28 of the 42 Montreal races have been won from the front row – with all but one of the last seven races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve having been won from pole position. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Canadian Grand Prix!
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- 28 of 42 wins from front row
- 2nd most likely to score
- 3rd has not won since 2003
- 10th has not retired since 2007
- 5 DNFs in last 8 races for 13th
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
The Canadian Grand Prix has been won from the front row of the grid 28 times during its tenure at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Ile Notre Dame Island. 14 races here have been won from third or further back on the grid.
The furthest back a victory at this circuit has come from is tenth, which Jacques Laffite achieved in 1981. 2023 marked the second time, after 2018, that all the top three qualifiers finished in the order they had started in at this track.
| Grid | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2008 | 1st |
| 2 | 2019 | 2023 | 2023 | 2014 | 1st |
| 3 | 2003 | 2023 | 2023 | 2008 | 1st |
| 4 | 1992 | 2022 | 2022 | 2023 | 1st |
| 5 | 1995 | 2006 | 2019 | 2017 | 1st |
| 6 | 2014 | 2017 | 2023 | 2022 | 1st |
| 7 | 2011 | 2016 | 2022 | 2017 | 1st |
| 8 | 1991 | 2008 | 2022 | 2019 | 1st |
| 9 | - | 1995 | 2023 | 2013 | 2nd |
| 10 | 1981 | 2000 | 2023 | 2007 | 1st |
| 11 | - | 1981 | 2023 | 2017 | 3rd |
| 12 | - | - | 2023 | 2018 | 4th |
| 13 | - | 2008 | 2018 | 2022 | 3rd |
| 14 | - | - | 2023 | 2018 | 5th |
| 15 | - | 2012 | 2015 | 2014 | 3rd |
| 16 | - | - | 2023 | 2018 | 5th |
| 17 | - | - | 2022 | 2014 | 6th |
| 18 | - | - | 2015 | 2023 | 5th |
| 19 | - | 2007 | 2022 | 2014 | 3rd |
| 20 | - | - | 2016 | 2022 | 6th |
- X
- X
- X
- X
In the 42 Canadian Grands Prix held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve since 1978, the polesitter has gone on to win the race 21 times, giving a pole to win conversion rate of exactly 50%. This may not seem like a very high percentage, but the trend has changed in recent years.
All but one of the last seven Canadian Grands Prix have been won by the polesitter. The polesitter has finished every race here since 2010, and has finished only one of those races not in a podium position (Sebastian Vettel finished fourth from pole in 2012).
The polesitter has finished on the podium without winning the race here only five times since 1978, with four of those occurrences coming between 2001 and 2014.
In total, the polesitter has retired from the Canadian Grand Prix nine times. The most recent polesitter to retire was Lewis Hamilton, who crashed into Kimi Raikkonen at the end of the pit-lane in 2008. Polesitter Ralf Schumacher finished second in the 2004 event, but was later disqualified due to the Williams cars failing scrutineers’ tests.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
- X
- X
- X
Second is the grid position from which the most top ten finishes have come at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. 34 of the 42 races at the circuit have resulted in points scoring afternoons for the driver starting second.
Aside from DNFs in 2011 and 2014, the driver starting here has scored in every Canadian Grand Prix since 2001, taking five victories in that period – the most recent of which was for Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
From the 42 races here, there have have been only eight in which the driver starting second has failed to score. Despite all the positives, the driver starting here has finished on the podium in only half of the last eight races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | 3 | DNF | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
- X
- X
- X
Third on the grid has supplied six podium finishes in the last six Canadian Grands Prix. No driver has retired from third on the grid in Montreal since Kimi Raikkonen in 2008.
In the last 12 races, Valtteri Bottas’ 14th place in 2013 has been the only time that the driver starting here has finished outside of the top six.
Four wins have been taken from third on the grid, with Michael Schumacher’s 2003 victory being the only win from here in the last 22 races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 5 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
- X
- X
- X
An 11 race run of points-scoring appearances for the driver starting fourth at the Canadian Grand Prix came to an end in 2023, with George Russell recording the first retirement for this grid slot in Canada since Fernando Alonso in 2008.
In 2022, Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to start fourth in Montreal and finish on the podium since Valtteri Bottas in 2015.
Russell’s retirement in 2023 was only the fifth occasion since 1991 on which the driver starting from this position was not classified in the final order.
