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1999 Canadian Grand Prix

Canada  1999 Canadian Grand Prix
Race details
Race 6 of 16 in the 1999 Formula One season
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (last modified in 1996)
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (last modified in 1996)
Date 13 June 1999
Official name XXXVII Grand Prix Air Canada
Location Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Course Temporary street circuit
Course length 4.421 km (2.747 mi)
Distance 69 laps, 305.049 km (189.549 mi)
Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 31 °C (88 °F); wind speeds up to 5.1 kilometres per hour (3.2 mph) Track 41–43 °C (106–109 °F)
Pole position
Driver Ferrari
Time 1:19.298
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Eddie Irvine Ferrari
Time 1:20.382 on lap 62
Podium
First McLaren-Mercedes
Second Benetton-Playlife
Third Ferrari

The 1999 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 13 June 1999 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 1999 Formula One season. The race was notable for the four crashes that occurred in turn 13 and for the number of times the safety car was deployed. Turn 13, the final chicane, had four separate crashes in which a driver either went wide or spun into the wall. Three of the drivers who crashed there had previously won the Driver's Championship, leading to the wall becoming known as the "Wall of Champions". The safety car was deployed four times in the race, a record at the time, and was the first F1 race to finish behind the safety car following Heinz-Harald Frentzen's massive crash with four laps to go.

The front runners got off the line cleanly, with Michael Schumacher maintaining first place after starting on pole for the first time in 1999. Jarno Trulli, starting ninth, went off the track trying to pass Heinz-Harald Frentzen up the inside into turn one. Trulli spun across turn one, collecting Jean Alesi and Rubens Barrichello. Trulli and Alesi retired, and the safety car was deployed. Alexander Wurz also retired with transmission problems.

Ricardo Zonta retired on lap 3 after spinning into the wall at turn 13. He stopped just off the track, missing his right rear wheel, which brought the safety car out again. Zonta was the first of four drivers to hit the “Wall of Champions” in this race. On lap 15, Damon Hill became the second driver to hit the turn 13 wall. Hill was able to pull off the track in a safe location, and the safety car was not deployed. Michael Schumacher hit the wall on lap 30, giving the lead to Mika Häkkinen. The fourth and final driver to hit to wall was Jacques Villeneuve on lap 35, bringing the safety car out for the third time. Hill, Schumacher, and Villeneuve were three of the four Formula 1 Driver’s Champions competing in the race.


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