Canadian GP: Montreal Preview

Formula 1 arrives in Montreal, where high-speed straights, heavy braking zones and the ever-present Wall of Champions set the stage for a classic Grand Prix weekend. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Box now, box, now, box, box, box. See how much four point eight, four point eight. I think that's a podium, mate. I think that's a podium.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Welcome to Boxbox Box, your friendly neighborhood Formula One podcast. Uh my name's Scott. I'm joined today with Mohan. As always, how are you, Mohan?

SPEAKER_02 0:34

I'm very well, thank you, and nice to be talking to you after a couple of weeks' break. Uh and it's good to see actually there have been, given what's going on in the world, there have been no further changes to the calendar at this stage. That it's continuing for the rest of the year, hopefully, unchanged.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Yeah, and we have a, I know we're going to do an update episode just on next year's calendar. And uh basically we've got uh all the content in the world and not a lot of time to do it in. So certainly we'll we'll catch up on all those extras that we want to put out there and um discuss those uh with the listeners soon. Uh but today we're touching on the upcoming Grand Prix in Montreal, the Canadian Grand Prix. Are you looking forward to this one? I've always thought that this was a like a sensational F1 track. Like for better or worse, in terms of other uh other racing that occurs there. This is brilliant as far as I'm concerned. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Very much looking for and and actually the fact that they've introduced a sprint trace into this one as well. It's uh for even more so compli uh I guess city offered to it. Even obviously, no doubt um teams have been making more changes, and I know already uh Mercedes, I think, are bringing a significant amount of upgrades to this particular circuit. Um and in the two weeks that have been off, no doubt the other teams have been tweaking whatever they had already set up in that sense. So it should be a very interesting weekend.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

I I've always thought um that the as far as you know North American Grand Prix are concerned, or even Central America, that this is easily the best track for me at least. And you know, Coda I know is m it might be better for different racing formulas, but Formula One, I feel like this is really made for it. So is there any memorable, memorable um Grand Prix you can remember from Canada?

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Quite a few actually, but I but I I do take your point in terms of the track itself, and I think part of it also that um it it it it sort of doesn't have in a nice way, it doesn't have all that noise and fanfare that the American racist tend to have. It's sort of now more of a purist race, I guess, in that sense. Uh and it it makes it even more enjoyable for that reason.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Aaron Powell I think uh the combination of just the high-speed sections mixed with usually the Canadian weather uh usually make for an amazing spectacle and a difficult challenge for the drivers. Like just to start actually opening this up, Mohan, uh after Miami, uh can you tell me which team do you think has the most approve here?

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Uh so if you're looking at roughly at the front of the pack, uh I think the team that actually has the most to prove at this stage is uh Red Bull. The Mercedes have obviously taken control of the season quite early, with uh Kimmies uh leading in the championship and the overall constructor standings and with Ferrari and McLaren quite a close third. Red Bull are, uh despite the results they've actually had, they are adrift by a lot of points. It's only 30 points difference. And given where Max is sitting at the moment as well, this is a chance for them to show that the package that they have got is promising and that they can actually still drag it into the fight and punch up with the other teams at the other three teams at the front of the circuit. For Ferraris, I think this is a weekend very much about converting uh what they have so far developed on this car. They certainly have enough pace to be power to be at the front of the back, but then their execution still leaves a little bit to be desired. And I think there are there were issues that we saw last year that are sort of starting to creep in from a team strategy point of view, which they need to tighten up um quite a bit. This circuit, I mean, certainly suits cars that are sort of very strong under breaking and stable over the curbs as such. And if on that basis that the Ferrari are not sort of putting a lot of pressure on Mercedes, there will be a lot of questions asked about their potential for the rest of the season. And as part of this, I guess we also need to look at what the midfield teams are doing. So I think Alpine, Haas, and racing bulls definitely have the most amount to gain coming into this race. And and given where they sit in terms of the points, uh the margins are very, very small. So Pierre Gasly has obviously been delivering very good results for Alpine. Oli Bierman has been a standout for Haas up to this point. And racing bulls just need a generally a cleaner weekend, actually, to make sure that they stay in touch of the with those other two teams. For Williams, Audi, Cadillac, and Aston Martin, it's I think they for them it's an opportunity to potentially capitalize on any chaos that might come out of the other teams. And to be in the fight, to be in that place when they can take advantage, particularly in the case of if if a safety car was to come out or if the weather was to play a part in any of that, and also the introduction of uh of a sprint race puts all of that into the mix for these teams.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Probably something more interesting that's been happening adjacent to Formula One, the um the Nuremberg Ring 24-hour race. Max Verstack Verstappen actually took part in that with Red Bull. Have you been keeping an eye on that at all?

