29 of the 43 Montreal races have been won from the front row – with all but three of the last ten races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve having been won from pole. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Canadian Grand Prix!
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- 29 of 43 wins from front row
- 2nd most likely to score
- 6 DNFs in last 9 races for 13th
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
The Canadian Grand Prix has been won from the front row of the grid 29 times during its tenure at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Ile Notre Dame Island. 14 races here have been won from third or further back on the grid.
The furthest back a victory at this circuit has come from is tenth, which Jacques Laffite achieved in 1981. 2023 marked the third time, after 1979 and 2018, that all the top three qualifiers finished in the order they had started in at this track.
| Grid | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2008 | 1st |
| 2 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2014 | 1st |
| 3 | 2003 | 2024 | 2024 | 2008 | 1st |
| 4 | 1992 | 2022 | 2024 | 2023 | 1st |
| 5 | 1995 | 2006 | 2024 | 2017 | 1st |
| 6 | 2014 | 2017 | 2024 | 2022 | 1st |
| 7 | 2011 | 2016 | 2024 | 2017 | 1st |
| 8 | 1991 | 2008 | 2022 | 2019 | 1st |
| 9 | - | 1995 | 2024 | 2013 | 2nd |
| 10 | 1981 | 2000 | 2023 | 2024 | 1st |
| 11 | - | 1981 | 2023 | 2024 | 3rd |
| 12 | - | - | 2023 | 2024 | 4th |
| 13 | - | 2008 | 2018 | 2024 | 3rd |
| 14 | - | - | 2023 | 2018 | 5th |
| 15 | - | 2012 | 2024 | 2014 | 3rd |
| 16 | - | - | 2023 | 2024 | 5th |
| 17 | - | - | 2022 | 2014 | 6th |
| 18 | - | - | 2024 | 2023 | 5th |
| 19 | - | 2007 | 2022 | 2014 | 3rd |
| 20 | - | - | 2016 | 2022 | 6th |
- Overall pole to win conversion is 50%
- 6 of the last 8 races won from pole
- Finished every race since 2010
- Nine DNFs in total – last in 2008
In the 43 Canadian Grands Prix held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1978, the polesitter has gone on to win the race 21 times, giving a pole to win conversion rate of just under 50%. This may not seem like a very high percentage, but the trend has changed in recent years.
All but two of the last eight Canadian Grands Prix have been won by the polesitter. The polesitter has finished every race here since 2010, and has finished only one of those races not in a podium position (Sebastian Vettel finished fourth from pole in 2012).
The polesitter has finished on the podium without winning the race here only six times since 1978, with four of those occurrences coming between 2001 and 2014. At the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell became only the second driver to have started from pole and finish third, after Riccardo Patrese in 1991.
In total, the polesitter has retired from the Canadian Grand Prix nine times. The most recent polesitter to retire was Lewis Hamilton, who crashed into Kimi Raikkonen at the end of the pit-lane in 2008. Polesitter Ralf Schumacher finished second in the 2004 event, but was later disqualified due to the Williams cars failing scrutineers’ tests.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
- More top ten finishes than any other grid slot
- Failed to score twice since 2001
- Won in 2024
Second is the grid position from which the most top ten finishes have come at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. 35 of the 43 races at the circuit have resulted in points scoring afternoons for the driver starting second.
Aside from DNFs in 2011 and 2014, the driver starting here has scored points in every Canadian Grand Prix since 2001, taking six victories in that period – the most recent of which was for Max Verstappen in 2024.
From the 43 races here, there have have been only eight in which the driver starting second has failed to score. Despite all the positives, the driver starting here has finished on the podium in only five of the last nine races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | 3 | DNF | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
- On a seven podium streak
- Last DNF in 2008
- One point-less finish in last 13 races
Third on the grid has supplied seven podium finishes in the last seven Canadian Grands Prix. No driver has retired from third on the grid in Montreal since Kimi Raikkonen in 2008.
In the last 13 races, Valtteri Bottas’ 14th place in 2013 has been the only time that the driver starting here has finished outside of the top six.
Four wins have been taken from third on the grid, with Michael Schumacher’s 2003 victory being the only win from here in the last 23 races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 5 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
- 2023 was first DNF since 2008
- 2022 was first podium since 2015
- Last win in 1992
An 11 race run of points-scoring appearances for the driver starting fourth at the Canadian Grand Prix came to an end in 2023, with George Russell recording the first retirement for this grid slot in Canada since Fernando Alonso in 2008.
In 2022, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to start fourth in Montreal and finish on the podium since Valtteri Bottas in 2015.
Russell’s retirement in 2023 was only the fifth occasion since 1991 on which the driver starting from this position was not classified in the final order.
While points are frequent, don’t expect a win from fourth on the grid. The last driver to win from this position was Gerhard Berger back in 1992.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | DNF |
- Six podiums in total, last in 2006
- No points since 2019
The driver starting from fifth on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix has only taken six podiums since the event moved to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1978.
