F1 Blog

Sunday at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix

UPDATE July 2nd: My pictures are now online here and here.

As I mentioned in an earlier post the Canadian Grand Prix this year was another grand event. Despite being distracted by the World Cup I was able to enjoy race day with a few thousand other people in Grandstand 12. I posted a great panoramic picture from my seat in a post I made on qualifying day.

The day started with a dash to the Berri-UQAM metro station where I parked my car and stopped in at a cafe on the corner of Ontario and St. Dennis to catch some World Cup pre match coverage and grab some food. A quick metro ride to the track and I found myself in the huge crowds heading to their seats or rushing to get the last few spots left for those in general admission. Once I got to the Senna Curve where my Grandstand is located I had some time to explore around and I found the area in front of GS 11 and 12 a decent place to watch some action. I watched the drivers parade and the grid girls from that location.

The race itself was pretty fun. I was surrounded by Americans who took every chance to poke some fun at Scott Speed. I’ve only ever seen the first corner of a race a few times in all the races I’ve attended. The action is frantic and it’s hard to take it all in as everyone is jumping out of their seat and pointing at the track. This time the front runners got away clean but everyone was cheering like mad when Kimi took the position away from Fisi. On the very next lap we saw Montoya and Rosberg come out of turn 14 side by side and drag down the front straight and into the Senna Curve still running side by side. The crowd let out a huge gasp when we saw the outcome of that battle on the big screen just past where were sitting.

The was it for close action at our corner until the last 10 laps or so when the safety car came out and we were treated to a sprint to the finish. I imagine the race was a little boring for the TV viewers but let me assure you that watching a race live at the track is never boring regardless of what is happening (or not happening) on the track. As soon as Alonso crossed the finish line I made a run for the fence right in front of our grandstand. I made it through the fence, bruising my back in the process, and sprinted to the podium. If you know me you know I don’t sprint much but this time it was worth because I got a front row seat to the podium celebration. The fans who made it to the podium were delirious as you can see in the video clip.

During the national anthems the fans would alternate between chanting “SCHUMI SCHUMI” or “ALONSO ALONSO” or “KIMI KIMI” and each time the driver would react by raising his fist or pointing in our direction. F1 fans are some of the most passionate fans in the world.

Between the sprint and the close quarters of the crowd at the podium I think I lost a few pounds of water on this hot day. I extricated myself from the crowd and started walking along the pit straight to see the cars parked at Parc Ferme. I noticed the crowds on the track were a little thinner this year despite all the activity in the pit garages and the beautiful sight of all the cars at Perc Ferme. I suspect most people were trying to get away from the track in time to catch the second World Cup game of the day.

Like any other year I walked along the track to get back to the metro station. As I was approaching turn 5 I noticed a lot of people standing around where Jacques Villeneuve had crashed. I got closer and noticed there was a lot of evidence of the crash and incredibly the concrete block where he had crashed was actually pushed in! The picture shows what I’m talking about. You can clearly see the entire block is slight indented compared the wall around it. Amazing.

Overall it was another great year. I didn’t have a chance to meet up with some friends after the race but I promise to plan better next year. Also this was my second year in a row of going alone and I think I missed my wife enough to take her with me again next year.

Tags: 2006, canadian gp