Canadian GP Team Preview: Red Bull

The Red Bulls go into the Canadian GP after a good showing at Monte Carlo with both drivers finishing on the podium. They now lead Constructors’ Championship by 41 points over rivals Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel leads the Drivers’ Championship and in chalking up three successive World Drivers’ Championship victories, the German has won in almost every track on the circuit.

Only a few races have eluded him, most notably in his homeland Germany, but also the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

The demanding street circuit, with its long straights and slow, tight corners, does not suit Vettel’s Red Bull but his failure to win there has had little to do with his car.

One of the reasons why Canada is so demanding for the tyres is because of the fact that the cars tend to run on a low dowforce setup to maximize the speeds on the long straights. This means that the tyres are doing all the work when it comes to getting the car round the corners, putting the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip.

The rear tyres are particularly challenged at Montreal, due to the heavy traction demands out of slow corners and the hairpin. It’s very easy to produce wheelspin if drivers are too eager on the throttle, which accentuates rear tyre wear. The track is also quite bumpy, which also provokes wheelspin as the rear tyres break traction.

In 2011, Vettel seemingly had the race at his mercy when he charged to the lead after a long rain delay, but a mistake on the last lap of the race allowed Mclaren driver, Jenson Button to overtake and take the chequered flag after fighting back from the tail-end of the field.

Looking forward to Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel said, “Obviously one of the craziest moments was in 2011.

“I made my first mistake of the race which cost us the win. But that’s racing.”

Last year, Vettel started the race from pole position and led the early part of the 70-lap race. But he lost pace over the final laps and was lucky to finish fourth after skimming the wall near the end.

Although he leads the world standings with 107 points, Vettel will be hoping to break the jinx and finally claim a victory at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit which has eluded him for years.

Mark Webber secured two podium finishes in the first six races and has impressed so far this season. However, his race seat at the Milton Keynes based team is not confirmed for the next season until now and there are chances he may leave the sport at the end of this year. Rumours suggest that Red bull are lining up a sensational move for Lotus driver and former world champion Kimi Raikkonen to replace Webber.

But the Australian seems relaxed and is concentrating on the Canadian GP, a race where he is yet to finish on the podium.“I haven’t been on the podium there yet, so I need to sort that out,” Webber said. Last year he finished a disappointing 7th after starting 4th on the grid and will be looking to perform better this time around.