Canadian GP 2024: Ex-Champion Reveals the Secret Behind the Dangerous Wall of Champions Where Michael Schumacher Once Crashed

After an uneventful race in Monaco, we head to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix which is known for its speedy straights. We can expect some high-speed action on the tracks where speeds will only drop at the hairpin turn. However, there is one obstacle that drivers and even world champions like Michael Schumacher have found hard to avoid: the infamous Wall of Champions.

This wall has not only been the reason drivers lose races, but also a turn that world champions have difficulty navigating. From Michael Schumacher to Damon Hill, even Jenson Button has embraced the wall as it forgives no mistake. Recently, Damon Hill was invited to the F1 Nation podcast where the challenging turn was discussed, and here is what the British world champion had to say about that.

Damon Hill’s encounter with the Wall of Champions

On the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson and Damon Hill discussed the recent events in F1, including Esteban Ocon’s departure from Alpine at the end of the season, Red Bull’s situation in Canada and, of course, the Wall of Champions.

A little halfway down the podcast, Clarkson asks Hill, “The last corner – why do so many drivers, champions, get spat into that final wall on the outside? What is it about that corner?” To this Damon Hill wittyly replied, “If I knew that, I wouldn’t crashed into it.” Clarkson chimed in, saying, “You, Michael Schumacher, Button – you’ve all been in it.” In a reply to this, Hill continued the joke and responded, “We all came out and rushed, and it was incredible. Suddenly, there was this need to crash into this wall.”

However, then he actually explains what he experienced when he crashed there, saying, “As you get very close to the wall, there’s dust, so there’s no room for the dust to go. It builds up really close to it, and somehow you seem to be sucked into it. You get within six inches of it, and suddenly, before you know it, you’re sucked into the damn thing.”

The Wall of Champion comes in at the last turn on the circuit and that’s when drivers are pushing hard. Being the last turn of the race before the finish, drivers are always speeding up to clock a faster lap time or to pull the stretch for the win. This has led to many drivers miscalculating their turns and ending up inside the wall.

So what’s the story behind the Wall of Champions that ruined Michael Schumacher’s race?

The Wall of Champions got its name in 1999 as Damon Hill, driving for Jordan, found himself in the wall on lap 29. This was followed by Michael Schumacher, another champion to hit the wall, after which he gave his infamous reply to the reporter saying, “Have you a bit of respect for humans?”

Two world champions in 1 race into the same wall was not enough so to join them, Jacques Villeneuve found himself in the same position on Lap 34. It is to be noted that the track was named after the Canadian world champion’s father, who lost his life in an F1 race, being the first Canadian to win the home GP.

This was not the end of the story as there were several other drivers that have crashed into the wall over the years. This includes Jenson Button in 2005, Derek Warwick in 1988 and Alex Wurz in 1997, to name a few. Following his brother Michael Schumacher, even Ralf found himself in the wall in 1999. Kevin Magnussen is the last driver who found himself prey to the Wall of Champions in 2019.

With that said, do you think we will find another driver within the wall this year at the Canadian Grand Prix?