F1 drivers praise Canadian Grand Prix racetrack: 'One of my favourite'

Lewis Hamilton has one race at the top of his list.

Nothing compares to competing at Silverstone — his home track — for the seven-time world champion.

The Canadian Grand Prix, however, ranks a close second.

"One of my favourite Grands Prix," the Ferrari driver said. "'One of my favourite fan experiences."

Hamilton highlighted the up-close feel with spectators, even when he's flying around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at more than 300 kilometres per hour.

"The grandstands are really close to the track," he said. "You go somewhere like Austria — beautiful circuit, beautiful countryside — but if you go on the track down to Turn 4, the grandstands are so far away you need binoculars.

"Here, they're right next to you as you're braking into Turn 10, or coming through Turn 2,  you get a different sense of that experience from a driver's perspective. I think it's amazing."

The 40-year-old Brit won his first-ever Formula One race in Montreal with McLaren back in 2007. He now holds a record 105 career wins, and his seven victories at the Canadian GP tie him with Michael Schumacher for the most all-time.

And Hamilton is not the only big fan of racing in Montreal. Drivers who have yet to top the podium in Canada also spoke positively about the challenging course ahead of Sunday's race.

"A track I enjoy," said McLaren's Oscar Piastri, the current F1 leader. "It's very, very difficult to drive around here, to not make mistakes."

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is situated on Ile Notre-Dame, a man-made island on the banks of the St. Lawrence River with a backdrop of the city's downtown.

The hybrid street circuit has two long straights and tricky chicanes, and is well-known for featuring plenty of overtakes. A wild race in 2024 featured 83