Lewis and Seb on the podium here in 2019. Anywhere we are in Canada for the 51st for a Championship GP....We have had 40 here at Montreal with prior races held at Mosport Park (8) and Mont-Tremblant (2). But more about the history later.....
Last week of course we saw the wheels fall off the Ferrari challenge, again. Would Leclerc have won had fate not intervened? Of course we will never know for fact, but there are many that believe the Ferrari could have held on....Ferrari and last weeks hard tyre seemed to work quite well.
Anyway, the comeback we thought we might see to put some interest back into the WDC went up in a big puff of smoke, with the result that now Max has a widened lead in the WDC and now his closest challenger hails not from Monaco but Mexico. With a double DNF Ferrari did not trouble the scorekeepers on the Constructors championship either, with the Red Bull lead there now out to 80 points.... perhaps of more concern is that their buffer back to Mercedes is now just 38 points.
Ferrari's car is on paper a contender at Montreal, its strength is putting its power down, an essential attribute to do well at the track.
However their reliability record leaves one with little confidence, particularly engine wise. Le clerc must be on his third engine now so further PU requirements will be attracting penalties. It doesnt bode well for Charles in Championship terms, and Carlos doent quite seem to be as one with the car. One thing for sure is Ferrari need to fight back this weekend and it isnt out of the question reliability aside. They were in a position to win the last three races, but for reliability and Ferrari's pitwall. We know Ferrari dont do well under pressure, but the pressure is on them to perform and finish this weekend to maintain any hope. Charles needs to go home with more than another Pole Position. Poles dont get any points.
Ferrari are worried..... three days after the Baku disaster the team still doesn’t know what caused Leclerc’s smoky retirement — and it has only a temporary fix for Carlos Sainz’s car.
Red Bull of course seem to be on a roll. They seem to have a decent power unit, they suffer least of all from Porpoising, and they seem to be doing everything right. Had they not had their fuel issues at Bahrain and Australia, it would be all over by now. Their biggest problem is that their #2 wants to be #1 and is within a race of heading the WDC.
Moving on to Mercedes, how will their car handle the quirks of the Montreal track? Will their drivers be complaining of numb nuts and backache this week? Will the track be one that porpoises or will it be like Spain where porpoising as rare? Its a street track so by nature its bumpy. Bumpy doesnt seem to be Mercs strength this year. Its also low downforce though, with Montreal the lowest downforce until they get to Monza so its high speed, High Speed and bumpy.... Merc will be hoping they have found something since Baku. To throw a new spanner into the works here though is that it is the hardest circuit we visit in terms of brakes.
Yes they came 3rd and 4th last week..... but they were a minute behind the Red Bulls. Merc wont be winning this weekend unless an almighty incident takes out the leaders. Lewis wont be taking his 8th win here.
Alpine ran last weekend with a low downforce set up, looking at the straights of Baku rather than the twisty bits. It worked well there with very few matching their straighline progress even with DRS. So they are confident of their Baku showing carrying over. A double points finish was their reward. They seem to have confidence and low downforce is the way to go at Montreal. Dont be surprised to see them feature. Ocon has only raced here twice, for Force India, and finished well in the points both times. He wasnt here last time (2019) having his year off when he was a Mercedes Iunior driver being screwed.
Same too for McLaren. And Danny led Lando home last week. A good sign? Who knows. We thought a corner had been turned at Monza last year.. Danny has form in Canada, winning his first GP for Red Bull back in 2014. Lando doesnt have much form here.... just the one race in his rookie year. He qualified 8th, one place ahead of team mate Sainz, but unfortunately had a brake and suspension failure early. in the piece and retired. It later emerged that the McLaren's brakes had overheated and set on fire, burning through the suspension.
Aston Martin, or at least one of them, seems to be fighting his way to the front. Seb has a good record here.... 5 pole positions, a couple of wins, and half a dozen podiums. And for @Star, only Lewis has scored more points than Seb in Montreal (185 > 166).A good finish last week will give him confidence (could have been better had he not started showing off in the run off
He is not going to add to his wins, but he mights get closer to Lewis in Canadian points. Stroll of course will be the local favourite, or one of them... he has two 9ths and a crash DNF on his CV for Montreal. Alpha Tauri di ok at Baku and Gasly in particular will want to continue his form..... he is we know not happy being at Alpha Tauri..... last time he raced here was for Red Bull, and he outqualified Max and finished in the points. Not happy to be still in the #2 team, especially so now Sergio has been signed until end 2024 he wants to be showing other teams he is a force to be reckoned with, and one day Yuki T is going to prove his talent.
