The 2008
Formula 1 circus makes its annual trip across the Pond this weekend for the Canadian Grand Prix, and as the US Grand Prix is no more – for the time being, at least – the Montreal round on the world championship calendar stands alone.
Saying that, the spectacular, low-downforce, demanding Circuit Gilles Villeneuve very often provides enough action to fill up half a season, and last year’s race was no exception, with Lewis Hamilton’s breakthrough victory in the top flight, Robert Kubica’s monster shunt, no fewer than four safety car periods to try and manage the chaos and two front-runners being black-flagged for disobeying pit-lane etiquette. And that was just for starters.
On the back of his superb triumph there twelve months ago – and a tremendous victory last time out in the Monaco Grand Prix that has not only re-ignited his fading title challenge, but indeed propelled him back to the top of the drivers’ standings – Hamilton has to be considered one of the favourites for glory in what will be the 40th Canadian Grand Prix and the 30th time the race has been held on the Ile Notre Dame, on the track named after one of the country’s greatest ever sporting icons Gilles Villeneuve, tragically killed in Belgium in 1982.
The Briton is riding the crest of a wave following his success around the winding, tortuous streets of the Principality, where his McLaren-Mercedes team seemed to enjoy something of a repeat of its Ferrari-beating form from last year. The hope now inside the Woking-based concern is that the momentum can be carried over to Montreal – where the silver arrows were similarly dominant this time last year – and the signs so far are suggesting that it just might.
