Misplaced Pages

#7992

99-737: The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , also spelled Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve ( French pronunciation: [siʁ.kɥi ʒil vilnœv] ), is a 4.361 km (2.710 mi) motor racing circuit on Notre Dame Island in Montreal , Quebec , Canada . It is the venue for the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix . It has previously hosted the World Sportscar Championship , the Champ Car World Series ( Grand Prix of Montreal ),

198-570: A 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. In 2009 he received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Northampton recognising his successful career and his connection with Northampton through Silverstone and the BRDC. Hill also made a UK television advert with F1 commentator Murray Walker for Pizza Hut , in which Walker commentated on Hill's meal as if it were

297-537: A 1–2 finish. The victory was his first since being dropped by the Williams team. Hill finished the season with a last lap pass on Frentzen at the Japanese Grand Prix , which earned him fourth place in the race and Jordan fourth position in that year's Constructors' Championship. Hopes were high for 1999 , but Hill did not enjoy a good season. Struggling with the newly introduced four-grooved tyres, he

396-477: A NASCAR pit lane must accommodate a minimum of 43 cars. The 2008 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 the FIA , the circuit had additional Tecpro barriers installed, following the removal of older tire barriers by May 2017. With the 2017 technical regulations, experts predicted

495-482: 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 the 1999 race . In Formula 1 races, a car damaged after gracing the Wall of Champions brings out a Safety Car or VSC . The exit barrier is poignantly marked with advertising by Tourisme Québec ("Bonjour Québec"; “Bienvenue au Québec” in previous years) during

594-537: A collision involving several cars on the opening lap of the race. For the following race, the Spanish Grand Prix , Williams's test driver David Coulthard was promoted to the race team alongside Hill, who won the race just four weeks after Senna's death. Schumacher led by 66 points to 29 by the midpoint of the season. At the French Grand Prix , Frank Williams brought back Nigel Mansell, for

693-871: A horse-racing course on his estate at Epsom; the English Derby continues to be held there today. Racecourses in the British Isles are based on grass, known as turf tracks. In the United States, the race tracks are soil. With the advent of the automobile in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, race tracks were designed to suit the nature of powered machines. The earliest tracks were modified horse-racing courses. Racing automobiles in such facilities began in September 1896, at Narragansett Park in Cranston, Rhode Island . The Indianapolis Motor Speedway

792-829: A lapped Prost. In his first full season, Hill benefited from the experience of his veteran French teammate. He continued to impress as the season went on, and in San Marino Hill took the lead at the start, though he was passed by Prost and Senna and ultimately retired with a spin due to a brake failure. Mechanical problems returned in Spain where he kept pace with Prost for most of the race only for his engine to fail. After strong podiums in Monaco and Canada, Hill took his first career pole in France , finishing second to Prost after team orders prevented him from seriously challenging for

891-574: A one-off drive in the lower level British F3000 championship and shared a Porsche 962 at Le Mans for Richard Lloyd Racing , where the engine failed after 228 laps. He also competed in one race in the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park , driving a Ford Sierra RS500 . Midway through the season, an opportunity arose at the uncompetitive Mooncraft F3000 team. The team tested Hill and Perry McCarthy . Their performances were comparable but according to

990-489: A race. Hill has also appeared on many British television programmes, including Top Gear , This is Your Life , TFI Friday , Shooting Stars and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer . Hill has raced both cars and motorcycles at the Goodwood Festival of Speed , and in 2005 he tested the new GP2 Series car. He drove the 600 bhp (450 kW) Grand Prix Masters single seater racing vehicle for

1089-400: A settlement with Formula One Administration and signed a new five-year contract spanning the 2010–2014 seasons. The 2011 edition of the race was the longest World Championship Grand Prix ever at over 4 hours in length, due to a lengthy rain delay. Originally named the Île Notre-Dame Circuit , the circuit was built and finished in 1978. In what has proven to be the venue's main event over

