Heroes, walls and surprises: 7 highlights from the Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix returns to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend for another edition. Since 1978, this race has written some of Formula 1's most memorable pages. From improbable exploits to poignant dramas and unprecedented records, here are seven stories that have shaped its unique identity.
The Canadian Grand Prix returns to its Montreal setting. For nearly half a century, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has accumulated anthology pages, featuring memorable highlights and spectacular turnarounds. This unique urban track has equally crowned champions and shattered dreams. Before the 2025 season adds its share of emotions, let’s look back at seven significant episodes that have contributed to the legend of this Grand Prix.
1. 1978: The first victory of Gilles Villeneuve at home
October 8, 1978, will remain etched in the history of Canadian motorsport. For the first time, the Canadian Grand Prix is held on the new Île Notre-Dame circuit. Gilles Villeneuve, driving his Ferrari, starts from the third position. The race seems destined for Jean-Pierre Jarier, whose Lotus is clearly dominating. But fate decides otherwise, as an oil leak forces the Frenchman to retire.
Villeneuve inherits the lead and withstands the pressure. The final laps are a torment for the Québécois driver, who admitted after the race to having driven like an old lady, shifting at 10,000 RPM instead of the usual 11,500. “Come on, you’re driving a Ferrari, Ferrari is the best, a Ferrari never breaks down,” he kept telling himself. The crowd of 130,000 spectators erupts when the red Ferrari crosses the finish line. This victory, the first for a Canadian driver in Canada, transforms Villeneuve into a national hero.
2. 1991: Nigel Mansell’s Fatal Error
On June 14, 1991, Nigel Mansell made one of the most spectacular blunders in F1 history, resulting in one of the most unexpected finishes. The British driver was dominating the race at the wheel of his Williams and entered the final lap with a 57-second lead over Nelson Piquet. Victory seemed assured.
As he approached the hairpin, two kilometers from the finish, Mansell slowed down and waved to the crowd to prematurely celebrate his success. Fatal. The engine’s revs dropped too low, the alternator no longer produced enough energy to power the engine management system, and the Williams came to a sudden stop. Piquet, incredulous, passed his former teammate and seized an unexpected victory.
Mansell remains frozen in his car, just a few meters from the finish line. « It’s almost unbelievable. I downshifted from fifth to fourth like I had done the previous 68 laps, then it slipped into neutral and the engine cut out. », he would explain, bitter about losing the race in this manner.
3. 1995: The tears of joy of Jean Alesi
On June 11, 1995, Jean Alesi finally lived his dream. At 31, on his birthday, the French driver clinched his first and only Formula 1 victory. At the wheel of the Ferrari number 27, the one of Gilles Villeneuve, Alesi inherited the lead of the race when Michael Schumacher, who was leading, encountered a gearbox problem eleven laps from the finish. This issue forced Schumacher into a prolonged pit stop, dropping him down the standings and paving the way for Alesi’s victory.
The last kilometers are a torment. “At each braking, my tears would hit my visor,” Alesi confessed after the race. “For one lap, I felt a bit disoriented, but then I told myself: now you have to start driving again.” His Ferrari ran out of fuel on the cooldown lap right after the finish. Schumacher, who had finished the race in fifth position despite his own troubles, stopped in a show of sportsmanship and brought the winner back to the pits on his Benetton, amid the cheers of thousands of spectators who had crowded onto the track.
4. 1999: Birth of the “Wall of Champions”
The 14th corner of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve earned its reputation during the 1999 Grand Prix. In the span of twenty laps, three former world champions crashed into the concrete wall that lines the exit of the final chicane: Damon Hill on the 14th lap, Michael Schumacher on the 29th, and then Jacques Villeneuve on the 34th lap.
The Schumacher accident particularly strikes the minds. The German is leading the race when he loses control of his Ferrari and violently crashes into the barrier. On the way back to the pits, an overly zealous journalist questions him. Schumacher, with a closed expression, coldly responds: “Do you have a bit of respect for humans?” This race will end under Safety Car, a first in Formula 1, with Mika Häkkinen’s victory.
This series of mishaps definitively baptizes this formidable wall. Ironically, a “Welcome to Quebec” banner adorned this relentless barrier at the time. Since then, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, and Kevin Magnussen have joined this unenviable list. The combination of a fast track, low grip, and technical turns continues to trap the best drivers on the circuit.
5. 2001: First brother double in F1
On June 10, 2001, the Canadian Grand Prix made history in Formula 1. For the first time, two brothers stood together on the podium, occupying the top two spots. Ralf Schumacher, driving his Williams-BMW, finished ahead of his older brother Michael, the Ferrari driver who is seven years his senior.
The race starts with Michael in pole position, Ralf alongside him on the front row. The reigning world champion naturally takes the lead, but his younger brother’s Williams quickly shows superior pace. « My car was incredible. », Ralf will explain after the race.
The outcome of the race is decided in the pits. Michael stops on the 45th lap, while Ralf waits until the 51st lap before making his stop. This strategy pays off, and the younger brother emerges in the lead and won’t relinquish his position. “I tried to overtake him several times, but he wouldn’t let me pass. So I waited for the pit stops,” Ralf will say, who wins with more than a 20-second lead over Michael.
The atmosphere, however, will remain cordial between the two brothers. “It was the best to lose to. I suppose my parents will be happy,” Michael will say, smiling upon arrival. Thus, in front of 111,000 spectators, the Schumachers provided an unprecedented show with this brotherly moment that remains unique in the annals of F1.
6. 2007: Hamilton signs his first victory
On June 10, 2007, Lewis Hamilton made Formula 1 history. At just 22 years old and during his sixth Grand Prix race, the McLaren driver claimed his first victory at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
The British driver starts from pole position, his first as well. From the start, he withstands attacks from his teammate Fernando Alonso, a double world champion seeking a third title. The Spaniard makes a mistake at the first corner and ends up on the grass, allowing Nick Heidfeld to take second place.
The race quickly turns into chaos with four safety car interventions. The spectacular crash of Robert Kubica leaves a lasting impression, the BMW driver crashes violently into the barriers, his monocoque flying from one wall to another. Miraculously, the Pole escapes with a sprained ankle.
Despite multiple interruptions, Hamilton manages each restart perfectly. The young Brit crosses the finish line with more than four seconds ahead of Heidfeld. “I was ready for this victory for a long time, it was just a matter of where and when,” he will reveal after the race, before stating emotionally: “I dedicate this victory to my father; without him, nothing would have been possible.” This first victory launches a career that will lead him to seven world titles.
7. 2011: Jenson Button climbs the impossible
On June 12, 2011, one of the most chaotic races in F1 history took place. In torrential rain, Jenson Button experienced a nightmare: collision with his teammate Lewis Hamilton, a puncture, a drive-through penalty, another collision with Fernando Alonso. At one point in the race, the Brit was last with six pit stops.
However, when the track begins to dry gradually, Button finds a phenomenal rhythm. He methodically makes his way up through the field and catches up to Sebastian Vettel in the final lap. Under pressure, the German misses his braking in the last corner. Button overtakes him and wins after 4h04’39” of racing, a record duration still standing. “I led for half a lap. Incredible,” he will summarize at the end of the race.
This weekend, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve will welcome new contenders for victory. Between the challenges of the “Wall of Champions” and the twists and turns that have made the legend of this race, a new page of history could well be written. And in Montreal, you should always expect surprises.