SPEAKER_02 5:02

I have actually, and I think there's been global interest on this, and unfortunately it wasn't the results that they wanted, but I think Max himself was quite pragmatic about it. And I mean they were sitting on P1 for a long time until I think they had a drive shaft failure, which dropped them down to P38 or something like that. But up to that point, I mean the the the vision coming through, both from qualifying and what both both those drivers in the team were able to deliver was absolutely spectacular. I mean, some of those overtakes in the wet that you that you watch. And from what I actually understand, if not the first time, perhaps for the first time in a long time, this event actually was sold out, which is unheard of. And there was a lot of interest globally. And also the fact of, you know, Max actually driving a Mercedes-Benz added a bit more uh to the mystery of what's potentially going to happen with him in Formula One moving forward. All of that made for a very interesting weekend, actually.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Now, he was with the Red Bull team though, wasn't he? He was a Red Bull team, but driving a Mercedes, yeah. Yeah. So so they they uh I uh like I know that um Red Bull's done this before, particularly with uh drivers that sit on the bench. Uh I know Alex Albon and Liam Lawson, uh I think they they both took part in the uh uh what's the German race series? I've gone blank. Um yeah, they they anyway, they they they cross code all the time. And they this for me, this is is this another option, I suppose, for Max where you know the the Formula One team's not strong. He wants to he wants to expand out anyway. They have a team that actually can facilitate this because they're across pretty much every racing series. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

And I and and the thing for him is as much as he loves to win and he loves to win championships and all of that, what he is just a pure racer, basically. He just wants to be out there on track. And if they can and if this series can offer him that opportunity, win, win or lose, I think he will grab it because I think for him this given the complaints that he's had about the changes to the regs in Formula One and um almost a cynical take on it, I think this for him represents pure racing and the opportunity to actually exercise that. And he's a person that you know doesn't take time off when other drivers are having holidays or or time off and time off with their family. He's either on the simulator or on a track somewhere. And I certainly think something like this offers him that opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, it is certainly a third-door option. Uh DTM is the the German racing series. Uh, I can't actually say it was my biggest issue there. The Deutsche Turinwagen Masters, so any German listeners out there will probably no longer listen to our podcast. Moving on, how much, Mohan, will Canada's first sprint weekend shake up this order in Montreal?

SPEAKER_02 7:32

As we said, this is actually this is this represents the first sprint weekend for this track. And uh, as we know, they only get one practice session to to to do any setup as such. This I think puts a lot of pressure on on the teams at the front. Um and but having said that, given the form of Antonelli and Russell to date, I think that represents a little bit less pressure on Mercedes moving forward. For McLaren, I think this pretty weak, this this format is actually quite a strength. And as we know, Lando won it in uh won it in Miami. And they they have shown that they can actually, and given Oscar's uh performance as well, they can they've actually shown that they can switch quite quickly between the two formats. Ferrari certainly actually want uh Leclerc and Hamilton to be close, even if they're not able to win. And Red Bull cannot actually afford to spend another weekend just purely chasing setup as such. For me, the midfield is where the the sprint could actually really scramble things. I think Alpine House and Racing Bulls are close enough to present a strong qualifying. And I think if they're able to do that, they could actually represent quite a significant result in that race itself. But certainly for Audi, Cadillac, and Aston Martin, I think this format is very risky. The limited practice doesn't suit them, and this they're coming from a very poor baseline already. And so that could actually effectively leave them stuck at the back of the grid for the entire weekend.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

A quick quiz, Mohan, do you know who this circuit is named after?

