.svg) Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present) | |
| Location | Parc Jean-Drapeau,Montreal,Quebec |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°30′02″N73°31′21″W / 45.50056°N 73.52250°W /45.50056; -73.52250 |
| Capacity | 100,000 |
| FIA Grade | 1[1][a] |
| Owner | City of Montreal |
| Broke ground | 1978 |
| Opened | 6 October 1978; 47 years ago (1978-10-06) |
| Architect | Roger Peart[2] |
| Former names | Île Notre-Dame Circuit (1978–1982) |
| Major events | Current: Formula One Canadian Grand Prix (1978–1986, 1988–2008, 2010–2019, 2022–present) Former: Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Montreal (2002–2006) NASCAR Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200 (2007–2012) World Sportscar Championship (1990) |
| Website | http://www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca |
| Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present) | |
| Length | 4.361 km (2.710 mi) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Race lap record | 1:13.078 ( Valtteri Bottas,Mercedes W10,2019) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1996–2001) | |
| Length | 4.421 km (2.747 mi) |
| Turns | 13 |
| Race lap record | 1:17.205 ( Ralf Schumacher,Williams FW23,2001) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1994–1995) | |
| Length | 4.450 km (2.765 mi) |
| Turns | 20 |
| Race lap record | 1:28.927 (Michael Schumacher,Benetton B194,1994) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1988–1993) | |
| Length | 4.430 km (2.753 mi) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Race lap record | 1:21.500 (Michael Schumacher,Benetton B193,1993) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1978–1986) | |
| Length | 4.410 km (2.740 mi) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Race lap record | 1:25.443 ( Nelson Piquet,Williams FW11,1986) |
TheCircuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelledCircuit Gilles-Villeneuve (French pronunciation:[siʁ.kɥiʒilvilnœv]), is a 4.361 km (2.710 mi) motor racingcircuit onNotre Dame Island inMontreal,Quebec,Canada. It is the venue for theFIAFormula OneCanadian Grand Prix. It has previously hosted theWorld Sportscar Championship, theChamp Car World Series (Grand Prix of Montreal), theNASCAR Pinty’s Series, theNASCAR Nationwide Series (NAPA Auto Parts 200), and theGrand-AmRolex Sports Car Series.
The Canadian Grand Prix was first held at the circuit in1978, where hometown heroGilles Villeneuve (1950–1982) won forScuderia Ferrari. The Grand Prix quickly became a mainstay of theFormula One calendar, with the race taking place in Montreal for the next thirty years. Once held in late September, the event was moved to its present location on the calendar of mid-June in 1982, to provide a warmer, more pleasant race weekend. Many great races have occurred at the track over the years, cementing its reputation as a truly unpredictable venue. However, the race was dropped from the 2009 Formula One calendar and replaced with the inauguralAbu Dhabi Grand Prix, after running over two decades uninterrupted. On November 27, 2009, Quebec's officials and Canadian Grand Prix organizers announced a settlement withFormula One Administration and signed a new five-year contract spanning the 2010–2014 seasons.[3][4]
The2011 edition of the race was the longest World Championship Grand Prix ever at over 4 hours in length, due to a lengthy rain delay.[5][6]
Originally named theÎle Notre-Dame Circuit, the circuit was built and finished in 1978.[7][8] In what has proven to be the venue's main event over the decades, the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix had been part of the Formula One World Championship for 10 years. It was previously held atMosport Park near Toronto on 8 occasions and in 1968 and 1970, theMont-Tremblant circuit in Quebec. With safety concerns with Mosport blighting the 1977 event, it was decided to move the race to the new circuit in Montréal. In 1982, it was renamed in honour of Canadian Formula One driverGilles Villeneuve, father ofJacques Villeneuve, following his death earlier inthe year.[9]: 362 The circuit is located inParc Jean-Drapeau in the city ofMontréal. The park is named after the mayor of Montréal who was responsible for the organization ofExpo 67.
The race circuit is onNotre Dame Island, a man-made island in theSt. Lawrence River most of which was originally built up for the Expo in 1967.Saint Helen's Island to the northwest was artificially enlarged for the Expo '67 fairgrounds and a prominent remnant of the fair, theBiosphere is located adjacent to the circuit. Almost half of the track—from the hairpin turn until after thepit area—runs alongside theOlympic Basin, a huge rectangular basin which was created for therowing andcanoeing events of Montréal's1976 Summer Olympics.
Over the winter of 2018–19 the paddock—in use since 1988—was demolished and replaced with the current structure.
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Barriers run close to the circuit and many experienced drivers have been caught out by them. A particularly famous part of the circuit is the wall on the outside of the exit of the final chicane before the start/finish straight. In1999 the wall, which bears the nameBienvenue au Québec ("Welcome to Quebec") giving it the nickname "Mur du Québec" (Quebec Wall), ended the race of three Formula One World Champions,Damon Hill,Michael Schumacher andJacques Villeneuve along withFIA GT championRicardo Zonta. Since then the wall has been nicknamed"The Wall of Champions". In subsequent years,2009 world championJenson Button (2005) and four time World ChampionSebastian Vettel (2011, during free practice) also became victims of the wall.
