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Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we’re wondering why nobody has thought to put Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel of a Zamboni before this week.
VB had a really ice time, thanks @canadiensmtl! pic.twitter.com/E5XaynEAWg
— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) June 6, 2024
The man was born for this role.
It’s Canadian Grand Prix week in Formula One. *assistant taps shoulder* I’m sorry, I meant it’s woodchuck week in Formula One. I’m Patrick, and a woodchuck expert will be along shortly. Let’s get to it.
Understanding the Canadian GP’s famous groundhogs
Long-time readers of Prime Tire will know the Canadian Grand Prix is my favorite race of the year for several reasons. I love the track, I love the unpredictable weather. I covered the NHL for several years, so the atmosphere feels familiar.
Another reason I love it is for the woodchucks that make the Parc Jean-Drapeau on the island around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve their home. Every year, woodchucks make an appearance around the track. (They already did on Thursday.) And every few years, they have run-ins with the cars.
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I’m fascinated by the intersection between an animal population and one of the world’s loudest sports. To learn more about this unique relationship, I spoke to Dr. Christine Maher, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Southern Maine and one of the few scientists to study groundhog behavior. (She’s also a big F1 fan.)
So, obvious question out of the way: Is it groundhog or woodchuck?
It’s either one. They both refer to the same animal. It depends on what part of the country you’re in and what common name you usually hear. I tend to prefer woodchucks. But either one is perfectly fine.
Why would a population like this stick around on an island with danger and lots of foot traffic?
So, as a species, they’re pretty adaptable. You know, you could see that just by the fact that they’re living in the middle of the city. But they’re also out in rural areas as well. They’re what we can think of as urban wildlife, you know, along with coyotes, rats, foxes, and things like that. They actually can do well around humans.
The other thing is, if you think about it, the danger they encounter is short-lived. And given how long these animals live (Ed. note: Three to five years in the wild) many of the animals aren’t going to know from one season to the next what’s going on.
Living on that island is probably a nice habitat for them. There are not a lot of predators, I suspect. They probably have a fair amount of food, especially if lawns are mowed. That will encourage the growth of younger, new plants, which are nice and nutritious for them.
And so, in that sense, they have a nice place to live … animals tend to stay there if they can because they know that area and it is a good place to live. And if they disperse, that’s where the danger comes out, like running across the track and all that kind of thing. That whole dispersal process is dangerous. And so if you can stay home, it’s better to do so in many cases.
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How hard is it to permanently relocate a species if its home has plenty of food and few natural predators?
That’s probably what the folks (at the park and track) are seeing problems with. I mean, it’s hard to catch them all. And sometimes that’s not easy to do if you’re going to try to relocate everybody. And, like I said, they disperse. And chances are, even in my population, people go, “Oh, this looks like a good place to move my problem woodchuck to because there are other woodchucks there.” So, people may sneak in and drop off animals. And so then it doesn’t take long before you still have another problem.
Then the other problem is that as long as the original habitat is still there, new animals can move in. So there are bridges and roads to the island. And they also can get across. You won’t solve that problem as long as the habitat is there. So, you have to figure out other ways to mitigate the threat. Which can be very challenging because these guys burrow, and it’s going to be hard to kind of woodchuck-proof the track because, yeah, unless you dig down those fences, they’re going to get onto the track. So it’s a challenge.
I spoke to the Parc Jean-Drapeau about their relocation efforts last year. What do you make of their methods?
That sounds all very standard. I’m sure they’re using these large live traps, like what I use to capture my study animals so I can mark them so I can recognize individuals, that kind of thing. Again, these guys are pretty hardy. Especially if they’re moving them within just a few hours after capture, that part, yes, they’re going to be stressed, just like any animal would be. However, I suspect they are taking steps to try to minimize that stress. And as long as they’re doing it (when) it’s not really hot out, or not really cold or not pouring down rain, then chances are the animals are going to survive that part.
Greeting the locals! 🇨🇦🦫 pic.twitter.com/fSo06TFvKU
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) June 6, 2024
So, the woodchucks that don’t get relocated—what kind of stress and experience are they going through that weekend as people suddenly arrive and all these loud machines race around?
