canadian grand prix

I guess I should start my catching up proper by mentioning the Canadian grand prix.

The Canadian is always a good race as there's plenty of places where overtaking is possible.  I find it kinda weird that when they (Tilka) are designing circuits they don't really seem to have analysed what allows cars to overtake.

So at Canada one of the key features is you get some reasonable straights followed by a tight, slow corner.  That means cars can get up close, in the slipstream on the corner and they have to get the corner just right or they might lock up and if they don't get it right the driver behind has the chance to pounce.

Tilka circuits you often seem to get one gigantic long straight.  Well you need decent straights, but after a point it becomes pointless because aero and engine limits means that once they're at top speed (which happens quick as they accelerate like a stabbed rat) then that's it.  It also then means there are loads of corners crammed in in the rest of the circuit, which just creates a train of cars.

Anyway, this year Canada was pretty good.  I have to confess it was a bit disappointing that Vettel managed to just shoot off past the Mercedes at the start and then was miles in front for the whole race.  Which isn't to say there wasn't plenty going on, it was just further down.

I still don't get the Mercedes - they can pump in a super quick lap in qualifying, but then it's like they turn the wick down for the race.  I mean, I appreciate they may be harder on their tyres so that would cause them problems after a while, but why does that mean they're slower at the start of the race too?

Unfortunately Canada was a little dampened for me as it was actually the day when Iain Banks died.  I didn't know that on the day, but when I found out on the Monday it kinda took the shine off and was a little distracting.

He actually did a few interviews for his new book (which, weirdly, features a character dying from cancer, but was started way before Banks found out he was too.  One of these was broadcast on the telly last week and they have since appeared in the press.  I guess they can't have been filmed long before he died and he did look - well, I wouldn't say bad, but tired and a bit thin, I guess; although obviously it's easy to project how you'd expect him to look into his appearance.

It's an odd feeling knowing someone who was essentially still producing top-class work that you really enjoy is now no longer going to do so.  The last time I recall it was when Kurt Cobain died - all the songs he would have written that now never would.