Grand Prix of Canada – Race

There are a lot of penalties to be applied, so the outcome of Qualifying isn’t obvious! The Quali result was: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, MAL, HUL, KVY, RIC, PER, SAI, VES, ERI, ALO, NAS, VET, MAS, MER, STE, BUT … although BUT didn’t set a time, he did get the OK from the stewards to race.

The penalties are:

• VES: 5 grid spots for causing the collision with GRO in the Monaco race
• VES: 10 grid spots for using his fifth engine
  *Because VES can’t take all 15 grid spots of his two penalties, he’ll get a 10 second penalty added to his pit stop in addition to starting at the back of the grid
• VET: 5 grid spots and 3 points on his super-licence for passing MER while under red flags in FP3
• BUT: 15 grid spots for engine changes (10 places for the first element, and five for the second)
  *Because BUT is already starting dead last, he’ll instead serve a drive-through penalty

So the (still provisional) grid now looks like this: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, MAL, HUL, KVY, RIC, PER, SAI, ERI, ALO, NAS, MAS, MER, STE, VET, VES*, BUT* (*with additional penalties to serve during the race).

Who on earth did they get to sing (err, kill) the Canadian national anthem? Oh dear!
Lewis watches the fly past 🙂

Weather forecast is dry but overcast.

Radio from HAM thanking the team for rebuilding his car after his FP3 accident

HAM leads everyone away on the formation lap
ROS almost passed HAM as HAM weaves to warm his tyres and brakes
Seems to take a long time for the grid to form up

01/70: RAI attacking ROS into Turn 1 but ROS keeps P2
HUL has passed MAL

02: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, HUL, MAL, KVY, RIC, PER
BUT into the pit lane to serve his drive-through penalty
ALO up to P11
ERI attacking ALO

03: HAM fastest lap 1:19.511
DRS enabled
VET past SAI for P14

04: HAM f/lap 1:19.329
VET dives inside ALO but locks up

05/70: ROS f/lap 1:19.056

07: HAM f/lap 1:18.697
MAS right on the tail of ERI

08: VET pits – long stop – drops to P20

09: MAS and ERI side by side into Turn 1, and through T2, but MAS comes out ahead

10/70: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, HUL, MAL, KVY, PER, RIC
VET fighting his way back up to P17

11: VES easily inside NAS for P15
VET f/lap 1:18.645

12: HAM f/lap 1:18.469
Radio for KVY – hot rear calliper

13: Radio from HUL – front left tyre looks pretty ugly; graining

14: HAM f/lap 1:18.331
MAS takes P10 from RIC

15/70: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, HUL, MAL, KVY, PER, MAS

16: MAS past PER for P9

17: HAM f/lap 1:18.081
MAS closing on KVY now
HAM laps MER

18: MAL pits; rejoins P13

20/70: HAM, ROS, RAI, BOT, GRO, HUL, MAS, KVY, PER, RIC; ERI, MAL, SAI, VES, ALO, VET, NAS, BUT, STE, MER
VET attacking ALO

21: Radio from VET – check front right corner, I touched with ALO
VET attacking ALO again, into the final chicane
VET finally takes P15
MAS easily past KVY for P7

22: HAM closing to lap BUT
VET inside SAI before the final turn; takes P13

24: RIC pits; rejoins P16
Radio for ALO – must save fuel; ALO not happy with McLaren’s pace

25/70: PER pits; rejoins P15

26: VET closing on MAL

27: RAI pits from P3; good stop; rejoins P4
Radio for ROS – update

28: GRO pits
RAI spins in the hairpin
Radio from RAI – “K” kicked in

29: ROS f/lap 1:17.970
BOT pits from P3; rejoins still P3
HUL pits too

30/70: HAM pits; good stop; rejoins P2
ROS runs wide in Turn 10 (hairpin)
VET dives inside MAL before the final chicane; MAL cuts the corner but VET takes P6

31: ROS pits from a temporary P1; clean stop; rejoins behind HAM

33: KVY makes a late move on VES; steals P10

34: HAM almost 0.9sec slower than ROS; problem?
PER takes P11 from VES

35/70: HAM back to 1:18.0
HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, MAS, GRO, VET, MAL, HUL, KVY; PER, VES, RIC, SAI, ERI, ALO, NAS, BUT, STE, MER
VET closing on GRO, who in turn is right on the tail of MAS

36: GRO past MAS for P5
VET pits; OK stop

37: Groundhog runs across the track!
Radio for ROS – brake wear now critical; manage it for 10 laps before attacking HAM

38: MAS pits; he’ll have a long run on options unless he pits again
VET f/lap 1:17.481

39: VET f/lap 1:17.299
RIC closed on VES into the final chicane; had to cut the chicane to avoid contact

40/70: HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, GRO, MAL, HUL, VET, MAS, KVY
BBC talk to Christian Horner – no safety car so far means drivers have to manage fuel, lift & coast at end of straights
VES pits

41: RAI pits
VET tucked up behind HUL

43: RAI f/lap 1:16.987

44: VET tries to go around HUL in the chicane!
VET squeezes HUL; VET cuts chicane and HUL spins
HUL has to drive wrong way briefly in order to turn around

45/70: Radio from VET – where’s HUL? “I didn’t touch him”
Radio from HUL – had no choice or we would have collided

47: Radio for ROS – brake management going well
ALO pits; pushed into garage

48: Radio for BUT – ALO has retired but no reason to affect us

49: ROS slowly closing on HAM
Turn 4 incident involving cars 5 (VET) and 27 (HUL) – no further action

50/70: HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, GRO, MAL, VET, MAS, HUL, KVY; PER, RIC, SAI, ERI, VES, NAS, BUT, MER, STE; retirements: ALO
GRO wipes out STE’s front wing on the final straight; both dive into the pits

51: Radio from GRO whining that STE “hit me, he hit me” – no, you cut off his nose you idiot!

53: Race control: 5 second time penalty for car 8 (GRO) – causing a collision
Radio for STE telling him GRO received a penalty

54: SAI closing on RIC – that’s a Toro Rosso attacking a Red Bull

55/70: HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, MAL VET, MAS, HUL, KVY, PER
RIC runs a little wide; SAI steals P12

56: GRO thought about a late dive inside PER but fortunately backed off
VET out-powers MAL and takes P5

57: PER cut the chicane
Radio for BUT – need to box this lap and retire the car

58: HAM has ~1.5sec lead over ROS
BUT pits; retires; that’s both McLarens retired

**WordPress just deleted 10 laps of my notes!

68/70: HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, VET, MAS, MAL, HUL, KVY, GRO; PER, SAI, RIC, ERI, VES, NAS, STE; retirements: MER, BUT, ALO

69: Radio for HAM – need more lift & coast

70 = final lap: HAM ~3.5sec ahead of ROS
HAM laps NAS (P16) a second time

HAM takes chequered flag

Provisional result: HAM, ROS, BOT, RAI, VET, MAS, MAL, HUL, KVY, GRO*; PER, SAI, RIC, ERI, VES, NAS, STE
DNF: MER, BUT, ALO
*GRO is more than 5sec ahead of PER so he’ll still be P10 after the penalty is added

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