Later this year, Formula One and some of the world’s best drivers will be making their return to Canada later this year for the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal for the 52nd running of the event on June 18.
This year, Lewis Hamilton will look to become the most successful driver at the event, looking for his eighth win all time at Circuit Gilles Villenueve. Hamilton is currently tied with fellow Formula One legend Michael Schumacher with seven wins. Hamilton last won at the track in 2019 as part of four wins in Montreal in five years. After the 2020 and 2021 races were cancelled, Max Verstappen and Red Bull pulled out the victory last year.
The 2023 Formula One season is set to kick off on March 5 in Bahrain at the Sakhir Grand Prix. It will be the first of a 24 race season spanning from March 5 till November 26 when the season concludes at Ya Marina in Abu Dhabi. There will also be preseason testing in Bahrain From February 23 through February 25.
Other notable dates on the schedule include Melbourne on April 2, Miami on May 7, Monaco on May 28, Budapest on July 23, Singapore on September 17, Qatar on October 8, Austin on October 22, and Las Vegas on November 18. The race in Las Vegas on November 18 will be the first ever Formula One series race in the Sin City. The track will go around the Las Vegas Strip as part of a 3.8 mile course
The Canadian Grand Prix will be the ninth race of the season and will be sandwiched in between races in Barcelona, Spain and Spielberg, Austria.
The favorite to win the 2023 World Championship is defending champion Max Vertsappen at an incredible -138. Following Verstappen within the top of odds is Lewis Hamilton (+350), Charles Leclerc (+450), George Russell (+1000), and Carlos Sainz (+2000). Ontario Formula One fans can bet on Formula One and more at Caesars Sportsbook Ontario.
Last season, Verstappen won his second consecutive World Championship after winning 15 races throughout the course of the season. Red Bull Racing-RBPT also won the Constructors Championship as well unsurprisingly, thanks to Verstappen’s legendary efforts. It was Red Bull’s fifth Constructors Championship ever after winning four straight from 2010 to 2013.
If Verstappen can repat as World Champion for a third time, he would join Sebastian Vettel as Red Bull drivers to win three straight titles. Vettel won four straight World Championships from 2010 to 2013 as well.
History of the Canadian Grand Prix:
Taking place at Circuit Gilles Villenueve, the Canadian Grand Prix takes place on a 2.7 mile course on Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal. The track has held each race since 1978 after the race was also used at Mont-Tremblant in 1968 and 1970 as well as Mosport Park in 1967, 1969, and 1971 through 1974 as well as 1976 and 1977. It will be the 42nd running all time at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The Canadian Grand Prix throughout it’s history has mostly dominated by McLaren and Ferrari. The two manufactures have combined for 25 wins over the course of the race’s 50 years. That being said, since 2010, the two have only combined for four wins with McLaren garnering three of them from 2010 through 2012.
While neither has dominated over the past decade, the dominance has gone to the likes of Lewis Hamilton. Since 2010, Hamilton has won the race six times including in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.
Last year, in his win, Verstappen etched Red Bull’s third win all time in Montreal joining Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and Daniel Ricciardo in 2014.
As previously mentioned, Michael Schumacher also dominated the race during his career etching his name in the win column seven times between 1994 and 2004 including wins in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. The next driver closest to Schumacher and Hamilton is Nelson Piquet who won the race three times in 1982, 1984, 1991. No other drive has more than two wins all time for the race.
F1 continues to grow
Finally, the 2023 season should be a good one for Formula One when it comes to fanfare. Thanks to clever marketing and more, the sport has continued to grow over the last several years and is expected to continue to grow in 2023. Additionally, the sport also continues to grow in the United States, with more and more races popping up on the Formula One schedule throughout the season.
However, that also means that it may continue to only get more and more expensive. Formula One is known for its extravagant ticket packages and more that can quickly price out the common fan and quickly become for the wealthy quite quickly. Either way, the sport should remain quite popular thanks to tv rights deals and streaming access across the globe.