'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the Canadian Grand Prix taking place this upcoming weekend, fans will be eager to see an F1 race that excites us, something we haven't seen much of this season.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one that usually produces a thriller, with its high average speeds and its unforgiving barriers. The only Formula 1 street circuit in the western hemisphere is a favourite of both the supporters and the drivers, and to get an understanding of who is in with a chance of victory on Sunday, it helps to see who has had the most success in Montreal.
#5 Ayrton Senna (2)
There's a five-way tie for drivers who have achieved two victories in Canada. Ayrton Senna edges out Alan Jones, Sir Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx due to the fact he also had a fourth-place finish at the Canadian GP.
Pedro Rodriguez also has two wins at the Canadian Grand Prix, but those victories were when the event was a sports car race, not being run to Formula 1 specifications. Senna is the sixth most successful driver in F1 history in terms of overall wins, so it's no surprise that he finds himself on this list.
The Brazillian never won in Montreal during his Lotus days, despite claiming the fastest lap in 1985. However, that soon changed when Senna joined McLaren, overtaking his teammate Alain Prost after losing pole in 1988 as part of a hat-trick victory (pole, win and fastest lap).
He'd repeat the feat in wet conditions in 1990, showing off some incredible car control on slick tyres on wet tarmac along the way. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one that is traditionally a car breaker, thanks to the large amount of stress that the engines have to withstand to make the chequered flag and Senna fell victim to this on a number of occasions.
He suffered turbo issues in 1985, retired from the lead in '89 and '91 and retired with mechanical issues in both 1992 and '93.
#4 Sebastian Vettel (2)
The most recent winner of the Canadian Grand Prix is also one of the most successful drivers there. Like Senna, Sebastian Vettel has won twice in Canada, but thanks to his pair of second places, he's ahead of the Brazilian on this list.
The Red Bull was traditionally a car which struggled around circuits like the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve thanks to Adrian Newey's emphasis on high downforce levels, so it took until 2013 for Seb to win in Montreal.
The win in 2013 was typically dominant for the time, 14 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso and one that never looked in doubt. Vettel should've won in 2011 but made a mistake in the closing stages to hand the win to Jenson Button, one of the greatest comebacks in F1 history.
2016 was a similar story, although this time it was his Ferrari team which cost him the top step thanks to a poor strategy. The German will be looking for a repeat of last year's race on Sunday, a win that was comfortable in the end and gave him the lead in the driver's championship.
#3 Nelson Piquet (3)
Nelson Piquet is a driver who is often overlooked when analysing the greats and it's a mystery as to why as the Brazilian has an excellent win record, 23 in total. 3 of those victories came in Canada and these were strange years in which he didn't win the world championship, perhaps being somewhat of a bad omen for him.
In 1982, Piquet headed a Brabham 1-2 after starting 4th in the wake of Riccardo Paletti's fatal accident. Nelson repeated the feat two years later, brilliantly fending off eventual champion Niki Lauda, one of just four races that season that wasn't won by McLaren.
1984 was incredibly impressive, but the most surprising win of Piquet in Canada came in his final season in 1991. Nigel Mansell had dominated the race and led by around 45 seconds on the final lap. This was a huge margin and Red 5 thought he'd show his appreciation to the crowd by waving at several corners.
In what was a classic example of counting your chickens before they hatch, Mansell stalled his car at the hairpin due to his lower speed and went no further. Piquet flew past and took the chequered flag - his final F1 win - and had absolutely no sympathy for his former teammate.
#2 Lewis Hamilton (7)
Lewis Hamilton is by far the most successful driver on the grid in Canada. Despite the five-time world champion recently claiming that he's "not that great" in Montreal, he's in with a shot of matching the wins record in the country on Sunday. Hamilton had a streak of winning or retiring in the North American nation that ran from 2007 to 2012, it was very much all or nothing for LH.
Hamilton got his first of so far 78 victories in Canada in his rookie season in 2007, a win that sent him to the top of the driver's championship. He embarrassingly crashed out in 2008 due to not seeing the red light at the end of the pit-lane but made up for it after the Canadian GP's hiatus with the second win in 2010.
Lewis clashed with his teammate in 2011 while the latter went on to win the race in spectacular style. 2012 was his third win, thanks to excellent strategy by McLaren. A general lack of pace in 2013 and engine issues in 2014 prevented him from challenging for the win, but a hat-trick of victories followed between 2015 and '17. If Hamilton can get the Mercedes hooked up, he'll be very hard to catch this weekend.
#1 Michael Schumacher (7)
Unsurprisingly, it's the man who has won more F1 races than any other that tops this list. Michael Schumacher was incredibly quick around every circuit he won on, Canada included, with 7 victories to match his seven titles in F1.
The German's first win in Canada came in 1994, a typically dominant display which saw him beat Damon Hill by almost 40 seconds as part of a grand slam. Schumacher should've won the following year, but electrical issues sent him back down the field and paved the way for Jean Alesi's only F1 win.
Schumacher won again in 1997 and '98 but his crash into the "Wall of Champions" in 1999 is ironically probably more famous. Himself, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill all slammed into the wall on the outside of the final chicane, a series of events which cemented the name of the wall forever.
Four victories in five years would follow this, though, all to devastating effect and contributing to his driver's titles in those years.
Do you think Hamilton will match Schumacher's record of wins this weekend in Canada? Let us know in the comments below!
