RACING DRIVERS from Canada

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Canadian Racing Drivers of all time. This list of famous Canadian Racing Drivers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Canadian Racing Drivers.

1. Gilles Villeneuve (1950 - 1982)

With an HPI of 65.59, Gilles Villeneuve is the most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages on wikipedia.

Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (French pronunciation: [ʒil vil.nœv]) (January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian racing driver who spent six years in Formula One racing for Scuderia Ferrari, winning six Grands Prix and earning widespread acclaim for his performances. An enthusiast of cars and fast driving from an early age, Villeneuve started his professional career in snowmobile racing in his native province of Quebec. He moved into single seaters, winning the US and Canadian Formula Atlantic championships in 1976, before being offered a drive in Formula One with the McLaren team at the 1977 British Grand Prix. He was taken on by reigning world champions Ferrari for the end of the season and drove for the Italian team from 1978 until his death in 1982. Villeneuve won six Grand Prix races in a short career at the highest level, and claimed second, his highest finish, in the 1979 Formula One World Championship; four points behind teammate Jody Scheckter. Villeneuve died in a 140 mph (230 km/h) crash resulting from a collision with the March car driven by Jochen Mass during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. The accident came less than two weeks after an intense argument with his teammate Didier Pironi over Pironi's move to pass Villeneuve at the preceding San Marino Grand Prix. At the time of his death, Villeneuve was extremely popular with fans and has since become an iconic figure in the history of the sport. His son, Jacques Villeneuve, became Formula One World Champion in 1997, to date the only Canadian to win the Formula One World Championship.

2. Jacques Villeneuve (1971 - )

With an HPI of 56.62, Jacques Villeneuve is the 2nd most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Jacques Villeneuve (French: [ʒɑk vilnœv]; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. In addition to Formula One, he has competed in various other forms of motor racing, winning the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series. He is the son of former Ferrari racing driver Gilles Villeneuve. Villeneuve began racing at age 18 in the Italian Formula Three Championship, which he raced in between 1989 and 1991. He moved to the higher-tier Toyota Atlantic Championship, participating in one race during the 1992 season and finishing third overall in the 1993 championship. He began competing in Championship Auto Racing Teams with the Forsythe/Green Racing team in the 1994 season, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship with one victory and earning Rookie of the Year and Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours. In the following year with the renamed Team Green, Villeneuve won four races (including the Indianapolis 500) and the Drivers' Championship. Villeneuve moved to Williams in Formula One for the 1996 season, claiming four Grand Prix victories, and becoming the first rookie runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship (WDC) after a season-long duel with teammate Damon Hill. His main title challenge for the following season came from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, and Villeneuve beat the latter following a controversial collision at the season-ending European Grand Prix, becoming the first Canadian World Drivers' Champion, achieving seven Grand Prix victories. He finished fifth in the 1998 season achieving two podiums and helped Williams finish third in the World Constructors' Championship behind Ferrari and McLaren. After an unsuccessful 1999 with British American Racing (BAR), Villeneuve finished seventh in the WDC in both 2000 and 2001 with BAR, achieving two podiums in 2001, outscoring his teammates Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis. Villeneuve raced in Formula One from 2002 to 2006, driving for BAR, Renault, Sauber, and BMW Sauber, but he did not achieve any further success. Villeneuve left Formula One mid-way through the 2006 season and began competing in various forms of motor racing such as sports car racing, NASCAR, and touring car racing. Though not as successful in these forms of racing, he won the 2008 1000 km of Spa driving for Peugeot. Villeneuve was appointed Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 1998. He was voted the winner of both the Lou Marsh Trophy and the Lionel Conacher Award in each of 1995 and 1997. Villeneuve is an inductee of the Canadian Motor Sports Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIA Hall of Fame.

3. Jacques Villeneuve (1953 - )

With an HPI of 49.60, Jacques Villeneuve is the 3rd most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jacques-Joseph Villeneuve (born November 4, 1953) is a Canadian racing driver. He is the younger brother of the late Gilles Villeneuve, and uncle to Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One World Champion. He is sometimes called "Uncle Jacques" ("L'oncle Jacques" in French) to differentiate him from his nephew, and is also known by the nickname "Jacquo". Villeneuve had a varied motorsport career, taking in Formula Atlantic, CART, Can-Am, snowmobile racing and Formula One, and remains a revered figure in Canadian motorsport circles. Villeneuve was the first three-time winner of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby.

