Grand Prix 4 Formula 1 Championship
Grand Prix 4 Championship Time's History
FORMULA 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2006
Formula One fever has hit Montreal every summer since 1987. There are always many F1-themed events going on in the city but it is at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve where all the action takes place. Situated on the island, the lle Notre Dame, the circuit runs alongside the city's impressive Olimpic rowing lake, in fact a lot of the paddock is on a large pontoon and is reached on foot over a bridge across the lake.
Unlike all the other flyaway races which are held at the beginning and end of the seasson, the Canadian Grand Prix takes right in the middle of the European seasson. The teams have just settled into a routine when out come the freight cases ready to the transatlantic trip to Montreal.
The track is part-permanent, part-street so is always dirty and dusty at the start of the weekend. By Saturday though there is plenty of rubber on the track which is vital as the smooth surface makes for a very low level of grip. The configuration of the track is a series of long straights joined by tight chicanes so the teams usually chose to run medium downforce settings. This allows for high speeds on the straights but just enough grip for the chicanes where it is posible to outbrake the competition and overtake. It's a though race on the cars due to the heavy breaking required and is notorious for being a race of attrition where only the strong will survive.