Canadian Grand Prix: Can Montreal master Lewis Hamilton make history in Canada?

Lewis Hamilton had only driven six F1 races when he secured his first pole and win at the Canadian GP in 2007

Formula 1 can awaken from its Monaco slumber. Canada is ready to pump some adrenaline back into the season.

The stinging criticism from all quarters over Monte Carlo's 'driver procession' means Montreal only needs to deliver a smidgen of drama to stoke the fires of interest again.

Blockbuster excitement is something the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has served up regularly. This artificial island built for the World Fair in 1967 has played host to high emotions and jaw-dropping highlights.

When Frenchman Jean Alesi won in 1995, not only was it his birthday, he sealed his one and only win in a Ferrari bearing the same number 27 as legendary Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve.

In 2007, Robert Kubica miraculously walked away with light concussion and a sprained ankle from one of F1's most shocking crashes, his Sauber hurtling through the air at Turn 10 before smashing into the wall in a plume of smoke and debris.

Returning to the circuit in 2008 and like a scene from a Hollywood movie, Kubica stood on top of the podium, basking in the adulation of a maiden win at the scene which could have proved nearly fatal just 12 months earlier.

After his Ferrari gave up at the end of a chaotic race, Jean Alesi hitched a ride on Michael Schumacher's Benetton and was paraded around the track like a king to the cheers of the Canadian crowd

If anyone is worthy of an honorary star on the Canadian Walk of Fame (home to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve... but strangely... not his father Gilles), then Lewis Hamilton would be in with a good shout.

Triumph this weekend and he'll draw level with seven-time Canada victor Michael Schumacher. No-one else on the current grid comes close to matching these impressive stats.

As an added bonus, Hamilton can make his own history by becoming the first driver to score four consecutive pole positions and - if converted - race wins at the Montreal street circuit.

There wasn't a dry eye in house at last year's qualifying session when, after equalling Ayrton Senna's 65 career poles, the Mercedes man was gifted a race-worn helmet by the Senna family.

If more records are set this weekend, then the memory of drivers lapping slowly around Monaco like a scene from Driving Miss Daisy will be wiped away and another tear-jerking spectacle can be added to Montreal's back catalogue.

O Canada sure can pull on the heart strings.

Robert Kubica brings it home in 2008, a year after his horror crash

• Palmer column: Monaco wasn't a race, is it time to make a change?

• Ricciardo's drive of 'sensitivity & control' showed extent of talent

Previously in F1... round six, Monaco

Dominant Dan takes pole: After topping all three practice sessions, a place on the front row in Monte Carlo never looked in doubt for Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo. "I love this race and it's a pleasure to drive. It has been awesome."

Red Bull's redemption: A masterful race under pressure by Ricciardo ensured a second win of the season, the ghosts of 2016's pit-stop disaster erased and surely one of the best F1 photos ever taken. "I felt loss of power and I thought the race was done. I got home just using six gears. Thanks to the team I got it back."

Flashback graphic

Of Jenson Button's 15 wins in Formula 1, his epic 2011 rain-lashed victory must rank as one of the most memorable. Still holding the crown as the longest race in F1 history at four hours and four minutes - Button charged through the field from last position to pass the Red Bull of leader Sebastian Vettel and claim a miraculous chequered flag.

Back pocket facts

• Montreal is home to a piece of rock and roll history. In 1969, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, staged the second of their now legendary "bed-ins for peace" at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. During their seven-day stay, Lennon penned anti-war song Give Peace A Chance in room 1742.

• The 21st Olympic Games were hosted by Montreal in 1976. Romanian Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded the perfect score of 10.0 for her performance on the uneven bars.

• This dish may not make it into the Fine Dining Guide but poutine originates from the province of Quebec and consists of French fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy.

• Cirque du Soleil is one of Montreal's biggest exports. The internationally renowned circus started as a group of street performers in 1984 and now has shows running on every continent except for Antarctica.

Drivers' social

Fernando Alonso begins his experience of Le Mans ahead of this year's race

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