Canada Post Puts Stamp on 50 Years of Canadian Formula 1 Racing

Photo Credit: Canada Post

Race fans visiting a Canada Post outlet in recent weeks enjoyed both a reminder of the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix (or also known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix Du Canada) as well as a celebration referencing 50 years since the first Formula 1-sanctioned event was held on our soil. A tribute to five decades of Formula 1 action that occurred almost annually (excluding 1975, 1987 and 2009 seasons), races at Mosport Park, Circuit Mont-Tremblant and at the present home on the track now-known as Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is recalled with a special postal collection. Entitled simply as "F1 in Canada", Canada Post's stamp set commemorating the 2017 milestone features the artistry of Paprika of Montreal in detailing five of Formula 1's most brilliant personalities who ever sat behind a steering wheel for the grand prix.

The official unveiling of the F1 in Canada stamps was made on May 15th with Sir Jackie Stewart and Joann Villeneuve (Gilles Villeneuve's widow). Representing different eras for the sport competing over 50 years, the F1 in Canada stamp set features four past legends as well as one driver who is actively building on his already remarkable 11 seasons in Formula 1.

Three-time World Driving Champion and 55-time race winner Lewis Hamilton scored his initial career win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as a rookie in 2007 driving for McLaren. Winning five Canadian Grand Prix events including the previous two with Mercedes AMG, Hamilton is second only on the total victory chart to Michael Schumacher. Standing at the top of the podium on seven occasions, the record-setting German also earned a spot in the Canada Post stamp set. One record broken by Schumacher was all-time pole positions set by another F1 in Canada stamp image. An iconic Brazilian who won 65 career poles and inspired an entire generation of racers, Ayrton Senna claimed the Canadian Grand Prix in 1988 and 1990 en route to two of his three championship seasons. Popularly remembered as the "Flying Scot" during the 1960s and 1970s, Sir Jackie Stewart competed in the first Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park in 1967. Stewart would go on to win the race in Canada during the 1971 and 1972 season.

The fifth and most befitting inclusion on Canada Post's F1 in Canada stamp release is Gilles Villeneuve. A Canadian Formula 1 competitor fondly remembered for his aggression on the race track, one of six career victories captured by Villeneuve was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix. This 2017 stamp set is the second time the late Gilles Villeneuve is honoured on a Canadian postage paper. Villeneuve was previously celebrated individually by Canada Post in 1997 with a two-stamp offering featuring his likeness wearing a helmet along with his Ferrari 312T3 and 312T4 race cars. Applied to permanent domestic stamps, the pressing of five driver images is also joined by the artwork of a white coloured modern Formula 1 car rushing on track on front of a grandstand and the former American Pavilion seen at the current track on Notre Dame Island.

Being a motorsport enthusiast as well as a person who appreciates philately, I am ashamed to say the stamp set came as a complete surprise to me when it appeared in late May. Generally Canada Post announces many of their planned collector stamp series heading into a new year but did not recall any advance notice on a pressing saluting 50 Years of Formula 1 in Canada. Saying that, I do not mean to express anything other than pleasant surprise for the five-stamp set's release.

Available Releases for the F1 in Canada Stamps and Cost

Pane of 5 Stamps: $4.25
Booklets of 10 featuring two of each stamp design: $8.50
Set of Five First Day of Issue Special Envelopes: $9.25
Uncut Press Sheet Measuring 14.125" by 23.937": $21.25

There is also a very limited edition framed print version of each stamp design available. With between 250 and 750 examples being prepared as a charming framed item, Hamilton, Schumacher, Stewart and Villeneuve ones cost $99.95. 500 Jackie Stewart framed prints will feature an authentic autograph from the three-time Formula 1 champion and will cost $199.95.

May 1, 2014: 20 Years After the Passing of Ayrton Senna

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May 1st, 1994, the start of a new month consisted of the third race on the Formula 1 tour for its respective year. Staging in Imola, Italy, the San Marino Grand Prix was being held in a season quickly redefining trends in Formula 1. However, it was that Italian Formula 1 race in 1994 that greatly shook the motorsport world. Now 20 years in the past, that race in known for the last moments of a man regarded as an inexhaustible source of talent and heroics. It was the day the world lost the great Ayrton Senna.

Back in 1994

Prior to the start of the 1994 Formula 1 season, new technical rules altered the path for which cars were being developed. Banning electronic driving aids delivered the first change for drivers of some teams. Masterfully executed by the Williams F1 team on their dominant FW15C race car in 1993, electronic aids such as an active suspension and traction control was used by Alain Prost en route to a fourth and final Formula 1 drivers' title. With Prost's retirement from Formula 1, the second-biggest change came when Ayrton Senna joined Williams.

A driver attached to McLaren since 1988, Senna left behind his Marlboro-sponsored car in favour of a Rothman-backed Williams-Renault. Seen as a potential dream teaming before the start of the 1994 campaign, the Formula 1 season started with Senna and his Williams-Renault struggling. Qualifying on pole for both the Brazilian and Pacific Grand Prix, Senna's two races wheeling the Williams FW16 ended with retirement. Having built a race car lacking the electronic driving aids, some attributed the removal of high-tech handling features as a challenge to developing a stable vehicle for Senna. For the 34-year-old Ayrton Senna, some additional pressure came from the fact his experience was being outweighed by the talent of a young Michael Schumacher who won first two grand prix events as title contender.

