Race analysis GP Canada 2018: Why was there no overtaking?

Why did the checkered flag come too early?

N normally we don't start our race analysis with the checkered flag. But in Montreal we have to make an exception. The checkered scarf was held in front of the winner Sebastian Vettel's nose one lap too early. The Canadian model Winnie Harlow had started waving off prematurely on the instructions of the local route manager. “You are not to blame. It was a communication error, ”Charlie Whiting defended the prominent lady.

Wrong timing in the flag service is not so rare. Many fans still remember the appearance of football star Pele at the 2002 Brazilian GP. The kicker had missed his job at the time. At the China race in 2014, a similar case occurred as in Montreal. In Shanghai, too, a local marshal was too early.

“The monitor says round 69/70. If you are not a regular at Formula 1, you can think that it is the last lap, ”Whiting tried to excuse the faux pas. “The official asked the race management whether it was the last lap. But there the radio message was not understood as a question, but as a hint. '

The answer was' okay 'and the signal to wave the flag was given. Vettel noticed the mistake immediately and continued to accelerate. However, according to Article 43.2 of the Sports Code, the race with the checkered flag is over. The order at the end of the previous lap is included in the ranking - in this case lap 68. Vettel feared that some marshals or fans would come in front of the gangs while he was still full throttle.

Not an easy one for Whiting Situation: “In order to avoid even more confusion, we decided to let the last lap run normally and not to all drivers that they should reduce their speed.” One driver especially accelerated: Daniel Ricciardo drove the fastest in the very last lap Race lap. To the annoyance of the Australian, it was canceled and Max Verstappen was credited.

Why was Vettel so dominant?

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Sebastian Vettel also benefited from the weakness of the competition.

Sebastian Vettel led the Canadian Grand Prix from the first to the last lap. The Heppenheimer victory was never really in danger. The Ferrari driver rarely drove to success so easily in recent years. And that on a power track that Mercedes actually favored on paper. And there is the answer to the question of why Vettel had an easy time of it. The competition simply made too many mistakes.

The combination of the lack of hypersoft tires and the postponed engine upgrade meant that Valtteri Bottas was 93 thousandths of a second away from pole position in qualifying. In the race, the Finn started from the dirty side and could not dare to attack at the start. “We started flying in all of the frame races. That's why there was no rubber on the track on the right, ”complained the Finn.

When trying to put Vettel under pressure in the early stages, Bottas burned too much gas that he lacked in the defense against Max Verstappen in the end. After 70 laps, the two cars were separated by only a tenth on the line. Just because the result went into the classification after 68 laps, as mentioned, the gap increased to just under a second.

The new 10 hp Ferrari engine helped with the easy victory as did a bargeboard upgrade . The fact that Vettel did not look so strong in training on Friday was due to a gang kiss in the morning. The suspension was bent, which could only be fixed on Saturday night. So the German always had enough reserves in the race to control the lead backwards.

What problems did Hamilton struggle with?

If Lewis Hamilton had at least crossed the finish line in fourth place, would have he can defend his lead in the World Cup standings. But the defect of a valve in the water circuit caused overheating early on. “I noticed in the first few corners that something was wrong. Everything got too hot behind me. The gearbox caused problems and I got misfires. ”

In order to solve the problem and to forestall a threatening undercut by Daniel Ricciardo, Hamilton was called into the pits on lap 16. A tape was removed over the cooling slots on the edge of the cockpit. In order toyou got the overheating under control and the pilot could switch to a more powerful engine mode again. But due to the slow way into the pits and a mistake when returning to the track, Hamilton lost 1.6 seconds in the long-distance duel with Daniel Ricciardo, which brought the Australian past the world champion.

Why was so little overtaken?

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The first three drivers at the start were also the first three drivers at the finish - in the identical one Order.

After the traditional procession in Monaco, the GP Canada didn't have much overtaking action to offer either. After the series of pit stops, the order hardly changed until the finish line. The statisticians counted just eleven changes of place on the route. The layout of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its many straights and tight corners, actually looks like it was made for action.

For this purpose, the FIA ​​set up a third DRS zone in front of Turn 8 for the first time. “But it wasn't about creating an additional overtaking point. We wanted to improve the chances of the man behind to catch up so close to the measuring point in front of the long straight that he could get into the DRS window, ”defended Charlie Whiting. But it didn't help.

Despite the grip and top speed advantage, Hamilton couldn't get past in the second half of the race. “It's the same as in Monaco. Even the long straights don't help much ”, the Mercedes driver shook his head. Romain Grosjean added: “The third DRS zone should have been placed in front of the hairpin. Then you would be closer to the straight. ”

Nico Hülkenberg saw another main culprit:“ You can't overtake with these tires. As soon as you step on the gas, they overheat and start to slip. ”Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also pointed a finger at Pirelli:“ We just need softer tires. As the degradation increases, the differences in grip between the cars also increase. Unfortunately, Pirelli is rather conservative. ”

Why were there no penalties?

The FIA ​​commissioners had to investigate two collisions in Montreal. Brendon Hartley and Lance Stroll crashed on the starting lap.'He lost control and pushed me into the wall,' Hartley grumbled. Because the Australian hit the halo in the collision with his helmet, he was sent to the hospital in Montreal for a skull scan to be on the safe side, but was quickly released.

Stroll didn't have much to defend himself say. The verdict was all the more surprising. The commissioners waived a penalty against the Williams pilot. Race director Charlie Whiting did not want to know anything about a local bonus: 'The stewards decided that neither of the two pilots can be blamed.'

In the collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, the waived a penalty for the same reason. The Force India camp refused to admit it. 'He completely destroys Perez the race and nothing happens?' Asked sports director Otmar Szafnauer in disbelief. Perez himself even demanded a black flag for his opponent during the race. But Sainz was not aware of any guilt. “I was on the race line when I restarted and suddenly got a blow. I don't even know what exactly happened there. ”

In the gallery we show you the crucial scenes of the race again.