Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has discussed the intricacies of the famous Wall of Champions at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, home of the Canadian Grand Prix.
The wall at the exit of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s final chicane earned its nickname during the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix when three F1 champions, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, all crashed into it during the same race.
Speaking alongside former F1 TV presenter Will Buxton and Sky Sports analyst Naomi Schiff on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard explained: “The Wall of Champions is at the very final chicane. Actually, just before you go into that final chicane, it’s a slightly odd one because it’s also the pitlane entry, which can catch a driver out.
“If you’re following another car over 200mph and approaching the, let’s say, 120m braking point into that chicane, if the car in front is heading to the pits, you’re trying to anticipate them braking for the chicane and then suddenly they don’t slow down because they’re going to the pitlane and it confuses you.
“Suddenly, you think the brakes have failed, but then you realise quickly they’re heading to the pit. So that can catch a driver out as you commit 800kg of race car over 200mph to braking more than 5G of longitudinal braking force. And as the speed’s coming off, the downforce is coming off, the car is starting to load itself onto the left side, that inside wheel is getting light, and you’ve got a big kerb apex to hit.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
“And as you hit one kerb, it bounces the car onto the apex of the left kerb. You hit that, and if you hit it too much, it bounces you into a concrete wall. If you hit it perfectly, you get on the power, you drive the car out to the wall, just missing it by millimetres and then drive to the line and finish your lap.”
The former driver added: “So, it’s an interesting one because as a race driver, you’re approaching for several seconds at very high speed, thinking, ‘If I get this corner right, I can be in pole position. If I get this corner wrong, I’m going to lose one side of the car.’
“You have the good racing driver on one shoulder and the negative racing driver on the other shoulder and somehow you’ve got to blank all that out and commit to the corner and the greatest of the great, your Schumachers, Hakkinens, I think even Lewis Hamilton, who certainly is one of the greatest but I’m just not picturing him in the Wall of Champions, but it’s so named because some of the greats have ended up in that wall.”
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