Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes goes back on to the road for the Canadian GP and explains why it is one of the most popular events on the calendar...
Thursday 11 June 2015 12:04, UK
I am writing this sat in Almond on E22nd Street in New York enjoying a delicious bite to eat thanks to a tip-off from Jessica Button. I decided to take a detour on the way home via New York for a few days and it's reminded me how much I love this city. I came once before and went to all the usual tourist sites so this time I am only going to places recommended by people who really know this city. So far it's been a brilliant trip and I still have two days left. But enough of my holiday....
Canada is one of the highlights of the season. We all love the race in Montreal for so many reasons. The city itself plays the perfect host. It really welcomes the race weekend in a way not many other venues do. It starts to build up early in the week and by Thursday night it is buzzing with people. Whole streets are closed off and become pedestrianised party zones. It's great for us too because there are so many hotels in the city, the whole paddock can be accommodated within a fairly small area, meaning everyone can walk to a restaurant or bar in the evening.
We arrive on Wednesday evening and then it's the battle to stay awake for as long as possible. Montreal is five hours behind British time so you are just heading out to eat at the equivalent of 1am back home. I don't really ever suffer jet lag when we head west, it's the trips to Japan, China and Malaysia I find the worst for it.
We all go out for dinner including our latest addition to the team, Paul Di Resta. I never really got to know him when he was driving but he is fitting in really well. It's great to have someone with recent knowledge of the cars talking about it and about the people he drove alongside. Although I can't imagine how strange it is to be on the other side. To go from being one of 22 drivers in the world being driven everywhere and living that incredible life, to being on the road with us lot…
In the end, just as it is with any of our other ex-driver pundits, we are all the same over a drink, good food and laughter.
Thursday at the track is the usual media day although the timings are different here. The 3pm drivers’ press conference is at 11am and the driver individual interviews are earlier too. As a result we finish our day a bit earlier and I change into my gym kit and head off around the track for a run. Luckily it's one of the shortest circuits off the year, just 4.3km.
The first thing that strikes me is that I didn't realise the elevation at the start of the lap. It's not much, it's not Eau Rouge, for example, or turn one in Austin, but I definitely set off too fast for that. As it's a bit earlier than usual I pretty much have the track to myself, aside from Carlos Sainz's trainer lapping me several times on his bike. Bikes are cheating! Finishing touches are still being made so I come across maintenance trucks every so often and FOM making checks on all their trackside cameras. Before I know it I am heading for the hairpin and I know I am on the final stretch.
It is a very quick lap around here but I am not up for two! Once finished I head back to our TV compound to change. This track has the longest distance between the TV compound (our office), and the paddock. So far in fact that you can even take a boat ride to get there. On Thursdays, though, the track is open so I opt for the less scenic route back. I am wearing a pedometer this weekend to see how much I walk over the four days and see if it's as much as I hope it is or if I need to cut back on the Magnum ice creams!
Back at the hotel and I see it has registered just under 10km for the day including my track walk.
During the day on Thursday I put together a piece on the fallout from Monaco and how all concerned are moving forward, including Lewis Hamilton who wouldn't be drawn on it in the drivers’ press conference or Ted's interview.
On Friday I write a news piece rounding up the other stories in F1 since the last race. It includes Max Verstappen’s confident riposte to Felipe Massa in Thursday's press conference suggesting Felipe looked back at last year’s Canadian Grand Prix if he continued to comment on Max's crash in Monaco. It felt a bit like verbal tennis as the journalists in the room pushed them both further.
Then during Practice Two I head back over to the paddock armed with clothes for the F1 Show while in my uniform for the post-Practice Two driver interviews. I use the boat this time but as I get about half way the heavens open. I made a mad dash for our sound cabin which is halfway between the boat’s landing spot and the paddock and shelter, all the while listening to commentary and watching a monitor. The rain isn't showing any signs of letting up and I need to get to Mercedes for the end of practice.
I leave all my belongings in the cabin and run to their hospitality which is already full with those sheltering from the rain. Their outdoor area is also packed with TV crews huddling under the canvas umbrellas. They decide to do the driver interviews there and we all squeeze in next to each other, soaked though, rain running off the umbrellas into our eyes and steam on the camera lenses! Lewis and Nico see the funny side and make their answers short but succinct so we can all disappear off somewhere drier and I head off to change for the F1 Show.
The rain has stopped by the time we start rehearsing but I haven't been able to salvage my hair so it's an interesting look this week! It's very warm though and feels like more rain could be on its way. The paddock is tiny in Montreal. I think it's the smallest on the circuit, although Brazil comes very close. It means there is not much room for TV crews to move around, but it also means a very short dash for the drivers between their hospitality and garages. Unfortunately it doesn't make a very attractive backdrop though, unlike the last race in Monaco.
