2013 The Canadian Grand Prix -
did you know?
Did you know that the last Austrian driver to stand on a Formula One
podium did so in Canada? Or that Canada staged the longest Grand Prix in
history? Or that this year’s event will be Force India’s 100th race under that
name? For the Austrian’s identity, the year of the four-hour epic, and more
fascinating facts about F1 racing in Canada, read on…
• Three venues have hosted the Canadian Grand Prix in its 43-race history
- Mosport (eight times), Mont-Tremblant (twice) and Montreal (33 times). The
first world championship race in Canada was held at Mosport in 1967 and won by
Jack Brabham in his eponymous BT24.
• The Montreal circuit was originally called Ile Notre-Dame Circuit but
was renamed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in 1982 following the Canadian driver’s
death.
• Taking on average 75 seconds to complete, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
has the quickest lap time on the calendar.
• At 4.361 kilometres, the current track is 139 metres shorter than the
original 1978 layout.
• There will be no ‘home’ drivers on the grid in Canada this year. The
last Canadian to start a Grand Prix was Jacques Villeneuve - Gilles’ son - in
Germany in 2006.
• In the 33 previous races at Montreal, the polesitter has been victorious
only 14 times. The lowest any winner has started on the grid is 10th - that was
Ligier’s Jacques Laffite in 1981.
• McLaren have scored the most wins of any team in Canadian Grand Prix
history - 13 - but Ferrari have a 10-9 edge over McLaren when it comes to races
in Montreal. However, McLaren have won the last three races at the Circuit
Gilles-Villeneuve.
• When it comes to the manufacturer with the most podium places in Canada,
Ferrari have a marginal edge over their rivals McLaren - 31 to 29.
• Surprisingly, given their recent domination, Red Bull have never won at
Montreal and have only scored three podiums in Canada, making it statistically
one of their worst races.
• Michael Schumacher is by far and away the most successful driver in
Canadian Grand Prix history. The German won the race a record seven times and
reached the podium on five other occasions.
• Of the current grid, Lewis Hamilton is the master of Montreal, though it
has been a case of win or bust. The Mercedes driver has started five races in
Canada, winning three times (2007, 2011, 2012) and retiring twice (2008, 2011).
Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button have each won the race once,
with Button's victory remarkably achieved despite having led just one lap
during his 12 Canadian Grand Prix appearances.
• Canada holds the distinction of hosting the longest Grand Prix of all
time - the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix which lasted 4h 4m 39.537s and included a
two-hour rain delay. It was eventually won in dramatic style by Jenson Button.
• The last Austrian to make it to a Formula One podium did so in Canada in
2007 - Alex Wurz driving for Williams.
• The Canadian Grand Prix has witnessed a number of milestones:
- Jackie Stewart scored his first Grand Prix pole in Canada in 1970. Peter
Revson scored his and McLaren’s first pole two years later in 1972.
- Five drivers have scored their debut wins in Canada: Gilles Villeneuve
(1978), Thierry Boutsen (1989), Jean Alesi (1995), Lewis Hamilton (2007) and
Robert Kubica (2008).
- Four drivers all stepped onto the podium for the first time in Canada:
Mark Donahue (1971), Stefan Johansson (1985), Eddie Irvine (1995) and Giancarlo
Fisichella (1997).
- Several drivers have hit race start milestones in Canada. Niki Lauda and
Carlos Reutemann both started their 100th races here in 1978, Philippe Alliot
started his 100th race here in 1993, Andrea de Cesaris and Pierluigi Martini
celebrated 200 and 100 races respectively in 1994, Martin Brundle started his
150th race here in 1996 and Mika Salo his 100th in 2002.
- Michael Schumacher scored Ferrari’s 150th Formula One win in Montreal in
2002.
• Rubens Barrichello holds the lap record for the Circuit
Gilles-Villeneuve in its current configuration - 1m 13.622s set in 2004 in a
Ferrari.
• This year’s race will be the 100th time the Force India team has raced
under that moniker. The squad has been known by three other names - Jordon,
Midland and Spyker.
• The safety car has been deployed at least once in five of the last nine
races in Canada.
• According to Mercedes, drivers are at full throttle for approximately 72
percent of the lap distance in Canada with the longest period of full throttle
13.5s. Each driver will make 50 gear changes per lap, which equates to 3,500
over the 70-lap race distance.
• The biggest winning margin in a Grand Prix at Montreal was in 1983 when
Ferrari’s Rene Arnoux crossed the line 42.029s ahead of Renault’s Eddie
Cheever. The smallest winning margin came in 2000 when Michael Schumacher beat
Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello across the line by just 0.174s.
• After extending their runs of consecutive points finishes to 64 (a
record) and 54 respectively at the last round in Monaco, McLaren and Ferrari
will look to continue the trend in Montreal this weekend.
• Kimi Raikkonen’s last-lap pass of Nico Hulkenberg in Monaco gave the
Finn more than just one point for tenth place. It also extended his
points-scoring streak to 23 races. Should he finish in the top ten in Canada
this weekend, Raikkonen will equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 24
consecutive races in the points.
For tickets and travel to 2013 FORMULA 1 races, click here.
Organisers of the 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix have announced that
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber will headline their inaugural ‘closing concert’
on Monday, September 23 - the day after the race at the Marina Bay Street
Circuit.
Bieber, who has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and has 37 million
followers on Twitter, will perform hits such as ‘As Long As You Love Me’,
‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Beauty & A Beat’, ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘Right Here’ on the
Padang Stage - Singapore’s biggest outdoor stage.
The 19-year-old joins rock band The Killers (performing on Saturday) and
singing sensation Rihanna (performing on Sunday) in an impressive entertainment
line-up which also includes legendary singer Tom Jones, '80s icon Bob Geldof,
upcoming singer-songwriter Laura Mvula and magician and illusionist Dynamo.
Entry to the Saturday and Sunday concerts is included with any three-day
Grand Prix ticket or Sunday single-day Pit Grandstand special ticket, but fans
and ‘Beliebers’ wishing to attend the closing concert will need to buy tickets
separately. For more details visit
www.singaporegp.sg.
The 2013 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix takes place on September 20-22. To
book tickets and full travel packages to the event,
click here.
2013 Canada Grand Prix
source F1.COM
