Grand Prix du Canada
After over 4 hours and 425km of driving, we officially said, bonjour Montreal!
Last weekend, my son Cameron and I travelled to Montreal, Quebec to attend the Grand Prix of Canada. For the uninitiated, the Grand Prix of Canada is part of the Formula 1 World Championship, which is the best and most popular auto racing circuit in the world. The first race that took place in Montreal was in 1961, and has been part of the Formula 1 World Championship since 1967 (with a brief hiatus in the mid 2000’s). The race takes place at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and has been the venue since 2002. The venue is named after French-Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, who tragically passed away after a crash during a qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982. The track is 4.361 km (2.709 miles) & the race length is 305.270 km (189.694 miles), a total of 70 laps.
Getting to venue is quite easy actually. My first bit of advice is, do not drive to the venue! There is literally no parking. Take the metro, which by the way, is among the cleanest metro’s I’ve ever been on. Regardless of the metro line you take, you will need to change trains at Berri-UQAM, which is where the linge juane begins. The following stop is Jean-Drapeau which is where you need to get off for the track.
To get any good vantage point in the general admission areas, you should get there and be in line before the gates open at 8am. My son and I had general admission tickets and we decided to first stand near the final turn which is the Epingle Hairpin turn next to grandstand 24 (The Lance Stroll stand). It’s usually where you get to see cars being passed. Unfortunately, our vision was obstructed a bit by some trees so we made the decision to move to the other side of the track next to grandstand 47. We found a spot along the fence along the front straight away between the final turn and last chicane, right where the DRS zone begins. While you could not see the final turn because or the grandstand, you were close to feel the power of the F1 car. If you do decide on general admission, bring a camping chair, which is permissible. But my advice would be to spend the extra money to sit in one of the grandstands (bring a cushion because it’s metal bleachers!).
If you happen to be at the Circuit during the qualifying rounds, you should take in all the festivities at the fan zone. You have the opportunity to get some free things, like a mini portable radio to listen to the race broadcast which actually comes with headphones. You should also check out the life size lego version of an F1 car. Really cool to see that in person. Finally, you can test your driving skills at the F1 simulator where you get to race against others as well.
There are also events throughout the weekend away from the Circuit. We enjoyed live music all around St. Catherine St. between Quartier Concordia and Ville-Marie, including a DJ and band. There are also plenty of vendors with race merchandise and lots of amazing cars you can check out. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars to frequent in that area, but definitely make a reservation first!
Of course with any major sporting event, you will need to be prepared to spend some loot. Those souvenirs are expensive! And so is the food at the Circuit. With that said, you had a lot of food and beverage options. From poutine to pizza, the choice was yours. There is an alternative however. You can bring in a small cooler with food and beverages (except alcohol) into the venue. This will save you some money and the need to stand in line while watching the race.
In the end, the Grand Prix of Canada is something that I would love to experience again. The F1 cars are exhilarating to watch. The power and speed of the cars does not compare to anything I’ve ever experienced. The atmosphere, even though the grandstands are spread out across the track, still brought the same excitement and fervor that you could get at any other sporting event. And the best part of it all was that I got to spend it with my boy who loved every second of it and is growing up way too fast. Love you Cameron!