Chief engineer Alan Permane backs up Fisichella's belief that the team has gained on its rivals, even if there is still work to do.
"I believe that, on a more normal circuit, we will be within striking distance of
BMW," he claims, "Until now, we have been racing with one eye on our mirrors, looking out for the midfield pack that includes
Williams,
Toyota and
Red Bull. With the developments we introduced in Monaco, and those we have planned for the next races, I think we have given ourselves a cushion to that midfield group – and added the performance that can allow us to race aggressively against the cars in front.
"We know that Canada is traditionally a strong track for us, but our work in testing before the race certainly gave us reason to feel optimistic for the next few races – not just Monaco. Monaco was the first sign of our hard work bearing fruit on track. It has also been a good circuit for the team, and the improvements we have made to the car showed their worth on Saturday and Sunday. But although we finished fourth, we were a lap behind the leaders. That shows there is a still a long way to go..."
While Fisichella has made something of a name for himself as a Montreal specialist, rookie team-mate
Heikki Kovalainen will be turning his first miles on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, although he is familiar with the layout having attended the race as reserve driver last season. The Finn is keen to get the weekend underway, too, if only to erase the memory of another disappointing performance.
"As I said at the time, there is not really much to take from the Monaco weekend," he sighs, "I didn’t have a chance to set a good time on Thursday, and it got worse from there. I was doubly disappointed because I know how hard the team has worked to give Giancarlo and myself a more consistent and faster car. But that’s in the past now. I am focused on the Canadian Grand Prix, and on continuing to improve my performance.