As for Alfa with an F, they seem to have lost their way a bit in the last couple of races although to be fair they suffered in qualy. Bottas was on the verge of points last weekend but dont forget 2 DNFs in front of him helped his way.
Haas also seem to have lost their way, althouggh KMag when the car lasts, seems to be sniffing the points.
Williams..... Will this be Latifi's swansong. Will he be out by the time Silverstone comes round as some have said?
No I think he is in for the season. Unless Daddy has bounced the cheque. If that has happened all bets are off.
Whatever the Latifi home GP is not going to be the breaker of bad news for them. Other than what might befall
Knickerless in the race!
Note.... we have 3 world Champions in the field, yet none have joined in the fun at the Wall of Champions. You dont really need to be a World Champion to join in the fun and join the club, but if you are not and you do you are in good company.
ABOUT MONTREAL
Built on a man-made island in the St Lawrence river, the circuit is named after the legendary Ferrari ace who made history by becoming the first Canadian to win a world championship grand prix at his home track in 1978, and thrilled spectators the world over with his ability, but moreso attitude, throughout a tragically brief career.
There is no longer a Villeneuve in F1 for the Canadians to cheer, but they are still likely to see an enthralling race, for the tight confines and dusty surface of the little-used temporary track tend to encourage incident. Plus of course they have two home grown talents in Stroll and Latifi competing for the Best Billionaire Boy award
Famous moments include Nigel Mansell (allegedly) throwing away victory in 1991 by stalling while waving to the crowd on the final lap, then crashing while trying to pass Ayrton Senna a year later.
Alex Wurz provided the fireworks in 1998 when he rolled spectacularly at the first corner – then hopped into the spare car for the restart and came from last to fourth!
The barrier at Montreal’s tricky final chicane is now known as the ‘Champions’ Wall’ on account of its habit of catching out the big names.
In 1999 former title winners Michael Schumacher, Villeneuve and Damon Hill all clattered into the unforgiving wall during the race.
Recent years saw further drama – in 2007 Robert Kubica escaped the most ferocious crash in years, and Lewis Hamilton emerged from the chaos to secure his first ever grand prix win.
But the roles were reversed a year later, as Kubica took BMW's first and only F1 victory as an entrant and Hamilton had an embarrassing pit lane crash.
Video highlights of the 2019 race. (Click watch on youtube button)
I like Montreal though.....
Montreal is a lively multi-cultural city, easy to get around, great for sightseeing on foot and with a well-earned reputation for the standard of its restaurants. Montreal has long been a favourite destinations of F1 teams and spectators . In the evenings Montreal's French Quarter is packed with Grand Prix race fans enjoying Montreal's party atmosphere.
The fans flood to Montreal because not only is the event at the track so spectacular, but the city itself is an awesome place to be.
Downtown in Canada’s second-largest city is just across the Saint Lawrence River in which the Ile Notre-Dame sits, and it’s an eclectic venue.
THE TRACK.
Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with the wall-lined track on the island of Ile
Notre-Dame is traditionally a venue that produces unpredictable racing. It’s a bit
of a one-off, which is great for Formula 1 – and I think this year’s race has all
the ingredients for a classic.
The Montreal circuit has a habit of throwing up surprising results and
unconventional races. Its semi-permanent nature and the proximity of walls to
the circuit punish even slight errors – as many of the higher profile drivers
have discovered to their cost . From that point of view this could be the
one venue and race that we might possibly see a new team get a couple of lucky
breaks and wind up in the points.
Most teams and certainly fans are happy to be at the Canadian Grand Prix and
it was great to see it return last year after a break.
The track itself is on an island on the St Lawrence River in Montreal, fairly close to
downtown, and from all accounts it shares a reputation with the Australian GP as
being a good party weekend, with the locals all getting fully behind the event..
This year’s Grand Prix season is turning into one of the most exciting yet as the
drivers and teams head for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on this
weekend .
Hitting wildlife is an unfortunate but regular occurrence at this circuit with
seagulls and groundhogs the main victims. Anthony Davidson was unfortunate to
hit a groundhog I think it was in 2008 whilst in a podium position! Nannini hit one
whilst leading the race many years ago, and had to pit to have the remains cleaned
from the sidepod of hisBenetton.
Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
First Grand Prix
1978
Lap Record
1:13.078 Valtteri Bottas (2019)
* Number of laps 70
* Circuit Length 4.361 km/2.71 miles
* Race Length 305.27 km/189.7 miles
* Number of Corners: 15
* Full throttle: 60%
* Average speed of 215km/h (225kph qualy)
* Top speeds peaking at 320km/h on the start-finish straigh
* Slowest Corner: L’Epingle hairpin taken in second gear at just 105kph
* Gearchanges per race: 3,500
* Brake wear: High
* Downforce level: Low
* DRS Zones: Two
Located on the Ile Notre Dame, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a power track.
The 4.361km lap is driven at an average of 215km/h with top speeds peaking at
over 320km/h As such, engine power and durability will be deciding
variables this weekend.
Sufficient torque to power the car out of the corners will also be key as the
high speed straights are met by a combination of slow and medium speed
corners, the slowest of which being L’Epingle hairpin taken in second gear at
just 65mph. Low downforce settings for the straights must therefore be
complemented by medium grip levels and a well balanced set-up for good
cornering capability to achieve a quick lap time.
The stop-start nature of the circuit also places considerable demands on the
gearbox as up to 3,500 changes can be made during the 70-lap race. Combined
with Montréal’s imposing kerbs and the unforgiving run-off areas, the Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve invariably claims a number of casualties.
It is also a circuit notorious for its high fuel consumption..... after the antics and
fuel starvation modes we saw drivers having to resort to in Turkey a dry race
will surely see the same again.
The track surface is always a problem, and prone to breaking up, making it very
treacherous offline because of all the marbles and crumbled track. Dont be
surprised to see marshalls doing track maintenance in safety car periods.
Dont be surprised either to see Brundles Pikey mates in to do a bit of work on the track
In 2005, the Canadian Grand Prix was the most watched Formula One GP in the
world. The race was also the third most watched sporting event on the planet,
behind the first place Super Bowl XXXIX and the UEFA Champions League Final.
The return of the Canadian Grand Prix from its Covid break has restored one
of the sport’s best loved races to the Formula One calendar, but it also brings
back one of the most technically demanding power circuits.
The composition of long straights and slow corners demands an efficient low
downforce car set-up with excellent stability under braking, coupled with good
traction sustained through the corner and good engine torque when exiting.
The lap is very stop-start and thus one of the toughest circuits on brakes and
engines, requiring engineers to pay close attention to brake wear and engine
telemetry throughout the 70 laps.
The minimal downforce nature of the circuit requires teams to optimise engine
performance and reduce drag where possible to accelerate quickly out of the
slow corners or chicanes, power down the straight and remain stable under
braking to negotiate the next sequence of the lap.
• Montreal is all about brakes. With long, long straights into hard-braking
corners, the circuit stresses brakes massively. Failures, and thus crashes, are
common here.
- Traction and how the car uses the tyres at corner exit will be the key to the
life of the rear tyres.
• The circuit also has quite low grip levels as it is a temporary facility. Wind
from the river can also play havoc with set-up and gear ratios.
• The surface here is relatively smooth but because of the high speeds and
heavy braking it’s still a severe test of tyre durability.
• The long straights and high speeds can stress engines too.
AERO[/b]
In terms of aero, Montreal will see the cars running with the lowest levels of
downforce so far this year. Only at Monza will cars run less downforce. Teams
will therefore bring different wings that haven’t been used before to ensure
good straight-line speed. That will give the car quite a different feel and the
drivers will need to adjust to this.
Low downforce settings for the straights must therefore be complemented by
medium grip levels and a well balanced set-up for good cornering capability to
achieve a quick lap time.
BRAKES
Montreal is by far the toughest circuit on the calendar for the brakes with 16
percent of the lap spent on the brakes, which compares to 12 percent at Monza.
There are four big stops where the drivers are braking from over 300 km/h plus
down to around 120 km/h, which puts enormous energy levels through the
braking system. And because it’s such a short lap, it is little respite between
those five big stops for 70 laps during the race.
With a total of 15 corners around the lap, temperatures can reach up to 1,000°C
during the race, so the teams bring bespoke brakes and pads to Montréal which
can withstand the high wear levels and temperatures.
Brake performance is heavily linked to the aerodynamics (because the smaller the
cooling ducts, the better the aero efficiency of the car) and so theyalways try and
run the brakes very hot as this means you get more performance out of the rest
of the car.
Most teams now run the brakes in their factories on special dynos in order to tune
the cooling levels required, to see how much margin we have and how extreme they
can afford to be.”