SPEAKER_02 8:55

Um it's uh Jacques Villanoff's father. So a grandfather's father, Jill Jill Villanov. So Jacques was the 97 world champion, and this is obviously there's the family line in there.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah, uh, it's a uh yeah, quite a quite a famous racing name, really. So yeah, this this circuit, I can barely say it myself, Jill's Villanova. Is it a true test of these 2026 cars, or you know, is it a set-up gamble, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Yeah, this is actually not your traditional sort of high down force tracks like Suzuka or Silverstone, but it is a very real test of braking stability and sort of traction as such. I think this actually this certainly made Montreal makes it interesting mainly because the teams are still learning their cars and learning the 2026 version of their cars and how they are behaving over different circuits. They've had no two circuits that are alike so far. And it is quite a short sort of stop-start kind of circuit, quite unforgiving in certain certain parts. So it I think definitely is a is a is a true test of the new regs. From a team point of view, uh it'd be interesting to see whether Mercedes can keep dominating as they have done up to this point, and whether McLaren can actually continue the trajectory that they have shown in the preceding races, and whether Red Bull actually can give Max a decent enough car to present uh a result up front. Um so it it doesn't, I think overall, definitely, I think this is another test for these regs, but very different to all the other tests they have had so far this year.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Plenty of people listen to podcasts at uh 1.25 speed, Mohan. With how we fly through these, I often wonder if um people listen to us at 0.75 uh the other way. Uh probably I should probably shouldn't lead in so quickly either.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

I think part of it we I think you and I are so full of uh information and knowledge and uh that we we're trying our best to try and get this out into as compact a format as possible. That you should see what gets left behind.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Yeah, yeah. And I certainly think the uh the level of caffeine I come in with always causes issues in in this regard as well. Uh tell me uh which driver Mohan needs the biggest result this weekend? Are we looking at George Russell really or are there others?

SPEAKER_02 10:58

I think for for me personally, I think Max probably needs the result the most uh given where he's sitting. I think he's sitting seventh in the championship at the moment. And it's certainly not about proving his quality. We all know what his quality is like. This is well and truly beyond question. But it is mainly to actually stop the season drifting away from from him and from Red Bull as a team, whether it actually can be recovered given the results they have had so far. And this track gives him an opportunity to exhibit the aggressive driving style that he normally brings everywhere else. Um and and potentially fight for a podium. I think there's certainly pressure on Hamilton and Piastri as well coming into this. Given the results that Hamilton has had so far, I think he needs somewhat of a statement weekend, and given the fact that he's almost playing catch-up to Charles LeClair. Piastri has been close to Norris, but Norris has been a little bit better than him in terms of the results that have come back. And so both those those two drivers need a strong weekend. And in the midfield, certainly Beerman and Gasly are the two obvious names that leap out. And given the results that they have come out and how strong they have been up to this point. I think that the opportunity to continue that form presents itself here, uh, and lesser so for the remaining teams.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

So this Grand Prix, you know, we're still very new to this current formula. There's already made some adjustments to the formula again, so it's even is different again for them midway through the season. Is this track potentially going to expose teams on the breaking, the curbs, and the tire warm-up?

