1995 Canadian Grand Prix

Previous race

Schumacher won in Monaco — his third victory of the season — more than 30 seconds ahead of Hill. Hill led the first 23 laps but fell behind Schumacher and Alesi during the pit stops. Alesi subsequently crashed whilst avoiding the lapped Brundle, who had spun. Coulthard retired with gearbox failure. Schumacher’s win extended his lead over Hill to five points.

Between-race developments

The Simtek team, unable to secure the funding needed to continue, has withdrawn from the championship. Both Verstappen and Schiattarella are without drives.

Practice

Drivers noted the bumpiness of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in post-qualifying press conferences and called for resurfacing. Schumacher’s pole position was the 100th for a Renault-powered car in Formula One. Overtaking into the new chicane is banned, though the duration of the ban — first lap only, or every lap — remains a matter of dispute between Schumacher and Hill in the press conference.

The Sunday morning warm-up was held in wet conditions, with rain that had been falling since early morning. Hill made an uncharacteristic mistake, spinning at the newly installed chicane, then beached the car in a gravel trap on his return to the circuit. The order was mixed in the wet, with the Ferraris heading the session.