For the first few years of its existence, the track consisted of technical, medium speed chicanes and a relatively low overall lap speed. However, over the years the circuit has transformed into a power track, with straight line speed being very much a priority. Between 1986 and 1988 (with a one-year hiatus occurring in 1987), the pitlane and start-finish straight were relocated from the hairpin to the exit of the fast right-left chicane, which became the final corner. After the fatal crashes ofRoland Ratzenberger andAyrton Senna atImola earlier in the year, in 1994 a chicane was inserted between the Casino corner and the hairpin to decrease top speed. The 1996 race saw both the chicane and the Casino corner removed and the layout changed; the run from the hairpin at the bottom of the circuit was turned into a straight.
In 2002 the exit of the pitlane was changed to make exiting the pitlane safer for drivers. This also shortened the length of the circuit.
Changes made in2005 to the curbs on the final chicane were controversial amongst drivers in the run-up to the Grand Prix. The curbs were made higher and more difficult for the drivers to see, making it even more challenging.
On June 23, 2006, theCanadian Press reported that the city of Montréal had awarded exclusive rights to stage the two allowed race weekends on the track to Normand Legault, promoter of theFormula OneCanadian Grand Prix. The deal was for 2007 to 2011, with an option for 2012 to 2016. Legault decided to replace the Champ Car race with races from theGrand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Series andNASCAR Nationwide Series, respectively – the latter series' first race north of the Canada-United States border. On August 4, 2007,Kevin Harvick made history by winning the firstNASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in what was one of the most controversial NASCAR races ever, asRobby Gordon claimed to have won the race.[10] The NASCAR races have affected the circuit layout. An expansion of thepit lane took place, since a NASCAR pit lane must accommodate a minimum of 43 cars. The2008 race made history as the first NASCAR race to run on rain tires.
In 2017, due to the higher cornering speeds of the new Formula One cars and the new safety requirements imposed by theFIA, the circuit had additionalTecpro barriers installed, following the removal of older tire barriers by May 2017. With the 2017 technical regulations, experts predicted the F1 cars to be quicker by three to five seconds a lap in June at Montréal. 2017's F1 event also saw a change to the exit of the last chicane (the Wall of Champions) with its angle modified, because the FIA found it was dangerous.
The complex of turns one and two has become known as the Senna 'S'. From a bird's eye view turns one and two together can represent an 'S' shape.
The very fast Pont de la Concorde corner (Turn 8) is after the bridge underpass and is known as a 'quick kink' before Turn 9 and the rush to a passing zone at the Hairpin curve.
Turn 10 atÎle Notre-Dame is probably the best example of a 180° hairpin turn design with full wheel lock during F1 competition. The various lines taken entering the hairpin curve can lead to overtaking on the apex, or exit during race competition. Braking too late can see cars offline into the runoff area, and some spinning in front of packed grandstands. Many overtakes can be seen at this location due to engine differences and drivers' skills.[citation needed]
Entering turns 12 & 13 drivers encounter one of the best passing zones, completing the long straight after the hairpin. Many duels have been seen exiting turn 12 with some race cars deciding to cut corner 13 into the run-off, with many going a bit 'too hot' apexing Turn 13 and not exiting intact. Turn 14 is dubbed the"Wall of Champions" after three former Drivers' World Champions found the outside wall in the1999 race. In Formula 1 races, a car damaged after gracing the Wall of Champions brings out a Safety Car orVSC. The exit barrier is poignantly marked with advertising by Tourisme Québec ("Bonjour Québec"; “Bienvenue au Québec” in previous years) during the F1 event.
As part ofParc Jean-Drapeau, the Circuit is open to visitors, between races, for walking, running, biking, in-line skating, and driving.[11] During the few days of the Grand Prix, Notre Dame Island is one of the noisiest places in Montréal. Other times of the year, it is one of the quietest, being located in the middle of a river, on an island filled with greenery and animals, joggers and cyclists. However, on June 4, 2009, administration of Notre Dame Island has forbidden the access of competitive cyclists to the circuit, justifying this as a security measure to avoid the increasing injuries that occurred between year 2008 and 2009. A total of 27 injuries have been reported. The ban on cyclists has since been lifted due to protests.[citation needed]
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The events at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are listed as:[12]
As the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve serves as host to different racing series, it is possible to directly compare different race series' lap times.
In 2006, the last timeChamp Car and F1 ran on the same track, Formula One was 5 to 7 seconds faster than Champ Car. The fastest lap in the Formula One race was 1:15.841 byKimi Räikkönen, while Sébastien Bourdais's fastest lap was 1:22.325 in the Champ Car race.
2007 NASCAR Busch Series driverPatrick Carpentier racing in theNAPA Auto Parts 200, posted a pole time of 1:42.086.[13] The pole time at the2012 NAPA Auto Parts 200 was 1:40.865 by Alex Tagliani.[14]
The track record for theRolex Sports Car Series is 1:32.620. The time was set byScott Pruett driving forChip Ganassi Racing in theDaytona Prototype class in2010.
The fastest ever lap around the circuit was set bySebastian Vettel with a time of 1:10.240 set in qualifying (Q3) for the2019 Canadian Grand Prix. As this time was set during qualifying, it is not recognized as an official lap record.Lewis Hamilton set the previous lap record with a time of 1:11.459 during qualifying for the2017 Canadian Grand Prix, earning him pole position. This was Hamilton's 65th pole position which put him level withAyrton Senna in the F1 history books. After qualifying, Hamilton was awarded a helmet that belonged to his hero as a celebration. This helmet was sent by Senna's family and was awarded to an emotional Hamilton in front of the crowd.
As of June 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are listed as:[15]
