Sebastian Vettel looking to strike back on Hamilton’s most successful Formula 1 circuit. Seb will be looking to capitalize on the SF71H's strong pace.

The Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve has been Lewis Hamilton’s most successful Formula 1 track, and he can become only the second driver in Formula 1 history to claim more than six wins at a single event by taking victory this weekend. However, Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel will be looking to capitalize on the SF71H’s strong pace shown in the early stages of the 2018 Formula One season, on a track which it is a mix of slow and rapid corners with a very long straight that demands a lot of the engines.

Sebastian’s task this weekend will not be an easy one, as a summary of Hamilton’s statistics at the Canadian Grand Prix makes for impressive reading:

– he has six wins from 10 entries. Only Michael Schumacher has more at a single circuit, with seven in Canada and eight in France.

– he also has six poles, and has only qualified behind the front row once.

– Hamilton’s lowest race finish is third, and he has never finished behind his team-mate in the race (excluding DNFs).

– he leads his team-mate battles 9-1 in qualifying and is, on average, half a second quicker over one lap.

The circuit has hardly changed since its introduction to the calendar in 1978, and it’s no wonder too: the track’s layout has lent itself to lots of overtaking over the years and plenty of enthralling, chaotic racing. And with its number of tight twists and hairpins, it has also complemented Hamilton. On a track where a driver can make a huge difference, late braking is the order of the day. Nico Rosberg, the only team-mate to ever out-qualify Hamilton in Canada, backed that up: “He is phenomenal in braking,” an impressed Rosberg, who beat then-Mercedes team-mate Hamilton to pole in 2014, said on Sky F1 – “His braking is unbelievable, he just brakes so late. He’s able to nail it lap after lap. Canada is a very difficult track to get right, but his precision is just really good around there.” – Nico Rosberg concluded.

Despite this, Formula 1 2018’s six race victories have been split between three teams and three drivers and there are reasons to suggest that both Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull, spearheaded by Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, can be confident this weekend.