While points are frequent, don’t expect a win from fourth on the grid. The last driver to win from this position was Gerhard Berger back in 1992.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | DNF |
- X
- X
- X
The driver starting from fifth on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix has only taken six podiums since the event moved to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 1978.
With less podium finishes than any other grid slot in the top eight, fifth isn’t a very lucky place to start the race from, with Michael Schumacher’s second place in 2006 the most recent time a driver starting from fifth has appeared in the top three.
The driver starting fifth failed to score at the Canadian Grand Prix in both 2022 and 2023 and has failed to pick up points in over half of the races at the track since the turn of the millennium.
Since its last podium in 2006, two top five finishes have been recorded from fifth on the grid, with fourth places for Mark Webber and Max Verstappen in 2013 and 2016 respectively.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 6 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 4 | DNF | 6 | 8 | 17 | 15 |
- X
- X
- X
The sixth grid slot was on a 12-race finishing streak until 2022, when Mick Schumacher became the first retiree from sixth on the grid in Canada since Nico Rosberg in 2006. It was the first non-score for this grid slot since 2011.
In the past nine Montreal races, sixth on the grid in Montreal has provided three podium finishes, including Daniel Ricciardo’s maiden F1 win in 2014. The other drivers to have won having started sixth are Thierry Boutsen in 1989 and Michael Schumacher in 2004.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | DNF | 8 |
- X
- X
- X
The driver starting from seventh has scored in 11 of the last 13 races held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and has finished in the top ten in 18 of the last 22 Canadian Grands Prix. After a post race time penalty, Lando Norris was classified only 13th having started here in 2023.
Two of the last 16 races in Canada have been won by the driver starting in seventh place. Kimi Raikkonen took victory in the 2005 race, while Jenson Button won from this position in the epic 2011 Canadian Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa’s first lap collision in 2017 marks the only time a driver has failed to finish from seventh on the grid in the last 14 Montreal races.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | DNF | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
- X
- X
- X
All of the first four Canadian Grands Prix held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve resulted in DNFs for the driver starting eighth. In the last 13 races, there have been just two DNFs from here, with Paul di Resta’s 11th place in 2012 and Oscar Piastri’s 11th place in 2023 being the only other times that this position has failed to score.
The most recent podium from eighth on the grid was in 2008, when Nick Heidfeld finished as runner-up. Just one Canadian Grand Prix has been won from eighth on the grid. Nelson Piquet was victorious for the final time in his career here in 1991.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | DNF | 5 | 9 | DNF | 4 | 11 |
- X
- X
- X
In the last eight Canadian Grands Prix, there have been just two occasions that the driver starting ninth has failed to score.
Daniel Ricciardo’s 11th place finish in 2022 marked the first time since 2015 that the driver lining up ninth on the grid failed to move forward in the race.
Before its recent run of good luck, ninth on the grid recorded three consecutive DNFs in 2011, 2012 and 2013. It has had the most DNFs of any grid slot in the top 11 at this circuit and is the only one in the top ten to have not won the event.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 4 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
- X
- X
- X
The driver starting tenth has finished the Canadian Grand Prix in all of the last 13 races at the track, giving it the longest active finishing streak of any grid slot. Eight of those finishes have been within the top ten – including in each of the last three seasons.
Charles Leclerc’s fourth place finish from tenth on the grid in the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix was the best result for this grid slot since Giancarlo Fisichella’s podium finish in 2000 – one of two podium finishes which has come from this position.
The driver starting here has won once, with Jacques Laffite winning the race in 1981. It is the furthest back grid slot to have won at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 16 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
- X
- X
- X
In the last 17 Canadian Grands Prix, the driver starting 11th has finished in the points on nine occasions, including three fourth place results.
In 2023, Carlos Sainz finished fifth, recording the grid slot’s best result since 2014. Since 2007, there has been only one retirement from 11th on the grid.
The driver starting 11th has scored two podium finishes, both recorded in the first four races at the circuit, with third places for Carlos Reutemann in 1978 and Gilles Villeneuve in 1981.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 9 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 10 | DNF | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
- X
- X
- X
12th on the grid has failed to reach the end of three of the last six Canadian Grands Prix. Jenson Button was sidelined with engine issues in 2016, as was Fernando Alonso in 2017, while Brendon Hartley was out on the first lap in 2018 after colliding with Lance Stroll.
