. Schumacher was given a 10 second penalty for this. He then had to overtake Hill and regained the lead when Fisichella pitted.  Schumacher put in some storming laps and managed to stay ahead when he pitted for the last time. This was a very memorable race.

There have been other memorable races since then.

1999 was the race where three former champions all hit the same wall. Hakkinen won the race while Fisichella came 2nd for the second year running. Bizarrely, this race finished behind the SC as Frentzen had a big accident with four laps to go.

The 2001 race will always be remembered mainly due to the first even sibling 1-2, involving the two Schumachers. It was a great battle but it was Michael’s brother Ralf who came out on top.

This feat was repeated in the 2003 Canadian GP.  This was another extremely close battle, with the top three drivers separated by just 1.3 seconds. However it was Michael’s clever tactics that thwarted everyone.

Most recently the 2006 and 2007 races also gave brilliant entertainment.

In 2006 Alonso won a chaotic race in which he spent the first stint battling to keep Raikkonen behind.  When he encountered problems in the pits Alonso built a comfortable gap.

Later in the race with marbles from the tires littering the track, Villeneuve went straight into the wall.  The safety car came out and the leading runners were bunched together.  Alonso managed to get away but Raikkonen slipped on the marbles, allowing Schumacher to take second.

2007 was the scene of Hamilton’s first F1 win.  This crazy race featured four safety cars, as drivers made a lot of mistakes on a low grip track, including Hamilton's team mate Fernando Alonso, who seemed to really struggle at turn one.

Also the new safety car rules caught people out and turned the race into a crazy affair. Kubica luckily survived one of the worse accidents seen in years. Despite Hamilton’s lead being destroyed all the time, he held his nerve and took a brilliant first victory.

What will happen in the 2008 race?

This should be another close Mclaren-Ferrari battle.

This will be one of the strongest tracks for Mclaren this season.  Their car like point and squirt tracks a lot. The car is agile through the slow corners and rides the kerbs well.

However unlike last season they won’t have it all their own way.

Ferrari has improved their car massively in the slow corners and should be at least on par with Mclaren.

It should be a very close battle, but I would tip Mclaren to have the tightest of advantages, and Hamilton will revel at the track where he earned his first ever victory in F1. Both qualifying and the race will be very tight between all four drivers in these teams, but I think come the checkered flag on Sunday, Hamilton will win by a whisker.

In terms of the championship Hamilton really needs to win this race.  The next two tracks after Canada (Magny-Cours and Silverstone) will really suit the Ferrari, so Hamilton will need to take as big a championship lead as he possibly can(currently the lead is 3 points) and try and defend in these two races which will be very hard to win.

He really can’t afford any mistakes this weekend at all otherwise within the next few weeks Ferrari will be back in control. Ferrari will know they aren’t favorites here, so if they can cause an upset and win that will give them a lot of confidence as they go to two Ferrari suited tracks.

I think BMW’s challenge is now slipping; on a track where they were meant to excel (Monaco) they couldn’t match Mclaren and Ferrari in the dry conditions (the form guide was mixed up slightly in the wet race).

Kubica may try and get involved in the Mclaren/Ferrari party on Saturday but he won’t have enough pace in the race to challenge for a win, unless it turns into one of those crazy Canadian GPs, as we sometimes have.

Kubica is only six points off the championship lead however, which shows consistently he has punched above his weight.  But unless BMW makes a serious leap forward by the time the circus moves to France, he will slip off the radar.

As for other teams, who could challenge?

Renault comes with another big upgrade this weekend and this track does suit them so they may cause a surprise in qualifying, but race pace is still lacking. The Williams (especially in Rosberg’s hands) looked very good in Monaco in the dry, and with similar circuit features in Monaco Williams may get more points here.

Overall it looks set for another cracking race in Montreal which it never fails to provide.  With rain a distinct possibility, this weekend could be even better.

This weekend is very important in the championship race as mentioned above. If Mclaren really want to take the championship fight against the awesome Ferraris, this is in all honesty a must win race for them, as Ferrari will be stronger in upcoming events.

1. Hamilton 2. Raikkonen 3. Kovalainen

Enjoy the GP weekend.

Nick Heifeld's recent form with the BMW sauber team has been worrying to say the least: 9 seasons in formula 1, 31 years old, no victories in over 132 attempts—and worse, outpaced by young aspiring talent and teammate Robert Kubica four times this season.