With fewer podium finishes than any other grid slot in the top eight, fifth isn’t a very lucky place to start the race from, with Michael Schumacher’s second place in 2006 the most recent time a driver starting from fifth has appeared in the top three.
The driver starting fifth failed to score at the Canadian Grand Prix in both 2022 and 2023 and has failed to pick up points in over half of the races at the track since the turn of the millennium.
Since its last podium in 2006, two top five finishes have been recorded from fifth on the grid, with fourth places for Mark Webber and Max Verstappen in 2013 and 2016 respectively. 2016 remains the last time that the driver starting here finished in a better position than they started from.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 6 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 4 | DNF | 6 | 8 | 17 | 15 |
- 2022 is only non-score since 2011
- Three podiums in last ten races
- Three wins in total, last in 2014
The sixth grid slot was on a 12-race finishing streak until 2022, when Mick Schumacher became the first retiree from sixth on the grid in Canada since Nico Rosberg in 2006. It remains the only non-score for this grid slot since 2011.
In the past ten Montreal races, sixth on the grid in Montreal has provided three podium finishes, including Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden F1 win in 2014. The other drivers to have won having started sixth are Thierry Boutsen in 1989 and Michael Schumacher in 2004.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | DNF | 8 |
- Points in 12 of the last 14 races
- Two wins in the last 17 races
- One DNF in the last 15 races
The driver starting from seventh has scored in 12 of the last 14 races held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and has finished in the top ten in 19 of the last 23 Canadian Grands Prix.
After a post race time penalty, Lando Norris was classified only 13th having started here in 2023, marking the position’s second non-score since 2010. In 2024, Lewis Hamilton finished fourth having started here – the position’s best result since its last podium finish in 2016.
Two of the last 17 races in Canada have been won by the driver starting in seventh place. Kimi Raikkonen took victory in the 2005 race, while Jenson Button won from this position in the epic 2011 Canadian Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa’s first lap collision in 2017 marks the only time a driver has failed to finish from seventh on the grid in the last 15 Montreal races.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | DNF | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
- Last podium in 2008
- Two DNFs in the last 14 races
- Only win in 1991
All of the first four Canadian Grands Prix held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve resulted in DNFs for the driver starting eighth. In the last 14 races, there have been just two DNFs from here. The driver starting here has failed to score in the last two seasons.
The most recent podium from eighth on the grid was in 2008, when Nick Heidfeld finished as runner-up. Just one Canadian Grand Prix has been won from eighth on the grid. Nelson Piquet was victorious for the final time in his career from this position in 1991.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | DNF | 5 | 9 | DNF | 4 | 11 |
- Only two point-less finishes in last 9 races
- Most DNFs of any top 11 grid slot
- Only top 10 position to have never won
In the last nine Canadian Grands Prix, there have been just two occasions that the driver starting ninth has failed to score.
Daniel Ricciardo’s 11th place finish in 2022 marked the first time since 2015 that the driver lining up ninth on the grid failed to move forward in the race.
Before its recent run of good luck, ninth on the grid recorded three consecutive DNFs in 2011, 2012 and 2013. It has had the most DNFs of any grid slot in the top 11 at this circuit and is the only one in the top ten yet to win the event.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 4 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
- Had the longest active finishing streak of any grid slot until 2024
- 8 points finishes in last 14 races
- 4th in 2023 was best result since 2000
Having finished all 13 races since 2008, tenth on the grid had the longest active finishing streak at the Canadian Grand Prix until 2024, when Alex Albon became the first driver to retire having started tenth since 2010.
Charles Leclerc’s fourth place finish from tenth on the grid in the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix was the best result for this grid slot since Giancarlo Fisichella’s podium finish in 2000 – one of two podium finishes which has come from this position.
The driver starting here has won once, with Jacques Laffite winning the race in 1981. It is the furthest back grid slot to have won at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 16 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
- 9 points finishes in last 18 races
- Two podiums, last one in 1981
In the last 18 Canadian Grands Prix, the driver starting 11th has finished in the points on nine occasions, including three fourth place results.
In 2023, Carlos Sainz finished fifth, recording the grid slot’s best result since 2014. Since 2007, there has been only two retirements from 11th on the grid. Charles Leclerc’s DNF in 2024 marked the first for the driver starting here since 2017.
The driver starting 11th has recorded two podium finishes, both in the first four races at the circuit, with third places for Carlos Reutemann in 1978 and Gilles Villeneuve in 1981.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 9 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 10 | DNF | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
- DNF in 4 of the last 7 races
- Scored six times in last 46 years
- Best result is 4th
12th on the grid has failed to reach the end of four of the last seven Canadian Grands Prix. Jenson Button was sidelined with engine issues in 2016, as was Fernando Alonso in 2017, while Brendon Hartley was out on the first lap in 2018 after colliding with Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz collided with Alex Albon having started here in 2024.
Furthermore, the driver starting from 12th in Montreal has scored only six times in the last 46 years – the fewest number of times from any of the top 16 grid positions. Sergio Perez’s sixth place finish in 2023 was the first points-scoring race for the driver starting 12th in Canada since Kevin Magnussen in 2014.