SECTION 10

#1732775729008

1188-427: A short course and a longer course which uses part of the shorter one, usually the main straight, such as Brands Hatch . The Le Mans road race venue is centred on a smaller permanent circuit within its complex. Surfaces include: Race tracks are primarily designed for road racing competition through speed, featuring defined start-finish lines or posts, and sometimes even a series of defined timing points that divide

1287-480: A single point the previous year. Hill's title defence in 1997 proved unsuccessful, getting off to a poor start when he only narrowly qualified for the Australian Grand Prix and then retired on the parade lap. The Arrows car, which used tyres from series debutant Bridgestone and previously unproven Yamaha engines, was generally uncompetitive, and Hill did not score his first point for the team until

1386-460: 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 in 2005 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,

1485-486: A test driver with the championship-winning Williams team while still competing in the F3000 series. However, midway through 1992 Hill broke into Grand Prix racing as a driver with the dying Brabham team. The formerly competitive team was in serious financial difficulties. Hill started the season only after three races, replacing Giovanna Amati after her sponsorship had failed to materialise. Amati had been unable to get

1584-719: A test run around the Silverstone Circuit in mid-2006. He had discussions to join the series limited to retired Formula One drivers who were aged 45 or over but these talks did not materialise in a drive. Hill served as the driver representative on the stewards' panel at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix which decided to penalize Hill's former rival Michael Schumacher for overtaking under yellow flag conditions. The decision led to Hill receiving hate mail. Between 18 and 19 May 2012, Hill along with Mark Blundell , Perry McCarthy, Martin Donnelly and Julian Bailey participated in

1683-529: A title challenge and took pole in the Japanese Grand Prix , the final race of the year. However, Hill took the lead at the start and won both the race and the championship while the Canadian retired. Hill equalled the record for starting all 16 races of the season from the front row, matching Ayrton Senna in 1989 and Alain Prost in 1993. Despite winning the title, Hill learned before the season's close that he

1782-569: Is Nardò where high-speed manufacturer testing often takes place, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Some oval tracks are variations on an oval shape, for practical reasons or to introduce varying difficulties such as Talladega (a tri-oval). Most race tracks have meandering circuits with many curves, chicanes and changes in height, to allow for a challenge in skill to the competitors, notably motocross and touring car racing – these tend to predominate throughout most of

1881-619: Is a British former racing driver and broadcaster , who competed in Formula One from 1992 to 1999 . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1996 with Williams , and won 22 Grands Prix across eight seasons. Born and raised in London, Hill is the son of two-time Formula One World Champion Graham Hill , and, along with Nico Rosberg , one of two sons of a Formula One World Champion to also win

1980-458: Is a nonpermanent track for sports, particularly road running , water sports , road racing , or rallying . Many sports usually held on race tracks also can occur on temporary tracks, such as the Monaco and Singapore Grands Prix in Formula One . Some evidence remains of racetracks being developed in several ancient civilizations. The most developed ancient race tracks were the hippodromes of

2079-478: 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 at Île 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

SECTION 20

#1732775729008

2178-532: Is married to Susan "Georgie" George and they have four children, including Joshua . One son was born with Down syndrome and Hill and Georgie are both patrons of the Down's Syndrome Association. In 2009, Hill also became the first patron of St. Joseph's Specialist School and College, a school for children with severe learning disabilities and autism in Cranleigh, Surrey. Joshua started racing in 2008, competing in

2277-519: Is possible to directly compare different race series' lap times. In 2006, the last time Champ 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 by Kimi Räikkönen , while Sébastien Bourdais's fastest lap was 1:22.325 in the Champ Car race. 2007 NASCAR Busch Series driver Patrick Carpentier racing in

2376-634: The 1999 season. In 2006, he became president of the British Racing Drivers' Club , succeeding Jackie Stewart . Hill stepped down from the position in 2011 and was succeeded by Derek Warwick . He presided over the securing of a 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. Hill formerly worked as part of the Sky Sports F1 broadcasting support team providing expert analysis during free practice sessions. Hill

2475-448: The 2019 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 the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix , earning him pole position. This was Hamilton's 65th pole position which put him level with Ayrton Senna in the F1 history books. After qualifying, Hamilton