Saturday morning is Practice Three and with so much of Practice Two written off due to the rain we were expecting a busy and hopefully interesting session. We start the show in the pitlane and then once I have handed over to Crofty and Paul in commentary, Johnny and I make our way to McLaren hospitality to watch. While it is going on I make notes on what happens and discuss with Johnny anything we might want to talk about after. I also discuss with my producer which shots we wants to use too. Once the session finishes we talk about what happened and if Ted has grabbed an interview with someone we play that out too.
The time between final practice and qualifying is always manic. Our show finishes and I hand the microphone to a sound man and walk away to get changed into my uniform for qualifying. Meanwhile, Simon Lazenby is handed that microphone and starts rehearsals for qualifying straight away. Our crew work so hard on Fridays and Saturdays - if I think I walk far I would double it for them. All circuits have a media centre and in there we can use lockers for the race weekend. At circuits where the TV compound and paddock are far away from each other it is a godsend. While the photographers and written journalists might use theirs for laptops, camera equipment and the tools of the trade, mine usually has clothes, shoes, toiletries and notebooks - the tools of my trade I guess?!
Nico doesn't have the best qualifying and when he stands in front of me in the pen afterwards he is chatting to his manager Georg in German. Unfortunately my German only went to GCSE level so I can't quite grasp what they are saying. I need to work on my German! He starts the interview by asking how I am, which throws me a little but is just one way Nico has of disarming you a little on what has been a difficult day for him. Elsewhere he asked another TV reporter to ask him if he was depressed.
It's been a strange time for him, being so close to winning a world title last year and now struggling to recapture that sensational qualifying form. Last year he knew he needed to work on his race craft to beat Lewis, but now he has lost the Saturday advantage too. He is a nice guy though. He will always try to answer your questions fully and if he uses technical terms he will explain them so all those watching will understand. He understands the need for the sport to be as accessible as possible to all. He also speaks five languages which means most of the TV broadcasters at races can have an interview from him in their own language.
The buzz on race day is always fantastic, but in Canada the fans turn up, are knowledgeable, and provide a wonderful atmosphere. It's another reason this race is special. I love the hour before the race when I am privileged enough to be in amongst it. I get to stand in the pitlane as the light turns green and the cars go out, some coming back through again, before taking their spots on the grid. I never get tired of watching all the crews hustle along the pitlane in their race suits with all sorts of equipment and all make their way to a gap in the middle of the pitwall. All the time looking, in this case, to their right for any cars doing a pitlane drive-thru.
Then it's my turn to run. As soon as a driver comes into the pitlane from the grid on their way to the toilet, TV crews pounce. You have to hope you are in the right spot at the right time although actually waiting outside the toilet as they re-emerge always helps make sure you catch a word or two. Some drivers always talk, some chop and change. One week they might chat happily and even stop for a second, another week they might see you and shake their head. You just have to ask and accept whatever their response. I grab a word with Romain Grosjean who is hoping for a really good race today after both Lotus cars got onto the third row, but Al Pacino then approaches. He has some big security guys around him and while he is seemingly quite happy to chat his security put their arms out and say no interviews. Javier Hernandez on the other hand is happy to chat to all. He has been visiting many of the teams in the paddock and his friend Sergio Perez of course. He also pops into Ferrari to catch up with Esteban Gutierrez. It's nice to see another sportsman so excited and happy to be at a race.
The first retirement in the race doesn't happen until very late on. It's a McLaren. It's Alonso. We all get ready in the pen to speak to him but he doesn't come in for quite a while, by which time his team-mate has retired too. What do you say to these two now? It's been a tough day for many drivers who want better cars beneath them but we have asked these two so many times it's hard to know what to say. Fernando denied being frustrated despite his "amateurs" comment and Jenson Button was keen to point out that they started from zero on this project and it takes time to build a winning, or at least competitive, car. You have to give it to them, in public they are both doing their best to support the team and the project. As Fernando said though, he is a racing driver and he wants to have some fun.
Someone else who didn't have fun was Daniel Ricciardo. He is always such a positive guy that seeing him so down on Saturday shows how far Red Bull still have to go. Sunday does not get any better and he told me after the race "I thought we had reached the lowest point but today was a new one."
Unfortunately for him, the next race is the team’s home race at the Red Bull Ring. Mercedes faced a real challenge from Williams there last year and it seems they could challenge again after Sunday's performance. Let's hope so. Last year was a great race and someone needs to catch those Silver Arrows!
Oh and I walked 38km over the four days in the end. That's worth at least an ice cream a day…
RB
