Why Lewis Hamilton is master of Montreal and four other things to look out for in the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix two weeks ago was hardly likely to be the most captivating race of the year. That it was not was no great surprise, but that didn't stop drivers and fans complaining about how dull it was.

There was at least some jeopardy, with Daniel Ricciardo nursing home his Red Bull to victory despite a burnt-out MGU-K and a severe loss of power. That said, there is certainly room for debate in the sport about hosting a modern Grand Prix on the streets of the principality.

Perhaps then it is best to follow that weekend right away with the Canadian Grand Prix, a track where action and overtaking is almost guaranteed.

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The semi-street layout of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve often gives us the best race of the year and will, hopefully, be an antidote to Monaco's problems.

Here are a five things to look out for ahead of the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton the boss of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Lewis Hamilton is the only driver on the grid to have won here more than once. He has managed it a lot more than that: six times in total. It was here that he took his very first F1 win in 2007, doing so again in 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Nobody has beaten him to the win or even a pole position since Nico Rosberg topped qualifying in 2014. Pole has been his six times also - the average gap of which in the last three years has been 0.234 seconds.

Of the 11 times Hamilton has raced here in F1, he has only finished lower than first once - with a third place in 2013 in a Mercedes car that was the second or third quickest car on the grid. It hasn't always been the happiest track for the current champion. He has failed to finish here three times also - most embarrassingly in 2008 when he crashed into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari in the pitlane.

The late-braking aggressive-over-the-curbs style Hamilton employs is key to his success around here. He may have been downbeat ahead of the weekend, but a power-reliant track that's heavy on the brakes is exactly what Hamilton needs after a weekend of damage limitation in Monaco.

A track named after a local legend... and host to some all-time classics

Originally the Île Notre-Dame Circuit when it opened in 1978, the track was renamed after legendary French-Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve after his tragic death in 1982. Villeneuve - father of 1997 champion Jacques - was pretty handy around here - taking his maiden win in 1978 and two other podium finishes in 1979 and 1981.

His son never repeated his hometown heroics - a second place in his debut season was his best result by far. Following that there were seven retirements in nine further attempts. Lack of recent home success aside, Montreal has played host to some certain classics and a few maiden victories along the way, too.

We've had Alexander Wurz's barrel-rolling Benneton in 1998, the Hill-Schumacher-Villeneuve triple-whammy crashing into the then-unnamed Wall of Champions and Jean Alesi, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Robert Kubica's maiden wins; the Pole's following an horrific high-speed accident the previous year (see photo below).

And who can forgot the marathon race in 2011, where Jenson Button took a barely believable victory from Sebastian Vettel on the very last lap, despite crashing with his team-mate and running dead last well into the race? You're never guaranteed plenty of on-track action in F1, but if you could pick one race to watch every year, you could do much worse than this one.

DRS overkill?

The current F1 season has been one of contrasts: three thrilling, frantic races and three more humdrum affairs, where overtaking in the race was a remarkable occurrence. Monaco two weeks ago brought about much - slightly over the top - head scratching and moaning from drivers and fans alike - notably Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

To enhance overtaking, the FIA introduced another DRS zone at the opening round in Melbourne in March, taking the total at the track to three. They have done the same here - the third section coming between the short straight between the turn six and seven chicane and the chicane before the hairpin.

This tactic didn't bring about great results in Melbourne - a track where overtaking is notoriously hard - but it here it appears to be more of a reaction to the lack of passing in Monaco as to anything else. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve already presents a handful of very good overtaking opportunities, largely reliant on exits from quick chicanes and bravery into the hairpin. It's already one of the best tracks for on-track action. Another DRS zone is unlikely to make a critical difference to the race's excitement.

Hometown lad Stroll returns to a place with happy memories

Lance Stroll wasn't even born when Alex Wurz was thrown into the air at the start of the 1998 Canadian Grand Prix. The Canadian has attracted much criticism since his arrival into motorsport's top tier. Much of it has been unfair and has focused on the incredible wealth of his father, rather than his skill at driving a quick car.

The teenager failed to make much of an impression at the start of his career last year. He broke his points-scoring duck with a mature drive in his home race, though, taking ninth place and two points in his seventh F1 race, despite starting in P17, taking advantage of some retirements further up in the field.

Stroll has come in for a lot more stick this year but, really, how much of that is down to his driving and how much is down to the worst car Williams have produced in quite some time - possibly ever - is uncertain.  A strong case can be made for most of it being the car's fault. According to our adjusted driver rankings, Stroll had the best race of anyone in Spain.  Like Hamilton, he will be happy to return here after a very difficult weekend in Monte Carlo but it is likely to be another difficult weekend.

300 up for Alonso... but how many more?

This weekend is Fernando Alonso's 300th Grand Prix entry. He looks set to overtake Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button in terms of races entered this year, but overtaking Rubens Barrichello's all-time record of 326 may not happen.

It's no secret how disgruntled the Spaniard has become with certain aspects of the sport. He has struggled to challenge the leaders in an uncompetitive car since moving to McLaren in 2015. Always, though, he enjoys racing. That much is certain.

But how much of a draw does F1 have for Alonso? Last year he competed in the Indy 500 and this year he's taking part in the FIA World Endurance Championship, racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours next week for Toyota. Earlier this week he spoke of his disappointment at the predictability of F1 at the moment - in particular the difficulty (read: impossibility) for anyone outside of the top three teams to win. He has a point. This last happened when Kimi Raikkonen won the 2013 Australian Grand Prix for Lotus.

It will be a shame to see a driver of his ability leave, whether it's sooner or later.