2574-763: The Ancient Greeks and the circuses ( circi ) of the Roman Empire . Both of these structures were designed for horse and chariot racing. The stadium of the Circus Maximus in Ancient Rome could hold 200,000 spectators. Racing facilities existed during the Middle Ages , and records exist of a public racecourse being opened at Newmarket , in London, in 1174. In 1780, the Earl of Derby created

2673-582: The Belgian Grand Prix ; Hill's was for colliding with Schumacher under braking at the Italian Grand Prix . Hill's season finished positively when he won the Australian Grand Prix by finishing two laps ahead of the runner-up, Olivier Panis in a Ligier . In 1996 the Williams car was clearly the quickest in Formula One and Hill went on to win the title ahead of his teammate, reigning Indycar champion Jacques Villeneuve , becoming

2772-617: The British Formula Renault Championship in 2011. Joshua retired from motor racing in 2013. Hill is the Patron of the charity Disability Africa which runs inclusion projects for disabled children in African countries. Hill started his motorsport career in motorcycle racing in 1981. He used the same simple, easily identifiable helmet design as his father: eight white oar blades arranged vertically around

2871-655: The British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. His best result for the year then came at the Hungarian Grand Prix . On a day when the Bridgestone tyres had a competitive edge over their Goodyear rivals, Hill qualified third in a car that had not previously placed higher than 9th on the grid. During the race, he passed his rival and new championship contender, Michael Schumacher, on the track and

2970-686: The Canadian 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 the Formula One Canadian 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 the Grand American Road Racing Association 's Rolex Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series , respectively –

3069-487: The Fuelling Around podcast. The deal involved the sales expertise of David Hunt, brother of F1 driver James Hunt . He had a steady first season for Murray Taylor Racing in 1986 before taking a brace of wins in each of the following years for Intersport. He finished third in the 1988 championship. In Europe in the 1990s, a successful driver would usually progress from Formula Three either directly to Formula One,

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-538: The German Grand Prix , Hill scored his first point of the year and at the Belgian Grand Prix , in very wet conditions, he took the Jordan team's maiden win. At that race, Hill was leading late in the race, with teammate Schumacher closing rapidly, when he asked the team whether they would be allowed to race each other. Team principal Eddie Jordan ordered Ralf Schumacher to hold position instead of risking losing

3267-400: The Hungarian Grand Prix in 2007 and 2008 . British Sky Broadcasting signed Hill to join their Formula One presentation team on Sky Sports F1 as a pundit starting from the 2012 Formula One World Championship . Hill resigned after the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix , having worked as an analyst across 13 seasons. Hill was interested in music from an early age and formed the punk band

3366-719: The Monaco GP , and the Circuit de la Sarthe circuit in Le Mans , France. These are not permanent facilities built for racing (although parts of the Circuit de la Sarthe are purpose-built, and closed to the public). After World War II , many wartime airfields, particularly in Great Britain, were left without further use. This coincided with a post-war boom in motorsport, and many airfields were converted to race tracks, where

3465-645: The NAPA Auto Parts 200 , posted a pole time of 1:42.086. The pole time at the 2012 NAPA Auto Parts 200 was 1:40.865 by Alex Tagliani. The track record for the Rolex Sports Car Series is 1:32.620. The time was set by Scott Pruett driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Daytona Prototype class in 2010 . The fastest ever lap around the circuit was set by Sebastian Vettel with a time of 1:10.240 set in qualifying (Q3) for

3564-726: The NASCAR Pinty’s Series , the NASCAR Nationwide Series ( NAPA Auto Parts 200 ), and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series . The Canadian Grand Prix was first held at the circuit in 1978 , where hometown hero Gilles Villeneuve (1950–1982) won for Scuderia Ferrari . The Grand Prix quickly became a mainstay of the Formula One calendar, with the race taking place in Montreal for the next thirty years. Once held in late September,

