Canadian Grand Prix: The main highlights

1999: The birth of the “Wall of Champions”

The grid of the 1999 F1 season is filled with major names in motor sports. Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Häkkinen and Jean Alesi, among others. The battle is raging at the front of the pack for victories as well as the world title.

The Canadian Grand Prix was the sixth race of the championship. The drivers of the premier category of motor racing were heading to Montreal while Michael Schumacher was leading the championship ahead of Mika Häkkinen.

Michael Schumacher is still dominating this race weekend and is well on his way to win for the third time in four Grand Prix. The German takes the pole position and remains in the lead for the first 29 laps.

But at the end of this 29th lap of the race, the German driver crashes into the wall of the last corner, known as the “Wall of Champions”. But he’s not the only one to have finished his race in this last corner.

Two other world champions, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill, fall into the same trap as the German. Three world champions ending up in the same wall during the same race.

2008: The Revenge

In 2007, in Montreal, besides Lewis Hamilton’s first pole position and first victory, the weekend was marked by a horrifying image. Robert Kubica, the Polish driver, loses control of his car at an impressive speed. His single-seater takes off while another car was being towed away. The BMW hits a first barrier, crosses the track, and comes to a stop in the opposite wall.

Robert Kubica miraculously pulled through after a very long period of uncertainty and anxiety. He will be transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a head injury and a leg fracture.

The Polish will continue in Formula 1, persevering and putting aside his past accident. One year later, in 2008, once again on the Canadian circuit, Robert Kubica gets his revenge in the best possible way.

Starting from second place behind Lewis Hamilton, the Polish driver and his BMW will ultimately easily surpass Nick Heidfeld, his teammate, for a historic one-two finish. This marks Robert Kubica’s first and only victory in Formula 1.

2020: The exchange of signs

In 2019, amidst Mercedes’ domination, the Canadian Grand Prix could have been an exception to the Silver Arrows’ hegemony. It was a race with a crazy yet cruel storyline for Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel.

The German led the race from A to Z, but Lewis Hamilton closely followed the Ferrari in the final laps. In the exhausts of the red car, the British driver puts pressure on his rival.

It is then that in the final laps, Sebastian Vettel makes a mistake. In the first sector and the more twisty part, the German goes wide and finds himself in the grass. He manages to keep his car and get back on track in first position. But this maneuver does not please the FIA, who decide to penalize the Ferrari by five seconds.

Sebastian Vettel will not be able to increase the gap with the British driver and will ultimately lose his first place at the finish line. The situation did not please the Ferrari driver. Upon returning to the pits, he exchanged the signs indicating Lewis Hamilton’s victory with the sign for his second place. An iconic image.