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 News |
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| 10 June 2001 |
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Brakes and fuel - the vital statistics
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From Monte Carlo to Montreal is a long journey, and not just in terms of distance. Between the two circuits there is little in common apart from the walls bordering the Canadian track which reflect the guard rails of Monaco, given how near they are to the racing line. In Canada, the slightest mistake at several points of the track, for example the final chicane, can cost dear. We have already seen what happened to Rubens Barrichello and Nick Heidfeld in the qualifying session. |
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Completely different to the situation in the Principality, is the stress under which the engines are placed on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit. The Canadian track is regarded as medium fast, even if, given the improvement in overall performance, it can almost be considered a fast track in the same breath as Monza and Hockenheim might be considered ultra-fast. The Zeltweg track has similar characteristics but there the engines are less stressed because of the altitude.
Apart from the high revs required, another factor to take into consideration is the fuel consumption, given that usually, the strategy is based on one pit stop. In theory, whoever stops latest should have an advantage, and that applies if the cars' performance are very similar. Someone could decide to start with less fuel and try and gain an advantage over their opponents, making the most of the fact that a lighter car will also mean less stress on the brakes. This means that the operation and reliability of the brakes play a decisive role in the Canadian race. This track features hard acceleration followed by heavy braking and one has often seen cars run into trouble with the brakes in the final laps.
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