McLaren look to be in good shape going into the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend because the circuit characteristics suit their car. The long straights of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, mixed with tight slow corners, demand constantly fierce acceleration and deceleration, a recipe that takes a toll on engines, brakes and - a detail that has added relevance this season following the ban on mid-race top-ups - fuel consumption.
Top-end performance is critical and McLaren have the twin benefits of Mercedes power, worth an estimated 10 horsepower more than the Renault in the back of the frequently pace-setting Red Bulls, and a finely honed aerodynamic vent that enables the drivers to stall their rear wing along the straights, which reduces drag. Other teams are working on similar systems, but the McLaren was the only car designed that way from the outset: bolting it on as a glorified after-market accessory has inevitably compromised other aspects of the aero packaging of their rivals.
McLaren will be hoping to make their advantages count to increase their one-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors' championship. In the drivers' stakes Red Bull's Mark Webber takes a five-point lead over McLaren's Jenson Button into Sunday's race. Button's teammate Lewis Hamilton is a further four points behind so things could quite easily change at the top of the table. But Montreal is not an easy track to negotiate. There is precious little run-off area and the circuit is bordered by unyielding concrete walls that cannot be moved back, not least because it is located on the Ile Notre Dame, in the middle of the St Lawrence River.
The track surface also has a habit of breaking up because the local climate embraces everything from deeply frozen winters to blisteringly hot summers and the asphalt struggles to cope, especially when 20 or more Formula One cars are pounding around on it. Hamilton, the Turkish Grand Prix winner, scored his maiden victory here, in 2007, and was heading for a repeat the following season. Or at least he was until he failed to spot a red light at the pit lane exit and crashed into Kimi Raikkonen's stationary Ferrari.
"The 2007 race seems such a long time ago," Hamilton said, "but I still have some fantastic memories. "It is great that we are returning, because it is such a fast, demanding and unforgiving circuit - I love racing here. It is incredibly tough. Even if you avoid the walls, the surface is very treacherous off the racing line. You can't afford even a tiny mistake." The Canadian GP was missing from the F1 calendar last year after a contractual dispute led to the event's expulsion - the only time in the world championship's 60-year history that North America has not been represented on the schedule.
A new five-year deal was signed last autumn, however, and the race resumes on Sunday on one of the most punishing of all Formula One circuits where the safety car driver tends to work almost as hard as his Formula One counterparts. He has been summoned 20 times during Montreal's past 11 races @Email:sports@thenational.ae