Canada 2015 - GP Preview - Williams Mercedes

Situated on the man-made Ile Notre Dame in the St Lawrence river, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a true high speed challenge with the cars averaging 130mph over the course of a lap. The circuit combines long straights with tight chicanes and each team sets up their car to maximise straight line speed. This race is a firm favourite on the calendar due to its unrivalled atmosphere. Montreal becomes a party town during the race weekend and the locals create a fantastic atmosphere from the grandstands. The team has secured four wins in Canada to date, with the last coming in 1996 with Damon Hill at the wheel of the FW18.

Rob Smedley

I think that, regardless of the result in Monaco, Canada should very much suit the Williams car, especially in race trim. We are confident heading into the weekend that we can get some good points. It’s a great track, with medium/high efficiency and a strong trend towards low drag and high power, which are two areas that we are fairly well off in. We need to get the car set-up and tyre management under control early on in the race weekend, which will then give us the opportunity to then tweak and hone our package to maximise our points haul. Montreal’s also a great place; a nice cosmopolitan city with very passionate and welcoming fans.

Valtteri Bottas

Montreal is a great track and a great city. Every year I really look forward to this race, as the circuit is fast and enjoyable to drive plus the fans really make it a special one. The track is a street circuit so improves a lot during practice and qualifying. You need a good power unit and efficient aerodynamics from the car to be quick here, as well as good traction out of the slow chicanes and hairpins. With the improvements to the car that we are taking to Montreal, I think we will be able to fight for a strong points finish.

Felipe Massa

Last year was a good race and we showed strong pace all weekend, but unfortunately for me it didn’t end in the best possible way. We know the FW37 is similar and so should be quick at this particular track. The Montreal circuit is completely different to the last race and we fully expect our performance levels to be back to where they were at the start of the season. We should be able to start getting closer to Ferrari and have a real battle with them and the other teams around us.