After five races, Kubica is four points clear of his veteran teammate—not much of a margin yet. However, because of this, rumours in the paddock are fast gaining momentum on the possibility of seeing Nick Heidfeld being shown the door at the end of the season.

This is where it gets interesting. If Nick goes then who would replace him? In other words, who does Mario Theissen and the rest of the BMW executive board want to bring in?

Alonso has been cited already, and it is not much of a surprise considering the rise of BMW as a very strong contender to challenge the Ferraris and Mclarens alike. Fernando Alonso would be the perfect match, and if he can bring in another 0.6 secs of pace to the Viking horned car, it is safe to say that FA can bank himself on a third title and BMW on a first-ever manufacturer crown. The only problem is Fernando is interested in one thing only, and that's joining Ferrari!

Another hypothesis would be to look at what's happening at RBR at the moment. Recently, Mark Webber expressed his interest in renewing his contract with RBR. However, David Coulthard believes this is a cunning strategy to generate interests from other team managers sooner rather than later, as in "get me now before I'm gone."

I personally do not believe in such hypothesis. Why then would Webber play it this way? But in any respect, if D.C. is correct then could BMW be a potential employer of the Hobart native's services? I don't think so. Webber is a great driver but he has not won a race yet, so pairing him with Kubica would not be ideal, would it? it might work but I just do not see this happening any time soon. So if Webber is not the candidate Theissen is looking to sign, who else is available?

There were some speculations on bringing in none other than current world champion Kimi Raikkonen. This is interesting because if the Iceman was to express an interest in the BMW squad, this would open the door for Fernando Alonso to join Ferrari.

Then again, this is all speculation but demonstrates how Hedfield's leaving could potentially create a massive movement in the driver market. A much more credible scenario would be to switch Heidfeld for Button—easy to do with not much consequences at-large. But then again, where would the fun and media attention be in that respect?

Plus, how do we know for sure Button is the man for the job? Let alone whether he'd be ready to waive his loyalty towards the Barkley-based outfit, despite positive signs they're on the rise. That's thanks not only to Ross Brawn but also the hard work and reforms being imposed by Nick Fry.

Nick Heidfeld's driving seat is indeed compromised especially if a) he keeps getting outpaced by Kubica and b) if BMW keeps on improving the way they do.

Therefore it's do or die in Monaco and beyond for Nick.

The bottom line is that Heidfeld has got to perform now, not tomorrow. Otherwise he'll find himself on the ejectable seat—nothing more, nothing less!

At the first practice session in Monaco, McLaren were expected to set the pace. Instead, it was Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari that topped the time-sheets on Thursday.

Raikkonen and Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa had always maintained that Ferrari would be very competitive in Monaco, at least a good match for McLaren, who usually dominate around this track.

And so it proved as Raikkonen clocked a fastest lap of one minute 15.948 seconds through the twisting street circuit of Monte Carlo, just 0.268 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen was third fastest, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa just behind.

The Williams of Nico Rosberg also came on strong as he recorded the fifth fastest time, with BMW's Robert Kubica behind him. BMW again look slightly off the pace against McClaren and Ferrari, with Nick Hieldfeld languishing down in 14th place.

Two-time winner of Monaco Fernando Alonso placed seventh in his Renault, followed by Rubens Barrichello's Honda in eighth, Mark Webber in the Red Bull ninth and the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella rounding off the top 10.

David Coulthard stopped his Red Bull after only three laps, as he had to pull over after his Red Bull had a small fire. He ended up last with no time set.

Nick Heidfeld also had to withdraw after 13 laps, while Jarno Trulli buckled his wheel after his Toyota clipped a barrier coming out of the tunnel.

First free practice times for the Monaco Grand Prix:

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1min 15.948 seconds

2. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.216

3. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.248

4. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:16.292

5. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Toyota 1:16.653

6. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 1:16.834

7. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:17.498

8. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 1:17.511

9. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1:17.798

10. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Force India - Ferrari 1:17.835

11. Timo Glock (Germany) Toyota 1:17.942

12. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 1:18.153

13. Sebastien Bourdais (France) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 1:18.245

14. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 1:18.263

15. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams - Toyota 1:18.274

16. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1:18.360

17. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India - Ferrari 1:18.360

18. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Renault 1:18.955

19. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso - Ferrari 1:19.176

20. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull - Renault no time