BMW WilliamsF1 Canadian GP preview
11 June 2000
Canadian Grand Prix -- PREVIEW Having completed a preparatory three-day test in Monza (Italy), the BMW WilliamsF1 Team heads off to Montreal for the Grand Prix of Canada. Given the injury sustained to his left leg at the Monaco Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher's inclusion is uncertain at this stage. The BMW WilliamsF1 Team will take a decision on whether Ralf will drive next week. The team's reserve driver, Bruno Junqueira (24), is on standby. Situated on the IIe Notre Dame, with the mighty St Lawrence River flowing by either side of the track, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is built on the site of Expo 67. Its tight confines and brace of hairpins -- one at either end of its layout -- are combined with a set of ultra-fast sweeps and a couple of long straights. The end result is that this is one of the quicker tracks on the calendar. The downside is that its 2.748 miles only get used once a year, so are often dirty and slippery. Nevertheless, most drivers love its challenging nature, while its reputation for being a car-breaker adds the extra anticipation of a surprise result. And there have been quite a few of those over the years at Montreal. Frank Williams "The key point as far as the Canadian Grand Prix is concerned is whether Ralf will be declared fit or not. Bruno Junqueira is our reserve driver and he will be present in Montreal in case of need. Based on his three-day test in Monza and on his current form in Formula 3000, we are confident that Bruno will demonstrate his potential in Formula One and that he will do a good job for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team." Dr Mario Theissen -- BMW Motorsport Director "The most important question is whether Ralf will be able to race or not. We will keep our fingers crossed and we are quite optimistic at the moment. For us, as an engine manufacturer, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is completely new and we have not had the chance to test there in advance of this Grand Prix. The characteristics of the circuit require a specific set up for the car, mainly on the chassis side. The engines for Canada will be similar to those we used in Monaco, where we showed good performance until Ralf had his crash. Our main target for Montreal is to finish the race. If we achieve that, collecting a point should be possible." Ralf Schumacher "Unfortunately, the Monaco accident has caused an injury to my left leg. The doctors and I will do everything to speed up the healing in an effort to compete in Montreal. I'd love to race there because Montreal is one of the best events on the Formula One calendar, especially the old part of Montreal with its historical buildings that are wonderful. If the weather is as nice and warm as it was last year, I will really enjoy the atmosphere there. The circuit itself is a medium-to-low downforce track where the cars reach more than 185 mph on no less than four occasions, each followed by heavy braking for first or second gear corners. Chicanes and hairpins separate the long straights. To achieve a good time the driver has to ride over the curbs and because of all the slow and medium corners you need a lot of mechanical grip and a good traction out of the corners. Last year I finished fourth. With this year's FW22 and the BMW V10, I expect at least the same position." Jenson Button "The BMW WilliamsF1 Team spent three-days in Monza preparing for this race and given how well that test went for me, I feel good going to Montreal. Monza shares some characteristics with Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and our test has prepared me well. Like Monza, Montreal will probably be hot and hard on both the cars and drivers. My preparations for an unfamiliar race like this one will be the same as always, with time spent studying on-board footage. I have heard good things about this circuit and I am quite upbeat about next Sunday's race. The team continues to make good progress with the FW22 and given how well-balanced it felt around Monza, I'm confident of doing a good job for the BMW WilliamsF1 Team in Montreal." The 69-lap Canadian Grand Prix gets underway at 13:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Sunday 18th June. A total race distance of 189.130 miles (305.049 km) will be covered at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve where Michael Schumacher holds the lap record of 1m19.379s. This was achieved in 1998 in the Ferrari. Last year Benetton achieved for the second consecutive time here a podium finish with Giancarlo Fisichella's second place. Mika Hakkinen scored on the Ile de Notre Dame one of his five victories of last season whereas Ferrari had to be satisfied with Irvine's third place after Michael Schumacher -- who was in pole -- slammed into a wall on his 30th lap.