This weekend is round seven of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship, which takes us to Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, home of the Canadian Grand Prix.
The 2.71-mile track layout almost always delivers an action-packed race. Overtaking is relatively straightforward, speeds are high and the cars are pushed to their limits; likewise, the concrete walls punish any mistakes heavily but the drivers need the confidence to use all of the track, especially in qualifying where even the smallest of margins count.
The semi-permanent track combines long straights with tight chicanes and each team sets up their car to maximize straight line speed, although the cars also need to deliver a good ride over the relatively tall curbs.
When it comes to the twisty stuff, 11 of the 14 corners are taken below 100 mph, which makes it particularly hard on the brakes and tires when the cars are coming from the high-speed straights. Pirelli has nominated its supersoft, ultrasoft and the new hypersoft tires for the race, the same combination used in the previous Monaco Grand Prix.
The weather is also often an issue at the Canadian Grand Prix. Fortunately the forecast looks good this year, with only partly cloudy skies predicted for both Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race.
Going into the weekend, Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton leads the 2018 Drivers' Championship with 110 points. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel is second with 96 points and Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo is third with 72 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes leads with 178 points, Ferrari is second with 156 points and Red Bull is third with 107 points. Last year's winner in Montreal was Hamilton.
