Doesn’t time fly when you’ve got pulsating F1 action to look forward to? It’s been nearly two weeks since Daniel Ricciardo crossed the line first in Monaco and we’re already onto the next one – the Canadian Grand Prix. His win in Monaco brought him up to third place in the driver standings with 72 points overall, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel lead the way with 110 and 96 points, respectively. It’s getting rather tight at the top of the standings, which means that it’s all to play for in Montréal this weekend.
What Time Does The Canadian Grand Prix Start?
Montréal has a time difference of -5 hours when compared to BST. So, you can expect this race to start at the later UK time of 7.10pm. So, if you we’re looking forward to your lie in this Sunday, rest assured, you’ll certainly be able to have one and still get to watch all of the action!
History of The Canadian Grand Prix
Taking place on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal, in the Quebec province of Canada, the Canadian Grand Prix is a race which holds a fair amount of history in its books. This track was built with a fair amount of ingenuity, as they used the Île Notre-Dame – an artificial island located in the Saint Lawrence River – as a base for the track. They then connected all the island’s roads and created a circuit which was then upgraded to meet Formula One standards. It is known by some as the ‘perfect Grand Prix venue’. First held in 1961, the 70 lap race clocks up a distance of 305.270km overall as it is known for its challenging chicanes and walls. Infamously, the ‘Wall of Champions’ is one which has caught out world class drivers in the past such as Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.
The most successful driver on this circuit is – yep, you guessed it, Michael Schumacher, who holds a total of 7 wins overall between 1994 and 2004. In more recent times, it’s fair to say that Britain’s very own Lewis Hamilton has been the king of Canada since. He’s managed to win the race consecutively for the past three years and he also managed to win in 2007, 2010 and 2012. If he wins this week, he’ll be level with the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Who Won The 2017 Canadian Grand Prix?
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton started last year’s race in pole position. He managed to retain the position as he raced across the finishing line in first place with a time of 1:33:05.154. It proved to be a good race for Mercedes last year as teammate Valtteri Bottas managed to secure second place just +19.783 seconds behind the Brit. Red Bull racer Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in third position with a time of +35.297.
Who Is Likely to Win the Canadian Grand Prix?
Going by his record on this circuit, Lewis Hamilton is favourite to win this year’s edition of the race. However it’s not just the experience that counts, as he’ll be looking to bounce back from his third place result two weeks ago in Monaco. With one Canadian win each for Daniel Ricciardo (2014), Sebastian Vettel (2013) and Fernando Alonso (2006), Hamilton won’t be the only one gunning for the podium.
Ricciardo will be looking to continue his good form following his win in Monaco a fortnight ago. Also looking dangerous are the two Finnish drivers of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen – who will be looking to pick up some points for their Mercedes and Ferrari teams.
Final Thoughts
The Canadian Grand Prix can be one of the best and most exciting races in the F1 calendar, which is why we are looking forward to it so much! As we always say here at Karting Nation, make sure you tune in so you don’t miss out on all of the action! Whilst the race begins at 7.10pm UK time this Sunday, 10th June, there’s also the practice rounds which start on today at 3pm BST, followed by qualifying on Saturday 9th June with the action kicking off at 7pm.