The best finish for a driver starting here is fourth which Ricardo Patrese achieved in the first race at the track in 1978 and Karl Wendlinger repeated in 1992.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 8 | 11 | 9 | 14 | DNF | 16 | DNF | 13 | 13 | 6 |
- 4 DNFs in last 6 races
- Only podium in 2008
- Points only once in last 11 races
Unlucky number 13 definitely applies at the Canadian Grand Prix. The driver starting here has retired from four of the last six races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
In the last 11 races in Montreal, Charles Leclerc’s tenth place in 2018 is the only time that 13th on the grid has picked up points at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Just one podium finish has been recorded from 13th in Montreal. That was for David Coulthard, who recorded the final podium of his career with third place in 2008.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 12 | 16 | 11 | DNF | 13 | DNF | 10 | DNF | DNF | 17 |
- Two points finishes in last 13 races
- Best result of fifth
- Most non-finishes of any grid slot
Only two points have been scored from 14th on the grid in Canada in the last 13 races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with tenth place finishes for Romain Grosjean in 2017 and Valtteri Bottas in 2023
No driver starting here has finished above fifth, and the position holds the unwanted records for most non-finishes.
There have been 25 occasions where the driver starting here has failed to finish – though only one of those have been in the last eight races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 14 | 12 | DNF | 16 | 14 | 10 | DNF | 14 | 15 | 10 |
- 2024 marked first points since 2015
- No DNFs since 2014
- Only podium finish in 2012
At the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly finished ninth have starting 15th on the grid. He became the first driver to score a point from this position since Felipe Massa finished sixth in 2015. The driver starting here has not retired since 2014, but points have been rare in recent seasons.
The grid slot enjoyed three consecutive points-scoring races between 2010 and 2012, culminating in a podium finish for Sergio Perez in 2012. That’s the only top three result to be recorded from 15th so far in Montreal.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 3 | 20 | DNF | 6 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
- Scored points for first time since 2013 in 2023
- Best finish of fifth, in 1982 and 2001
In 2023, Lance Stroll recorded the first points from 16th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix since Felipe Massa in 2013.
Robert Mehri, Jolyon Palmer, Stroll and Sergio Perez have all started from 16th in the last eight races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and failed to finish the race.
The driver starting here has never finished above fifth position – a result which has been recorded twice: by Marc Surer in 1982 and by Jean Alesi in 2001.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 17 | 8 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 14 | DNF | 15 | 12 | 9 |
- Three points finishes in last six races – all for Stroll
- Five points finishes in total
Between 1980 and 2012, the 17th grid slot went for 31 races at the track without scoring a point, and in all of the races between 1995 and 2005, the driver starting from 17th retired from the Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, the grid slot has scored three times in the past six Montreal races – and all three times it has been home driver Lance Stroll who picked up points. He finished ninth in 2017 and 2019 and finished tenth in 2022. 2022 was only the fifth time that 17th on the grid has scored in Montreal.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 18 | 7 | DNF | 17 | 17 | 9 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
- 10 top ten finishes – but four points-scoring races
- Best result of fifth, in 2015
18th on the grid has given ten top ten finishes at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, though just four of those have resulted in actual points for the driver starting here.
The best result for this grid slot was scored by Sebastian Vettel, who finished fifth in 2015. Esteban Ocon’s tenth place in 2024 marked the grid slot’s first points-scoring afternoon since then.
Though the grid slot has scored only once in the last 7 races at the circuit, Logan Sargeant recorded the grid slot’s first retirement since 2014 in 2023.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 19 | 18 | DNF | 5 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | DNF |
- 2022 is only points score since 2008
- Best result of third, in 2007
In 2022, Charles Leclerc became the first driver to score points from 19th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix since Sebastian Vettel in 2008.
With fifth place, Leclerc recorded one of the grid slot’s best ever results – bettered only by fourth place for Nelson Piquet in 1989 and third place for Alexander Wurz in 2007.
Wurz’s podium makes 19th the furthest back grid slot – excluding the pit lane – to record a podium finish at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
As a result of there being two pit lane starters, the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix marked the first time that this grid slot was left clear in F1’s history at the Montreal venue.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 15 | 17 | DNF | 15 | 19 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 14 |
- Six top ten results
- Last points finish in 2016
23 non-finishes have come from 20th on the grid. Of the 16 races which the driver starting here has finished, they have recorded a top ten result six times.
The last driver to score from 20th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix was Carlos Sainz, who finished ninth in 2016.
Due to pit lane starts, this grid slot has been left vacant three times in the last six races here. The best result from 20th is sixth, scored four times – most recently by Kimi Raikkonen in 2003.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 19 | DNF | DNF | 9 | – | 12 | – | DNF | 16 |
Seven drivers have started the Canadian Grand Prix from the pit lane. Of those seven, two have resulted in points – including a third place finish for Rubens Barrichello in 2005 – while Esteban Gutierrez’s 2014 race ended in retirement.
With both Sauber drivers starting from the pit lane, the 2024 Canadian Grand prix was the first race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to feature multiple pit lane starters.