The Canadian Grand Prix
(known in French as the Grand Prix du Canada
), abbreviated as gpc
, is an annual auto race held in Canada starting in 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]
On October 7, 2008, it was announced by the FIA that the Grand Prix would be dropped from the Formula One calendar for 2009, having been previously included in the Provisional Calendar. [3]. However, it is scheduled to return back for the 2010 calendar.
|
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX TICKETS
|
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.
thumb
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.
[4] 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 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. The race also saw a horrific incident involving
Robert Kubica (who went on to win the race
the following season).
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.
[5] 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.
Recent developments
On October 7, 2008, the Canadian Grand Prix was dropped from the
2009 Formula One calendar, which left the Montreal race off the list for the first time since
1987.
[6] In the provisional 2009 schedule released in June 2008, the Canadian Grand Prix was to have been held on June 7, a date taken by the 2009
Turkish Grand Prix in the revised schedule.
[7]
Since the US Grand Prix was last held in 2007, this means that no Formula One race will be held in North America for the first time since 1958.
[8] (The American
Indianapolis 500 formed part of the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 to 1960, but was not run to Formula One regulations and only very rarely entered by regular championship competitors.)
During the Australian Grand Prix, reports surfaced that the Canadian Grand Prix could return during the 2009 season in the event that the race circuit in Abu Dhabi is not ready in time.
[9] On April 26, 2009,
Speed reported
Bernie Ecclestone as saying the FIA was negotiating a return of the Canadian Grand Prix for the 2010 season, provided upgrades to the circuit are completed.
On August 29, 2009, the BBC reported the provisional schedule for the
2010 season, which had both the Canadian and British Grand Prix marked down as "provisional". The Canadian GP was scheduled for June 6.
[10]
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 1999-2003
- Grand Prix du Canada 2004
- Grand Prix RBS du Canada 2005-2008
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.
[11] [12]
Winners of the Canadian Grand Prix
Repeat winners
Only includes World Championship events
| Number of wins
| Driver
| Years
|
| 7
| Michael Schumacher
| 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
|
| 3
| Nelson Piquet
| 1982, 1984, 1991
|
| 2
| Jacky Ickx
| 1969, 1970
|
| Jackie Stewart
| 1971, 1972
|
| Alan Jones
| 1979, 1980
|
| Ayrton Senna
| 1988, 1990
|
Year by year
thumb,
M. Schumacher and
E. Irvine on the podium of the
1998 Canadian Grand Prix
thumb
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
| Year
| Driver
| Constructor
| Location
| Report
|
| 2008
| Robert Kubica
| BMW Sauber
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2007
| Lewis Hamilton
| McLaren-Mercedes
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2006
| Fernando Alonso
| Renault
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2005
| Kimi Räikkönen
| McLaren-Mercedes
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2004
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2003
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2002
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2001
| Ralf Schumacher
| Williams-BMW
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 2000
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1999
| Mika Häkkinen
| McLaren-Mercedes
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1998
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1997
| Michael Schumacher
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1996
| Damon Hill
| Williams-Renault
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1995
| Jean Alesi
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1994
| Michael Schumacher
| Benetton-Ford
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1993
| Alain Prost
| Williams-Renault
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1992
| Gerhard Berger
| McLaren-Honda
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1991
| Nelson Piquet
| Benetton-Ford
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1990
| Ayrton Senna
| McLaren-Honda
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1989
| Thierry Boutsen
| Williams-Renault
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1988
| Ayrton Senna
| McLaren-Honda
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1987
| Not held
|
| 1986
| Nigel Mansell
| Williams-Honda
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1985
| Michele Alboreto
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1984
| Nelson Piquet
| Brabham-BMW
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1983
| René Arnoux
| Ferrari
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1982
| Nelson Piquet
| Brabham-BMW
| Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
| Report
|
| 1981
| Jacques Laffite
| Ligier-Matra
| Circuit Île Notre-Dame
| Report
|
| 1980
| Alan Jones
| Williams-Ford
| Circuit Île Notre-Dame
| Report
|
| 1979
| Alan Jones
| Williams-Ford
| Circuit Île Notre-Dame
| Report
|
| 1978
| Gilles Villeneuve
| Ferrari
| Circuit Île Notre-Dame
| Report
|
| 1977
| Jody Scheckter
| Wolf-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1976
| James Hunt
| McLaren-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1975
| Not held
|
| 1974
| Emerson Fittipaldi
| McLaren-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1973
| Peter Revson
| McLaren-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1972
| Jackie Stewart
| Tyrrell-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1971
| Jackie Stewart
| Tyrrell-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1970
| Jacky Ickx
| Ferrari
| Mont-Tremblant
| Report
|
| 1969
| Jacky Ickx
| Brabham-Ford
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1968
| Denny Hulme
| McLaren-Ford
| Mont-Tremblant
| Report
|
| 1967
| Jack Brabham
| Brabham-Repco
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1966
| Mark Donohue
| Lola-Chevrolet
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1965
| Jim Hall
| Chaparral-Chevrolet
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1964
| Pedro Rodríguez
| Ferrari
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1963
| Pedro Rodríguez
| Ferrari
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1962
| Masten Gregory
| Lotus-Climax
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
| 1961
| Peter Ryan
| Lotus-Climax
| Mosport Park
| Report
|
References
- Canadian Grand Prix
- Most watched TV sporting events of 2005 - A special report from Initiative
- FIA issue revised 2009 calendar
- BBC Sports, "Hamilton wins Canadian GP", Sunday, 10 June 2007
- Vancouver Sun, "'Beaver' gets all the blame", June 12, 2007
- Canada missing from Formula 1 calendar in 2009
- Daily Mail, Canadian Grand Prix axed as Abu Dhabi gears up to take its place, ''Sportsmail Reporter'', 3:03 PM on 07th October 2008 (accessed 10-October-2008)
- PitPass.com Canada GP organizers surprised by FIA decision 08/10/2008
- Canadian Press, "Montreal's mayor responds to reports about F1 race returning", 29 March 2009
- {{fr}} RDS, La F1 à Montréal le 6 juin (accessed 30 August 2009)
- CBC, "Canadian Grand Prix off 2004 schedule", Thursday, August 7, 2003
- The Guardian, "Last-ditch push to save Canadian grand prix", Friday 22 August 2003