Top 5 facts about Canadian Grand Prix you may not be aware of!
This year’s Canadian Grand Prix is a done and dusted affair; Lewis Hamilton won the race earlier in June this year. The event has been a part of the Formula One calendar since the year 1967, when it was held for the first time at Mosport in Ontario, before moving to Montreal in 1978. Apart from a lot of F1 enthusiasts, a great multitude of general sports punters also actively bet on the Canadian Grand Prix. If you too wish to start betting on F1 races and on Canadian Grand Prix in particular, please remember, it’s always better to punt at reputed online bookies, for instance, Bet365. If Bet365 is indeed your pick for the right bookmaker, you can find all its details here on this Bet365 review.
Like all other major F1 venues, the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit where this race is hosted, also has an interesting past. Let’s go over the top 5 facts related to Canadian Grand Prix you may not be aware of!
The race happens on a man-made island!
Gilles-Villeneuve F1 circuit is quite unlike the other regular F1 venues! The Notre Dame island that this circuit stands on, is actually a man-made island constructed using the debris and rock excavated during the digging of the Montréal underground.
Was named after a Canadian F1 driver
The circuit was opened for the first time in the year 1978, and got its name from the island that it stood upon - Île Notre-Dame Circuit. It was later renamed as Gilles-Villeneuve circuit after the Canadian driver of the same name, who was also the winner of the first race here. The renaming happened in the year 1982 after Villeneuve died in a qualifying round incident at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Canadian GP 2017. Lewis Hamilton
Favourite circuit of Schumacher and Hamilton
The circuit is a huge-favourite of the legendary Formula One driver Michael Schumacher and the Brit Lewis Hamilton. Schumacher holds the record of most wins at Villeneuve having won 7 races in total here. After winning the 2017 edition of the race, Lewis Hamilton is now one win away from equalling Schumacher’s record.
Yes, that’s a groundhog!
Furry critters are commonplace at this circuit, as the man-made island on which the circuit was constructed, soon became a home to rodents upon its completion. Groundhogs and Canadian Grand Prix have in fact become synonymous in the F1 talks, as the furry critters are often caught by cameras, hurrying off the track, narrowly missing the speeding F1 cars!
Holds the record for longest-ever Grand Prix race!
The Canadian Grand Prix’s 2011 edition holds the record for being the longest ever race in the history of Formula One racing. That race went on for a whopping 4 hours, 4 minutes and 39.54 seconds, with the British driver Jenson Button finally emerging the winner.
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