HISTORY
Wins Driver Years won
7 Michael Schumacher 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
6 Lewis Hamilton 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
3 Nelson Piquet 1982, 1984, 1991
2 Pedro Rodríguez 1963, 1964
Jacky Ickx 1969, 1970
Jackie Stewart 1971, 1972
Alan Jones 1979, 1980
Ayrton Senna 1988, 1990
Sebastian Vettel 2013, 2018
Current drivers who have won in Montreal:
Hamilton
Vettel
Riciardo
Teams who have won more than once in Montreal:
Wins Constructor Years won
14 Ferrari 1963, 1964, 1970, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2018
13 McLaren 1968, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012
7 Williams 1979, 1980, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2001
4 Brabham 1967, 1969, 1982, 1984
3 Mercedes 2015, 2016, 2017,2019
2 Lotus 1961, 1962
Tyrrell 1971, 1972
Benetton 1991, 1994
Red Bull 2013, 2014
Prior to F1, The Canadian Grand Prix was first staged at Mosport Park in
Bowmanville, Ontario as a sports car event ......
The early Canadian Grand Prix ...
was one of the premier events of the new Canadian Sports Car Championship, a
series which had been created alongside the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in
1961. Several international sports car as well as Formula One drivers
participated in the event. For the first five years, pre its F1 status, the event
was won by drivers with either prior Formula One experience, or would enter
the championship after winning the Canadian Grand Prix. In 1966 the
Can(adian)-Am(erican) Challenge Cup ran the event, with American Mark
Donohue winning.
In 1967 the F1 fraternity took over the Canadian GP..... and it has been part of
the Formula 1 World Championship since 1967 with a couple of minor
interruptions, most recently 2020 and 21 with Covid...
Before the days of the Montreal track, back in the late 1960s, the rivalry
between French and English speaking Canada meant that the country's Grand
Prix had two homes: Mosport Park one year and Mont-Tremblant the next.
Gurney-Eagle-Weslake Mosport 1967
The first Canadian F1 GP, at Mosport in 1967 saw Jack Brabham the winner,
steering one of his own team cars to victory. Mont Tremblant, in Quebec,
hosted its first race in 1968. Denny Hulme took victory in his McLaren, but the
fact that only seven cars finished the race highlighted the unsuitable nature of
the punishing track surface. The venue staged just one more GP in 1970, won by
Jacky Ickx. (pic below)
Mont-Tremblant was deemed too dangerous and the race moved full time to
Mosport Park.
There have been an additional 10 Canadian F1 GP's prior to Montreal, 8 at Mosport Park and 2 at Mont-Tremblant.
The Canadian Grand Prix then continued at Mosport Park until 1977, the only
break being due to financial problems in 1975. Among the names to win at the
track were Jackie Stewart (twice), Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt and Jody
Scheckter becoming the final Mosport winner.
Sorry I have had my account frozen by p-bucket so the thumbnails wont expand.
Mosport's most famous race was undoubtedly the 1973 event, which saw a pace
car on track for the first time during a Grand Prix. It followed a collision
between the Tyrrell of Francois Cevert and Scheckter in treacherous, wet
conditions. Scheckter's team mate Peter Revson then came from almost a lap
behind to take victory. Mosport frankly had become too dangerous, and F1 had
outgrown it.
Hill, Mosport 1973
Our own Larry Perkins, Brabham 1976 Mosport Park.
In 1977 the French Canadians, motivated by the incredible success of Gilles
Villeneuve, decided it was about time they built a race track. Building a new
circuit simply wasn't feasible, however, as time and money were against them.
Their solution was simple and effective. Taking the Ile Notre-Dame, they
connected all the island's roads and made a circuit. The island had been the
home of the 1967 World Fair (Expo'67) and was full of futuristic looking
buildings. It was, everyone agreed, a perfect venue for a Grand Prix. $2m
was spent on upgrading the circuit to Formula One standards, connecting all
the island's roads to make a track that could satisfy Formula One racing’s
exacting standards.
They succeeded. With a mixture of long straights and tight chicanes, it quickly
became one of the most popular tracks on the calendar - a claim it can still
make today. Although a stone’s throw from the bustle of downtown Montreal,
the circuit’s location on the man-made island in the St Lawrence seaway is
relatively tranquil, with slippery conditions on the opening day (due to the
track’s infrequent use) and rogue groundhogs among the regular hazards
for drivers. The first race was held there in October 1978.
So, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of Formula One’s longest serving race
tracks, having hosted its first Grand Prix in 1978. The 2022 event will be the
41st time Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has welcomed Formula One.
