Canadian Grand Prix

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This article is about the Formula One race. For other uses, see Canadian Grand Prix (disambiguation).
Canadian Grand Prix
Grand Prix du Canada
Mosport Park 1961-1977
Mont-Tremblant 1968-1970
Circuit Île Notre-Dame 1978-1981
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (1982-)
Race information
Laps 70
Circuit length 4.361 km (2.709 mi)
Race length 305.270 km (189.694 mi)
First held 1961
Last held 2008
Most wins (drivers) Flag of Germany Michael Schumacher (7)
Most wins (constructors) Flag of Italy Ferrari (13)
Last race (2008):
Pole position Flag of the United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton
McLaren-Mercedes
1:17.886
Podium 1. Flag of Poland Robert Kubica
BMW
1h 36m 24.447s (189.987 km/h)
2. Flag of Germany Nick Heidfeld
BMW
+16.495s
3. Flag of the United Kingdom David Coulthard
Red Bull-Renault
+23.352s
Fastest lap Flag of Finland Kimi Räikkönen
Ferrari
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.[1] 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. [2]

Contents

[edit] 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.[1] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] Winners of the Canadian Grands Prix

[edit] Repeat Winners

Only includes World Championship events

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

[edit] Year by year

G. Fisichella, M. Schumacher and E. Irvine on the podium of the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix
G. Fisichella, M. Schumacher and E. Irvine on the podium of the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix
Fans fill up the area every year.
Fans fill up the area every year.

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

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

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Canadian Grand Prix. Motor Racing Circuits Database. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  2. ^ Most watched TV sporting events of 2005 - A special report from Initiative

[edit] External links

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