Canada GP: Preview - Mercedes

01/06/2012

Round Seven of the 2012 World Championship, the Canadian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 10 June at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve located on the city's Ile Notre-Dame.

In the past ten years, there have been a total of 14 Safety Car periods in Montreal - including five last year. Two of the past three races in Montreal have featured at least five different leaders. The race has been won from pole three times in the past ten years - compared to eight of the last ten Monaco GPs.

Michael Schumacher: "The Canadian Grand Prix is all about the great atmosphere at the track and in the city. The Canadian fans make the whole weekend into a real celebration and, for us drivers, it's great to feel their passion for motorsport. That gives us a natural boost and it would be great to give them even more reasons to celebrate at the end of the weekend. The race in Montreal is usually action-packed, like we saw last year. The characteristics of the circuit should suit us, and we are counting on our car performing well there. As I said: a trip to Montreal is always worth it. And let's hope we can make our trip this year especially worthwhile."

Nico Rosberg: "The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal is a great track, and I'm really looking forward to our visit there. With its low downforce and slow corners, a little bit like Monza, the track should suit our car. We've made good progress over the past few weeks, and that was clear from the performance in Monaco. So I'm hopeful that we can make another step forward in Canada and have a successful weekend. The fans are always fantastic at this race and they really turn the city into a carnival for the race weekend. Gilles Villeneuve was a great friend and rival of my father, which also makes this weekend very special. I can't wait to get there."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "On the back of a successful weekend in Monaco which saw Michael qualify first on Saturday and Nico finish in second place on Sunday, everyone at the team wants to keep the momentum going and get the racing underway in Montreal next weekend. The Canadian Grand Prix is always a fantastic experience, with both the city and fans giving Formula One such a warm welcome. The circuit itself is an exciting challenge, and the first real high-speed test of the season where brakes, engine power and tyre management are crucial. Races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve have the tendency to be eventful! We're looking forward to putting on a good show and hope to have another strong weekend."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "As we head to Montreal, the question everybody's asking is: will we see a seventh different winner in seven races? The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a habit of throwing up unpredictable races, with seven of the last ten races featuring Safety Car deployments. Last year's grand prix lasted over four hours and was not only the longest race in F1 history but probably one of the most exciting, too.

The circuit at the former Olympic venue of the Ile Notre Dame is characterised by slow corners, including three taken below 100 kph, and four long straights on which the cars exceed 285 kph. The overall set-up compromise favours low downforce and low drag, while the brakes are given a really tough time.

At two of the past four race weekends, Mercedes AMG Petronas had the speed to qualify and race at the front of the field. Nico has converted this competitiveness into 59 points in the past four races - the most of any driver in the field. Michael has suffered several technical problems and our priority is to give him a problem-free weekend in Montreal. As his fastest qualifying time in Monaco demonstrated, Michael has the speed to compete at the front. He has won seven times in Montreal, his Silver Arrow carries number seven and Canada will be race seven of the 2012 world championship..."