3663-429: The "Hormones" with some friends while at school. After achieving success in Formula One, he was able to play guitar with several famous musicians, including his friend George Harrison , and appeared on "Demolition Man", the opening track of Def Leppard 's 1999 album Euphoria . "I'm quite proud of that one to be honest", Hill told the Fuelling Around podcast. "You can actually hear my guitar as they fade it out towards

3762-476: The 1992 champion, was not racing in Formula One in 1993, Williams as Constructors' Champion were given numbers "0" and "2". As the junior partner to Prost, Hill took "0", the second man in Formula One history to do so, after Jody Scheckter in 1973 . The season did not start well when Hill spun out of second place shortly after the start of the South African Grand Prix and failed to finish

3861-592: The Benetton team and Michael Schumacher initially proved more competitive and won the first three races. At the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May, Senna died after his car crashed into a concrete barrier while he was leading. With the team undergoing investigation from the Italian authorities on manslaughter charges, Hill found himself team leader with only one season's experience in the top flight. It

3960-604: The Expo '67 fairgrounds and a prominent remnant of the fair, the Biosphere is located adjacent to the circuit. Almost half of the track—from the hairpin turn until after the pit area —runs alongside the Olympic Basin , a huge rectangular basin which was created for the rowing and canoeing events of Montréal's 1976 Summer Olympics . Over the winter of 2018–19 the paddock—in use since 1988—was demolished and replaced with

4059-584: 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)

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-548: The F1 event. As part of Parc Jean-Drapeau , the Circuit is open to visitors, between races, for walking, running, biking, in-line skating, and driving. 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

4257-474: The French, European, Japanese and Australian Grands Prix with Coulthard doing the majority of the 1994 season. Mansell earned approximately £900,000 for each of his four races, while Hill was paid £300,000 for the entire season, though Hill's position as lead driver remained unquestioned. Hill came back into contention for the title after winning the British Grand Prix , a race his father had never won. Schumacher

4356-581: The Grand Prix, leading Jordan to test Jos Verstappen in case Hill had to be quickly replaced. Following a strong fifth place at his home event, however, Hill changed his mind and decided to see out the year. His best result for the remainder of the season was sixth place, which he achieved in both Hungary and Belgium. With three races of 1999 to go, there were rumours that the Prost Grand Prix team would release Jarno Trulli early after he signed for Jordan's 2000 campaign as Hill's replacement. At

4455-573: The Prestige and Super Car Private Members Club P1 International with Michael Breen in 2000; Breen bought Hill out in October 2006. Hill also became involved in a BMW dealership, just outside Royal Leamington Spa, that bore his name and an Audi dealership in Exeter. In April 2006, Hill succeeded Jackie Stewart as President of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC). He presided over the securing of

4554-485: The US-based Indy Car World Series instead of F1) and Alain Prost (1993 champion – retired in 1994). As World Champion, Hill was in high demand and had offers for a race seat from McLaren , Benetton and Ferrari but not adequately financially valued despite his status. As a consequence, he opted to sign for Arrows , a team which had never won a race in its 20-year history and had scored only

4653-538: The United Kingdom, India, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. Race tracks built for bicycles are known as velodromes . Circuit is a common alternate term for race track, given the circuit configuration of most race tracks, allowing races to occur over several laps. Some race tracks may also be known as speedways , or raceways . A race course , as opposed to a racecourse ,

4752-739: The Wheels , in 2016, in which he revealed he had suffered with depression . Hill has frequently appeared in the British media. In June 1975, he appeared alongside his father on the television programme Jim'll Fix It . He again appeared on the programme in January 1995, marking the twentieth anniversary of the show. He has contributed many articles to F1 Racing magazine and has twice appeared in ITV F1 's commentary box, covering for Martin Brundle at

4851-403: 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. The events at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are listed as: As the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve serves as host to different racing series, it

4950-409: The car through qualifying but Hill matched his teammate, Eric van de Poele , by qualifying for two races, the mid-season British and Hungarian Grands Prix. Hill continued to test for the Williams team that year and the British Grand Prix saw Nigel Mansell win the race for Williams, while he finished last in the Brabham. The Brabham team collapsed after the Hungarian Grand Prix and did not complete

