Canada has produced a solitary Formula One World Drivers' Championship, when Jacques Villeneuve won in 1997, and hasn’t had a driver on the grid since Villeneuve’s exit in 2006. Nevertheless fan affection for the event hasn’t diminished and few countries 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. Rue Ste Catherine is a focal point where race followers can congregate – the local government and Formula One put on street parties, driver appearances and exhibitions.
Posthumously named after Jacques Villeneuve’s father, Gilles, the street-circuit is located on the Ile Notre-Dame and was first raced in 1977. The island was the host of the 1967 World Fair and is full of futuristic looking buildings, including the famous glass Montreal Biosphere, which creates a spellbinding backdrop to the race.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal will continue to host an annual Grand Prix until at least 2024, after striking a ten-year deal with Formula One last year. This year is the final race before a much needed rejuvenation of the old venue.
As part of the CAN$187 million deal, the city of Montreal will invest CAN$30 million in upgrade work to several ageing parts of the circuit. It will include a complete overhaul of the cramped pit and paddock facilities, which back onto the rowing lake which was built and used for the 1976 Olympic Games. The upgrade is expected to be finished before the 2017 race.
Canadian company Octane Racing Group Inc is the promoter of the Grand Prix by virtue of an agreement made with Formula One and their race promoter François Dumontier is trying to solve one of the world’s enduring business riddles: how to get a new generation of customers interested in his product. “In private business, the goal is always the same – to make money,”Dumontier recently told The Globe and Mail. “We’ve got a good strong base of fans. Some were there in 1978 when Gilles [Villeneuve] won his first race. Now we need to think about renewing our clientele.”
Canada had the distinction of, until Austin came along, being the only North American race but Nigel Geach believes that it is the universal attraction and continental nature of Motreal that appeals to fans. “There’s a French type atmosphere on the island,” he says. “It’s very popular and people like going to it.”
Canada is one of the 13 circuits on the Formula One calendar currently without a title sponsor for the race, but Dumontier hopes to announce one in time for the 2016 edition.
Previous sponsor Air Canada stepped down in 2003 and it is expected that Octane will be courting an international backer this time around. It is estimated that in the stands of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 53 per cent of the spectators do not come from Quebec and 40 per cent do not come from Canada. “That’s why there are discussions with some companies that do not do business in Quebec,” said Dumontier.