During Saturday for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend, Senna along with everyone part of Formula 1 was stunned by the death of rookie Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger. In a determined by sadly unwise move to gain a spot on the Formula 1 grid in Imola, Ratzenberger attempted to qualify with a damaged front wing on his Simtek when it broke causing a fatal crash into a concrete wall. Despite what was the first death on a Formula 1 race weekend since 1982, the grand prix was held with Ayrton Senna starting at the front for the third consecutive time in the season. Due to an early race crash resulting in a safety car period, the Senna and the field received their first green flag lap of the San Marino track on lap 6. By lap 7, as the Formula 1 cars were at full speed, the Williams-Renault of Ayrton Senna straight-lined a curve at high-speed crashing violently into a concrete retaining wall. A 135-mile per hour crash, the Williams FW16 was torn to pieces as the driver was subjected to extreme forces and flying debris. An emergency team arrived on the scene but Ayrton Senna could not be saved and was declared deceased later that day.

The reason and circumstances of the Senna crash is still a contentious issue. While a steering column break has been widely pointed to as the reason for the crash, Williams engineers at the time Patrick Head and Adrian Newey argued against it. Both engineers as well as the team's boss Frank Williams were even subjected to criminal proceedings in Italy. Some less supported claims point that the accident was the result of driver error or even suicide.

20 Years Later

Reliving the circumstances of that time described by Murray Walker as the "blackest day for grand prix racing that I can remember", the death of Ayrton Senna definitely affected a sizable population. When we look back him after 20 years, the viewing Senna's accomplishments is one that can not be done in a single type of analysis.

Statistically after 11 seasons in Formula 1, Ayrton Senna has true reason to be considered among the greats of the sport. A three-time World Drivers' Champion in Formula 1, Senna posted impressive numbers in his career. 41 wins ranks him third in all-time grand prix victories in Formula 1. His 65 pole positions stood as a record in the sport until 2006 when Michael Schumacher surpassed this qualifying number. With 68 poles, Schumacher's record-breaking pole resulted on the same San Marino circuit where Ayrton Senna's final race took place 12 years prior. Senna finished on the podium for just under half of the 162 races he competed in.

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However, basing Ayrton Senna's racing accomplishments on racing alone is somewhat hollow. On the track, drives by the Brazilian was what really captivated Formula 1 audiences. There was a near-win in wet conditions at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix driving a Toleman. Driving for Team Lotus, Senna's first win in the Portuguese rain in 1985 was regarded as a hard-fought victory. One year later, Senna held off the Williams-Renault piloted by Nigel Mansell by a slim 0.014-second margin. In 1993, the Ford-powered McLaren at Donington Park charged from fourth to first on the opening lap in a moment seen as one of the best performances in Formula 1. Of course, the on-track rivalry with other drivers have provided some of the greatest action in motorsports. While Ayrton Senna had some spirited battles with the Nigel Mansell on several occasions, clearly Alain Prost was Senna's greatest rival.

The Senna versus Prost battle ignited during 1988 when McLaren hired the Brazilian to companion with the Frenchman in their Honda-powered race cars. An adversary that brewed between the two drivers was a battle among titans that resulted in battle getting so nasty it divided the McLaren race team. A feud between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost reached a highpoint for the 1989 and 1990 Formula 1 seasons but their combativeness lasted until Prost's retirement after the 1993 tour. However, prior to Senna's death, the two had reconciled their bad blood to the point of friendship. Following the 2011 release of the documentary 'Senna', Alain Prost voiced displeasure that the relationship wasn't fully documented. It was stated in the documentary that Prost served as a pallbearer at his funeral and has served on the board of Instituto Ayrton Senna. 

If there was one positive thing that came from the tragic loss of Senna, it was Formula 1's investment into safety. Following the San Marino Grand Prix race weekend where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger were killed in crashes, steps were promptly made to slow down the race vehicles with mandated changes to the race cars as well as to the race tracks. In years following the fatal crashes, cars have been reengineered for greater driver survivability in a serious crash. Since 1994, there has not been a driver fatality in Formula 1.

Finally, we look at the personal impact Ayrton Senna has had to participants and enthusiasts of motorsports. In his native Brazil, Ayrton Senna was a nearly worshipped figure in his time fighting for Formula 1 victories. Not the first Brazilian Formula 1 champion (Emerson Fittipaldi captured the title in 1972 and 1974), Ayrton Senna has given his country a source of national pride and gave back through charitable causes. Outside of Brazil, Senna is still a source of fascination much in the same way as Elvis Presley. The driver's legacy has maintained popularity for the merchandise depicting his era among McLaren, Lotus, Toleman as well as Williams in Formula 1. This enthusiasm for Ayrton Senna has also been rekindled with the popular, award-winning Senna documentary.

Despite his tragic passing at the wheel, Brazilian race car driver has inspired the motorsport dreams of a new generation of racers. Even to this day, so many open wheel racing star has been heard embracing Senna as an idol.

His impact on the motorsport has been great. It's the desire of myself as well as many others that Ayrton Senna's life is seen as the spiritual uprising demonstrating the greatness that can emerge from us when we find our unique talents and pursue it tirelessly.