Gilles Villeneuve, in his first season with Ferrari, was yet to win an F1
race, but at his home Grand Prix he took a memorable debut victory.
The season had been dominated by Team Lotus with the ground-effect Lotus 79
and Mario Andretti had been crowned World Champion at Monza, although, on
the same day, his team mate Ronnie Peterson had been involved in a huge crash
and died the following day.
The F1 teams had gone to Watkins Glen where Carlos Reutemann won for Ferrari
and expectations were high that perhaps the local hero might even win his home
race. There were 73,000 people there to cheer him on. The race was dominated by
Peterson's replacement at Lotus, Jean-Pierre Jarier, who led 49 of the 70 laps but
then the Lotus failed him and Villeneuve went through to win amid scenes of mass
rejoicing.
Gilles Villeneuve, Canadian GP Winner 1978
Villeneuve almost won again in 1979, but after a close tussle, Alan Jones won the
race for Williams, but the racing was overshadowed by Niki Lauda's decision to
retire from the sport. The 1980 race witnessed another victory for Jones and this
time he took the World Championship despite a collision with Nelson Piquet, his
championship rival at the start of the race. The accident triggered a multiple crash
which caused the race to be red-flagged. One of the victims was Mike Thackwell -
who became the youngest ever GP starter that day - but covered only a few
hundred meters.
He avoided the crash but both his Tyrrell team mates were involved and there
was no spare car for the restart. Later in the race Renault's Jean-Pierre
Jabouille suffered serious leg injuries when his car suffered a suspension
failure and crashed heavily.
The autumn date meant that the weather could not always be guaranteed and in
1981 the race took place in torrential rain with Jacques Laffite winning for
Ligier thanks to Michelin wet tyres and the easy-to-handle Matra V12 engine.
Villeneuve as usual kept the crowds amused, it looked like Villeneuve would get
another chance to score the top step of the podium, but a collision between his
Ferrari and Arnoux's Renault meant he could only manage third in what was an
an uncompetitive Ferrari.
A great video clip, of Canada 1981 is
Actually there were two Villeneuves entered in the race....(neither called JV sorry @Star]
Siegfried Stohr decided that he no longer wanted to be an F1 driver and a deal was struck for Riccardo Patrese to be
partnered at Arrows in Canada by Jacques Villeneuve Senior (Gilles older brother, and
JV's Uncle) He DNQ'd. (pic below)
Gilles brother Jacques Villeneuve (Snr) Canada 1981, Arrows,
Alan Jones announced that he was retiring from Formula 1 and there were rumors that
Mario Andretti would do the same.
For 1982 the race was scheduled for June but it was to be sad affair because a
month before the event Gilles Villeneuve died in a qualifying crash at Zolder. The
track was renamed in his honour prior to the GP being held. His Ferrari team
mate Didier Pironi put his car on pole position but stalled at the start and was
hit from behind by the Osella of Riccardo Paletti. The young Italian suffered
multiple injuries and died later in hospital.
The race was won by Piquet in a Brabham-BMW, the first win for the Munich
company's turbocharged engine.
The following year, 1983, the name Villeneuve returned to the Montreal entry list with
Gilles brother Jacques again attempting, and unfortunately failing,
to qualify in a Ram March. Rene Arnoux was more successful, winning for Ferrari.
BMW would win again in 1984 while Ferrari won with Rene Arnoux in 1983 and
with Michele Alboreto in 1985. The 1986 race provided a victory for Nigel Mansell's
Williams-Honda.
In 1987 the race fell victim to a dispute between the F1 authorities and the
local organizers which had clashing sponsorship deals with beer companies
Molson and Labatt. The dispute led to the removal of the Canadian Automobile
Sports Club as the national sporting authority of Canada but the race was back
on again in 1988, after the track had undergone considerable modifications,
including a partially redesigned circuit and new garages.
Ayrton Senna took the first of two Montreal victories in 1988.The Brazilian's
1990 triumph came at the expense of team mate Gerhard Berger, who jumped
the start and was handed a one-minute time penalty. Berger made amends with
victory in 1982.
The race continued to throw up the occasional surprise with Thierry Boutsen
winning in the wet in 1989, leading home team mate Riccardo Patrese for a
Williams one-two after a rain-swept race.
Boutsen, Patrese on the podium in 1989, with De Cesaris 3rd in the Dallara.
