© Getty ImagesOh Canada! After a two-year hiatus, we’re heading back to Montréal and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. And we couldn’t be happier…
Therearecertainracesonthecalendarthatyoucircleasonestosavour–andtheCanadianGrandPrixinMontréalhadeveryonelookingatthecalendarwhenitdropped–becausetwoyearswithoutavisittotheCircuitGillesVilleneuveistwotoomany.It’saspecialrace,withinaspecialevent,thathasahistoryofdeliveringdrama…thoughcrossingtheAtlanticoffthebackoffiveconsecutivewins,wecouldprobablylivewithoutanythingtooexcitingontheÎleNotre-Dame.
On The Grid In Canada Back In 2019© Getty Images
ADifferentSortOfChallenge
In the past, we’ve often come to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve directly after Monaco, partially, we suspect, to emphasise the very different natures of the circuits at either ends of the speed profile. It’s not quite the same, coming to high-speed Montréal after high-speed Baku, but make no mistake, this circuit presents unique challenges. It’s somewhere in between a street circuit and a permanent course, laid-out as a permanent circuit, but open to road traffic and – crucially – rarely used for racing. The grip is low, the walls are close and the high speeds of the long straight make this a track for skinny wings: although they’re usually dodging groundhogs, for the drivers, things are a little squirrelly. So far, so Baku (fauna excepted) – but what makes Montréal stand out are the chicanes: proper kerb-riding hurdles (that’ll be a nightmare for 2022 cars), and big stops before them that, given the lack of cool-down time in between, makes this F1’s most brutal track for brake performance.
RB15 Under The Canadian Sun© Getty Images
While F1 is always happy to discover strange new worlds and new civilisations, this is a sport that venerates its history – and the Canadian Grand Prix has plenty of it. Having spent most of the 1960s as a non-championship race (albeit one with a very high-quality field), the Canadian Grand Prix joined the World Championship in 1967, first at Mosport Park near Toronto, then at the Quebecois ski resort of Mont-Tremblant. The first race on this circuit – originally the Circuit Île Notre-Dame – was won by the now eponymous Gilles Villeneuve in 1978, and the race has been here – give or take a couple of spats between promoter and commercial rights holder – ever since, moving from its original end-of-season slot (back when the season ended early enough to finish in the high latitudes) to the now familiar mid-summer date in the early 1980s. With all due respect to the freshly-minted races, winning a race like the Canadian Grand Prix, and joining a roll of honour that includes the likes of Brabham and Stewart, Prost and Senna, means a little bit more…
That said, the Canadian Grand Prix hasn’t always been our best friend For a long time, it stood out as the one that got away, the race we never won, despite a couple of very near misses (including the race in 2011, where Sebastian Vettel managed to lead every lap of the race and finish second). We have however, had triumphs too, perhaps all the more enjoyable for their rarity. Seb made it look easy in 2013, winning for the first time from his third pole position, while Daniel Ricciardo did it the hard way in 2014 for his maiden F1 victory. We’ve also left here with six other trophies down the years. Most recently Max in 2018, finishing third – but perhaps of greater significance, David Coulthard’s 62nd and final visit to the F1 podium, in 2008.
Max On The Charge In Canada© Getty Images
The trend so far in 2022 has been for massive crowds, the likes of which we haven’t seen for fifteen or sixteen years. Having been away from Montréal for a couple of seasons, we’re braced for something special – because this race is always enormous. The best thing about the Canadian Grand Prix in this regard is that the city properly embraces the race better than anywhere else in the world. When the crowds depart the circuit and take the metro back into downtown, the party really starts, with Crescent Street and its surroundings closed off to traffic; stages erected, live bands playing, bars and restaurants spilling out onto the streets, keeping the vibe going until the early hours of the morning.
Montréal in June is an interesting destination for which to pack the kit bag. You’ll need the shorts, shades and sun cream… and the heavy sweater… and the rain jacket. We can and do get everything, often all at once. In this regard it’s not too dissimilar to Silverstone – but there’s more of it. We can have temperatures so high it melts the tarmac, or rain so torrential you’re bailing out the garage – sometimes on the same day. And if the weather doesn’t get you, the flags will: qualifying is usually one yellow away from disaster, and the combination of tight chicanes, unyielding walls, and very limited access means it’s rare we get through a weekend without a couple of red flag stoppages. It’s a race where you really can’t take anything for granted. It’s a nervous one to contest… but a great one to watch.
Oh Canada, We've Missed You© Getty Images