5049-519: The circuit layout usually combined parts of the runways and the surrounding perimeter taxiways. The famous British track at Silverstone is a former Class A airfield , as are Castle Combe and Goodwood . The long runways were perfect for drag strips such as at Santa Pod Raceway . This type of track also appears on the popular motoring show Top Gear , which is filmed at Dunsfold Aerodrome , in Surrey, United kingdom Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE (born 17 September 1960)

SECTION 50

#1732775729008

5148-400: The current structure. 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. In 1999 the wall, which bears the name Bienvenue au Québec ("Welcome to Quebec") giving it the nickname "Mur du Québec" ( Quebec Wall ), ended

5247-522: 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 at Mosport Park near Toronto on 8 occasions and in 1968 and 1970, the Mont-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 driver Gilles Villeneuve , father of Jacques Villeneuve , following his death earlier in

5346-445: The end of the song. I think it fits well with the track and it went platinum!" Hill also made a regular appearance at the British Grand Prix alongside other Formula One musicians such as Eddie Jordan. After his retirement at the end of the 1999 season, Hill devoted more time to music and played with celebrity bands including Spike Edney 's SAS band, and Pat Cash 's Wild Colonial Boys. Hill also formed his own band, The Conrods, which

5445-499: 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 inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , after running over two decades uninterrupted. On November 27, 2009, Quebec's officials and Canadian Grand Prix organizers announced

5544-402: The family lived in a "25-room country mansion" in Hertfordshire and Damon attended the independent The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School . The death of his father in an aeroplane crash in 1975 left the 15-year-old Hill, his mother, and sisters Samantha and Brigitte in drastically reduced circumstances. Hill worked as a labourer and a motorcycle courier to support his further education. Hill

5643-414: The fast right-left chicane, which became the final corner. After the fatal crashes of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola 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

5742-409: 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

5841-418: The first half of the season, the Jordan 198 car was off the pace and unreliable until improvements in performance from the Canadian Grand Prix . During that race, Hill progressed to second place as others retired or made pit stops for fuel. On lap 38, Michael Schumacher, who was delayed by a stop-and-go penalty after forcing Frentzen's Williams off the track, caught Hill on the home straight; Hill moved across

5940-461: The first round of the VW Scirocco R-Cup at Brands Hatch to raise funds for the Halow Charity. Hill completed seven laps of the circuit before retiring. On 7 October 2012, Hill drove his father's BRM in celebration of the 50th anniversary of having won the 1962 F1 World Championship. In June 2018, Hill became the President of the Brooklands Trust Members who are the support group for Brooklands Museum . Hill published his autobiography, Watching

6039-408: The first son of a Formula One champion to win the championship himself. Taking eight wins and never qualifying off the front row, Hill enjoyed by far his most successful season. At Monaco, where his father had won five times in the 1960s, he led until his engine failed, curtailing his race and allowing Olivier Panis to take his only Formula One win. Near the end of the season, Villeneuve began to mount

SECTION 60

#1732775729008

6138-426: The latter series' first race north of the Canada-United States border. On August 4, 2007, Kevin Harvick made history by winning the first NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in what was one of the most controversial NASCAR races ever, as Robby Gordon claimed to have won the race. The NASCAR races have affected the circuit layout. An expansion of the pit lane took place, since

6237-409: The lead following a pit stop problem for Prost, and then at the Italian Grand Prix where Prost's engine failed towards the end. His third consecutive win clinched the Constructors' Championship for Williams and moved him temporarily to second in the Drivers' standings. At the Portuguese Grand Prix Hill came from the back of the grid to third, having stalled on the warm up lap from pole. He finished

6336-406: The next two races put him in the championship lead. However, Schumacher won seven of the next twelve races, and took his second title with two races to spare, while Benetton took the Constructors' Championship. Schumacher and Hill had several on-track incidents during the season, two of which led to suspended one-race bans for both. Schumacher's penalty was for blocking and forcing Hill off the road at

6435-404: The pinnacle of the sport, or to the International Formula 3000 championship. However, Hill did not have enough sponsorship available to fund a drive in F3000. He says "I ended up having to reappraise my career a bit. The first thing was to realise how lucky I was to be driving anything. I made the decision that whatever I drove I would do it to the best of my ability and see where it led." He took

6534-457: The race after colliding with Alessandro Zanardi on lap 17. At the Brazilian Grand Prix , Hill qualified and spent the early stages of the race running second behind Prost, and then took the lead when Prost crashed, but was relegated back to second by another three-time World Champion, Ayrton Senna . Nevertheless, the race still gave Hill his first podium finish. In the next round in Europe , Hill again finished second behind Senna and ahead of

6633-400: The race of three Formula One World Champions, Damon Hill , Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve along with FIA GT champion Ricardo Zonta . Since then the wall has been nicknamed "The Wall of Champions" . In subsequent years, 2009 world champion Jenson Button (2005) and four time World Champion Sebastian Vettel (2011, during free practice) also became victims of the wall. For

6732-405: 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. 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

6831-515: The same time, his teammate, Frentzen, became a title contender going into the final few races of the season and, eventually, finished third in the championship. In so doing, both Hill and Frentzen helped Jordan to achieve its best-ever finish with a third position in the Constructors' Championship. Hill's last race was the Japanese Grand Prix where he spun off the track and pulled into the pit lane citing mental fatigue. In retirement Hill has continued to be involved with cars and motorsport. He founded

6930-426: The same track, or incorporating many tracks in one venue. Commonly, running tracks are incorporated within general use or soccer stadiums, either permanently visible or covered by stands or pitches. Many horse and motorsport tracks are configurable, allowing different routes or sections. Some venues contain smaller tracks inside larger ones, with access tunnels and bridges for spectators. Some racetracks incorporate

7029-404: The season by finishing fourth in Japan and third in Australia , though he lost second in the Drivers' Championship to Ayrton Senna, who passed Hill by winning the last two races. In 1994 , Ayrton Senna joined Hill at Williams. As the reigning champion, this time Prost, was again no longer racing, Hill retained his number '0'. The pre-season betting was that Senna would coast to the title, but

7128-425: The season. When Mansell's teammate Riccardo Patrese left Williams to drive for Benetton in 1993 , Hill was unexpectedly promoted to the race team alongside triple World Champion Alain Prost ahead of more experienced candidates such as Martin Brundle and Mika Häkkinen . Traditionally, the reigning driver's World Champion carried the number "1" on his car and his teammate took the number "2". Because Mansell,

7227-461: The team manager, John Wickham, the team sponsors preferred the Hill name. Although his best result was a 15th place, Hill's race performances for Mooncraft led to an offer to drive a Lola chassis for Middlebridge Racing in 1990. He took three pole positions and led five races in 1990, but did not win a race during his Formula 3000 career. Hill started his Grand Prix career during the 1991 season as

7326-453: The time of the incident "Williams were already 100% certain that Michael was guilty of foul play" but did not protest Schumacher's title because the team was still dealing with the death of Ayrton Senna. In 2007, Hill explicitly accused Schumacher of causing the collision deliberately. Hill's season earned him the 1994 BBC Sports Personality of the Year . Coming into the 1995 season , Hill

7425-454: The title. He started racing on motorbikes in 1981, and after minor success moved on to single-seater racing cars. Hill became a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was promoted to the Williams race team the following year after Riccardo Patrese 's departure and took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix . During the mid-1990s, Hill

7524-478: The track hitting the wall with the right-hand side of his Benetton while leading. Coming into the sixth corner Hill moved to pass the Benetton and the two collided, breaking the Williams's front left suspension wishbone , and forcing both drivers' retirement from the race. BBC Formula One commentator Murray Walker , had often maintained that Schumacher did not cause the crash intentionally, but Williams co-owner Patrick Head felt differently. In 2006 he said that at

7623-574: The track into time sectors. A racetrack for cars (i.e. a car track) is a closed circuit, instead of a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads . Race tracks can host individual or team sports. Racetracks can feature rolling starts , or fixed starts, with associated equipment (starting blocks, cages, wheel traps etc.) They invariably feature a pit lane , and usually timing equipment. Some car tracks are of an oval shape, and can be banked, which allows almost universal spectator views or high speed racing (cycling, stock cars). A famous one

7722-434: The track three times to block Schumacher, who took the place by running over the kerbs at the last chicane. Hill then ran fourth after his only pit stop before retiring due to an electrical failure. After the race, Schumacher accused Hill of dangerous driving. Hill responded by stating that Schumacher "cannot claim anyone drives badly when you look at the things he's been up to in his career. He took Frentzen out completely." At

7821-579: The two UK national championships. He also took third place in the final of the 1985 Formula Ford Festival , helping the UK to win the team prize. For 1986, Hill planned to move up to the British Formula Three Championship with title-winning team West Surrey Racing . The loss of sponsorship from Ricoh, and then the death of his proposed teammate Bertrand Fabi in a testing accident, ended Hill's proposed drive. Hill says "When Bert

7920-556: The upper surface of a dark blue helmet. The device and colours represent the London Rowing Club for which Graham Hill rowed in the early 1950s. Although he won a 350 cc clubman's championship at the Brands Hatch circuit, his racing budget came from working as a building labourer. He also worked as a dispatch rider for Apollo Despatch in London, then later Special Delivery, a London motorcycle dispatch company and

8019-548: The way of permanent infrastructure other than the track; others incorporate spectator facilities such as grandstands , hospitality or facilities for competitors, such as pit lanes and garages, paddocks and stables. Several racetracks are incorporated into larger venues or complexes, incorporating golf courses, museums, hotels, and conference centres. Some racetracks are small enough to be contained indoors, for sports such as motocross , track cycling , and athletics . Many racetracks are multi-use, allowing different types of sport on

8118-533: The win. He looked set to win the British Grand Prix before another engine failure put him out and led the German Grand Prix comfortably only to suffer a puncture with two laps left, handing the win to Prost. At the Hungarian race, Hill did take his first career win after leading from start to finish. In doing so he became the first son of a Formula One Grand Prix winner to take victory himself, and he followed it with two more wins, first at Spa where he took

8217-709: The world, but especially in Europe. Flatter meandering motorsport courses are sometimes called 'road circuits', originating in the fact that the earliest road racing circuits were simply closed-off public roads. Some car racetracks are specifically configured in a long straight, namely drag racing . True road circuits are still in use, e.g. the Australian GP has been run in Adelaide and continues to be in Melbourne on regular city streets. The most famous of these are

8316-520: The year . The circuit is located in Parc Jean-Drapeau in the city of Montréal . The park is named after the mayor of Montréal who was responsible for the organization of Expo 67 . The race circuit is on Notre Dame Island , a man-made island in the St. 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

8415-602: Was Michael Schumacher 's main rival for the Formula One Drivers' Championship, which saw the two clash several times on and off the track. Their collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Hill became champion in 1996 with eight wins, but was dropped by Williams for the following season. He went on to drive for the less competitive Arrows and Jordan teams, and in 1998 gave Jordan their first win. Hill retired from racing after being dropped by Jordan following

8514-796: Was active between 1999 and 2003 and played cover versions of well-known songs from The Rolling Stones , The Beatles and The Kinks . Since becoming president of the BRDC in 2006, Hill says he has stopped playing the guitar, being "too busy doing school runs and looking after pets." ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) ‡ Endurance driver ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Did not finish, but

8613-702: Was also awarded the Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club . The trophy is awarded to the British national who accomplishes the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of transport by land, sea, air, or water. Hill became the fourth driver in nine years to win the World Drivers' Championship for Williams and not drive for the team the following season, as occurred with Nelson Piquet ( 1987 champion – 1988 driver for Lotus ), Nigel Mansell (1992 champion – 1993 driver in

8712-512: 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 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are listed as: Race track A racetrack is a permanent facility or building. Racecourse is an alternate term for a horse racing track, found in countries such as

8811-544: Was born in Hampstead , London, to Graham and Bette Hill. Graham Hill was a racing driver in the international Formula One series. He won the world Drivers' Championship in 1962 and 1968, and became a well-known personality in the United Kingdom. Graham Hill's career provided a comfortable living. Bette (née Shubrook) was a former rower and medalist at the European Rowing Championships . By 1975

8910-477: Was disqualified from that race and banned for two further races for overtaking Hill during the formation lap and ignoring the subsequent black flag. Four more victories for Hill, three of which were in races where Schumacher was excluded or disqualified, took the title battle to the final event at Adelaide. At Schumacher's first race since his ban, the European Grand Prix , he suggested that Hill (who

9009-493: Was eight years his senior) was not a world-class driver. However, during the penultimate race at the Japanese Grand Prix , Hill took victory ahead of Schumacher in a rain-soaked event. This put Hill just one point behind the German before the last race of the season. Neither Hill nor Schumacher finished the season-closing Australian Grand Prix , after a controversial collision which gave the title to Schumacher. Schumacher ran off

9108-405: Was killed, I took the conscious decision that I wasn't going to stop doing that sort of thing. It's not just competing, it's doing something more exciting. I'm at my fullest skiing, racing or whatever. And I'm more frightened of letting it all slip and reaching 60 and finding I've done nothing." Hill borrowed £100,000 to finance his racing thanks to a sponsorship deal with Cellnet, as he explained to

9207-555: Was leading late in the race, 35 seconds ahead of the eventual 1997 World Champion, Villeneuve, until a hydraulic problem drastically slowed the Arrows. Villeneuve thus passed Hill, who finished second. Only after one year with Arrows, Hill came close to signing a deal with Alain Prost's team, before deciding to instead sign up with the Jordan team for the 1998 season . His new teammate was Ralf Schumacher , younger brother of Michael. In

9306-483: Was one of the title favourites. The Williams team were reigning Constructors' Champions, having beaten Benetton in 1994, and with young David Coulthard, who was embarking on his first full season in Formula One, as teammate, Hill was the clear number one driver. The year seemed to start well with pole position in Brazil, although a spin while in the lead due to a mechanical problem handed the lead to Schumacher. But wins in

9405-623: Was opened in August 1909. Beginning in the early 1900s, motorcycle races were run on high, banked, wooden race tracks called board tracks . During the 1920s, many of the races on the AAA Championship circuit were run on such board tracks. Modern racetracks are designed with spectator safety being paramount, following incidents of spectator and track marshals fatalities. These often involve run-off areas, barriers, and high fencing. Racetracks are used for: Some racetracks offer little in

9504-553: Was outpaced by his new teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was Hill's replacement at Williams two years prior. After a crash at the Canadian Grand Prix , Hill announced plans to retire from the sport at the end of the year, but after failing to finish the French Grand Prix that Frentzen won, he considered quitting the sport immediately. Jordan persuaded Hill to at least stay for the British Grand Prix . Going into that race weekend, Hill announced he would retire after

9603-624: Was provided TZ350 racing bikes by them. His mother, who was concerned about the dangers of racing motorcycles, persuaded him to take a racing car course at the Winfield Racing School in France in 1983. Although he showed "above-average aptitude", Hill had only sporadic single-seater races until the end of 1984. He graduated through British Formula Ford , winning six races driving a Van Diemen for Manadient Racing in 1985, his first full season in cars, and finishing third and fifth in

9702-535: Was to be dropped by Williams in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen for the following season. Hill left Williams as the team's second most successful driver in terms of race victories, with 21, second only to Mansell. Hill's 1996 World Championship earned him his second BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award , making him one of only five people to receive the award twice – the others being boxer Henry Cooper , Nigel Mansell , Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton . Hill

9801-482: Was widely reported at the time that the Williams car's steering column had failed, though Hill told BBC Sport in 2004 that he believed Senna simply took the corner too fast for the conditions, referring to the fact that the car had just restarted the race with cold tyres after being slowed down by a safety car. Hill represented Williams alone at the next race, the Monaco Grand Prix . His race ended early in

#7992