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Yeah, this track actually is where each of those aspects can be quite brutal, particularly given that they've only got one practice session to get the setup sorted. I think Mercedes have the strongest package all around. And as I mentioned before, my understanding is they are bringing quite a few more upgrades to this race, which could drag them out even further out front, basically. But still, for the drivers themselves, it takes a bit of getting used to and how quickly uh Antonelli and Russell can settle into those upgrades as such. For Ferrari, I think both the drivers kind of need to trust the rear of their car under braking, which I don't think they particularly have up to now. And for the McLaren drivers, I think it's a matter of keeping their tires in the right window. I think from um which which has always presented an issue for them up to now. So I think um particularly the braking, the curbs and and any warm-ups is is especially important for a team like Red Bull. And we all know that Max can actually comp is very good at compensating for what could be a difficult car. Uh, but this particular track presents even more of a challenge for him to try and make that compensation. Um I think this for me suits his driving style quite a bit and the opportunity to showcase even more so what he's capable of.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Alright, Mohan. So at the Canadian Grand Prix, we have the Wall of Wall of Champions, and it's uh if you're unfamiliar with what it is, it's it's not a prestigious wall by any means. The uh this is the concrete retaining wall on the outside of turn 14. Do you know the Grand Prix where this got its nickname, Mohan? Can you remember? I can't quite remember actually, I must admit. 1999 was when all Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jack Villanove uh found themselves in that wall in a single race. And that's where this is this is kicked on. Uh how how big a role does uh something like an element like this play in qualifying confidence? Do they push themselves on a limit knowing that there's a concrete wall on the outside of the uh Yeah, it actually makes sense given that this, I think it actually sits at the exit of uh what is I think the final chicken on the train.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Yes, the final one, yeah. And it's at the point where drivers actually tried to carry a lot of speed into the main street. Um and so that it does make sense that they could easily put it into that wall. I think for the the drivers up the top of the grid, certainly both the all the the Mercedes, the Ferrari and the and the McLaren drivers, and throw Max into that mix as well. I think that chicken actually could be the difference between uh starting on pole, and it can actually have quite a saying on who actually who ends up on that front row become both the sprint race and the main race. It's one of those places where a driver can find time, uh, but at the same time that actually can lose an entire weekend depending on uh level of judgment or a misjudgment, as such. For a driver like Verstappen, this is the type of corner where can actually make a quite a big difference, uh, particularly if the Red Bull is not fast enough against the other cars. Um, this is actually quite a confidence test for the Ferraris and particularly for someone like uh Hamilton, who actually has got a lot of history at this track, and so his previous rhythm and feel for this track would matter quite a lot. And for the McLaren's, this is a balance between the commitment that they would actually have to show on that particular part of the track and playing the long game to actually sustain it for the sprint race and the and the full race as such. So overall, um this can actually, this particular corner can play quite a significant uh result in the outcome of qualifying, both for uh the sprint race and uh the main race itself.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Given that we're we're in can given that we're in Canada, could uh safety cars or weather turn the strategy upside down?

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Definitely, and Canada is one of the races where the strategy picture can actually change very quickly. As we know, the walls on this track are very close. The breaking zones themselves can actually invite a lot of mistakes. And we have seen in the past that weather can actually play quite a significant result in the outcome of this race. So for teams like particularly the teaser up the front, Mercedes Ferrari, McLannan, and Red Bull, this actually means that raw pace alone may not be enough. So particularly Adeline Russell could potentially control the race, but still be vulnerable for a poorly timed uh safety car, as would the remaining drivers up the front of the grid. This I think is even more important for Red Bull, particularly where Verstappen does not and may not have the fastest car based on PO pace. The uh safety car coming out, mix of weather and particular style strategy are the kind of areas that can actually bring him into contention for a podium. Ferrari also needs to be quite sharp because both those drivers cannot afford another weekend where strategy issues cost them track position, as we have seen in some of the previous races. And McLaren are overall looking for another clean execution. Their pit stops were very well done the last time. It actually paid quite a significant uh result in the actual outcome. And for the midfield teams, any chaos that comes out of a safety car is actually an opportunity for them. So, particularly Alpine Haas, Racing Bulls and Williams know that sort of one well-timed stop could actually mean the difference between getting a top ten position and presenting a major result on the weekend as such. So I I certainly believe that the safety cars and the weather uh could play a significant part in the outcome of this uh event.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Alright, well, leading into that then, predictions for the final result, Mohan. I'm gonna go with experience over anything else, to be honest with you, here, because I do think the weather will play a uh particular part. Um I no particular order. I'm expecting to see Lewis, Lando, and Max on the podium.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

If I had to look at the sprint race first, I believe Lando is quite a strong pick, particularly given uh his result in Miami. And McLaren actually uh were able to execute some very good strategy there. Having said that, Oscar is actually quite capable of getting a win as well, because they're the both those drivers are very close. And they, as a team, are able to sort of switch tires on fairly quickly and execute very well in the shorter form. If Ferrari is able to get the car into the into that uh into the perfect window quite early, Charles Leclerc could actually be a threat as well. And I would have to throw Max in there as a wild card, even if the Red Bull is not the fastest package. Montreal is the kind of track that actually gives him and suits his very aggressive driving style to be able to end up on a podium. For the main race itself, I really can't look past Kimi. And given the form that he has shown, and the fact that he obviously is leading the championship and then Mercedes are leading the constructors as well, with uh Russell quite a potentially um uh second as such. And the thing with Kimi as well, it's uh the fact that he what is fantastic to see is he's not he he's racing with such joy at the moment and so relaxed and with the right attitude that the fact that his results have not come through chance here. He's only been situations where he has had to rebuild a bad start in many occasions and has controlled the race when the opportunity presented itself, particularly where safety cars were involved and things like that. So I certainly see if I had to choose, I would choose him as the potential winner of another race here. In the midfield, uh my standout picks based on current form would be Beerman and Gasly to feature in the points again, and perhaps for uh the Williams drivers as well to be uh up there at the end of the race.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

