Canadian Grand Prix

A semi-permanent street

Built on Île Notre-Dame, an artificial island in the St. Lawrence River created for Expo ‘67. The track is closed roads through the year, becoming an F1 circuit each June. Named after the Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, who died at Zolder in 1982; his son Jacques won the championship 15 years later.

Why it matters

Montreal is one of the most overtake-friendly circuits on the calendar — long straights, heavy braking zones, and a chicane (Turns 13–14) immediately followed by the unforgiving “Wall of Champions” exit, where Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, and Sebastian Vettel have all crashed in a single weekend in 1999.

What to watch for

• Turns 8–9–10 — the hairpin and back straight. Heavy braking, classic dive-bomb overtake territory.
• The Wall of Champions — Turn 14 exit. Painted with the words on the wall itself: “Bienvenue au Québec.”
• Chaos — Canada produces safety cars, mid-race rain, and unpredictable strategy windows almost every year.