2017 Canadian GP Analysis: compromised start hindered Ferrari in Montreal

With a win in Monaco for Scuderia Ferrari and two non-podium results for Mercedes, the battle between the two constructors was at its maximum in the 2017 Canadian GP, unfortunately with a different outcome for the Maranello side, who has now lost the lead in the Formula 1 Constructor Standings.

The free practice session in Canada offered reason for hope, as it appeared that Ferrari had gained a slight edge over their Mercedes rivals, while Saturday morning’s free practice session concluded with Sebastian Vettel in front and teammate Kimi Raikkonen narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton. However, things began to go wrong for Ferrari starting with the qualifying session. Mercedes was also able to top Q2, heading into Q3 with the stronger car compared to the Ferrari. Hamilton set the early lead in the session with a lap time within the 1 minute 11 second mark. Sebastian immediately responded with a time just 0.004 seconds slower than the Brit’s, but then Lewis Hamilton was able to once again improve and extend his advantage to take the pole position with a time of 1:11.459. Vettel and Hamilton were the only drivers who managed to break the 1:11 barrier in the session, setting up an intense race battle for Sunday, which sadly was not the case.

The start was just a nightmare for the Maranello team and the first lap it all fell apart. Seb’s front wing, Kimi losing track position by dropping it onto the grass and nearly into the wall. Then both Ferrari drivers got into a long battle with the Force Indias and lost precious time, which in the end meant that the Scuderia was not able to finish on the podium for the first time in the 2017 Formula One season.

Indeed, it was just a messy opening few laps. In Montreal straightline speed is of paramount importance – if you haven’t got the speed you can’t overtake. It doesn’t really matter how fast you are through the rest of the lap. We saw that against the Force Indias, as Kimi was stuck behind the Mercedes-powered cars and the Italian team thus decided to change the strategy. Without that straightline pace, Sebastian late on showed why you have to be risky in order to make a successful move at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Ferrari will be disappointed, certainly after Friday when they looked to have the fastest car. The Maranello team would have fancied its chances in the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix and will now have to bounce back. Formula One heads to Azerbaijan in two weeks’ where we have big straights, tricky braking zones and 90deg corners, which should set the stage for another close battle between Ferrari and the current F1 champions.