Rio Haryanto is looking forward to his first experience of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and believes the track should suit his Manor Racing car better than in recent races.
Haryanto struggled during the Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago, finishing four laps down on race winner Lewis Hamilton and two laps down on team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, but is hoping for a better weekend in Canada.
With rain a possibility this weekend, Haryanto knows that he will have to be careful if the team are to take any opportunity that comes their way and maximise their potential.
“I arrived a couple of days early to get used to the time zone – I’m used to going the other way round the world – less so a Westerly heading!” said Haryanto. “We also had some promotional activities, including riding the rapids of the Saint Lawrence River, which I’ve just about dried out from now!
“It was certainly memorable, that’s for sure. It’s going to be pretty cool racing this weekend on an island in the middle of a huge river.
“This is a Grand Prix that we’ve all been looking forward to, as the expectation is that it will suit our car but also it’s a track that always seems to produce great, often eventful races – and wet ones!
“We’re expecting some of that this weekend and though I’ve been exposed to a fair amount of water already this week, the reality is that it’s a great leveller and always creates opportunities that might not otherwise exist during races. So we just need to tread carefully.”
