Formula One racing fans hoping to get a taste of the action before tires even hit the track this weekend are invited to Île Notre-Dame on Thursday.
The annual open house at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the iconic racetrack for the Canadian Grand Prix, is taking place from 9-11 a.m. Formula One supporters could participate in a pit lane walk to see the race cars and drivers that will be competing this Sunday.
Tickets were offered to a select number of fans in a lottery system, and hundreds showed up in full spirit, just ahead of race weekend, with more action starting tomorrow.
“I really want to see the McLaren garage and if I have some chances, I want to have the opportunity to take some pictures with Landon Norris and also get a signature,” said Yo-yo Cheng a Taiwanese, McLaren Norris fan. Cheng flew from Taiwan to Montreal for this weekend.
“It just feels like such a VIP experience, like not everyone gets to experience this. And it feels so close to the driver, to the garage, everything,” said Anaïs Perron, a Montreal Carlos Sainz fan.
Kim Reimer from Tallahassee Florida has been making custom Ferrari hats for 22 years. “I try to make them as light as possible, so I can wear them all weekend. This one took me a bit longer than usual, about 146 hours in total,” Reimer says.
People lined up early – in some cases hours before 9 a.m. – outside the site at Espace 67, right outside the Parc Jean-Drapeau metro station.
Inside, the few hundred early visitors could see teams working on their cars, get a sneak peak of the track, and an early view on what is ahead of this weekend.
A practice session and sprint qualifying is scheduled for Friday, while the sprint race and race qualifying are on Saturday. The race itself is at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Formula One rescheduled the Montreal race from mid-June to May 24 in order to reduce travel and environmental impact by moving the event closer to the Miami Grand Prix.
