Canada: C24 Should be Strong in Montreal


By Jamie Makin
June 8 2005

Willy Rampf, technical director for team SAUBER PETRONAS, explains the unique demands of the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. The team is hopeful that Villeneuve and Massa can make good use of the C24 there this weekend.

"Montreal is a medium downforce circuit, because of the very long straight that runs from the hairpin to the last chicane. You need a car with high-speed poise and good balance, and a high top speed so that you can defend yourself or try to overtake other drivers along the straight," explained Rampf.

"You do a lot of running close to the concrete walls on the back section of the circuit, so you need very good balance to give you the confidence to get the lap time.

"They have resurfaced the track since 2004 so we do not really know what to expect with regard to the tyre performance. Normally in Montreal we would go for a fairly soft tyre compound because of all the braking and accelerating that you do and the need for good traction.

"Montreal makes the highest demand on brakes of any circuit on the calendar, so we have to maximise brake cooling and use the highest performance brake materials. It also places high loadings on the engine. Since the ambient temperature can be unpredictable, we also need to have a wide range of engine cooling configurations available. Because of the medium downforce configuration we will have a revised aero package with new front and rear wings which we tested first at Le Castellet before Monaco, and again last week at Monza.

"The track offers opportunities for overtaking: on the exit to the hairpin, along the main straight, and under braking for the last chicane. Brake stability and traction are important here, so we look forward to perform well at this race."

Last year Massa suffered a heavy shunt in the hairpin after suspension failure, while teammate Giancarlo Fisichella claimed 4th place after both Williams and Toyotas were disqualified for illegal brake ducts.

SAUBER PETRONAS - Prior Results at Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve, Canada: