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Formula One is set to return to Canada this weekend, the home of some of the greatest moments from over the years.
Ever since its introduction to the Formula One calendar back in 1978, the Circuit de Gilles-Villeneuve has been home to some incredible moments of the sport.
The Wall of Champions has claimed many cars over the years, getting its name after Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve all collided with the wall in 1999.
Positioned just as the cars enter the finishing straight after a tricky chicane, making it a commonplace cars crash, especially in wet conditions.
In the years that followed 1999, the wall went on to claim the cars of Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel, truly cementing its place in F1 fame.
But it isn’t just the Wall of Champions that makes Canada an iconic venue for Formula One fans, it’s also home to one of the greatest races in the history of the sport.
When F1 arrived in 2011, there was a large amount of excitement ahead of the race.
However, the weather clearly didn’t see things the same way with rain pouring down from the get-go, making the race a difficult one for all drivers on the grid.
Vettel had put his Red Bull in pole position, giving him a big advantage from the start, with the Ferrari duo Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finishing the top three.
Both McLarens were in the top 10 whilst Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes cars also helped to fill out the top 10.
Right from the off, the Ferraris weren’t satisfied with letting Vettel have an easy win, putting pressure on the German from the start of the race.
Despite the pressure on Vettel, it was the other Red Bull car driven by Mark Webber that had issues, spinning around after a collision with Lewis Hamilton going into turn one.
The crash was a big setback for the Australian, who was looking to gain ground on Hamilton in the driver’s championship, going into the race six points behind the Brit.
Fortunately for Webber though, the incident didn’t leave him out, just much further down the grid than he would’ve wanted to be.
That wouldn’t be the end of the crashes for Hamilton though, as he made contact with team-mate Button, causing damage to the rear of the seven-time world champions car.
Issues with suspension, as well as a puncture, ended Hamilton’s race early, leaving teammate Button to be the only driver left with a chance of bringing home points for Mclaren.
Following the incident, red flags came out after some extreme downfall saw the race become too dangerous to continue.
Upon the restart, Alonso and Button made contact, causing the Spaniard to beach the Ferrari and forcing the Mclaren driver to put for the fourth time in the race after already serving a drive-through penalty.
As the race closed out, Vettel remained in the lead with Schumacher in second and Button hanging on in third.
After an impressive few laps Button flew past Schumacher, using DRS to his advantage and eventually taking the German.
Schumacher was the only German who would be overtaken by Button though, with Vettel making a mistake and running wide on the final lap of the race, giving the Mclaren driver the space he needed to take victory in a race where he had many issues.
The race is considered one of the best in the history of the sport by many fans, with Button coming back from so many issues to take a victory home for his team.
Set to stay on the calendar until 2031, Canada is in F1 to stay and if it produces more races like 2011, fans and the FIA will never want to see it go.
Featured Image Credit: ATPImages