Formula 1's Craziest Moments at the Canadian Grand Prix
At the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix, three World Champions proved to be no match for one single wall. That wall at Turn 13 saw four separate crashes during the race and earned the nickname “Wall of Champions.”
The first driver to hit that wall was also the only non-Champion to do so. Ricardo Zonta spun into the wall on the third lap of the race, bringing out the event’s second safety car.
After a few laps of restarted racing, Damon Hill became the first Champion to hit the turn 13 wall. This time, on lap 15, there was no safety car because Hill was able to pull the car off the track under its own power.
Polesitter Michael Schumacher was next. On lap 30, the race leader hit the wall and gave the lead to second-place driver Mika Hakkinen. Five laps later, Jacques Villeneuve hit the wall and brought out a safety car.
With four different safety car periods, the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix became the race with, at the time, the most safety cars. It was also the first race to end under a safety car when Heinz-Harald Frentzen crashed with just four laps remaining in the event.