Montreal’s Stroll in F1’s fast lane
• Formula One is back with new- look cars, revised rules and — for the first time in more than a decade — a Canadian behind the wheel.
The new season, comprising 20 races, begins in Australia this weekend and makes its usual Montreal pit stop in June with a 50th anniversary edition of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Here’s what you need to know to get up to speed.
CANUCK CONNECTION
For the first time since Jacques Villeneuve hung up his F1 gloves in 2006, the planet’s premier racing series includes a Canadian driver — Montreal- born Lance Stroll, son of billionaire fashion tycoon Lawrence Stroll.
Notwithstanding his successes in junior formulas, the 18- year- old has had to fend off cynical suggestions that Daddy’s wallet paved the way for his speedy rise to the top, and must carry the weight of his family name like ballast on his Williams car.
It does not help that his debut with Williams got off to a bumpy start, with two spins and a crash during the first week of winter tests that cost his squad already-restricted track time.
Stroll seemed unfazed by his troubles and completed the second week without incident, telling reporters: “I don’t care about the critics. ... Things happen in motorsport and you’ve just got to bounce back from it.”
That will be his test. Williams is no longer the powerhouse it was during Villeneuve’s era, and Stroll won’t be expected to win races anytime soon. Still, he will be compared with his teammate, veteran Felipe Massa of Brazil, in an identical car.
To silence the naysayers, the rookie will have to let his driving do the talking.
RETURN OF THE VROOM
The new campaign marks the biggest re- write of technical standards since the introduction of hybrid turbo engines in 2014. Result: faster, more powerful cars.
Fatter tires and wider bodywork are expected to allow drivers to fly around the track up to five seconds quicker than before, and no longer drive “like a small child,” in the words of McLaren- Honda’s Fernando Alonso.
But will this reset shake up the running order? Probably not in a major way.
In theory, everyone starts with a clean sheet when designers are sent back to the drawing board. In practice, teams with the biggest resources tend to produce the best cars.
During the last three seasons, no team has been better than Mercedes, steamrollering to 51 wins in 59 races. Even hard- core fans of the Silver Arrows must be wishing for better competition this time.
Regulation changes can also spawn awkward- looking designs as teams chase aerodynamic innovations that might shave elusive fractions of seconds off their lap times.
This year, ugly shark fins have appeared on engine covers, menacing the cars’ overall esthetics.
On a happier note, top pick for boldest livery goes to Force India: hot pink.
NEW FACE AT MERCEDES
Nico Rosberg shocked his team and the F1 world days after winning his first F1 championship last season when he announced he was retiring from racing at age 31, saying he had achieved all he had set out to do.
Presumably this was foll owed by a stampede of hopefuls jostling to fill the most coveted seat on the starting grid.
In the end, Mercedes recruited Williams driver Valtteri Bottas, who must have felt he had just won the lottery.
( In turn, the sudden departure of Bottas from Williams caused Massa to reconsider his own retirement plans, agreeing i nstead to remain one more year alongside Canadian newcomer Stroll.)
Bottas is a good bet for Mercedes. Others, notably Ferrari, had reportedly made overtures for his services. The Finn is viewed as a top talent, even though he has not won a Grand Prix in his four years in F1.
Now that he’s in a more competitive car, Bottas will be expected to win races. That won’t be easy against his superstar teammate — Lewis Hamilton, a threetime F1 champion.
In terms of intra- team rivalries, this is the one to watch.