MotorSportsTalk’s predictions: Canadian GP

By Jun 7, 2013, 5:00 PM EDT
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The Canadian Grand Prix usually throws up a surprise, with Jenson Button’s charge from last to first in 2011 remaining in the memory of many Formula One fans. Interestingly, wet weather is forecast for some of the sessions this weekend, making any predictions all the more difficult for the MotorSportsTalk team…

Tony DiZinno (@tonydizinno)

Race winner: Kimi Raikkonen. This is a hard race to pick as there hasn’t yet been a race on a primarily low-downforce setup track with this year’s Pirelli compounds. After a forgettable Monaco, this seems a good spot for the Iceman to bounce back.

Surprising finish: Paul di Resta. Force India’s been on a roll of late and maybe this is a weekend the team scores its first podium since 2009 at Spa. Di Resta’s driving well at the moment and seems primed to beat his teammate, Adrian Sutil, into the top three for the first time in his career.

Most to prove: Romain Grosjean. Erratic in Monaco, Grosjean needs a clean weekend to restore his confidence and keep Lotus in the game in the Constructor’s Championship. I doubt he’ll repeat his second place of a year ago, but a solid top-five would be a decent result.

 

Christopher Estrada (@estradawriting)

Race winner: Kimi Raikkonen. Montreal’s rough surface and numerous hard-braking corners go through tires at a considerable rate. That may give the edge to Raikkonen, who needs a strong result to bounce back after Monaco and keep up in the title race.

Surprising finish: Jenson Button. Don’t expect a 14th McLaren triumph in Canada, but results have been better for the team as of late (three Top-6 results in the last four races). Throw in Montreal’s notorious unpredictability and we could see Button turn in another positive sign of progress for the group.

Most to prove: Romain Grosjean. Can it be anybody else after he crashed three times during the weekend in Monte Carlo? He won’t be done any favors either by his 10-spot grid penalty this weekend for colliding with Daniel Ricciardo two weeks ago.

Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1)

Race winner: Sebastian Vettel. I’ll buck the trend. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is very hard on the tires, possibly ruling out Mercedes and giving Lotus the advantage. Last year though, tire management saw Perez and Grosjean make the podium, yet Hamilton won thanks to his raw pace. Same theory applies, only with Vettel driving.

Surprising finish: Sergio Perez. Checo’s performance in Monaco may have perturbed some, but he showed guts to make the moves he did. A repeat of his podium in 2012 may be a bit far off, yet somewhere in the top five or so would still be a good showing for McLaren.

Most to prove: Romain Grosjean. RoGro’s mistake in Monaco was silly, so he needs to prove to Lotus why they should keep a hold of him for the rest of the season. His performance in Canada last season was impressive, and, now more than ever, such a result is critical.

Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)

Race winner: Kimi Raikkonen. The tyre-nursing Lotuses were in great shape here last year. I think Raikkonen will bounce back from his Monaco disappointment with a win.

Surprising finish: Valtteri Bottas. Williams are edging their way forwards and I suspect Bottas rather than his accident-magnet team mate will be the first of them to crack the top ten this year.

Most to prove: Romain Grosjean. I picked him for this in Monaco as well and he duly gave his critics an armful of ammunition with a crash-strewn performance. We know he can do quick, but we need to know he can cut out the incidents.

After Will Power extension, Marcus Ericsson among IndyCar drivers awaiting new deals

By Apr 1, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT
IndyCar free agents
Chris Owens, Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
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FORT WORTH, Texas – Defending series champion Will Power’s name is off the board of potential IndyCar free agents, but there’s still much to be settled in the field – starting with the reigning Indy 500 winner.

Marcus Ericsson is waiting on a contract offer to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing beyond the 2023 season (his fourth with the team). The Swede said he’s made it clear to car owner Chip Ganassi that he wants to stay in the No. 8 Dallara-Honda, which has four victories since June 2021.

“Yeah, it’s up to him, basically,” Ericsson said Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. “He needs to give me an offer for ’24 onward. The ball is in his corner. I really enjoy it at Ganassi, and we’ve done a lot of great things together and would love to continue, but the ball is in his corner. He knows very well what I want.”

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Two days before Ericsson won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg season opener March 5, Ganassi sang the praises of the emerging star driver to a small group of reporters.

“I want him here beyond this year,” Ganassi said of Ericsson. “He seems to have gotten more out of winning the Indy 500 than anyone else has of recent time, which is a good thing. He did a good job. He’s been everywhere. It’s been a really positive thing for Marcus, the team, the series. He’s grown with that as well.”

Ericsson didn’t sew up his current deal until late in his breakthrough 2021 season (after a memorable victory in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix). So he isn’t necessarily anxious about it but conceded he “was thinking a bit about it over the winner in the offseason and talking about it

“But now that the season has started, I told my managers and everyone I want to focus on the driving. They focus on those things. Now the season is on, and I want to try to win races, win another 500 and championship. That’s where my focus is. (A new contract) is one of those things that happens when it happens. But I’m happy where I am, and I want to do well.”

IndyCar’s two best teams, Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, tend to be very tight-lipped about their drivers’ contract status.

Power confirmed Friday to journalist Bruce Martin that his new deal was for multiple seasons. That means all three of Penske’s drivers are in multiple-year contracts (unlike Power’s deal, Scott McLaughlin’s extension was announced by the team last year).

But there is more uncertainty at Ganassi’s four cars aside from Ericsson. While Scott Dixon has a ride for as long as he wants (and the six-time champion has given no indication of retiring), Ganassi’s other two other seats have yet to be solidified beyond 2023.

The No. 11 is being split this year by rookie Marcus Armstrong and veteran Takuma Sato this season. In  the No. 10, Alex Palou is believed to be in his final year at Ganassi before heading to Arrow McLaren.

That expected move would cast doubt on the future of Felix Rosenqvist, who returned to Arrow McLaren when the team was unable to bring in Palou (who was embroiled in a contract dispute with Ganassi).

Aside from Penske, virtually every other IndyCar team (including Andretti Autosport, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing, which has Helio Castroneves in a contract year) has seats that potentially could open for next season, and even drivers who appear to be under contract for next year still could be on the move (via buyouts and option years).

Though Juncos Hollinger Racing announced a “long-term, multiyear contract partnership” last July with Callum Ilott, but the second-year driver was cagey Friday when asked about how long the extension ran.

“It’s for whatever I want it to be,” said Ilott, who finished a career-best fifth at St. Petersburg. “I’ll say that.”

Before returning to JHR, Ilott turned enough heads as a rookie to draw interest from several teams, and he indicated Friday that he still would be listening.

“I’d love to talk to some other big teams,” Ilott said. “Nothing stops me from talking. Look, you’ve got to be fair. I agreed to (the deal), but it’s pretty obvious that I’m quite interested as people are interested in me as a driver, but I need to focus on the job I’ve got here.

“I’m confident whether it’s in one year, two years, three years, four years, that if I’m wanted now, I’ll always be wanted. I’m a good enough driver that I don’t need to lack confidence in that side. … I’m not worried.”