Formula One Preview: Canadian Grand Prix
- Peter Johnson
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Formula One returns to North America this weekend with one of the most popular races on the calendar.
Circuit guide
The Circuit Île Notre-Dame, known since 1982 as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, has been a mainstay on the Formula One calendar since 1978. Barring a brief hiatus in 2009 and absence during the Covid-affected seasons of 2020 and 2021, the Canadian Grand Prix has run at the track for almost five decades.
The venue had sporting pedigree before it even became a race circuit, with the lake that runs alongside the track created for the rowing and canoeing events at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal.
Nowadays, F1 is the main event in the calendar of the manmade Nôtre Dame Island.
The 4.3 kilometre circuit underwent several layout changes in its first 25 years of existence, but the layout we currently know and love has remained in existence since 2002.
Due to the long and narrow confines of the island on which it sits, the track is composed heavily of long straights, chicanes and hairpins.
The opening complex of Turns 1 and 2 often causes chaos at the start, with contact at both apexes common, and trips across the expansive run-off area a regular occurrence.
The slaloming Turns 3 to 7 complete Sector 1, before the circuit opens up in Sector 2 with two long straights divided by the left-right chicane of Turns 8 and 9. The walls are never far away in Montréal, and the exit of Turn 9 has been known to catch drivers out in years past.
The tight hairpin of Turn 10 sets the drivers up for the longest drag on the circuit, with the insignificant kinks of 11 and 12 feeding onto the straight.
Fighting a rival car along here is only half of the challenge, as drivers must also fix their attention on the final chicance, watching out for the notorious “Wall of Champions” on the exit of Turn 14.
F1’s most daunting wall has been dubbed such since 1999, when it ruined the afternoons of champions Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve.
All of the above action is packed into little over a minute, and the drivers must then repeat it a further 69 times before they witness the chequered flag.
Weather forecast
Temperatures in Montréal should be fairly steady across the weekend, with a high of around 20 degrees Celsius forecast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
However, the weather is set to get worse each day, with bright sunshine on Friday, cloud on Saturday, and a 60% chance of rain at 4pm on Sunday, just in time for lights out.
Talking points
F1 bosses agree to engine changes: The new engines for 2026 have thus far been a contentious talking point, with their 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power proving unpopular on all fronts.
A meeting of F1’s teams, commercial rights holder F1 and the FIA met on the Friday following the Miami Grand Prix to discuss changes to the 2027 power unit regulations, and the sport’s bosses have agreed to a raft of changes.
The headline announcement is that the proportion of power produced by internal combustion will increase, reducing emphasis on the battery to generate speed. This should theoretically end the necessity to lift and coast during qualifying and reduce the risk of dangerous closing speeds, among other improvements.
Montoya calls for driver sanctions: Seven-time Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya has called for penalties for drivers who are overly critical of the sport’s new regulations, following forceful remarks from Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and others.
The former Williams and McLaren driver appeared on the BBC’s Chequered Flag Podcast alongside former world champion Damon Hill, and suggested the FIA should impose fines, race bans, and points on the licences of drivers who question the sport’s direction.
The Colombian clarified that he believed drivers were entitled to an opinion, but claimed they should stop short of undermining the sport by being overly cynical.
The two-time Indy 500 winner told the BBC: “I’m not saying don’t be outspoken, but don’t call an F1 car a ‘Mario Kart.’”
Antonelli to add another record? Kimi Antonelli has undoubtedly been the star of the season so far, the 19-year-old Italian becoming the youngest man ever to lead the World Championship.
The Mercedes driver has emulated Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher by taking his first three poles in succession, and followed in the footsteps of Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen by claiming his first three race victories on the spin.
Should he take either pole or victory in Canada, Antonelli could claim one or both of those records outright. He has form in Canada too, claiming his first podium with a third-placed finish in Montréal last year.
Alonso hints at 2027 return: At the other end of the age spectrum, F1’s oldest and most experienced driver has hinted he could yet extend his Aston Martin contract into 2027.
44-year-old Fernando Alonso is out of contract at the end of this season, and with Aston Martin’s poor performance and the recent birth of his first child, it seemed that circumstances were perhaps aligning for the Spaniard to call it a day after his 23rd season.
The two-time world champion said after the Miami Grand Prix that he would decide his future after the sport’s summer break in August, but on the subject of his retirement did say that he doesn’t “feel it’s that time yet.”