Nelson Piquet took an unexpected victory for Benetton in 1991 (his last ever GP
win)..... On course to a comfortable win, an over-exuberant Nigel Mansell
accidentally switched off his Williams’ engine while waving to the crowd on
the final lap and Benetton’s Nelson Piquet passed him to pick up the winner’s
trophy.
1993 saw Alain's Prost's only Canadian triumph, also at the wheel of a Williams.
The 1995 race was another surprise with Jean Alesi inheriting victory after
after Michael Schumacher suffered a gearbox problem that dropped him to
fourth in his Benetton. Alesi famously ran out of fuel on his victory lap but was
given a lift back to the pits by the defeated Schumacher. It was a double
celebration as it was also Alesi’s 31st birthday. Jean was driving the number 27
Ferrari, the same car number which carried Gilles Villeneuve into the hearts of
the Canadian Formula One fans. It was quite an emotional win.... Alesi's win at
Montreal was voted the most popular race victory of the season.
Schumi gives Alesi a lift back to pitlane
In 1996 there was much excitement as Gilles Villeneuve's son Jacques became a
Williams driver but he was beaten by his team mate Damon Hill that day. In 1997
and 1998 the race belonged to Michael Schumacher (although he was lucky to win
in '97 after the race was stopped because of a serious accident which
left Prost's Olivier Panis with serious leg injuries).
In 1999, however, it became well-known for crashes involving former World
Champions. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed
into the same wall which had the slogan Bienvenue au Québec (Welcome to
Quebec in English) on it. The wall became ironically known as the "Wall of
Champions". Ricardo Zonta also was involved in a crash with The wall. He was,
at the time, the reigning FIA GT sports car champion. In recent years,
Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg and Juan Pablo Montoya have
also fallen victim to the wall. So in 1999 Schumacher made a rare error and
crashed, leaving victory to go to his title rival Mika Hakkinen.
Schumacher made up for it by winning in 2000 and in 2001 there was the first
sibling 1–2 finish in the history of Formula 1, as Ralf and Michael Schumacher
topped the podium, Ralf on the top step. 2001 was also noted for Jean Alesi
achieving Prost's best finish of the season..... he celebrated his fifth place by
doing several donuts in his vehicle, and throwing his helmet into the crowd.
Michael won again in 2002, and in doing so notched Ferrari's 150th GP win.
The Schumacher brothers would finish 1–2 in the 2003 race as well with Michael also
winning in 2004. However, the outright lap record went to Rubens Barrichello,
behind the wheel of his Ferrari in 2004 at 1:13.622.
Kimi Raikkonen won for McLaren in 2005, Fernando Alonso winning for Renault in ’06
(also Michelin’s 100th Grand Prix victory)
The 2007 race was the site of rookie Lewis Hamilton's first win. On lap 67,
Takuma Sato, in his under funded Super Aguri, overtook the McLaren of
Fernando Alonso, to cheers around the circuit, just after overtaking Ralf
Schumacher and having overtaken Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen earlier in the race.
Super Aguri celebrate - Canada 2007
The race also saw a horrific incident involving Robert Kubica. The following year,
2008, Robert returned to somewhat fortunately win the race, after Heidfeld was
ordered to let Robert, on a different strategy to pass him. Of course that race
is more remembered by Lewis Hamilton ramming the back of Raikkonens Ferrari
in pitlane as Kimi and Robert were stopped at the pit exit red light awaiting the SC
to pass. All of the F1 championship contenders, save Massa, who could only manage
fifth, went out resulting in a most unusual top eight and Kubica’s first Formula 1
Grand prix race win.
BMW 1-2 2008
Jacques Villeneuve never won at the track, and Gilles remains the only Canadian driver
to have won ....... but some of the great drivers of the sport have
taken the spoils here. Michael Schumacher holds the record of having won
seven times in Canada.
Six drivers have won their first race at this track:
Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari, 1978);
Thierry Boutsen, (Williams-Renault, 1989);
JeanAlesi (Ferrari, 1995);
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes, 2007)
Robert Kubica (BMW, 2008).
Daniel Riciardo (RBR 2014
Winners
Year Driver Constructor Location
2020/2021 Not held - Covid.
