Wall of Champions
The final corner of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve became well known for crashes involving former World Champions. In 1999, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed into the same wall which had the slogan Bienvenue au Québec (Welcome to Quebec in English) on it. The wall became ironically known as the "Wall of Champions". The wall also was involved in a crash with Ricardo Zonta, who was, at the time, the reigning FIA GT sports car champion. In recent years, GP2 Champion Nico Rosberg and CART Champion Juan Pablo Montoya have also fallen victim to the wall. In 2011 Friday practice the wall claimed reigning F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel.
Before the wall was named it also claimed victims such as 1992 World Sportscar Champion and long time F1 driver Derek Warwick who spectacularly crashed his Arrows-Megatron during qualifying for the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.
Full list of victims:
- Alexander Wurz, two-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, in 1997.
- Damon Hill, 1996 F1 World Champion, in 1999.
- Michael Schumacher, 7 time F1 World Champion, in 1999.
- Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 F1 World Champion, in 1997 and 1999.
- Ricardo Zonta, 1998 FIA GT sports car Champion, in 1999.
- Nico Rosberg, 2005 GP2 Champion.
- Nick Heidfeld, 1999 International Formula 3000 Champion, in 2001.
- Rubens Barrichello, 1991 British Formula Three Champion in 2002.
- Jenson Button, 2009 F1 World Champion, in 2005.
- Tiago Monteiro, in 2006.
- Juan Pablo Montoya, 1999 CART Champion, in 2006.
- Vitantonio Liuzzi, 2004 International Formula 3000 Champion, in 2007.
- Kamui Kobayashi, 2008-09 GP2 Asia Series Champion, in 2010.
- Sebastian Vettel, 2010–12 F1 World Champion, in 2011.
- Bruno Senna, nephew of 3 time World Champion Ayrton Senna, in 2012.
- Pastor Maldonado, 2010 GP2 Series Champion, in 2012.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Grand Prix
Famous quotes containing the words wall of, wall and/or champions:
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
—Bible: New Testament Jesus, in John, 8:32.
These words are inscribed on the wall of the main lobby at the CIA headquarters, Langley, Virginia.
“I discovered
the colors in the wall that woke
when spray from the hose
played on its pocks and warts....”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men’s reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of “the rat race” is not yet final.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)