Canadian Grand Prix

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Circuit Montreal.png
22px-Flag of the Canada.png Canadian Grand Prix
Grand Prix du Canada
Circuit Mosport Park 1961-1977
Mont-Tremblant 1968-1970
Circuit Île Notre-Dame 1978-1981
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (1982-)
Laps 70
Circuit length km 4.361
Circuit length mi 2.709
Race length km 305.270
Race length mi 189.694
First held 1961
Last held 2008
Most wins driver 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher (7)
Most wins constructor 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Ferrari (13)
Current year 2008
Pole driver 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Lewis Hamilton
Pole team McLaren-Mercedes
Pole time 1:17.886
Winner 22px-Flag of Poland.png Robert Kubica
Winning team BMW Sauber
Winning time 1h 36m 24.447s (189.987 km/h)
Second 22px-Flag of Germany.png Nick Heidfeld
Second team BMW Sauber
Second time +16.495s
Third 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png David Coulthard
Third team Red Bull-Renault
Third time +23.352s
Fastest lap driver 22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen
Fastest lap team Ferrari
Fastest lap 1:17.387


The Canadian Grand Prix (known in French as the Grand Prix du Canada) is an auto race held in Canada since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario as a sports car event before it alternated between Mosport and Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec after Formula One took over the event. After 1971 safety concerns led to the Grand Prix moving permanently to Mosport. In 1978 the Canadian Grand Prix moved to its current home on Île Notre-Dame in Montreal.

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.

History

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, the event would be won by drivers with either prior Formula One experience, or would enter the championship after winning the Canadian Grand Prix. In 1966 the Canadian-American Challenge Cup ran the event, with American Mark Donohue winning. Formula One took over the following year, although the CSCC and Can-Am series continued to compete at Mosport in their own events.

The first winner in Montreal was Quebec native Gilles Villeneuve who died in 1982 on the final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix. A few weeks after his death, the race course in Montreal was named Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after him. Gilles Villeneuve was one of the first inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, and the only Canadian winner at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, in the shadow of the death of Villeneuve a month earlier, saw another accident when Villeneuve's teammate Didier Pironi stalled on the grid. Raul Boesel struck the stationary vehicle, and Riccardo Paletti then struck the rear of Pironi's Ferrari. Pironi and F1 doctor Sid Watkins came to Paletti's aid to try to extract him from his car, which briefly caught fire. After a half hour, Paletti was extracted and flown to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

In 1987, the race was not held due to sponsorship dispute between two local breweries, Labatt and Molson. During the break the track was modified, and starting line moved to its current position.

Ferrari's Jean Alesi won the 1995 edition, which occurred on his 31st birthday and which would be the only win of his career. Alesi had inherited the lead when Michael Schumacher pitted with electrical problems and Damon Hill's hydraulics failed. the victory was a popular one for Alesi, particularly after several unrewarded drives the year before, namely in Italy. Alesi's win at Montreal was voted the most popular race victory of the season by many, as it was the number 27 Ferrari - once belonging to the famous Gilles Villeneuve at his much loved home Grand Prix. Schumacher gave Alesi a lift back to the pits after Alesi's car ran out of fuel just before the Pits Hairpin.

The 1997 Canadian Grand Prix was stopped early due to a crash involving Olivier Panis. He was sidelined for nine races and some see it as a turning point in the career of the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner.

In 1999, the final corner of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 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". 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, GP2 Champion Nico Rosberg and CART Champion Juan Pablo Montoya have also fallen victim to the wall.

In 2001, there was the first sibling 1-2 finish in the history of Formula 1, as Ralf and Michael Schumacher topped the podium. The Schumacher brothers would finish 1-2 in the 2003 edition as well. 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.

The 2007 race was the site of rookie Lewis Hamilton's first win. On lap 67, Takuma Sato overtook the McLaren-Mercedes's Fernando Alonso, to cheers around the circuit, just after overtaking Ralf Schumacher and having overtaken Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen earlier in the race.[1][2] The race saw Sato move from the middle of the grid to the back of the pack and to a high of fifth before a pit-stop error caused him to move back to eleventh. Sato he fought 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.

