A driver's favourite: F1 returns to Canada for another dash on Montreal's island

Between Rounds 6 (Imola, Italy) and 15 (Monza, Italy), Formula 1 is conducting what is referred to as the European leg of a season. At this time, every race is contested on European soil and ran on traditional circuits.

Only, it's not.

This weekend's Canadian Grand Prix is the only race in the European leg contested outside of Europe, in North America. Still, it's a (small) detail that's been overlooked and Canada has become a must-have on the F1 calendar at this time of the year.

And though the circuit is on a man-made island and more like a street race, it still challenges teams, drivers, and cars as they navigate the treacherous layout.

It's not called the Wall of Champions for nothing! ????#CanadianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Bh1w62gNCw

About the track

The Notre Dame Island was created ahead of the 1967 Expo 67 World Fair in the middle of the St Lawrence River. Following the Expo, it also staged the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, but a smart decision to turn the roads into a racetrack would be a stroke of genius.

This was the birth of the Circuit Ile Notre-Dame, with the venue hosting the 1978 Canadian GP and home hero Gilles Villeneuve claiming his maiden win in the sport. In 1982, Villeneuve died following an on-track accident, and the circuit in Canada was renamed after him.

The 4.361km circuit is extremely fast, but has several hard-braking points following the sweeping straights. Turn 10 is one of the most famous corners of all, with the hairpin setting drivers up for the long back straight into the Turn 13-14 esses, with the famous Wall of Champions at the exit of Turn 14.

Hitting the braking point ahead of Turn 13, drivers can reach speeds of more than 340km/h. In 2019, Valtteri Bottas set the race's fastest lap when he