Ferrari icon Michael Schumacher holds the record as the joint-most successful driver at the Canadian Grand Prix, having claimed victory seven times during his legendary career with the Maranello team. Only Lewis Hamilton has matched Schumacher’s impressive tally, with both seven-time Formula 1 world champions standing out far ahead of their closest competitors, Nelson Piquet Sr. and Max Verstappen, who each have three wins at this event.
Together, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have secured 12 of the 53 pole positions achieved in Canada, with six poles each. All of these successes occurred at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which has hosted the Canadian GP since 1978, following previous races at Mosport Park and Mont-Tremblant. Hamilton’s first F1 victory came at the 2007 Canadian GP, one of two wins he claimed in Montreal while driving for McLaren. Schumacher earned his first Canadian GP triumph with Benetton in 1994 and went on to win six more times for Ferrari, taking the checkered flag in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Ralf Schumacher revealed that Michael Schumacher was ‘happy’ to finish second to him at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix. Although Michael started the race on pole in 2001 and had a strong start ahead of his brother, he was ultimately beaten by Ralf, who secured only the second victory of his career. Michael’s pole time was 0.515 seconds quicker, placing the Schumacher brothers side-by-side on the front row driving for Ferrari and BMW Williams, respectively. Despite Michael’s initial lead, Ralf dominated the race by more than 20 seconds.
Following a safety car triggered by the crash of Rubens Barrichello and Juan Pablo Montoya on lap 20, Ralf Schumacher consistently posted faster laps and used his superior pace after Michael pitted on lap 46 to overtake his brother. In clean air, Ralf’s BMW V10-powered Williams was faster, leaving Michael unable to respond. Ralf later recalled that Michael was genuinely pleased to see him win, a rare moment for the siblings.
In an interview with Sky Germany, Ralf Schumacher described the experience as memorable, saying that both brothers were happy to share the moment, with Michael content to be the runner-up for once. This race marked a historic milestone as the first time two brothers stood together on a Formula 1 podium, with Ralf’s victory by 20.235 seconds over Michael on lap 51 of 69.
Though the 2001 Canadian GP win was not Ralf Schumacher’s largest margin, it was part of a remarkable career highlight reel. His biggest winning gaps include a 46.117-second victory over Rubens Barrichello at the 2001 German Grand Prix and a 39.7-second win against Montoya at the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix, where Michael finished third, trailing by nearly 62 seconds.
Ralf Schumacher’s only win from pole position came at his final career victory—the 2003 French Grand Prix. At Magny-Cours, he edged teammate Montoya by 0.117 seconds in qualifying and won the race by 13.813 seconds, with Michael once again finishing third, 19.568 seconds behind his younger brother.
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