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About the Formula 1 race Montreal, Canada

Circuit/Race info - Formula 1 - Montreal, Canada

Montreal Canada circuit description
The Gilles Villeneuve Circuit has a length of 4.361 meters. The race of 70 laps make a total distance of 305,3 kilometers.

Region
Few places embrace their Grand Prix as enthusiastically as Montreal. The city grinds to a halt over the race weekend as fans from around the world descend on Quebec for a non-stop party. Formula One fever - street parties, driver appearances and F1 exhibitions - is focused in one area of town: Rue Ste Catherine. It is the focal point at which race fans can meet. But there is plenty to see and do elsewhere because Montreal seamlessly mixes the old with the new. There is the 400-year-old charm of ‘Vieux Montreal’, which sits in surprising harmony with the grid pattern and skyscrapers of the modern city. For good shopping, lively nightlife and lots of Formula One excitement head to Rue Ste Catherine. It has an abundance of everything. Try out a restaurant called Le Queue du Cheval. The food’s excellent, but that’s not the reason for the recommendation. In 2005, Jarno Trulli persuaded the restaurateur to stock his very own Podere Castorani wine - and very good it is too.

History info - Formula 1 - Montreal, Canada

Last season info Montreal Canada
Montreal was payback time for Raikkonen, but only after another incident-filled afternoon. A dramatic race start saw Button and Schumacher swallowed up by both Renaults at the very first corner, with Fisichella leading his team mate until a hydraulic problem put him out on lap 33. Despite Montoya chasing hard, it should have been a straightforward win for Alonso from there, but a rare driver error from the Spaniard saw him clip the wall. That left Montoya in front, all set for his first McLaren victory - that was until the safety car came out after Button bounced his BAR over the new kerb at the final chicane and into the infamous ‘Wall of Champions’. The safety car’s timing was not on Montoya’s side, the Colombian missing out on the chance of a ‘free’ stop, which countless others, including Raikkonen, took. He came in a lap later, but in his haste he failed to see the red light at the pit exit. The error was enough to get him black flagged, leaving Raikkonen to head for the chequered flag.

Winner + pole + fastest lap Montreal Canada
Pole position was reached by Fernando Alonso (Renault). He also won the race, just before Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes). Fastest Lap was again clocked by Kimi Räikkönen 1:15.841.

Historic info Montreal Canada
The Canadian Grand Prix is held since 1967. In 1971 safety concerns lead to the Grand Prix moving permanently to Mosport. In 1978 the Canadian Grand Prix moved to its current home on Ile Notre-Dame in Montreal. The first winner in Montreal was Quebec native Gilles Villeneuve who died in 1982 on the final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix. A few weeks after his death, the race course in Montreal was named Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after him. The 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, already dreary because of the death of Villeneuve a month earlier, saw another horrific accident with Didier Pironi. The 1997 Canadian Grand Prix was stopped early due to a huge accident involving Olivier Panis. In 1999, the final corner of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve became well-known for catching out former World Champions. Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed into the same wall which had the slogan Welcome to Quebec on it. The wall became affectionately known as the "Wall of champions".

Listings of past winners / teams (last 10 years)
2006 Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2005 Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren-Mercedes)
2004 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2003 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2002 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2001 Ralf Schumacher (Williams-BMW)
2000 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1999 Mika Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes)
1998 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1997 Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1996 Damon Hill (Williams-Renault)

Travel info - Formula 1 - Montreal, Canada

How to get there: Montreal Canada
There are two airports in Montreal, but all international travellers arrive into Dorval, situated 22 kilometres west of the city. If you are not hiring a car, taxi rides into town take about half an hour and are inexpensive. A good option is to take the subway to the track, it was very fast, but incredibly crowded.

How to get to the track (and back)
There is a Metro station just 200 metres from the track. If driving to the race, note that organisers issue a finite number of car passes on a first-come-first-served basis, as parking within the confines of the Ile Notre Dame is limited. At night, the best ways around Montreal are by Metro or on foot. There are taxis too, but bear in mind journeys can be slow due to party goers spilling onto the roads. If you’re visiting the Old Town, you could always take the more sedate option on offer: a horse and cart ride.

Where to stay
The big hotel chains are located in the heart of Montreal. But also you can find budget alternatives that offer good deals, the tonly inconvienient is that is quite far away because of the Metro system.

Tickets info - Formula 1 - Montreal, Canada

General information
The location of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the artificial island at the site of the World Expo is stunning. It is easily attainable by subway (metro). You need to walk quite a bit after exiting the subway especially if you are at the Gold or Silver 10, 11 and 12 stands. Facilities are average. The Gold stands offer bucket seats but most of the other stands are benches. Toilets are portable so at the end of the day you'd best avoid them.

Viewing quality
In Canada the quality of the stands is also determined by the category Gold, Silver or Bronze. The Gold stands offer a prime view of the start-finish straight and all the pit lane action. Included with the Gold seats is a garden area along the shore. All the Silver stands are located at the most interesting corners. Stands 10, 11 and 12 at the first corner and stands 15, 21 and 24 at the Casino hairpin. Bronze stands are located at slightly less spectacular positions. Bronze 31 and 33 are very popular stands as they do offer a good location at a very decent price. General admission tickets offer access to the grounds and you can basically take your camping chairs with you and sit where there is a view.

Prices
Ticket prices for the Canadian Grand Prix are comparable to the European events. Gold stand tickets are not really expensive especially for the good seating and excellent view. Top stands like the Silver 15 or Silver 12 are not cheap at over 300 Euro but the price is fair. Bronze tickets are not at all expensive at well under 200 Euro for the whole weekend. General admission at less than 100 Euro is also a good deal.

Best Deal
The best deal on F1 tickets for the Canadian Grand Prix is the Bronze 33. It's location in the chicane offers a view of the cars coming up at high speed and then braking to enter and exit the chicane. At well under 200 Euro this is the best deal. If the stand is sold out go for the Silver 24 with a good view of the hairpin turn and in the background the Montreal skyline!