Furthermore, the driver starting from 12th in Montreal has scored only six times in the last 45 years – the fewest number of times from any of the top 16 grid positions. Sergio Perez’s sixth place finish in 2023 was the first points-scoring race for the driver starting 12th in Canada since Kevin Magnussen in 2014.
The best finish for a driver starting here is fourth which Ricardo Patrese achieved in 1978 and Karl Wendlinger repeated in 1992.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 8 | 11 | 9 | 14 | DNF | 16 | DNF | 13 | 13 | 6 |
- X
- X
- X
Unlucky number 13 definitely applies at the Canadian Grand Prix. The driver starting here has retired from three of the last five races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
In the last ten races in Montreal, Charles Leclerc’s tenth place in 2018 is the only time that 13th on the grid has picked up points at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Just one podium finish has been recorded from 13th in Montreal. That was for David Coulthard, who recorded the final podium of his career with third place in 2008.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 12 | 16 | 11 | DNF | 13 | DNF | 10 | DNF | DNF | 17 |
- X
- X
- X
Only two points have been scored from 14th on the grid in Canada in the last 12 races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with tenth place finishes for Romain Grosjean in 2017 and Valtteri Bottas in 2023
No driver starting here has finished above fifth, and the position holds the unwanted records for most non-finishes.
There have been 25 occasions where the driver starting here has failed to finish – though only two of those have been in the last ten races at the track.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 14 | 12 | DNF | 16 | 14 | 10 | DNF | 14 | 15 | 10 |
- X
- X
- X
Nine years have passed since 15th on the grid last scored points in Canada. The driver starting here has not retired since 2014, but points have been rare in recent seasons.
The grid slot enjoyed three consecutive points-scoring races between 2010 and 2012, culminating in a podium finish for Sergio Perez in 2012. That’s the only top three to be recorded from 15th so far.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 3 | 20 | DNF | 6 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
- X
- X
In 2023, Lance Stroll recorded the first points from 16th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix since Felipe Massa in 2013.
Robert Mehri, Jolyon Palmer and Stroll have all started from 16th in the last seven races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and failed to finish the race.
The driver starting here has never finished above fifth position – a result which has been recorded twice: by Marc Surer in 1982 and by Jean Alesi in 2001.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 17 | 8 | 13 | DNF | DNF | 14 | DNF | 15 | 12 | 9 |
- X
- X
- X
Between 1980 and 2012, the 17th grid slot went for 31 races at the track without scoring a point, and in all of the races between 1995 and 2005, the driver starting from 17th retired from the Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, the grid slot has scored three times in the past five Montreal races – and all three times it has been Lance Stroll who picked up points. He finished ninth in 2017 and 2019 and finished tenth in 2022. 2022 was only the fifth time that 17th on the grid has scored in Montreal.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 18 | 7 | DNF | 17 | 17 | 9 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
- X
- X
18th on the grid has given nine top ten finishes at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, though just three of those have resulted in actual points for the driver starting here.
The best result for this grid slot was scored on the last occasion that it finished within the top ten, with a fifth place finish for Sebastian Vettel in 2015.
Though the grid slot has scored only once in the last 13 races at the circuit, Logan Sargeant recorded the grid slot’s first retirement since 2014 in 2023.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 19 | 18 | DNF | 5 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | DNF |
- X
- X
In 2022, Charles Leclerc became the first driver to score points from 19th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix since Sebastian Vettel in 2008.
With fifth place, Leclerc recorded one of the grid slot’s best ever results – bettered only by fourth place for Nelson Piquet in 1989 and third place for Alexander Wurz in 2007.
Wurz’s podium makes 19th the furthest back grid slot – excluding the pit lane – to record a podium finish at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 15 | 17 | DNF | 15 | 19 | 13 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 14 |
- X
- X
23 non-finishes have come from 20th on the grid. Of the 16 races which the driver starting here has finished, they have recorded a top ten result six times.
The last driver to score from 20th on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix was Carlos Sainz, who finished ninth in 2016.
Due to pit lane starts, this grid slot has been left vacant twice in the last five races here. The best result from here is sixth, scored four times.
LAST 10 RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 19 | DNF | DNF | 9 | – | 12 | – | DNF | 16 |
Five drivers have started the Canadian Grand Prix from the pit lane. Of those five, two have resulted in points – including a third place finish for Rubens Barrichello in 2005 – while Esteban Gutierrez’s 2014 race ended in retirement.
