1110th F1 GRAND PRIX | 59th CANADIAN GRAND PRIX | 43rd GRAND PRIX AT CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE
2023 POLESITTER: MAX VERSTAPPEN | 2023 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
Named after Canadian racing legend, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve made a triumphant return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2022. The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix is set to take place on June 7-9.
2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday June 7
Free Practice 1 – 1:30pm Local Time / 6:30pm UK Time
Free Practice 2 – 5:00pm Local Time / 10:00pm UK Time
Saturday June 8
Free Practice 3 – 12:30pm Local Time / 5:30pm UK Time
Qualifying – 4:00pm Local Time / 9:00pm UK Time
Sunday June 9
The 2024 Canadian Grand Prix – 2:00pm Local Time / 7:00pm UK Time
2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
Fernando Alonso makes his 19th appearance at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend. It’ll be a new record for the most appearances at the track, with Alonso moving clear of Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher at the top of the list.
Lewis Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher for most victories at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. A win at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix would see Hamilton set a new outright record of eight wins at the track.
Victory for Max Verstappen in the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix would make him the fourth driver – after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet – to record three victories at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
A pole position for Lewis Hamilton at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix would see him set a new record for most pole positions at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher for most poles at the track, with six.
Pole position for Max Verstappen at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix would see him equal the record for the most consecutive poles at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It would be the fifth time that a driver has taken three successive poles at the track and Verstappen would be the fourth driver to do so, after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
Since last year, the track has been fully resurfaced and all kerbs have been replaced. The track surface has been lowered between Turns 7 and 8 to create a 4 metre clearance from the track to the Concorde Bridge. ‘Grasscrete’ behind the kerbs in Turns 1, 3 and 6 has been replaced with concrete, while the run-off area at Turn 8 has been re-built and walls have been realigned.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
Like last year, there will be three DRS zones at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix. There are two detection points – after Turns 5 and 9. The activation zones are on the main straight, between Turns 7 & 8 and on the back straight.
CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE TRACK GUIDE
The streets of the Ile Notre Dame island have seen plenty of chaos and surprises over the years. As one of the most well liked and well-attended Grands Prix of the season, the Canadian round of the championship always seems to deliver.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is situated on the man-made island of Notre Dame, just a stone’s throw from Montreal. The island, on the St Lawrence River, was constructed to celebrate Canada’s centennial, and for Expo 67, widely regarded as the most successful World’s Fair of the twentieth century.
The site continued to host exhibitions after, but declining attendance figures saw the area begin to struggle. In 1975, the area was transformed, ready to host the rowing and canoeing events for the 1976 Olympics, which were being held in Montreal.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are:
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Nico Hülkenberg (Haas)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are:
Mike Krack (Aston Martin)
Ayao Komatsu (Haas)
Andrea Stella (McLaren)
James Vowles (Williams)
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Derek Warwick.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2024 CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli have announced that the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds will be used at the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix The C3, C4 and C5 compounds were also used in 2023.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
A wet weekend in Montreal – but a dry race – saw Max Verstappen claim Red Bull’s 100th Formula 1 victory.
There were only five minutes of running in Free Practice 1 at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix due to CCTV issues, which led to second practice being extended by 30 minutes. The latter session came to an early end due to heavy rain and there was further rain on Saturday morning.
The rain persisted into qualifying, with the circuit beginning to dry during Q2 – changing weather conditions which saw Williams’ Alex Albon setting the fastest lap time. While Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc missed out on spots in Q3 due to the conditions, further rain fell during Q3. On a track which was becoming wetter by the second, Max Verstappen was first to set a lap time in the final session and remained on the top spot to secure pole position.
Oscar Piastri crashed out in Q3 which brought out the red flags just seconds after Nico Hulkenberg put in an impressive effort in the Haas to set the second fastest lap time – though he dropped down three places on the final grid for a red flag infringement. Also penalised were Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda, who were all found guilty of impeding other drivers.
The skies were clear for Sunday’s race where, for the second year in a row, Fernando Alonso started alongside Max Verstappen on the front row. Verstappen kept his lead at the start, while Lewis Hamilton overtook Alonso for second place. At the end of the first lap, the battling Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz were lucky to not be taken out by Kevin Magnussen who could not slow his Haas in time for the final chicane.
While Logan Sargeant was an early retirement from the race, Oscar Piastri made up a place with a fine overtake on Nico Hulkenberg for sixth place. On Lap 12, George Russell made contact with the wall and although he was able to keep going, the Safety Car was called due to debris on track. Russell would later retire from the race with brake wear.
The Safety Car period led to the frontrunners pitting, with Alonso and Hamilton emerging from their pit boxes side by side. Hamilton stayed ahead – but the duo later went wheel to wheel on Lap 21, with Alonso getting ahead of the Mercedes at the end of the lap.
Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries were another duo going side by side, with their dicing ending with both going off track at Turn 3. Lando Norris’ favoured overtaking spot of the afternoon was the hairpin, where he overtook Valtteri Bottas for ninth place in the closing stages. He then attempted a last corner overtake on Esteban Ocon but was unsuccessful. Norris’ efforts were ultimately fruitless, with him dropping to 13th in the final order after receiving a 5-second time penalty for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
Despite a hairy moment where he rode a kerb and nearly ended his race in the barrier, Verstappen clung on to claim victory at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix by ten seconds from Alonso and Hamilton. Verstappen’s victory marked Red Bull’s 100th Grand Prix win in Formula 1.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP TIME AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.