The Canadian Grand Prix began as part of the Canadian Sports Car Championship at Mosport Park near Toronto in 1961, featuring a challenging circuit with significant elevation changes that proved popular with international drivers. In 1966 the Canadian-American Challenge Cup ran the event, with American Mark Donohue winning. Formula One took over the following year, with the race alternating between Mosport and Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, which hosted the championship in 1968 and 1970. The first Formula One championship round at Mosport, held on 27 August 1967, was won by Jack Brabham with teammate Denny Hulme completing a Brabham 1-2.
Safety concerns ended the use of Mont-Tremblant after 1970, and Mosport became the sole host from 1971. Jackie Stewart took victories in 1971 and 1972 before further safety deterioration at Mosport led to calls for a new location. A 1977 accident involving Ian Ashley, whose Hesketh flipped over the Armco barriers into a television tower, accelerated the search. When Toronto city council rejected a street circuit proposal by two votes, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau quickly negotiated to bring the race to a new track on Ile Notre-Dame.
The first Montreal race in 1978 was won by Quebec native Gilles Villeneuve in a Ferrari, providing a celebrated home victory. The circuit was renamed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after Villeneuve's death during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. The 1982 Canadian Grand Prix was held in the shadow of that loss, and brought further tragedy when Riccardo Paletti crashed at high speed into Didier Pironi's stalled Ferrari on the starting grid. Paletti, aged 23, died from his injuries after being extracted from the burning car.
Jean Alesi's only Formula One victory came at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix on his 31st birthday, driving a Ferrari numbered 27 — Villeneuve's old number at his home circuit — after Michael Schumacher pitted with electrical problems and Damon Hill's hydraulics failed. Schumacher gave Alesi a lift back to the pits after Alesi's car ran out of fuel near the finish.
The final chicane of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve earned the name "Wall of Champions" after the 1999 race, when reigning world champions Damon Hill (lap 14), Michael Schumacher (lap 29), and Jacques Villeneuve (lap 34) all crashed into the same wall in a single race. Subsequent champions including Jenson Button, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Sebastian Vettel have also hit the wall.
Lewis Hamilton scored his first Formula One victory at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. The 2011 race became the longest in Formula One history after rain delays; Jenson Button stormed from last place after the restart to overtake Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps, which Button described as "my best ever race." The 2013 event saw a track marshal, Mark Robinson, killed by a recovery vehicle — the first trackside Formula One fatality since 2001.
The circuit on Notre-Dame Island is notable for a recurring encounter with groundhogs. In 1990, Alessandro Nannini struck a groundhog on track and damaged a tyre. In 2007, Ralf Schumacher narrowly missed one during practice. In 2018, Romain Grosjean struck a groundhog in the second practice session, damaging his front wing. The pattern has continued into the 2020s, with Lewis Hamilton running over a groundhog during the 2025 race and Alex Albon hitting one during the 2026 sprint qualifying weekend.
The race was dropped from the 2009 calendar following a sponsorship dispute, leaving North America without a Formula One round for the first time since 1958. It returned in 2010 under a new five-year agreement with Quebec officials. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race returned in 2022, and in 2025 the contract was extended until 2035. In 2005 the Canadian Grand Prix was the most-watched Formula One race in the world and the third most-watched sporting event globally, behind the Super Bowl and the UEFA Champions League final.
Gallery · 4 related images
