Talking points ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix
Tuesday, 13 June 2023
It's a late night (or early morning) for Australian fans, but Montreal – like Melbourne in so many ways – has a habit of throwing up compelling races, no matter what the form guide suggests…
A semi-permanent street circuit in a public park on the outskirts of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city of striking architecture and sumptuous food … while that sounds a lot like Albert Park in April, it's also true of Montreal in June, host of this weekend's Formula 1® Canadian Grand Prix 2023 (June 16-18).
Held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the Ile Notre-Dame a short Metro ride from downtown, the Canadian GP is one that's stood the test of time – the first world championship Grand Prix in Canada was held 56 years ago. And just like F1®'s annual stopover in Melbourne, it's one of the favourites of the travelling roadshow, with a tricky circuit, passionate fans and picturesque vista all part of a mix that always throws up unpredictable racing.
F1® in 2023 has been anything other than unpredictable, given Red Bull Racing comes to Montreal with seven victories from as many starts – but as always, there's plenty of talking points up and down the grid.
Here's three we're keeping an eye on in Canada.
Back to where it all started for Hamilton
It's easy to forget the size of the impact Lewis Hamilton made on F1® when he debuted for McLaren in 2007; immediately finishing on the podium in his first race in Australia, the-then 22-year-old stayed there for his first nine races, his maiden win coming in his sixth Grand Prix in Montreal.
Fast-forward 16 years and 102 victories, and you'd forgive Hamilton for not being thrilled with finishing second as he did in the most recent Grand Prix in Spain, but Barcelona was worth way more than just 18 points for the seven-time world champion. For one, it was the just the fourth double-podium finish since 2021 for Mercedes as George Russell joined Hamilton on the rostrum; secondly and more tellingly, it was an immediate tick for the seismic shift Mercedes has introduced for its much-maligned W14 machine, which features notable and numerous aerodynamic changes, especially with its sidepods.
Was Spain a one-off, or sign of things to come? The stop-start chicane-heavy Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is the polar opposite of the fast and flowing Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya; if Hamilton can be at the sharp end again on Sunday, Mercedes can at least be confident that it has a direction to follow across a wide range of tracks.
Can Ferrari widen its window
Mercedes' double podium in Spain saw it leapfrog Aston Martin to second place in the constructors' standings; the team that has arguably produced the second-fastest 2023 car in Ferrari was just fifth (Carlos Sainz) and 11th (Charles Leclerc) in Barcelona, the latest evidence of a team that hasn't yet got to the bottom of why its car is fast, and for how long.
In seven races this season, Ferrari has had a car on the front row of the grid three times – Leclerc's pole in Azerbaijan is the only time a Red Bull driver hasn't started from P1 when the lights have gone out this year. Over a race distance though, the Prancing Horse has hardly bolted; the closest Ferrari has been to the front this year in a green-flag finish is Leclerc in Baku, who was 21 seconds behind race-winner Sergio Perez.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso (99 points) has almost outscored Leclerc and Sainz (a combined 100) by himself; for a team that may have the second-fastest car over one lap, making that pace last across a 305km Grand Prix distance has remained elusive. Perhaps Canada – where Ferrari has won more times than any other team – can be where it goes harder, for longer.
Zhou-ing his potential
Yes, that's a questionable pun; what isn't for debate is the improvement of Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu in his second F1® season, the 24-year-old Chinese making solid progress beneath the radar in F1®'s third division.
With Red Bull in a class of its own – and Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari in the next tier down – points are hard to come by for a team like Alfa Romeo, which sits eighth in the constructors' standings after seven races. Even more so, when you consider two of the past three races (Miami and Spain) haven't had a single yellow flag or safety car, let alone a retirement from all 20 starters.
In a time of relative (by F1® standards) calm, Zhou has thrived; he spent 49 of the 66 laps in Spain inside the top 10 despite qualifying 13th, and grabbed two valuable world championship points for finishing a meritorious ninth. Eighth place in Canada from a Q3 effort was Zhou's best result of 2022; current form suggests that's not out of the question this weekend, no matter how many of his rivals are still circulating after 70 laps.
The Formula 1® Canadian Grand Prix 2023 will be available to watch live on Foxtel and Kayo. See our What time does the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix start in Australia article for timings.