In the weeks leading up the Grand Prix, city officials trap as many groundhogs as they can in and around the race course, and transport the animals to nearby Ile Ste-Helene.[3] Nonetheless, in 2007, a groundhog disrupted the practice session of Ralf Schumacher. On race day itself, Anthony Davidson had been running in third until he struck a groundhog, initially thought to be a beaver, which forced him to pit and repair the damage to his front wing. In 2008, a groundhog crossed the track at the hairpin in the 2nd practice session but luckily did not disrupt the session.

Sponsors

  • Pepsi Cola Canadian Grand Prix 1961-1966
  • Player's Canadian Grand Prix 1967-1971
  • Labatt's Canadian Grand Prix 1972-1977
  • Grand Prix Labatt du Canada 1980-1986
  • Grand Prix Molson du Canada 1988-1996
  • Grand Prix Player's du Canada 1997-1998
  • Grand Prix Air Canada 1999-2005
  • RBS Grand Prix Du Canada 2006-

Because of tobacco legislation which prohibited further such sponsorship, new venues, and a maximum of 17 races on the schedule, the Canadian Grand Prix was initially removed from the 2004 F1 schedule. However, Canadian officials were able to raise enough money to keep a Grand Prix race, with the FIA allowing expansion to an 18 race schedule.[4][5]

Winners of the Canadian Grands Prix

Repeat Winners

Only includes World Championship events

Number of wins Driver Years
7 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
3 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Nelson Piquet 1982, 1984, 1991
2 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx 1969, 1970
22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Jackie Stewart 1971, 1972
22px-Flag of Australia.png Alan Jones 1979, 1980
22px-Flag of Brazil.png Ayrton Senna 1988, 1990

Year by year

Fans fill up the area every year.

A light gray background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Year Driver Constructor Location Report
2008 22px-Flag of Poland.png Robert Kubica BMW Sauber Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2007 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2006 22px-Flag of Spain.png Fernando Alonso Renault Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2005 22px-Flag of Finland.png Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2004 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2003 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2002 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2001 22px-Flag of Germany.png Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
2000 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1999 22px-Flag of Finland.png Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1998 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1997 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1996 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Damon Hill Williams-Renault Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1995 22px-Flag of France.png Jean Alesi Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1994 22px-Flag of Germany.png Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1993 22px-Flag of France.png Alain Prost Williams-Renault Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1992 22px-Flag of Austria.png Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1991 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Nelson Piquet Benetton-Ford Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1990 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1989 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Thierry Boutsen Williams-Renault Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1988 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1987 Not held
1986 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1985 3dflagsdotcom italy2bs.gif Michele Alboreto Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1984 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1983 22px-Flag of France.png René Arnoux Ferrari Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1982 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Nelson Piquet Brabham-BMW Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Report
1981 22px-Flag of France.png Jacques Laffite Ligier-Matra Circuit Île Notre-Dame Report
1980 22px-Flag of Australia.png Alan Jones Williams-Ford Circuit Île Notre-Dame Report
1979 22px-Flag of Australia.png Alan Jones Williams-Ford Circuit Île Notre-Dame Report
1978 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Gilles Villeneuve Ferrari Circuit Île Notre-Dame Report
1977 22px-Flag of South Africa.png Jody Scheckter Wolf-Ford Mosport Park Report
1976 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png James Hunt McLaren-Ford Mosport Park Report
1975 Not held
1974 22px-Flag of Brazil.png Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Ford Mosport Park Report
1973 22px-Flag of the United States.png Peter Revson McLaren-Ford Mosport Park Report
1972 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford Mosport Park Report
1971 22px-Flag of the United Kingdom.png Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford Mosport Park Report
1970 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx Ferrari Mont-Tremblant Report
1969 22px-Flag of Belgium (civil).png Jacky Ickx Brabham-Ford Mosport Park Report
1968 22px-Flag of New Zealand.png Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford Mont-Tremblant Report
1967 22px-Flag of Australia.png Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco Mosport Park Report
1966 22px-Flag of the United States.png Mark Donohue Lola-Chevrolet Mosport Park Report
1965 22px-Flag of the United States.png Jim Hall Chaparral-Chevrolet Mosport Park Report
1964 22px-Flag of Mexico.png Pedro Rodríguez Ferrari Mosport Park Report
1963 22px-Flag of Mexico.png Pedro Rodríguez Ferrari Mosport Park Report
1962 22px-Flag of the United States.png Masten Gregory Lotus-Climax Mosport Park Report
1961 22px-Flag of the Canada.png Peter Ryan Lotus-Climax Mosport Park Report



External links


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