Chris
Premium
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is not too dissimilar to the Monza circuit in Italy. It's very fast with lots of low speed chicanes. Teams will often attempt to choreograph their drivers to maximise their qualifying positions by orchestrating "The Tow". Essentially this involves one driver lapping just ahead of the other, close enough to disturb the air so that the driver behind will achieve higher top speeds. It's something that is highly difficult to get correct as you'll only need the "tow" for the longest straight and nothing more, else you run the risk of losing in the corners due to the turbulent air.
Not only is it difficult for the team to organise, but the drivers are not all too keen on the practice of it either, as it usually means helping out their main rival: Their team mate. Toro Rosso fell victim to the act of 'towing' their drivers through qualifying in Canada as Carlos Sainz was irate with Kvyat after being eliminated in Q2. The young Russian was allegedly supposed receive help from the even younger Spaniard get to Q3, and vice versa on a round-by-round basis. This weekend it was Kvyat's turn.
But it appears as if Sainz wasn't too keen on playing ball because he saw nothing in it for him, why should Sainz be forced to compromise his own qualifying in order to help out his biggest rival, and team mate whom he utterly trounced in the previous season and is well on his way to doing exactly the same thing this season.
"Interesting enough it was my team mate [Kvyat] and it was every lap the same and it was every lap three tenths, four tenths on the data just on top speed. It was planned for me to go in front [for qualifying] ... But to go the four sessions in front, the four times you are out in front, for me it’s not fair."
Sainz has apparently since aired his frustrations with the team during the Canadian debrief, which leads me to believe it was a frosty affair as Kvyat has now come out in his pre-Baku comments and verbally shirt-fronted Sainz,
"What I see from the qualifying data is zero gain for me in the tow. In Baku he would have been getting a tow, but now I'm not sure I really want to collaborate in qualifying anymore. From my side everything is as clear as the sky, absolutely clear.
"If he has some questions to me, he's more than free to come and talk to me, if he's brave enough. If he's not brave enough, he'll come and talk to you guys and send hidden messages to the media all the time."
Time for Franz Tost to roll up his sleeves and take charge of the situation. Every point counts and they quite literally cannot afford to have the team split in two by two young bulls determined to make an impact on the F1 grid.
What would you do? Let the infighting carry on? Or nip it in the bud?
