Canadian Grand Prix - Montreal, 06/09/2013

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montreal

As of the year 1978 Formula One has been hosted on Montreal’s Gilles Villeneuve Circuit: 33 of a total of 43 editions of the Canadian Grand Prix – the first in the year 1967 on the Mosport circuit – were held on the artificial island of Notre Dame in the Saint Lawrence River. The track, named after the great Ferrarista, is a mix of a permanent and a city circuit: the walls are extremely close to the track, there are only a few run-off areas and the surface is rough. Hard braking is followed by extreme accelerations, where the cars can reach 300 km/h in four different sections on the 4,361 metre long track.
These characteristics ask for a compromise regarding the set up in terms of its downforce, because high speed is required as well as a sufficient level of stability during braking. Over the years the Canadian GP offered some exciting racing with overtaking, breathtaking moments due to driving errors and many Safety Cars on the track also due to the unpredictable weather.

Keep an eye on
The track’s fastest section is the third: after having reached 330 km/h hard braking leads into the chicane, taking the cars onto the home straight. The racing line forces the drivers to hit the kerbs at around 130 km/h. At the chicane’s exit to the right, there’s the infamous “Wall of the Champions”: over the years many World Champions, such as Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, ended their races here by touching this wall a little bit too hard.
Attention on the successive slow corners 1 and 2, where the cars arrive after they’ve hit 300 km/h. Especially on the first day it’s a head-to-head situation here between the cars.

Did you know that
The Scuderia Ferrari won 11 times here in Australia, while six of these victories were gained by one driver: Michael Schumacher. The German won the Canadian GP 7 times. The most exciting edition was in 1978, when the GP was hosted for the first time on this circuit and won by Quebec’s most popular son: Gilles Villeneuve, behind the wheel of a Ferrari with the number 27. Another Ferrari driver, who celebrated a victory here in Canada with a car no. 27 was Jean Alesi. It was the French driver’s only victory in his Formula 1 career and it was on his 31st birthday in 1995. The first victory gained by the Prancing Horse in Canada was in 1970, thanks to the Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. And thanks to the support of the huge Italian community of Montreal, the race, one of the most popular ones in Formula One, is almost a home race for the Scuderia.

See what happened last year ->

• Victories

  1. 1970 Ickx312 B
  2. 1978 Villeneuve312 T3
  3. 1983 Arnoux126 C2
  4. 1985 Alboreto156-85
  5. 1995 Alesi412 T2
  6. 1997 SchumacherF310 B
  7. 1998 SchumacherF300
  8. 2000 SchumacherF1-2000
  9. 2002 SchumacherF2002
  10. 2003 SchumacherF2003-GA
  11. 2004 SchumacherF2004

• Pole Positions

  1. 1982 Pironi126 C2
  2. 1983 Arnoux126 C2
  3. 1997 SchumacherF310 B
  4. 1999 SchumacherF399
  5. 2000 SchumacherF1-2000
  6. 2001 SchumacherF2001

• Race best laps

  1. 1970 Regazzoni126 C2
  2. 1974 Lauda312 B3-1974
  3. 1982 Pironi126 C2
  4. 1983 Tambay126 C2
  5. 1998 SchumacherF300
  6. 1999 IrvineF399
  7. 2004 SchumacherF2004
  8. 2008 RaikkonenF2008

• Podiums

  1. First place:11 times
  2. Second place:9 times
  3. Third place:11 times

• Hall of Honours

  1. 1967 J. BrabhamBRABHAM-REPCO
  2. 1968 D. HulmeMCLAREN-FORD
  3. 1969 J. IckxBRABHAM-REPCO
  4. 1970 J. IckxFERRARI
  5. 1971 J. StewartTYRREL-FORD
  6. 1972 J. StewartTYRREL-FORD
  7. 1973 P. RevsonMCLAREN-FORD
  8. 1974 E. FittipaldiMCLAREN-FORD
  9. 1976 J. HuntMCLAREN-FORD
  10. 1977 J. ScheckterWOLF-FORD
  11. 1978 G. VilleneuveFERRARI
  12. 1979 A. JonesWILLIAMS-FORD
  13. 1980 A. JonesWILLIAMS-FORD
  14. 1981 J. LaffiteLIGIER-MATRA
  15. 1982 N. PiquetBRABHAM-BMW
  16. 1983 R. ArnouxFERRARI
  17. 1984 N. PiquetBRABHAM-BMW
  18. 1985 M. AlboretoFERRARI
  19. 1986 N. MansellWILLIAMS-HONDA
  20. 1988 A. SennaMCLAREN-HONDA
  21. 1989 T. BoutsenWILLIAMS-RENAULT
  22. 1990 A. SennaMCLAREN-HONDA
  23. 1991 N. PiquetBENETTON-FORD
  24. 1992 G. BergerMCLAREN-HONDA
  25. 1993 A. ProstWILLIAMS-RENAULT
  26. 1994 M. SchumacherBENETTON-FORD
  27. 1995 J. AlesiFERRARI
  28. 1996 D. HillWILLIAMS-RENAULT
  29. 1997 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  30. 1998 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  31. 1999 M. HakkinenMCLAREN-MERCEDES
  32. 2000 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  33. 2001 R. SchumacherWILLIAMS-BMW
  34. 2002 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  35. 2003 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  36. 2004 M. SchumacherFERRARI
  37. 2005 K. RaikkonenMCLAREN-MERCEDES
  38. 2006 F. AlonsoRENAULT
  39. 2007 L. HamiltonMCLAREN-MERCEDES
  40. 2008 R. KubicaBMW SAUBER
  41. 2010 L. HamiltonMCLAREN-MERCEDES
  42. 2011 J. ButtonMCLAREN-MERCEDES
  43. 2012 L. HamiltonMCLAREN-MERCEDES

Updated at the end of season 2012

• Practice 1
• Practice 2
• Practice 3
• Qualifying
• Race