We’re putting a pin in the European season and heading to Canada for another firm fan favourite, which draws huge crowds for its eclectic mix of overtaking opportunities, edge-of-your-seat action, and the charm of a historic yet vibrant city.

Located on a man-made island in the Saint Lawrence River, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is a high-speed circuit renowned for wheel-to-wheel racing, surrounded by water and parkland, offering unique and picturesque views just a few miles away from downtown Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city.

We caught up with Lando and Oscar at the factory last week and gathered their thoughts ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. We’ve also compiled our usual guide to all the action, explaining why we love coming here, what the main challenges are, and what we think you should be wearing.

"After a weekend away from racing I’m excited to get back on track. It was great to spend some time with the team back in Woking last week, where we were able to look back on the season so far while also working hard to prepare for the Canadian Grand Prix.

“Montreal is a great city and I love racing there. We'll be doing everything we can to fight for the win and bring home more important points."

“I’m feeling very positive and focused heading to Montreal. It’s a good opportunity to keep up the strong momentum and I’m looking forward to taking on the fast, low-downforce track.

“The win in Barcelona was a good all-round weekend for me and I’m happy to get straight back to racing after the weekend off. The team are doing a great job across the board and together, we continue to push thanks to all the hard work.”

“It’s been a productive week away from the track to come together as a team and assess our season so far. It's clear that despite a strong start to the season, our competitors remain very close to us and that our full concentration needs to remain on delivering and extracting performance every single weekend.

"Turning our attention to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, we know that Montreal throws up plenty of excitement as a challenging track with often unpredictable weather. As always, we head into the weekend focusing on ourselves and what we need to do to improve as a team."

Why we love the Canadian Grand Prix

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve pushes the cars as hard as it does the drivers. The circuit is primarily composed of long stretches of road and heavy braking zones – think snakes and ladders, but with straights and chicanes.

This is great for overtaking, but it also tests a car’s durability, requiring a lot from both the power units and the brakes. Drivers spend a lot of the lap at full throttle, but then have to brake late and hard, to close up on rivals or defend against attacks.

The best place to make a pass is at the end of the lap on the back of the Turn 13 and 14 chicane (more on that later). Cars can pick up a tow and battle going into the final two corners, before racing side by side down the straight and into the first turn.

As well as its many chicanes, the circuit does have one hairpin and moves are possible here too, as its big enough for cars to attempt an overtake.

What are the challenges?

The devilishly named Wall of Champions, located at Turn 14 of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, sounds enticing, but is not to be taken lightly. It’s among the greatest challenges the drivers will face across this weekend’s Grand Prix.

The wall gained its moniker after the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix, when F1 World Champions Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill all slammed into it. In the years since, it’s caught out the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, among many others.

The Wall of Champions sits at the end of the lap and can be particularly perilous during Qualifying when drivers are trying to make up time in the final sector. Canada is a high-speed, low-grip track, and there are seconds to be gained at the end of a lap by riding the kerbs going into Turns 13 and 14, a tight right-left chicane.

Cars will slow down from around 300 km/h going into the quick-fire corners. Hit the apex of Turn 13 too hard, and the car will lose front-end grip, hit the apex of Turn 14 too hard, and the car will lose rear-end grip. Both scenarios result in the same outcome.

Even in the race, when drivers aren’t chasing lap time to the same extent, the Wall of Champions can still catch drivers out, given it separates two long straights that operate as the track’s best overtaking opportunity.

The season so far

Oscar achieved his eighth consecutive podium last time out as he took McLaren’s first Spanish Grand Prix win in 20 years, while Lando clinched his eighth rostrum of the season in second. The duo had achieved our first front-row lockout in Spain since 1998 on Saturday, while the one-two on Sunday was our first there since 2000.

For the seventh round in a row, we extended our lead at the top of the Constructors’ Championship, outscoring our rivals with an outstanding 43-point haul. 

The fit

Given it so often rains during the Canadian Grand Prix, those of you attending the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve this weekend will want to get yourself a good rain jacket.

There are several options available on the McLaren Store, whether you prefer a long, warm, padded jacket or something thinner and shorter, yet still waterproof.