2019. United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2018 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2016 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 Australia Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2011 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2010 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2009 Not held
2008 Poland Robert Kubica BMW Sauber Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
2007 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault
2005 Finland Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2002 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Germany Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW
2000 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1999 Finland Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes
1998 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
1997 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari Report
1996 United Kingdom Damon Hill Williams-Renault
1995 France Jean Alesi Ferrari
1994 Germany Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford
1993 France Alain Prost Williams-Renault
1992 Austria Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda
1991 Brazil Nelson Piquet Benetton-Ford
1990 Brazil Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda
1989 Belgium Thierry Boutsen Williams-Renault
1988 Brazil Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda
1987 Not held
1986 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
1985 Italy Michele Alboreto Ferrari
1984 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW
1983 France René Arnoux Ferrari
1982 Brazil Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW
1981 France Jacques Laffite Ligier-Matra Circuit Île Notre-Dame
1980 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford
1979 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford
1978 Canada Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari
1977 South Africa Jody Scheckter Wolf-Ford Mosport Park
1976 United Kingdom James Hunt McLaren-Ford
1975 Not held
1974 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Ford Mosport Park
1973 United States Peter Revson McLaren-Ford
1972 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford
1971 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford
1970 Belgium Jacky Ickx Ferrari Mont-Tremblant
1969 Belgium Jacky Ickx Brabham-Ford Mosport Park
1968 New Zealand Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford Mont-Tremblant
1967 Australia Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco Mosport Park
1966 United States Mark Donohue Lola-Chevrolet Mosport Park
1965 United States Jim Hall Chaparral-Chevrolet
1964 Mexico Pedro Rodríguez Ferrari
1963 Mexico Pedro Rodríguez Ferrari
1962 United States Masten Gregory Lotus-Climax
1961 Canada Peter Ryan Lotus-Climax
Wall of Champions
The final corner of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve became well known for crashes involving former World Champions. In 1999, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed into the same wall which had the slogan Bienvenue au Québec (Welcome to Quebec) on it. The wall became ironically known as "Wall of Champions". The wall also was involved in a crash with Ricardo Zonta, who was, at the time, the reigning FIA GT sports car champion. In recent years, Formula One 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg, CART Champion Juan Pablo Montoya, Formula Renault 3.5 Champion Carlos Sainz Jr. and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button have also fallen victim to the wall.[8] In 2011 Friday practice the wall claimed 4-time F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel.[9]
Before the wall was named it also claimed victims such as 1992 World Sportscar Champion and long-time F1 driver Derek Warwick who spectacularly crashed his Arrows-Megatron during qualifying for the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.
Memorable Montreal moments
1973: First use of a Safety Car in F1, which did not go as planned. Full story of that occasion follows next
1978: Local legend Gilles Villeneuve takes his maiden win in the inaugural grand prix at the circuit that would eventually be named after him.
1980: Title rivals Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet clash at the first start, and Jones gets the trophy when the engine in Piquet's spare car blows in the re-run race.
1981: Amid a downpour, Villeneuve somehow wrestles a Ferrari running without a nose section for half the race to third place.
1991: Nigel Mansell famously allows his car to stall while waving to the crowd to celebrate victory rather too soon. A delighted Piquet grabs the win for Benetton.
1992: Mansell's dominant run is ended when he crashes at the chicane, for which he blames Ayrton Senna. Gerhard Berger wins.
1995: In a race of huge attrition, Jean Alesi scores what would be his only grand prix win.
1997: New Canadian hero Jacques Villeneuve crashes out early, Michael Schumacher loses the lead to David Coulthard but regains it when the McLaren's clutch dies in a pit stop moments before Olivier Panis suffers a leg-breaking crash that causes a red flag.
1998: Schumacher wins despite a penalty for taking out Heinz-Harald Frentzen and a driving standards spat with Damon Hill. Villeneuve blows his chance with a wild move for the lead, and Alex Wurz comes from last to fourth in his spare car after rolling at the first start.
1999: As driver after driver hits the 'champions' wall' at the chicane, including leader Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen is handed a win.
2001: Ralf Schumacher beats Michael Schumacher in the first family one-two in F1 history.
2003: The brothers swap round as Michael holds off Ralf, Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso in a grandstand finish.
2007: Amid utter chaos, including Kubica's ferocious crash, Hamilton keeps his head and becomes a grand prix winner for the first time. Sato was driver of the day though with a series of stunning passes in the Super Aguri overtook the McLaren of Fernando Alonso, to cheers around the circuit, just after overtaking Ralf Schumacher.
Sato picked up 5 places in the field in the last 15 laps to finish sixth. Sato was
voted "Driver of the Day" on the ITV website over Lewis Hamilton's first win.
2008: Kubica puts 2007 behind him by leading a brilliant BMW Sauber one-two, in what would be the team's only win. Lewis Hamilton managed to put himself and Raikkonen out of the race when Lewis failed to stop at the pitlane exit and ran hard into the back of Raikkonen, stopped alongside Kubica awaiting the green light.
