One look at the circuit is enough to tell the story. This track breaks many a car. The first chicane catches out even the best of driver. The first race held on this circuit showed a maiden victory for the local hero, Gilles Villeneuve.

The first Canadian Grand Prix took place in 1967 in Mosport, which went on to host a further seven GPs. Mont-Tremblant was the venue for two GPs. Formula One moved to Montreal in 1978, where it has been held ever since on the circuit named after the winner of the inaugural race, Gilles Villeneuve.

The city of Montreal, which takes its name from the Mont Royal mountain, was founded by French explorers in 1642 as Ville-Marie-de-Montréal. Montreal is the capital of the French-speaking province of Quebec and is situated between a branch of the Ottawa River mouth and the St Lawrence River. The city of more than a million inhabitants has extremely cold winters but generally a pleasantly warm summer season.

The complex on Notre Dame island where the non-permanent race track is located was the site of the 1967 World Expo and hosted the 1976 Olympic Games. The Formula One paddock runs along the former rowing basin.