In the 1999 season, the last corner of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was baptized as the “Wall of Champions” when up to four drivers, Ricardo Zonta, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve finished their races at the exit of that chicane.
During the following years, many have been those who have not been able to avoid hitting this wall, which earned the respect of both the most experienced and the novices, creating a kind of fear that became history.
However, Formula 1 has changed a lot in recent years and, above all, one of the main focuses has been the modifications for the benefit of safety, both in the circuits and also in the single-seaters themselves, giving positive results as confirm all the statistics related to this topic.
Before its cancellation due to the unexpected impact of COVID-19 in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the famous “Wall of Champions” already underwent a small modification between 2017 and 2018, with the introduction of a tire barrier that minimized the damage in the event of an accident.
After two seasons of absence, the Canadian Grand Prix has returned to the calendar of the highest category of motorsport and the most famous curve of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve has been modified again for the safety of the pilots, since an accident against a concrete wall, added to the current speeds of the single-seaters in ground effect, could be really dangerous for your health.
The famous “Wall of Champions” is no longer a wall as such. During his time away from Formula 1 it was demolished and instead of the concrete that took the hits of great champions, a TecPro safety barrier is now installed, following in the footsteps the series has taken at many other circuits on the calendar.
Despite this, the complicated last chicane on the Montreal track has not lost any of its difficulty, since losing control of the car and hitting the protections could continue to be catastrophic for any car.
What will the real consequences look like if a 2022 F1 car crashes on this revamped ‘Wall of Champions’? We will almost certainly find out over the course of the weekend at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix.
Jacques Villeneuve, British American Racing on the Wall of Champions