Certainly the most plotless thing I have ever seen in F1, a record possibly held by DC running into the pitwall in Adelaide.....
2010: Unusually high Bridgestone tyre wear leads to a barnstorming race full of overtaking among the leaders, ending up with Hamilton and Jenson Button in a McLaren one-two.
First Safety Car in F1......
I mentioned previously that the 1973 Canadian GP saw the first ever Safety Car
in F1......That first SC in F1 is a story in itself, and one that is hilarious and
worth telling here......
It was a somewhat farcical event..... far from the specialised car we have today
with all the 21st century trimmings and communications. The car was a Porsche
914 road car IIRC, with a couple of yellow flags strapped to the rear bumper.
Remember this was before the days of two way radio.....
When Jody Scheckter and Francois Cevert collided, the Porsche 914 was
ordered to pick up the leader, with FOCA representative Peter Macintosh in
the car. However, what had started as a wet race had become dry, and it was
around the same time that everyone dived into the pits for slick tyres. As the
cars came round the safety car pulled out looking for the leader, waving cars
past until the car they had been told to go in front of appeared. It never did.
Unknown to the SC driver the leaders mostly pitted for slicks, and the SC
unable to see clearly, had waved the new leaders past..... thus giving them
in effect a lap over the competition, as they came round and joined the rear of
the train of cars!.
Back then, in the days of lap charts by hand, this was a nightmare situation, and
in no time everyone's charts were a useless mess. The result was argued over
and although an official result was issued, a few team owners claimed they were
robbed!
I mentioned the 1981(very) wet race in the History part of the preview..... and posted the official FIA review video of the race. Sorry it is a repeat, but its well worth a watch.
It is a full normal start (as if today) No safety car starts back then. You will see in it that Villeneuve damaged his nose early in the race, but continued until it was becoming dangerous. He was AFAIK told to stop to have it removed by authorities, but Gilles had his own idea, bouncing the kerbs hard enough until it dislodged and came off thus meaning he did not have to stop. With no nose cone he still managed to come home in 3rd place. :cloud9:
I have actually posted this already by popular demand but here it is again anyway,
Edit: Just discovered the link didnt work so here is another
Canadian GP 1981
Whilst I am in Gilles Mode, here is another little tale of Gilles, as told by famed GP journo Nigel Roebuck....
Quoted without permission from Nigel Roebuck's Grand Prix Greats
During practice at Dijon in 1981, Gilles crashed at the Courbe de Pouas, an undulating, flat-in-fourth right hander, with no run-off worth mentioning. During the lunch break I found him dabbing a cut on his jaw:
"Bloody catch fencing pole cracked my helmet and broke the visor ..."
"You overdid it ?" I asked. "Just ran out of road ?"
"No, no," he grinned. "I ran out of lock !" "The car is really bad through there - an adventure every time. Go and have a look this afternoon and you'll see what I mean."
I did. I watched the Cosworth-engined Williams and Brabhams droning through on their rails, and waited.
At its clipping point, at the top of a rise, the Ferrari was already sideways, its driver winding on opposite lock. As it came past me, plunging downhill now, the tail stayed out of line, further and further, and still Gilles had his foot hard down. As he reached the bottom of the dip, I knew the position was hopeless, for now it was virtually broadside, full lock on, Villeneuve's head pointing up the road, out of the side of the cockpit.
Somehow, though, the Ferrari did not spin, finally snapping back into line as it grazed the catch fencing, then rocketing away up the hill. For more than a hundred yards, I swear it, the car was sideways at 130 mph.
"That's genius," said David Hobbs, watching with me. "Are you seriously telling me he's won two Grand Prix in that?"
WEATHER
I should have looked at this before I wrote a word. It is looking like a weekend of Wet, Inters, Safety Cars and interruptions. With a bit of dry thrown in.
Conditions appear uncertain ahead of the 2022 Canadian GP. A couple of showers are expected for Friday practice, while rain should also hit the track on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if it will indeed affect the qualifying session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
For Sunday, much lower temperatures are expected, which may also help Ferrari given the recent power unit overheating issues, while cloudy conditions are predicted, with rain expected to feature at different points:
Pick the bones out of that!
As an afterthought I ent to check the Motor Racing forecast for the circuit. That has it dry on raceday, but the hour by hour on Saturday shows rain all day.
https://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Racing ... spx?sday=2
No one can accuse you of not being thorough can they? 
Bless.
