Canadian Grand Prix: A Preview
After the thrills and spills at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix followed by the frustration of the Turkish Grand Prix, all cars are heading towards the Canadian Grand Prix to take another jab at each other. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will host the upcoming race, for which the stands have been stretched out in Montreal to embrace the cars and drivers on the 16th of June, 2010.
Grand Prix du Canada, the French name for the Canadian Grand Prix is regarded as one of the most celebrated sporting events of the country. This annual auto race is held in Canada which has a lot of history involved in it. This passion for racing dates back to the year 1961 and has successfully become a part of the Formula One World Championships.
Earlier, the Canadian Grand Prix was part of a series which was created by the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in 1961 as one of the first events of the Canadian Sports Car Championship . The race in Montreal consisted of several international sports cars which were driven by Formula One drivers. In the initial five years, victory could only be earnt by drivers that either had previous experience in Formula One racing or had entered the race by winning the Canadian Grand Prix. The event was taken over by Formula One in1967, and then the race was held at three different circuits: Circuit Mont-Termblant, Quebec and Mosport. However due to safety concerns, the race moved permanently to Mosport after 1971. Finally, in the year 1978, the Canadian Grand Prix had its permanent home that till today is known as the Ile Notre-Dame in Montreal.
The year 2005 came as a roaring success for the Canadian Grand Prix as it marked the most watched Formula One Grand Prix in the history if the race. It also went on to become the third most watched sporting event on the planet after the Super Bowl XXXIX and the UEFA Champions League Final on the second spot.
Quebec, the native of Gilles Villeneuve, was the first winner in Montreal. This is why the circuit of Montreal is called The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He died at the Belgian Grand Prix while he was on the final qualifying lap in 1982.
In the same year at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, another accident took place in Montreal that claimed the life of Riccardo Paletti Riccardo Paletti, who got struck in the rear of Pironi's Ferrari and his car briefly caught fire.
No race took place in 1987, due to a dispute between the two local breweries on the issue of sponsorship. During this year, the track was modified and much of the changes are present to this day.
The 1995 edition was won by Ferrari's Jean Alesi. This victory on his 31st birthday was also the only one of his entire career. The 1996 Canadian Grand Prix was won by Olivier Panis. However, in the following year, the race was stopped due to a crash.
By the year 1999, the final corner of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve became famous for crashes that involved former World Champions Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve, all hit the same wall which read “Welcome to Quebec” on it. Ironically, people started calling it the “Wall of Champions”. Only a few years back, GP2 Champion Nico Rosberg and CART Champion Juand Pablo Montoya had paid their toll at the same wall.
In 2001, Formula One had a 1-2 finish with Ralf and Michael Schumacher. History repeated itself in the year 2003 but in a slightly different manner when the Schumacher brothers finished at the 1–2 positions at the podium.
In 2007, the Canadian Grand Prix marked the first victory for Lewis Hamilton.
No race was scheduled for the year 2009; however, a contract was signed for the races to be held from 2010-2014. As the countdown begins with the memories from the Turkish Grand Prix fresh in the minds of many, the Canadian Grand Prix is the one to watch out for.
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