F1 will return to North America for the second time this season, but the Montreal Circuit will pose a tougher challenge.
Though it’s not as cutthroat as Monaco, the Canadian circuit still claims pride for many drivers and the Wall of Champions is always hungry for new names to add to its hit list. With that in mind, here are five questions heading into the Grand Prix weekend:
Will Red Bull’s kerb issues come back to haunt them in Montreal?
Max Verstappen’s assessment of Red Bull’s chances in Monaco was only more negative than his prediction for what will happen next in Canada.
The main issue in Monte Carlo was the RB20’s inability to clear the kerbs and although Verstappen suggested this had been an issue from the start of the 2022 season, it was only now that the RB20’s limitations were exposed as other drivers on the grid closed in on it.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is similar to Monaco and is a bumpy track that could cause the same problems for Red Bull’s car.
Verstappen said the only positive from Monaco was that they understood their weaknesses and what they needed to improve, but it will be difficult to find solutions quickly enough before this weekend’s race.
Can McLaren break the Canadian curse?
Denny Hulme’s rise from sixth to first place to give McLaren his second F1 victory, Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 win, and Jenson Button’s incredible driving in 2011.
Canada has been the site of some historic moments for McLaren but the Woking team’s luck on the track has been pretty awful recently.
The fact that Kevin Magnussen and Button were the last McLaren drivers to score points for the team in Canada says all that is needed, but Montreal is also a circuit where reliability is a real issue.
Since 2014, McLaren has had six DNFs, which equates to three times as many points as they won in that period. Last year, Lando Norris finished 13th after starting seventh, while Oscar Piastri dropped from eighth to 11th, finishing outside the points.
It’s fair to say that McLaren’s car will likely be just as competitive for years to come, so will 2024 be the season where things change for the Woking side?
With Esteban Ocon’s Alps withdrawal confirmed, what happens next?
The major news in the F1 world this week was the announcement that Esteban Ocon is leaving Alpine after five seasons with the French manufacturer.
The team insists it has nothing to do with the incident in Monaco when Ocon dive-bombed his teammate heading into the tunnel, but it will be interesting to watch how things develop throughout the weekend.
Bruno Famin suggested, to no avail, that Ocon might be replaced by Jack Doohan in Canada, but with Ocon’s future being decided, he will be doing his best to keep potential suitors on his side.
Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, seems likely to stay with Alpine, but with his contract expiring this year, the team’s ability to bounce back from a poor start to the season will be key to his hopes of staying at Enstone.
Towards the Montreal Race
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Will there really be a title fight?
For the first time since the start of the 2022 season, Red Bull are not looking as unstoppable as they have in previous years.
Monaco was the latest sign of trouble, but Miami was another sign that the Red Bulls could be losing out.
Christian Horner has long suggested Red Bull’s stay at the top will not last forever, but even he may be surprised by how fast teams like McLaren and Ferrari are this year.
Canada is a uniquely challenging circuit and the true level of each team’s competitiveness will not be known until F1 moves to the more traditional Barcelona circuit, but with the gap to Red Bull now down to 24 points, their rivals may be smelling blood.
Will the completely resurfaced Montreal track play a big role?
Ahead of this weekend’s race, the circuit has been completely resurfaced since the last F1 race, so there are still many unknowns.
Pirelli says that in theory the track’s existing characteristics of low wear and reduced grip should remain unchanged, but even the company admits it cannot be sure until its engineers carry out the first measurement tests on Wednesday.
As it is a street circuit with pedestrian and cyclist traffic, lap times are expected to drop significantly as the cars adapt to the surface, so starting as late as possible in qualifying is key to gaining a good grid position.
As for the race, Pirelli said that although graining may occur on the softer compounds, in general Montreal is one of the easiest tracks of the season for tyres.
As for the kerbs, the chicanes at turns four and five have replaced the pavement with grass, making it even more costly for drivers to go off there.
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