The public will simply be waiting to see when the next blow up occurs.
“Untouchable” Hamilton on song
Away from the inter-team antics, Jenson Button left Monaco singing his old
team-mate’s praises. His argument, from experience, was essentially that
whenever Hamilton had a bad race, or was in a bad mood, he would come back
at the next race and “blow him away”. The McLaren driver added: “He’ll
probably be untouchable in Canada.”
On the evidence of his previous outings at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, it
is not hard to see why.
2007
Hamilton qualified on pole and came through a turbulent 70 laps to win his
first race in Formula One in his debut year. A peerless drive, with four
safety cars, even left Murray Walker searching for superlatives.
2008
After qualifying on pole again, not such a brilliant race. Hamilton failed to
spot a red light at the end of the pit lane and went careering into the back
of championship rival Kimi Raikkonen.
2010
After Canada experienced a brief hiatus from the calendar in 2009, Hamilton
returned to winning ways in Montreal. Another pole position, and his second
victory.
2011
A low point in a season of low points. A collision with Button on the sodden
pit straight left his team-mate exclaiming over the radio: “What is he
doing?!” Hamilton was forced to retire.
2012
This time he qualified second to the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel, but
overcame the German to take his first win of that season, which propelled
him to the top of the championship. He did not return to that summit until
the Spanish Grand Prix this year.
2013
In a car that was not quick enough or did not have the tyres to win, Hamilton
finished a respectable third in his first year at the circuit for Mercedes.
Montreal madness
The Canadian Grand Prix has rapidly become one of the most treasured on the
calendar. It’s always packed with fans, the drivers love going there, the
weather is usually bonkers, and even better, it’s on in the evening, not at
the crack of dawn.
Who hasn’t heard of the wall of champions? Almost everyone has been in it. (If
you haven’t, watch below).
The race in 2010, and how the Bridgestone tyres performed, prompted the
sport’s rule makers to task Pirelli with producing rubber which degrades
more quickly than many drivers would like. And the year after it produced
Button’s greatest victory, as he came from the very back in the rain to pass
Vettel on the last lap after more than four hours.
More of the same please (less of the seemingly never-ending interlude
mid-race).
More bad luck for Kimi?
Kimi Raikkonen has not enjoyed a dream return to Ferrari thus far. A few
incidents and some suspect qualifying performances have left him 12th in the
drivers’ standing, while team-mate Fernando Alonso is occupying his usual
third spot.
But the Finn, after sending expletives in the direction of journalists who
questioned his motivation, believes there is another reason: good old, bad
luck.
“I have driven well many times, but there’s always been something going wrong
in the races – like punctures from other people hitting me – and it’s just
never come together really,” Raikkonen said. “But until we get the results
and things fixed we have to keep fighting and hopefully be a bit more lucky
in the future.”
This is some merit to his argument that he has faced some misfortune, but that
cannot explain the gap so far to Alonso, as ever the consummate professional.
A rudimentary comparison illustrates the point.
Alonso v Raikkonen finishes in 2014
Australia – 4 (Alo) 7 (Rai)
Malaysia – 4 (Alo) 12 (Rai)
Bahrain – 9 (Alo) 10 (Rai)
China – 3 (Alo) 8 (Rai)
Spain – 6 (Alo) 7 (Rai)
Monaco – 4 (Alo) 12 (Rai)
Alonso v Raikkonen key stats
Qualified ahead: 2 (Rai) 4 (Alo)
Average qualifying gap: Raikkonen 0.645s behind
Finished race ahead: 0 (Rai) 6 (Alo)
Laps spent ahead: 87 (Rai) 278 (Alo)
Points: 17 (Rai) 61 (Alo)
At this rate Raikkonen will need more than good fortune to overcome Alonso.
Or more joy for Marussia?
Most were delighted to see Marussia win their first-ever points in Monaco,
even those who complain that they whinge too much about costs. (Graeme
Lowdon’s joke that they’ll only be able to afford half pints told the story).
However, Monaco is always something of a freak race. They were helped not only
by Jules Bianchi’s superb driving – an extremely aggressive move on Kamui
Kobayashi at Rascasse was the highlight – but also by some more of
Raikkonen’s ‘bad luck’, when he got stuck with Kevin Magnussen at the Loews
Hairpin.
It will be a much taller order in Montreal. I have a funny feeling those
points may be the only ones they secure all season, but it will be enough
for ninth or 10th in the constructors’ championship and a bucket load more
cash.