(from autosport) Mark Webber says it is not realistic to expect Formula One cars to race at Montreal tomorrow following the problems with the track on Saturday. Webber was one of several drivers who complained about the track conditions after the surface began cracking up. The Red Bull driver paid the price for running over the marbles at the end of Q2, losing control of his car and making contact with the wall. The Australian qualified for Q3 but was unable to take part in the session. Webber reckons that if the track continues to crack up, there will be problems in the race. "I was going okay, but the track was breaking up and there were marbles on the racing line. Unfortunately, on the way back to the pits at the end of the second session, I was slightly off line, got onto the marbles and couldn't bring it back," said Webber. "I'm not sure how they're going to manage with the track tomorrow, but everyone's in the same boat. "I think we'll need to use motocross bikes, as it's not realistic in a Formula One car, you'll need to drive on the grass or on the inside of the hairpin." Teammate David Coulthard, who qualified in 13th place, said it was very hard to control the cars. "The track is breaking up, as it did two years ago, and it was incredibly difficult to drive at Turn 7 and at the hairpin," he said. "The track was swept between the first and second session, but it was breaking up so quickly that it was like trying to drive on train tracks. When you've got that amount of horsepower on a car that's slipping and sliding, it's incredibly difficult. "I think we had the pace to run inside the top ten today, but I had traffic on the last runs of both sessions. On the first I was behind Bourdais, and on the second behind Piquet. "It's unfortunate to have a continued series of problems, but we're thirteenth tomorrow, and hopefully we can have a strong race from there."
I'am not knocking Webber he was doing very well, however would he be saying this if he had not gone off. The track is in a bad way by all account's, a lethal mixture of discarded rubber marbles, oil-dry and disintegrating asphalt. But like he say's there all in the same boat, and pole was won on the last min, track at it's worst..
+1. I won't be surprised to see the track become the story tomorrow, but the wrong driver is speaking up...
Well, given the structural integrity we've seen from the Red Bull chassis , I can understand why their drivers would be a bit gun shy about a bad track. But it does sound like that track is a serious problem. But they did run the last Long Beach GP. Despite the number of cars out due to some paper pusher thinking that they only had to bolt down the manhole covers, rather than weld them (in the ground effects era). Of course, that *was* the LAST F1 Long Beach GP. There might not be any NorthAmer F1 race next year --- unless se habla F1 south of the border.
The condition of the track is big news on Montreal TV. Hamilton says he's ready to go and doesn't care if they fix a thing. Other drivers have expressed concern and maybe some repaving will be done tonite. I was hoping for a Ferrari victory but the team doesn't seem to be race ready on this track.
Really ? How convenient, he was about.... lets see... 1 second off of pole. They will probably work on the track all night, scrub any support races and put the show on anyhow. Too many memories of Indy cancellation to piss off the crowd now. Looks like another Dallas race in the works.
I know the track isn't great but for Webber to say maybe there won't be a race seems like a bit melodramatic. I don't think there is imminent danger of fiery death awaiting at every corner, so maybe Webber should buck up, man up, and go out and race?
First off, isn't this what they get paid for? How big are the cracks? And second, i doubt the track is any worse then Monaco could be.
Its not cracks, its the small pieces coming out of the track. There is no way they will be able to fix it overnight as the problem is widespread and ashpalt will not cure hard enough overnight. The track should have been repaved weeks ago so the weather would have had enough time to wash out the oils.
I'm not sure what the big deal is. He's simply stating that the track is going to be hard to drive. No biggie.
So........ if you know the track is like this, and you already know what to expect and what happens when you go off the line, shouldn't the drivers (who are presumed to be the BEST in the WORLD) be able to adapt to these conditions? While I agree not the ideal, they are getting paid MILLIONS to solve problems like this. I don't want to see anyone hurt, but at the same time this group is supposed to be the top tier best of the best of the best. So..... show us.
I'm not sure how doable it would be to repave the track every year. How long does the snow last up in Montreal? I know that we had snow Here in Toronto up until April. I would imagine a big part of the problem is the extreme weather we get in Canada, especially Montreal.
??? Coulthard said it, and he didn't go off, so I think yes, he (Webber) would have said it if he had not gone off...
I take it both of you are new to F1 racing, and don't understand how easy it is to 'lose' a car in this BS... Being the best in the world means nothing in this case - these are not rally cars, and this is not a rally circuit. Monaco doesn't break up like Montreal is, so there is no comparison.
That sounds really ignorant. These guys have a much more credible and informed opinion than you, on what's safe and what isn't. How about respecting the opinion of the guy who's actually doing it, and has his ass on the line?
This is worse then two years ago, without driver aids(!) and look at that race. Mark W is one of the straightest shooters in F1. Always tells it like it is or doesn't speak. Once the support races have run that track will be a pot holed nightmare. Every one of those big rear tyres will pull lumps of asphalt off the hole edges and scatter them online. I'm expecting a race of attrition.
I gather from the news reports that it's the "repaved" spots at CGV that are coming apart on the corners. When you have to repave every year, you're doing it wrong. Good repaving lasts years, a "patch job" lasts minutes. When they repaved Indy back in Nov '04, they tore out the old surface and installed a completely new one. I saw a report that the paving process for the track was working at about half the pace that street paving ran. Then it had until '05 to cure. But then, F1 (Michelin) complained about Indy's new surface too. I understand the concerns in Canada, though. Even in rallye, it's not the mud and snow that get you, but the bad asphalt spots. It's those patches where good traction suddenly disappears that catch you out. The drivers whose cars don't have very good mechanical grip may have less trouble with the bad spots than those who have grip that suddenly goes off. This might be a good finish for Alonso ... if he doesn't ram Heidfeld again.
Last minute repaving never lasts... Why am I thinking of Dallas 84.....I hope we don't end up with a similar mess....
well, they always have been saying, complaining about the ban of TC, for example. sometimes, i think they're just being too dramatic.
I wonder what any of todays drivers would say if they were given a car like the Ferrari 312T and asked to race the nortschleife at the Nurburgring ( I ma not even suggesting racing cars from the '50s) I understand what the issues with this track are this weekend, but it is true that todays F1 drivers are kinda primadonas.
