Tim Goss on preparing Racing Bulls for the Canadian Grand Prix

      The Chief Technical Officer of Racing Bulls, Tim Goss, spoke about the features of the racing weekend in Canada and the team's preparation for the fifth round of the season.

      Tim Goss: "The fifth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season will take place in Canada at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This picturesque semi-urban track is located on an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal.

      The track is well-known for its long straights, sharp braking before slow corners, and a challenging final chicane. Drivers must aggressively attack the curbs, but it is important not to cross the line, as otherwise, one can easily end up in the concrete 'Wall of Champions' at the exit of the last corner. Adding rain, which is common in Montreal, makes the task even more difficult.

      Traditionally, teams have used a low downforce rear wing on this track to reduce air resistance and focus on maximum speed on the straights. However, the new generation cars have changed this approach.

      Thanks to the active aerodynamic mode, Straight Mode, drag on the straights is now reduced much more significantly, so there is no longer a need to sacrifice downforce. As a result, we are using the standard rear wing configuration.

      This simplifies the engineers' work somewhat and eliminates the difficult choice between speed and downforce, although the task is still not easy. It is necessary to find the right balance between chassis settings and power unit characteristics, taking into account the specifics of the track.

      Possible rain during the weekend will add another important factor. However, we have a certain advantage, as after the Japanese Grand Prix, we conducted tests with Pirelli's wet tires and have useful information about the heating of the wet tires and the car's behavior in such conditions.

      When it comes to dry track settings, the main focus will be on braking efficiency, car stability on corner entry, balance in slow sections, confident curb attacks, and good traction during acceleration out of corners.

      After the Miami round, the team productively prepared for the race. Engineers thoroughly analyzed the collected data, and the drivers practiced various setup options on the simulator tailored to the track's characteristics. We will bring another package of aerodynamic updates to Canada and hope that it will allow us to gain performance and compete for points.

      Additionally, the Canadian round will be the first race weekend at the track for our Technical Director Dan Fallows since his move to the team in April."