The first successes in Montreal
The circuit ‘Gilles Villeneuve’ of Montreal does not boast the same long history as other tracks that have always been included in the Formula 1 calendar such as Monte Carlo or Monza, but this fascinating track located on the island of Notre-Dame still has its own sweet ‘tradition’: here, in fact, several pilots have won their first career GP in Formula 1, in some cases even the only one. It is worth pointing out that these goals were achieved only on this track, without therefore taking into consideration all 52 Canadian GP editions. The first race, dating back to 1967, was in fact held at Mosport Park, which remained the site of the North American stage until 1977, with the exception of Mont-Tremblant in 1969 and 1970.
The legend of the Aviator
From the 1978 to date, Formula 1 (except for the editions not held in 2009, 2020 and 2021) has always landed in Montreal, on the circuit now named in memory of Gilles Villeneuve. Here, in his Quebec, theAviator he was the protagonist of real feats such as the one in 1981, when he came 3rd under the water despite the front wing being damaged at the start, which almost completely blocked his vision for some laps. His greatest joy, however, was precisely that of the first Canadian GP on this track: in front of his audience, the Ferrari driver took his first career victory ahead of his future teammate Jody Scheckter. Even today, despite his son Jacques’ eleven victories in the 1990s, Villeneuve Sr. is the only Canadian to have won at home in F1.
Boutsen’s first joy
Montreal made history as the site of another driver’s first victory in 1989, eleven years after Villeneuve. In that case, it was he who climbed onto the top step of the podium Thierry Boutsen, found himself in the lead of the race with three laps to go, when Senna had to retire due to an engine problem. The Belgian and Williams were the ones to celebrate, returning to win a double for the first time since 1987 thanks to Riccardo Patrese’s 2nd place. Finally, it is also worth highlighting the result of another Italian driver such as Andrea De Cesaris, who gave the first and only podium in his history to Scuderia Italia.
The stop to bad luck
The career of Jean Alesi was often punctuated by unfortunate episodes which denied the Frenchman the possibility of obtaining several victories in Formula 1. The exception came in 1995, in his sixth season at Ferrari. After a complex period from 1991 to that year, the Frenchman finally managed to cross the finish line first in Montreal, but here too with a big risk: while he was celebrating his victory, Alesi (who celebrated his 31st birthday that day) remained stranded with exhausted fuel. The pass given to him by Michael Schumacher was memorable, with the Frenchman celebrating astride the Benetton of the man who would replace him at Ferrari the following year.
The first of 103 victories
That success was the first and only for Alesi, on the contrary Lewis Hamilton. In the 2007, the Briton made his F1 debut at the wheel of McLaren and found Fernando Alonso, two-time reigning world champion with Renault, as his teammate. In the second half of that world championship the two would give rise to a real rivalry and a fight that would reward Kimi Raikkonen, with a particularly positive chapter for the Briton in the Canadian GP of that year, when the future seven-time world champion won his first of over 100 career wins.
From nightmare to joy
The 2007 Canadian GP, moreover, became famous for the frightening accident of Robert Kubica, who miraculously escaped his BMW Sauber unharmed. Only a year laterHowever, the Pole became a positive protagonist in Montreal: at the exit of the pit lane, both he and Raikkonen respected the red light, unlike Hamilton, who did not notice the stopped cars and hit the Finn’s Ferrari. An episode that was not decisive, but which contributed significantly to Kubica’s first and only victory in F1, becoming at the same time the only Polish one to achieve this result.
Six years later, in 2014another driver realized his dream in Montreal who, like Hamilton, is still present on the starting grid: Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian, at the time at Red Bull, is now the sixth to have won his first race in Montreal, with this track which could offer other strong emotions to other drivers.
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