McLaren out to stop Schumacher treble

This will not be a straightforward weekend for either team. Some forecasts promise thunderstorms on race day, which could cause absolute chaos. The Montreal track is notorious for first corner chaos and is renowned as one of the biggest tests of car reliability.

One man who knows this better than anyone is David Coulthard. He was on course for Canadian victory in both 1997 and 1998, but on each occasion his car let him down. Currently languishing in a distant 5th place in the championship, and with questions being asked about his long-term future at McLaren, Coulthard needs to repeat that form this weekend.

'I go well at this circuit, and I was unlucky not to win the race on the last two occasions,' he agrees. 'Hopefully, everything will come together this weekend and I can win my first Grand Prix of the season.'

Team boss Ron Dennis is cautiously optimistic about his team's chances.

"Whilst Spain was a very satisfying result, we are not taking anything for granted,' said Dennis. 'We are therefore approaching the forthcoming Canadian Grand Prix with our usual determination and focus to further optimise the MP4-14's performance and reliability."

However, Michael Schumacher won here for Ferrari in both 1997 and 1998, and on both occasions it was the start of a Ferrari resurgence in the second half of the season. There is no need for a comeback in 1999, as he already has a nine-point championship lead, and the German is quietly confident going into the race:

'The Montreal circuit is very hard on the brakes and it is not easy to find a suitable set-up,' he explained. 'But after winning here last year I would expect us to be very competitive again.'

The race takes place over 69 laps of the 2.7-mile temporary road course, situated on the Ile Notre-Dame, just east of Montreal. The start is scheduled for 1pm local time, 6pm in the UK.