4. Nicholas Latifi (1995 - )

With an HPI of 42.54, Nicholas Latifi is the 4th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Nicholas Daniel Latifi (born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver who last raced in Formula One. Latifi made his Formula One debut in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix and competed with Williams for three full seasons, managing to score nine championship points. Prior to that, he served as a test and reserve driver for Renault, Force India, and Williams itself. Previously, he finished runner-up in the 2019 Formula 2 Championship with DAMS.

5. Lance Stroll (1998 - )

With an HPI of 41.11, Lance Stroll is the 5th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Lance Strulovitch (born 29 October 1998), better known as Lance Stroll, is a Canadian and Belgian racing driver competing under the Canadian flag in Formula One. He has driven for Aston Martin since 2021, having previously driven for Williams and Racing Point. He was Italian F4 champion in 2014, Toyota Racing Series champion in 2015, and 2016 FIA European Formula 3 champion. He was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy from 2010 to 2015. He achieved his first podium finish, a 3rd place, at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the second-youngest driver to finish an F1 race on the podium and the youngest to do so during his rookie season. At the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Stroll took his first pole position in Formula One. Stroll also competed in endurance racing, taking part in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2016 and 2018.

6. Bill Brack (1935 - )

With an HPI of 37.93, Bill Brack is the 6th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

William Brack (born 26 December 1935) is a Canadian former racing driver. Brack raced in Formula One and the Atlantic Championship. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Brack originally became involved in auto racing in the early 1960s, in the form of ice-racing Minis (using a company car) in Huntsville, Ontario. He went on to purchase Gordon Brown's own racing Mini (Gord Brown being another Mini racer as well as dealer of British cars at Glendale Suburban Motors in Brampton.) Brack subsequently became a Formula One driver who raced for the Lotus and BRM teams. After Formula One he was successful in Atlantic Championship in the mid-1970s, having won the Canadian Formula Atlantic Championships in three successive years (1973, 1974, 1975) before retiring from racing to open a Daimler Chrysler dealership (Downtown Chrysler) near the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. He is not related to the Swedish race car driver Kenny Bräck.

7. Allen Berg (1961 - )

With an HPI of 37.31, Allen Berg is the 7th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Allen Bernard Berg (born August 1, 1961) is a Canadian former racing driver who raced for the Osella team in Formula One.

8. George Eaton (1945 - )

With an HPI of 37.06, George Eaton is the 8th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

George Ross Eaton (born 12 November 1945) is a Canadian former racing driver who is a member of the prominent Eaton family.

9. Alex Tagliani (1973 - )

With an HPI of 36.31, Alex Tagliani is the 9th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alexandre Tagliani (; born October 18, 1973), nicknamed "Tag", is a Canadian professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro for 22 Racing. Tagliani has competed in a variety of disciplines including open-wheel, stock car, and sports car racing. He has raced in the Atlantic Championship, Champ Car, IndyCar Series, NASCAR Pinty's Series, and NASCAR Xfinity Series.

10. Robert Wickens (1989 - )

With an HPI of 25.37, Robert Wickens is the 10th most famous Canadian Racing Driver.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario, driving in the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport. In 2009 he finished in second place in the FIA Formula Two Championship, and in 2010 he was runner-up in the GP3 Series. In his return to Formula Renault 3.5, where he competed in 2008, he won the 2011 season championship with Carlin Motorsport, with backing of Marussia. Wickens then left the series to race in the DTM for the HWA Team. Wickens left DTM after the 2017 season and signed to drive for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2018 IndyCar Series, going on to claim pole position in his debut race at the 2018 St. Petersburg Grand Prix. His promising debut IndyCar season came to a premature end when a violent crash during the 500-mile race at Pocono left him a paraplegic. Wickens issued a further statement clarifying that he was hopeful to be able to walk again, due to his spinal cord being bruised rather than completely severed and that he had felt 'some feeling and movement' back in his legs although the nerves were not in a state to walk. Though a paraplegic as of late October 2018, he hoped to be able to walk on his own within two years of the accident.In 2022, Wickens returned to full-time racing in the Michelin Pilot Challenge with Bryan Herta Autosport, driving a Hyundai car with adapted hand controls in the TCR category. He won the TCR drivers' championship in 2023 alongside his teammate, Harry Gottsacker.