The Canadian Grand Prix, known in French as the Grand Prix du Canada, has been an annual part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park, Ontario as a sports car event. Once Formula One took over the event it was alternated between Mosport and Circuit Mont-Tremblant, until 1971 when safety concerns led to the Grand Prix moving permanently to Mosport.
The year 1978 saw it move once again to its current home on Île Notre-Dame in Montreal. In 2005 the Canadian Grand Prix made history by becoming the most watched Formula One GP in the world, it was also the third most watched sporting event on the planet, behind only the Super Bowl and UEFA Champions League Final. In the weeks leading up the Grand Prix, city officials trap as many groundhogs as they can in and around the race course, and transport the animals to nearby Ile Ste-Helene. Nonetheless, in 2007, a groundhog disrupted the practice session of Ralf Schumacher. On race day itself, Anthony Davidson had been running in third until he struck a groundhog, initially thought to be a beaver, which forced him to pit and repair the damage to his front wing. In 2008, a groundhog crossed the track at the hairpin in the 2nd practice session but luckily did not disrupt the session.
On October 7, 2008, the Canadian Grand Prix was dropped from the 2009 Formula One calendar since the US Grand Prix was dropped in 2007, this meant that in 2009 no Formula One race was held in North America for the first time since 1958. However on November 27, 2009, much to the delight of everyone involved with the sport, Quebec's officials and Canadian Grand Prix organisers announced they had reached a settlement with Formula One and signed a new five-year contract spanning the 2010-2014 seasons.
Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most wins on the circuit, with a staggering 7 to his name.
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
Satellite view of the course
Canadian Encyclopedia
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F1 - Canadian Grand Prix