Held at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1978, it’s a track that’s become synonymous with chaos, comebacks, and career-defining moments.
From first-time winners to shocking crashes, here are 10 unforgettable moments from the Great White North — including a couple that Aussie fans will never forget.
1978: Villeneuve Takes His First Win
Gilles Villeneuve’s maiden F1 victory in front of an electric Montreal crowd wasn’t just a milestone — it was the moment a legend was born. The Canadian delivered a dream result in his Ferrari at the very first Grand Prix held at the circuit, launching a legacy so powerful that the track now bears his name. For Canadian fans, it was a national celebration, and for F1, the birth of an icon.
1979: Jones crushes Canadian hearts
Alan Jones had no intention of sticking to the local script a year later. The Aussie legend started from pole in his Williams but fell behind the more powerful Ferraris off the line. Biding his time, Jones eventually charged into the lead, banging wheels with home hero Villeneuve at the Turn 10 hairpin on lap 51 before pulling ahead to claim his fifth career win and fourth of the season. He’d return to win again in Montreal the following year during his championship-winning campaign.
1998: Chaos on the first lap
The 1998 race got off to a spectacularly chaotic start when Alexander Wurz’s Benetton was launched into a barrel roll after being clipped diving into Turn 1. The incident triggered a chain reaction involving multiple cars, including the Saubers of Jean Alesi and Johnny Herbert, as well as Jarno Trulli’s Prost. The crash forced a red flag and a full race restart — which was also marred by chaos — with Trulli and Alesi once again involved in a crash, alongside separate incidents for Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren, Ralf Schumacher’s Jordan, and Tora Takagi’s Arrows.
1999: The birth of the ‘Wall of Champions’
Arguably the most famous piece of concrete in all of Formula 1, the wall leading out of the final chicane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve earned its nickname in 1999. Over the weekend, four drivers crashed into it — three of them World Champions. Ricardo Zonta was the first in his BAR, followed by his teammate Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill’s Jordan, and most notably, the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher. Schumacher’s crash came while leading the race, gifting the win to title rival Mika Hakkinen.
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2001: Schumacher brothers’ historic one-two
F1’s first-ever sibling one-two unfolded at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix, as Ralf Schumacher took victory ahead of older brother Michael in a historic family finish. Ralf gained the lead during the only pit stop phase, using his Michelin tyres to perfection against Michael’s Bridgestones. He had attempted multiple passes on his brother prior to the stops but was met with firm resistance in some tense, wheel-to-wheel battles. It was the first of five career one-two finishes for the Schumacher brothers — but the only one where Ralf came out on top.
2007: Lewis Hamilton’s first of many wins
2007 marked the first of Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking F1 victories. In only his sixth race, the British rookie converted pole position into a flawless maiden win, surviving four safety car periods and a chaotic race behind him. It was a masterclass from the future seven-time World Champion — and the beginning of a legendary career.
2007: Kubica’s horrific high-speed crash
That same race saw one of the most terrifying crashes in F1 history. Robert Kubica’s BMW Sauber clipped the back of Jarno Trulli’s Toyota at over 300 km/h, launching into the air, smashing into the wall, and somersaulting down towards the Turn 10 hairpin. Miraculously, Kubica suffered only a sprained ankle and concussion, missing just one race — a race that saw a young Sebastian Vettel make his F1 debut. Kubica returned stronger and claimed his first (and only) win in Montreal a year later.
2010: Tyre mayhem that shaped the Pirelli Era
The 2010 race was a sliding-doors moment for the sport. On a resurfaced and low-grip Montreal circuit, then-supplier Bridgestone’s normally durable tyres suffered extreme degradation, forcing drivers into multiple stops and turning the race into a strategic thriller. Lewis Hamilton emerged victorious, but the bigger impact came off-track — F1’s incoming supplier Pirelli used the chaos of 2010 as a blueprint, ushering in a new era of high-degradation rubber that would define the next decade.
2011: Button’s epic comeback in F1’s longest ever race
Six safety cars, five pit stops, a drive-through penalty, a collision with his teammate — and still, Jenson Button won. The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was a rain-drenched marathon lasting over four hours, making it the longest F1 race in history. Button’s last-lap overtake on Sebastian Vettel for the win sealed one of the greatest comebacks — and races — of the 21st century.
2014: Ricciardo breaks through in style
Aussie fans rejoiced in 2014 as Daniel Ricciardo joined Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham as Australian winners in Canada, claiming his maiden Grand Prix victory. In only his seventh race for Red Bull, Ricciardo took full advantage of Mercedes’ mechanical woes, pulling off a sensational overtake on Nico Rosberg with three laps to go. It was vintage Ricciardo — clinical, cheeky, unforgettable — and the first of his eight career wins.
What’s your favourite iconic moment from the Canadian Grand Prix? And will we witness another one this weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? Let us know in the comments below.
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