The setup
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will go down as the greatest race in F1 history. The weather was atrocious — heavy rain that turned the circuit into a river. The race was red-flagged for over two hours while conditions improved.
When the race restarted, the drama was only beginning.
The race
Jenson Button, driving for McLaren, had a terrible race. He collided with his teammate Lewis Hamilton, received a drive-through penalty, and was running at the back of the field. At one point, he was over a minute behind the leader.
But Button kept pushing. As the track began to dry, he switched to intermediate tyres and began to carve through the field. He passed car after car, moving from last place into the points, then into the top five.
The final lap
By the final lap, Button was in second place, chasing Sebastian Vettel for the lead. Vettel had dominated the race but made a rare mistake at the final chicane, locking his tyres and running wide. Button seized the opportunity, diving down the inside to take the lead and the win.
It was one of the most dramatic final laps in F1 history. Button had come from last place to win, in a race that featured six safety car periods, a two-hour red flag, and some of the most intense wheel-to-wheel racing ever seen.
Why it endures
Canada 2011 endures because it had everything: weather chaos, multiple leaders, a two-hour delay, a drive from last to first, and a final-lap overtake for the win. It is the kind of race that reminds us why F1 is the greatest sport in the world.