Montreal: the circuit of the first victories, and beyond

The ‘Gilles Villeneuve’ circuit in Montreal features a layout that has always been appreciated by many enthusiasts, as well as drivers. A track that requires a lot of concentration, in order to avoid even small mistakes that can cost you dearly. Famous, for example, is the last chicane before the finish line, where even the greatest champions lost control of their car to hit the wall at the exit. It is no coincidence that the latter is known as the “wall of champions”. But the final victory, or a podium, can give rise to a liberating celebration, especially if this coincides with the first success in Formula 1. The Canadian GP, ​​in fact, was synonymous with numerous first victories, first podiums or first pole positions, without forgetting other cases perhaps passed into the background, but still memorable. 1978: the first in Montreal and the triumph of Gilles Villeneuve The first edition of the Canadian Grand Prix was held in 1967, and since then the event in North America has almost always remained on the calendar until today. However, from that race to the second half of the 1970s, F1 did not stop in Montreal, but on two other tracks such as Mont-Tremblant and Mosport Park. Right here, in 1971, Mark Donohue achieved his first career podium, followed by Peter Revson’s first and only pole position. In 1978, F1 then moved to Montreal, in the heart of Quebec, and it was precisely in that year that the home idol, Gilles Villeneuve, made history: in addition to winning his first victory in front of his own audience, the Aviator also became the first Canadian to win a success in F1. Having become the idol of an entire nation, Villeneuve was the victim of a fatal accident in 1982. A few weeks later, the track was named in his memory, with the words ‘Salut Gilles’ (‘Hello Gilles’) appearing on the finish line. Also in that cursed season, unfortunately, Riccardo Paletti also lost his life in Canada following a very violent impact with Didier Pironi’s Ferrari. 1980s: the unique case of Jones and the first of Boutsen Montreal brought joy to several drivers in practically every decade, and this not only for the first victories or the first pole positions, but also for the conquest of a world title. This happened in only one case dating back to 1980, the year in which Pironi crossed the finish line first. The Frenchman, however, was penalized one minute for an early start, thus giving the victory to Alan Jones. With those points gained, the Australian from Williams mathematically obtained the title of world champion, the first and only one of his career. After the success that faded with Pironi, Ferrari still had the opportunity to make up for it in 1985 with a double; the winner was the late Michele Alboreto ahead of his teammate Stefan Johansson, with the Swede having the opportunity to get on the podium for the first time in F1. In 1989, however, there were two Italians on the podium: Riccardo Patrese and Andrea De Cesaris. No one, however, managed to occupy the top step (with De Cesaris still giving the Dallara team its first top 3), something that Thierry Boutsen, then Patrese’s teammate at Williams, did instead. For the Belgian it was the first of three career victories. 90s: finally Alesi! Having joined Ferrari in 1991 after a more than convincing debut in F1 with Tyrrell, Jean Alesi had to deal with one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Prancing Horse: betrayed in some cases by bad luck, the Frenchman of Italian origins broke this curse in the 1995 Canadian GP, ​​when he took advantage of a breakdown in Michael Schumacher’s Benetton to take the lead and win his first and only F1 race, which was also on his birthday. The return to the pits after the checkered flag was also emblematic, when the Ferrari driver (who ran out of fuel) got a pass from Schumacher himself. A memorable day both for Alesi and for another driver who, shortly thereafter, would occupy the Ferrari seat: Eddie Irvine. The Northern Irishman, in fact, achieved his first podium with the conquest of 3rd place, before moving to Maranello in 1996 together with the reigning world champion Schumacher. In 1997, the German this time had the opportunity to win in Canada, moreover at the end of a race interrupted due to a serious accident suffered by Olivier Panis. For this reason, Giancarlo Fisichella, who was in third position, achieved the first podium of his career behind the wheel of Jordan. 2000s: from the Schumacher brothers to Kubica The Canadian Grand Prix also became historic for what happened in 2001: if twenty years earlier Alan Jones won the world title, in that edition Michael and Ralf Schumacher obtained 1st and 2nd place respectively. For neither of them it was a first victory or a first podium, but it was the first case in the history of F1 of two brothers present on the podium in the first two positions. Over the course of his career, Michael Schumacher won a total of seven world titles, now shared with Lewis Hamilton. The Brit himself, making his F1 debut in 2007, celebrated his first pole position and first victory in Montreal. The following year, however, the celebration was entirely Polish: for the first and only time in history, in fact, the anthem of this nation was played thanks to the victory of Robert Kubica, the only driver who led the BMW Sauber team to success. From 2014 to today The last case of a driver winning the Canadian GP for the first time in his career was Daniel Ricciardo, even more smiling than usual on the podium in Montreal in 2014. An Italian surname but with an Australian passport, just like Alesi, of Sicilian blood but a French citizen. The one who is 100% Italian is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who after the difficulties experienced in the first half of the 2025 season was able to recover in Canada, winning his first career podium.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News , 2026-05-23 04:15:00