Yeah, well, I mean, my prediction is certainly uh longer shot territory given I've got three different um uh teams on the podium. But uh, if Kimmy was to win this race, I think everyone would quite seriously be on notice, not only for this season, but many to come, because if he's gonna have a slip up in the the early stages, it's just like it's gotta be here. There's been a massive gap. He could get inside his own head. There's I don't know. I feel like I feel like if mentally everything's against him here. It's a yeah, more difficult track, likely gonna have weather issues. If he just comes out on top like he has been, um, yeah, my goodness. We're we're looking at something special here. So um fully with you on that one, Mohan. Um anything else you want to add before we wrap up?

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Thing I would like to add here is that given the the changes that have happened in the rags and the and quite significant changes in the rates, plus the tweaks that have happened over we have I guess no two tracks have been uh uh alike up to this point in time. So that we have seen different aspects of the outcome of these regulations, which is obviously forced FIA to make some tweaks, and no doubt there are more tweaks to come as well as time will tell. But the Montreal track uh is another one in that puzzle, and I think it's a whole d different track to what we have seen previously for the for the early part of this season. And I think this is an opportunity to see further how the cars behave, how the drivers get used to them, and how the teams actually execute some strategy under these new requirements as such. So I'm certainly looking forward to from that point of view. And I and I think uh it is quite an exciting track to watch. And I'm looking for a mix of results, but I think their form will dictate. And also to add to the fact, as I mentioned before, is that Mercedes actually will be bringing another round of a significant amount of upgrades uh to this track, which could actually push them out even further out from the pack as such. So the weekend will tell. Uh, and I certainly look forward to seeing it from that point of view.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

All right, thank you, uh Mohan.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

Uh where can the listeners find us? So our social handle is Boxboxbox Oz A U S. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. And actually, I might uh mention this as part of. Research and doing I do listen to quite a few other podcasts as well that cover Formula One. And I'm actually saying to our listeners that when you listen to us, you will get Scott and Mohan unfiltered as we are with our own voices. We do not use AI for any of this presentation. And so what you get and any feedback that you want us to send to you as well, or any messages that you wish us to send as well, you will get us unadulterated and unfiltered. I'll also like to direct our listeners to our spin-off podcasts, which are the F1 Decoded and Racing Rewind podcast as well, for additional content that we wish to bring to you. We are also working on some other episodes uh to fill in that content as well. So we look forward to bringing some of that to you.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Yeah, um, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Our uselessness, or mine particular, is uh is heavily tied into the listening experience here. So um it's uh if that's what you're going for, yeah, absolutely. So uh tell me, Mohan, uh are you uh you know, is this is this shaping out to be one of the better F1 seasons for you?

SPEAKER_02 22:58

It certainly is, and there's obviously been a lot of talk about the nature of the new regs and the comment about it being uh Mario Kart on steroids. But uh, what it actually has translated to is some very interesting racing and also watching the drivers get adjusted and the teams actually adjust to these new regulations and how they've been able to exploit them as much as possible. Whatever, whatever has been done, I guess overall it has it has meant a lot of closer racing. It has brought the field a lot closer to together, particularly from a midfield point of view. And as a result of it, I'm actually looking forward to the remainder of the season as well. Because no doubt there are more changes to come, uh, and if I will make these tweaks as they go along, and that will certainly only only serve to improve the racing that we see. So definitely, I think it it's it's one of the more exciting races to date, uh sorry, seasons to date, I should say, that I have seen.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Well, you know, on all that, uh if there's one universal truth behind is that everyone loves Mario Kart, so it can't be the worst thing to base a uh formula on. So um thank you for your time. Uh thank you for joining us. Uh we'll see you same time, same place next week. Uh until then, thanks again. Thank you.