Additionally, Alonso told Spanish media that he wishes to continue in F1 until his newly-born son is old enough to see him racing, which would suggest he plans to stick around for a couple more years yet.
Sprint format could provide opportunities: If there has been one Achilles heel for Kimi Antonelli this year, it has been sprint races. The young Italian has struggled with his starts all year, but over a Grand Prix distance has been able to make amends.
However, Antonelli has finished just fifth and sixth in the Chinese and Miami sprints, with six other drivers - Russell, Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton and Piastri - all accruing more points than him over the shorter format.
If George Russell wants to turn the tide in this title fight, this weekend’s sprint race may provide a chance to begin to do so.
Past Canadian Grands Prix
This weekend’s race will be the 55th World Championship Canadian Grand Prix, with the event officially joining the calendar in 1967.
Six non-championship events were also held between 1961 and 1966 at Mosport Park near Ontario, which shared Canadian Grand Prix hosting duties with Circuit Mont-Tremblant, also near Montréal, until 1977.
The first Grand Prix at the Grand Prix’s current home was in 1978. It was won by home hero Gilles Villeneuve, for whom the circuit is now named.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has since produced several modern classics, including the 1999 race, at which world champions Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed at the final chicane. The chicane’s outside wall quickly gained notoriety, and we have been talking about the “Wall of Champions” ever since.
The event went on a legendary run in the late 2000s and early 2010s, starting with Lewis Hamilton’s first-ever pole and victory in 2007. The race is further remembered for BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica’s astonishing airborne crash, which forced the Pole to miss the following week’s US Grand Prix. As a side note, this was the incident that led to a certain Sebastian Vettel making his F1 debut.
Fortunes reversed in 2008, when Hamilton crashed into the back of Ferrari’s Kimi Räikönnen in the pit lane, while Kubica claimed his first and only Grand Prix victory.
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix was an all-time classic, officially the longest race ever at 4 hours and 4 minutes. It was also unofficially arguably the greatest victory of all time, as Jenson Button seized victory with a last-lap overtake on Sebastian Vettel.
The Briton made six trips through the pit lane, picked up a penalty for an incident with Hamilton, and was down in last place as late as Lap 41, all en route to a legendary victory.
In 2014, Daniel Ricciardo claimed his first career victory driving for Red Bull, taking the first non-Mercedes win of the turbo-hybrid era as both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg hit trouble.
Sebastian Vettel thought he’d gotten the job done for Ferrari in 2019, but was given a five second penalty for an unsafe re-entry to the circuit, dropping him behind Hamilton in the final result. The German’s antics in parc fermé, when he moved the sign for first place from in front of Hamilton’s car to where his Ferrari should have been, was an instant classic moment.
The 2023 Canadian Grand Prix delivered arguably the greatest podium of all time, with Verstappen, Alonso and Hamilton completing the top three, while Adrian Newey collected the constructors’ trophy.
The most recent edition of the race looked for some months like it would be the defining image of the 2025 season, as Lando Norris ran into the back of teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri in a race-ending incident for the Briton.
Drivers to watch
Kimi Antonelli: The championship leader could become the first driver ever to achieve his first four poles and/or race wins in succession. He has previous in Canada too, picking up the first podium of his F1 career 12 months ago.
Lewis Hamilton: The seven-time world champion took his first race victory here 19 years ago, and has since stood on the top step on a further six occasions. While he has tasted multiple successes at many venues on the calendar, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has always felt like one of Hamilton’s strongest tracks. A podium, or something even better, is not out of the question this weekend.
Lance Stroll: The man from Montréal has scored points on five of his seven appearances in his home city. He and Aston Martin may need to see some more of that good form this weekend, as the team look to re-establish themselves as a midfield outfit. A disastrous start to the season for Aston has left them looking slower than new boys Cadillac on occasion, most recently in Miami.
Session Times
Montréal plays host to the third sprint weekend of the season, so the schedule for the Canadian Grand Prix looks like this (all times in BST):
Practice 1 Fri 17:30 - 18:30
Sprint Quali Fri 21:30 - 22:14
Sprint Sat 17:00 - 18:00
Qualifying Sat 21:00 - 22:00
Race Sun 21:00
Edited by Marit Everett
