1996 Canadian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Hill’s lead has been reduced by two consecutive non-finishes at Monaco and Spain. Schumacher’s first Ferrari victory in Barcelona showed the car has genuine pace in the right conditions.

Previous race

At Barcelona, torrential rain produced one of the most dramatic races of the season. Hill started from pole but spun twice in the opening laps before hitting the pit wall on lap 12 and retiring. Schumacher recovered from a poor start to take the lead on lap 13 and then dominated, lapping over three seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field. Alesi finished second, with Villeneuve third. Barrichello had climbed to second after the pit stops but was forced out with a clutch problem 20 laps from the end. Berger spun out trying to lap Diniz’s Ligier; Verstappen then crashed into the tyre barrier, and only six cars were still running by the finish. It was Schumacher’s 20th career victory.