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It's hard to find two more different races adjacent on the calendar than the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix. From Monaco's slow twisting streets to the fast open straights of Montreal, these two venues are as far removed from each other in their geographical location as they are in track layout and downforce and speed.
But for all their obvious differences, the two tracks do have some things in common. Both are semi permanent street courses, with a fresh un-rubbered track, and each place a demand on performance through slow corners.
This latter demand might seem irrelevant for Canada, but the cars only encounter long straights or tight corners in Montreal. The difference in Canada is that the cars aren't running the downforce to aid the grip through these corners.
In the tight fight for the championship between Ferrari and McLaren, this low speed grip demand has been the deciding factor in the rivals' relative performance. Back in Melbourne, Ferrari showed the upper hand in traction, while McLaren faltered. Since then, McLaren's new Mercedes engine specification and increased knowledge of the Bridgestone tyres has reversed this situation.
