Top 5 Canadian F1 Drivers of all time

#2 Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve

The impact of Gilles Villeneuve on the sport can be clearly seen upon having one look at the name of the circuit where the Canadian Grand Prix has been held for the last 30 years. A Formula One circuit is not the only thing Gilles has named after him; a corner and chicane also hold the honour.

The Canadian F1 driver might have started his career with McLaren, but it was Ferrari that decided to persist with him. He started showing results during the latter half of his first full season in the sport, even winning his home Grand Prix.

In 1979, he secured three wins for himself and was highly impressive on four other occasions where he finished runners-up. Gilles and René Arnoux put on a spectacular show during the French Grand Prix when they displayed some fine wheel-to-wheel racing.

Gilles had a knack for driving without making a wrong move. The Spanish Grand Prix in 1981 was proof of his overtaking skills as he moved up from seventh to the lead.

It was also proof of his willpower as he stayed ahead of the rest of the field despite them persisting close behind him, waiting for a minuscule mistake from him that never came. The timesheets read the top five finishing within 1.24s of one another.