![]() ![]() But the visibility, of course, gets even worse when the rain comes down and with the top speeds reached at that circuit.” I’ve driven in the rain in Canada several times and it has always been difficult – always. “Already it’s very slippery there in dry conditions, but in the wet it becomes extremely difficult. Third, because the surface typically is very, very slippery. ![]() Second, because of the top speed, and in this case the risk is very, very high. First, because of the track layout – you have long straights, so the spray is very high. Jarno Trulli, Team Lotus driver: “In Canada, when it rains and pours down, the track condition is always dangerous. As the drivers got up to speed and gained more confidence to brake later, you’d see more and more cars squirm as they exited corners, having to correct oversteer.” “Hamilton slid into Webber after riding the kerb on the apex of Turn 1, tipping the Red Bull into a spin when racing got under way. It was clear how treacherous the conditions were, though. “It was totally the right decision to start the race under the Safety Car, but many drivers and team principals said at the time that it perhaps stayed out a little longer than it needed to. UNDERDOG TALES: When Senna took the F1 paddock by storm with Toleman and made Monaco’s streets his own That made life much easier for strategists in terms of starting tyre because the full wets were mandated in such a scenario. “The persistent rain earlier in the day meant a wet start, so wet in fact that the Race Director Charlie Whiting determined a Safety Car start. The BBC were rights holders at the time, so we had a good-sized crew on site and plenty of contact points to find out what was going on in what turned out to be one of the longest races I’ve ever covered. Lawrence Barretto, F1 journalist: “I was working for the BBC at the time and covered the race from their offices in MediaCityUK, working on the live text and online output. Behind, the first talking point came when Lewis Hamilton tried to pass Mark Webber for fourth on the inside of Turn 1, only for contact to be made. As such, the decision was made to get the Grand Prix going behind the Safety Car, with no formation lap, on Pirelli’s full wet tyres.Īfter five laps, the drivers were released to race under green flag conditions – Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel leading the way from Ferrari pair Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Given that continuous showers had hit the track on the morning of the race, standing water and spray raised concerns prior to the scheduled 1300 local time start. READ MORE: From Senna’s Suzuka stunner to Button’s Montreal magic – 10 of the best comeback charges in F1 historyĮtched in the memories of everyone involved, we spoke to a handful of journalists on duty and drivers in action that day to get their perspectives on how the race unfolded from start to finish – and how Jenson Button came out on top at the end of it all… Rain, rain and more rain ahead of the race… ![]() ![]() With the clock stopping at an incredible four hours, four minutes and 39 seconds, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix also went down as the longest encounter in the sport’s history.Ĭaptured within this intense period was heavy rainfall, more Safety Car periods than ever before, countless slips, slides and crashes, a lengthy delay, an eventual break in the weather and a battle for victory that was dramatically settled on the very last lap. On this day 12 years ago, Montreal and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve played host to one of the most memorable F1 races ever staged. ![]()
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