Once again, the Canadian Grand Prix comes as the championship nears the halfway mark but particularly significant is the fact that it comes after the Schumacher stranglehold on the World Championship has been broken.

OK, an excellent start and Michelin's performance in qualifying had more than a little to do with David Coulthard's win in Monaco and we're unlikely to see DC in a similar position in Canada, but it does show that under certain circumstances Ferrari are beatable.

We really have to look to Williams to continue that offensive this time and Ralf did beat Michael by the substantial margin of 20 seconds last year, so there is a chance!

Surviving Montreal

Montreal is one of the favourite stops on the Grand Prix calendar. Providing you don't get stuck behind some lumbering coach weaving its way across the bridges that connect the circuit to the city, then it is just ten minutes' drive from downtown Montreal to the track on the Ile de Notre Dame. Or you can even take the subway; it really is that close.

The city has several focal points, areas where you can party, and there are some weird and wonderful sights to be seen during most weekends. But there are some high class shops, some truly great restaurants (friends from the Sauber team were recommending a Thai restaurant in Montreal recently) and it is lobster season! Yup, you can spend anything from £5 to £50 on a Canadian crustacean.

The great thing about Montreal is that it is genuinely cosmopolitan. It has the influence of Britain, France and the United States all rolled into one. Yet it has an extraordinary climate. It was snowing there only a few weeks ago, yet should be gloriously warm with clear sun when we are there. The Canadians are fit, well-exercised people and genuinely friendly and helpful. It's a great place for a Grand Prix. Good shopping includes CDs (Sam's Record Shop), Levis, Timberlands and country-wear.

The Circuit

The circuit itself is very special, situated on the Ile de Notre Dame in the middle of what always looks a very cold and fast flowing St Lawrence River. You seem to cross several bridges to get onto one island which you then cross to get onto the Ile de Notre Dame. Yet there are lakes within the island itself! Behind the pits is the former Olympic rowing basin, and behind that is the St Lawrence seaway.

The track itself is riddled with chicanes, plus the odd hairpin. It can be fast on the straights - up to 330 kph perhaps - but it can be slow. In fact the demands made on a car are fascinating. The top speed is likely to be the fourth highest of the year, and it is the fifth toughest circuit on engines. They are on full throttle for 55 percent of the track.

The surface is low grip, used once a year and therefore initially very dusty and dirty. You can spend your time chasing a set-up on the Friday because the grip level varies so much. Tyres can be very soft here because the circuit is quite kind to them but they will still need to be consistent. Soft tyre strategy could be all important. Teams tend to run long on their tyres.

It's obviously important to have good power and torque out of the chicanes but that also means fuel consumption and therefore weight is high. It's important to have a strong transmission due to the acceleration under load out of the chicanes, hopefully providing good traction and it's imperative to have good brakes going into the chicanes. This is the toughest circuit on brakes, and there have been several retirements over the past few years for that reason. Brake-related problems for both Sauber (Massa) and Toyota (Salo) in Monaco will have concentrated the minds of those two teams on the stop/start nature of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Editor's note: There are a number of minor modifications to the circuit this year, for further details... click here

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