2007 Canadian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

The race was won by Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole position, in his first season in the top formula. It was Hamilton's first of an eventual record breaking 106 victories in Formula One. Nick Heidfeld finished second and Alexander Wurz was third, making it the first Grand Prix of the 2007 season that drivers from teams other than Ferrari and McLaren achieved podium positions. It was the final podium of Alexander Wurz's career and, as of 2026, the last achieved by an Austrian driver. The safety car was deployed an unprecedented four times during the course of the race. One of these periods was due to Robert Kubica's crash, which resulted in him suffering a sprained ankle and concussion. During the race Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella were disqualified for exiting the pit lane when the red light was on. Both were black flagged, and it was the last time a black flag was shown until Nico Hülkenberg at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix.

In Their Own Story

The sun beat down on the concrete walls of the final chicane as Lewis Hamilton gripped the wheel of the silver MP4-22. The roar of the Mercedes engine was deafening, but his focus was absolute. Behind him, Fernando Alonso was closing in, the gap shrinking with every lap. The safety car had just peeled away, leaving a tangle of tires and debris from earlier carnage on the track. Hamilton knew one mistake would cost him everything. He braked late for the hairpin, the tires squealing in protest, before launching out onto the main straight. The crowd at the chicane erupted as he held his line, the checkered flag waving just seconds later. In that moment, the rookie from Stevenage had conquered Montreal.

Reader's Guide

Lewis Hamilton led from the start, preventing Fernando Alonso from overtaking at turn one. Alonso ran wide allowing Nick Heidfeld to overtake him and move into second place. Alonso damaged his car in the process and subsequently ran off the track at turn one a further three times during the race. Jenson Button had a gearbox problem at the start of the race and was unable to select first gear causing him stall on the grid. Christijan Albers started from the pit lane. The first accident of the race involved Scott Speed who clipped the rear wing of Wurz' Williams and went into the hairpin with a broken front-right suspension. Alonso ran across the grass at turn one again on lap 15, which resulted in him falling further behind Hamilton. Three laps later he made a similar mistake at the same turn, resulting in him sliding across the grass for the third time in the race. This caused him to drop back to fourth as it allowed Massa to go round the inside of Alonso into third. Massa moved into second when Heidfeld made a pit stop on lap 20.

Did You Know?

• Hamilton's victory was his first of an eventual record breaking 106 wins in Formula One.
• The safety car was deployed four times, an unprecedented number for a single race at the time.
• Robert Kubica's crash resulted in a sprained ankle and concussion.
• Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella were disqualified for exiting the pit lane under a red light.