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2006 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
Race Preview

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Can Renault triumph at Montreal ?

With double retirements in 2004 and 2005, the Renault team will be looking for better fortunes in 2006. Their recent form makes them favourites for this race but they will have strong competition from Ferrari and possibly McLaren but as we've seen in the last few races, the fight will most likely be between Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher again! McLaren were relatively strong at Silverstone so they may be able to challenge fo a podium while Honda, Toyota, Williams and BMW could all be strong on this power circuit.

The Montreal track (layout) is a power circuit and the teams tend to run the cars in a low to medium downforce configuration. The track offers a number of straights connected by slow to very slow speed corners. This makes it very hard on brakes and very often we see cars retire towards the end of the race due to brake wear. The track is also hard on engines with cars on full throttle for 66% of a lap so expect a few engine failures!
Tyre wear is relatively low particularly the front tyres however wear on the rear tyres could be a factor as the cars require traction out of the slow corners.

The teams conducted testing  last week at Monza and Paul Ricard. At Monza, Renault, BMW and Honda topped the timesheets while Ferrari were fastest at Paul Ricard.

Teams and Drivers to watch:

Renault are the favourites however their failure to finish either car at the last 2 races here could mean they are just unlucky in Canada!.
Alonso has won the last 3 races in a row. He retired from the lead in Montreal last year due to a mistake so he will keen to have a strong result. A win is likely.
Fisichella re-signed with the team for another year, this should take the pressure off. He too led the race last year but retired with a car failure. A podium finish is likely.

Ferrari are likely to be the only competitors to Renault. They cannot afford to lose more points to Renault and need to start closing the gap to them if they want to fight for the Championships.
Once again it will be down to tyres. If the Bridgestones are good enough then Ferrari can win this race.
Michael Schumacher would want to win the race and try to close the gap to Alonso. A win is possible.
Felipe Massa hasn't been able to stay close to his team-mate in the last few races. A podium is posisble but difficult.

McLaren did reasonably well at Silverstone but were still behind Renault and Ferrari. Expect that gap to remain.
Kimi Raikkonen will extract the maximum from his car and could surprise with a podium finish.
Juan Pablo Montoya hasn't been matching Raikkonen on pace but his car has been more reliable. Points likely, podium will be difficult.

Honda could do well but with the recent management changes, expect the team to start focusing on next year.
Jenson Button seems to have given up on this season while Rubens Barrichello seems to be trying but don't expect too many points.

BMW Sauber are certainly improving. Both cars finished in the points at Silverstone and were strong during testing at Monza last week. Points possible but always it will be a tough fight.

Williams need to start scoring points!. They are 7 points behind BMW Sauber and that isn't good for the team. The Cosworth power should help them here along with several aero changes on the car. They will be fighting for points if their cars last.

Toyota haven't impressed with their new car. This is a different type of track so they could be a surprise here but that is unlikely. Points possible but difficult.

Red Bull are unlikley to fight for points here although Adrian Newey's input should start to have an effect on the car. Still points are unlikley!

Toro Rosso and MF1 Racing will be fighting at the back. Points almost impossible!

Super Aguri won't be able to fight with Toro Rosso or MF1 Racing (apart from the first few laps that is!).

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