#1 ·
Canadian Grand Prix 2008 - Gilles Villeneuve
June 8, 2008 - 7:00 PM
The very first race: October 8, 1978.
The lap length is sitting at 4,361 meters.
Total laps: 70190 miles)
Fastest lap of the race: Rubens Barrichello clocked in at 1:13.622 back in 2004 driving that absolute beast of a Ferrari.
The 2007 podium lineup was basically just: 1. Lewis Hamilton, 2. Nick Heidfeld, and 3. Alexander Wurz. Simple as that.
HISTORY:
So, back in '78, they ended up moving the Canadian GP over to Montreal because everyone realized Mosport Park was basically an ancient death trap that had become way too sketchy for racing. That old track had been around since 1967, built right around the area where they held the World's Fair, and it was this weird, messy hybrid of a dedicated racing circuit and just tearing through public streets. Eventually, they built the new track in Downtown Montreal, which sits pretty close to where that old setup used to be.
Honestly, you only need one look at this track to realize exactly what kind of nightmare you’re dealing with. It is an absolute beast of a circuit that demands everything from both the car setup and the driver's mental state—if you aren't 100% locked in, you're done. That first chicane alone is a total trap that can catch even the best drivers off guard with how punishing it is, and then you've got that winding section that leads right into that razor-sharp Senna S, immediately followed by that tricky left-right "S" curve.
So, looking back at the history of this track, that very first race actually saw the local hero Gilles Villeneuve grab his first win, which was pretty legendary. Fast forward to 1982, and they ended up renaming the whole circuit after him just to make sure his legacy stayed alive. But man, that same year was also shadowed by one of those absolutely gut-wrenching tragedies that stays with you forever. It happened right during the opening lap when Riccardo Paletti slammed straight into a stalled, dead Ferrari being driven by Didier Pironi. It was an incredibly violent collision, and sadly, Paletti didn't make it out of that wreck.
Honestly, if you want to talk about the absolute weirdest way a race has ever wrapped up in Montreal, you have to look back at that absolute disaster where Nigel Mansell basically started popping champagne before he even crossed the line, only for his Williams' engine to completely die on him right then and there. It was pure chaos. You had Nelson Piquet just cruising along in second place, thinking he had the whole thing in the bag without breaking a sweat, only to suddenly find himself stumbling into the winner's circle because of Mansell's premature celebration. And get this—that ended up being his final victory, too, pulling it off in that Benetton car before hanging it up. Just wild.
So, back in '97, Michael Schumacher managed to snag a win at that track, but only because the race got cut short after Olivier Panis completely wrecked his car in a massive crash that ended up breaking his leg. Fast forward just one year to the 1998 race, and man, people still call it the "Derby of Destruction" because things went absolutely sideways from the very first lap. The red flag came out almost immediately because Ralf Schumacher’s Jordan car stalled right at the starting line, which basically turned the whole opening lap into a giant, chaotic mess for everyone else on the grid.
Man, you should've seen the absolute chaos when those drivers hit that first chicane. Alexander Wurz's Benetton just veered right off onto the grass, slammed straight into Jean Alesi's car, and then proceeded to go airborne, flipping twice like some kind of twisted stunt driver. It was a total mess from the jump—that one wreck basically wiped out four cars right at the start: Trulli, Alesi, Herbert, and yeah, obviously Wurz too. Just pure madness.
Man, looking back at 1999, it was absolutely wild how three different world champions all lost their minds and control of their cars right in that final corner. You had Damon Hill basically throwing it away during his swan song at the Canadian GP before he walked away from Formula 1, then you’ve got Jacques Villeneuve fighting a losing battle with that BAR car, and to top it all off, even Michael Schumacher couldn't keep the Ferrari steady. Just total chaos right at the finish line.
So, Mika Hakkinen ended up taking the win in that race.
Look, let's be real about the 2000 season—if things had gone even remotely differently, Michael Schumacher would have absolutely cruised both Ferraris to a double victory without breaking a sweat. It was basically written in the stars, but instead, Giancarlo Fisichella just had to settle for grabbing third place on the podium and calling it a day.
So, back in 2001, the rain starts absolutely dumping during the second half of the race, just total chaos on the track. While everyone else was scrambling through two different pit stops trying to stay ahead of the weather, Giancarlo Fisichella pulls this absolute masterstroke by sticking to his guns—he hits the pits once, swaps to those wet tires, and that’s it, he’s done. It was such a brilliant bit of strategy that basically handed him a spot on the podium right then and there. But even with that genius move, Ralf Schumacher still managed to snatch the win, which is hilarious because it basically set the stage for his brother, Michael Schumacher, to go out and dominate the next two years like it was nothing.
So, looking back at 2004, Michael Schumacher absolutely owned the place, man. He pulled off this insane feat by setting a brand new record, basically becoming the only driver in Formula 1 history to snag seven wins at a single Grand Prix—it was honestly ridiculous how dominant he was. His younger brother, Ralf Schumacher, managed to grab second, while Rubens Barrichello rounded out the podium in third. But then things got messy after the checkered flag because both the Williams and Toyota teams got slapped with disqualifications since their brake cooling systems were way over the size limit. Total chaos.
Because of some total technical meltdown, the Ferrari drivers ended up celebrating their fifth double victory of the season, while Jenson Button just cruised into yet another third-place finish.
Fast forward to the next year, and Kimi Raikkonen was the one dancing on top of the podium, beating out the Ferrari duo of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello—who actually managed to snag third despite having to start from the pits because his gearbox decided to quit on him.
The race winner really could have been Juan Pablo Montoya in that McLaren, but all his chances of glory went straight down the drain when he pulled out of the pits while the red lights were still glowing, getting slapped with a black flag. And get this, the guy was sitting pretty in second place right when the penalty hit.
After a messy exit in 2005 due to his own blunder, Fernando Alonso came back in 2006 to claim the win in Canada. He shared the podium with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, and honestly, the Finc almost had second place in the bag, but the track was so filthy that Kimi slipped up in the penultimate lap, handing that middle spot over to Schumacher.
Then in 2007, Lewis Hamilton grabbed his very first F1 victory on this Canadian track. The Brit was joined on the podium by Nick Heidfeld and Alexander Wurz. Beyond Hamilton’s big breakthrough, this Canadian GP will always be remembered for that terrifying crash involving Robert Kubica in his BMW Sauber, where he somehow walked away with nothing more than a nasty concussion and a sprained ankle.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
2007: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2006: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren)
2004: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2003: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2002: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2001: Ralf Schumacher (Williams)
2000: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1999: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren)
1998: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1997: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1996: Damon Hill (Williams)
1995: Jean Alesi (Ferrari)
1994: Michael Schumacher (Benetton)
1993: Alain Prost (Williams)
1992: Gerhard Berger (McLaren)
1991: Nelson Piquet (Benetton)
1990: Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
1989: Thierry Boutsen (Williams)
1988: Ayrton Senna (McLaren)