The animal that crosses the track, you wonder, “What the heck were you doing?” Especially because these are animals that are active during the day. And that’s again when things are going to be the most noisy. Based on what I’ve seen, though, in my population, when things are a little crazy, like when we have weddings or school camps and things like that, animals just move to a different place where there are not quite as many people, or they just kind of hunker down in their burrows and wait until things quiet down.
The nice thing about this particular species is that they live underground in burrows, so they have a place where they can be out of the noise and the quiet. And it depends on how long this is going on. But again, they’re adaptable – some will say, “Whatever, I’m hungry,” and they’ll come out. Perhaps it doesn’t bother them as much as we might think it might bother them.
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It bothers me a little whenever I’m trackside. Those engines are deafening. So I’m surprised to hear you say that. But I guess animals are more adaptable than humans tend to give them credit for.
And they have a whole different perspective on what is going on. Like I said, to them, it’s just that maybe there are more people here than usual. Again, they’re living where they experience a lot of traffic in terms of just the density of people. And that’s just part of what they get used to after a while. And maybe the animals that don’t cope with that kind of stress as much will disperse and try to get off of the island. So the ones that are there are probably pretty habituated to the level of activity that’s there.
Woodchucks have become this race’s unofficial mascot, and some would argue that it adds to the race’s charm. Yet, we still deal with dead groundhogs every few years. So, I’m curious about that relationship and that perception of the animals around this weekend.
Well, people kind of have hate/love relationships with this particular species. And I’ve encountered that many times if they’re getting into somebody’s garden, (people) hate them and just want to get rid of them. But other people just find them fascinating – almost to a weird extreme. But I think any attention it can draw to animals and their behavior can be positive if people are willing to learn more about them.
F1’s 2026 regulations unveiled
Every few years, F1 introduces a new set of car design regulations. These regulations impact not only the racing but also the look of the cars on the grid. On Thursday, the FIA revealed the final set of car design rules for 2026. The watchword in the descriptions was “nimble.” You can read our full breakdown here, but here are some highlights with reactions from drivers.
- The 2026 cars will be 30kg (66 lbs) lighter. “Those little things are in the right direction because I love the 2016 car, which was certainly narrower and lighter,” Daniel Ricciardo said. “This isn’t going to be as extreme as that, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”
- No more DRS. Instead, drivers will get a Manual Override Mode, which will offer an energy boost when they want to overtake Drivers like the idea of more freedom to overtake. “If it’s more total power and a bit more freedom on the energy usage in terms of the race tactics, I think that’s positive,” Bottas said.
- Active aerodynamics. Drivers will be able to move the front and rear wings while driving – switching between ‘Z-Mode’ for cornering speed and ‘X-Mode’ for straight-line speed. That’s a lot for a driver to handle while driving! “I assume it’ll be much (more) difficult or much busier to manage electric (boost) or all that sort of stuff,” Yuki Tsunoda said. “A lot more things to learn about.”
Check out our story on the site for more reactions from media day.
Get to know the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
As usual, The Athletic’s Madeline Coleman and Drew Jordan delivered a thorough breakdown of this week’s F1 track, loaded with history and the features that make this circuit a driver favorite. Here’s a snippet:
The track is best characterized as a “semi-street circuit,” as Fernando Alonso said last year. With few run-off areas, drivers have to get close to the wall and nail riding the curbs to put together a competitive lap. And there are a few unknowns at this circuit, like the threat of rain and the groundhogs that pop up occasionally and run onto the track.
Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is also known for its iconic hairpin (look out for the overtaking opportunities!), the legendary “Wall of Champions,” and as the host for Lance Stroll’s home race. And just beyond the track limits, team members used to compete in the F1 Raft Race in the river.
Check out the full track breakdown here.
Canadian Grand Prix schedule
Friday
- FP1: 1:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. BST
- FP2: 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. BST
Saturday
- FP3: 12:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. BST
- Qualifying: 4 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. BST
Sunday
- Canadian Grand Prix: 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. BST
Outside the Points
Now that Sergio Pérez has re-signed with Red Bull, where does Carlos Sainz go from here? Not to one of F1’s top teams, writes Luke Smith this morning.
Finally, in the wake of Red Bull buying a stake in Leeds United, Nancy Froston has an interesting story this morning on why the company buys and runs so many sports teams—including, obviously, the most dominant outfit in F1.
Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images, ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images