A website by people with an incurable obsession with Formula One Racing
I’m not a very good blogger because I’ve been in Montreal for 2 days now and I’ve posted nothing. To be honest there is just too much to do so I’ll post some picstures and thoughts when I get back home.
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. 
Alonso wins. I’m sunburned very badly and I missed all the football today. Overall another great Grand Prix weekend in Montreal. I got some good pictures and video which I’ll post later.
I’m completely distracted by the World Cup. I woke up this morning and all I could think about was how can I see the two matches today and still catch the qualifying session at the track. Every other year I would spend every daylight minute at the track catching all the support races and enjoying the experience in its entirety. This year is different. With so much great football on TV and the drama of the round of 16 upon us I just couldn’t get excited about the F1 activities.
That’s not to say I didn’t go to the track today. I went and as soon as I heard the sweet sound of those new V8’s I knew I was home. These new engines sound totally different than the V10 predecessors. I only went to the track for the qualifying session because I caught the first half of the Germany match and rushed to the track for the session then rushed back to a pub to catch the Argentina match (oh what a match it was!).
It was hot today but nothing like the death inducing heat and humidity of last year. The air temperature was around 25C and the track temperature in the bright sunlight reached around 45C not that it helped the Bridgestones or Ferrari’s. Tomorrow is supposed to have 40% chance of showers. We’ll see because the skies are very clear as the evening is approaching.
It was pretty busy at the track and I had to walk all the way to the absolute farthest point on the track from the Metro station. It’s about a 35 minute walk and with the heat and the crowds lets just say the smell wasn’t very nice. Eventually I settled into my seat and got acquainted with the people around me. There were a large group of Montrealers who have been coming to the race since 1978 and in front of me a group of Americans who have been sitting in the same seats for 10 years. They say F1 isn’t big in the U.S. but I always meet the most passionate and informed American fans so there is still hope. Mind you they were all over Scott Speed. I quote: “There is only one American too many at this track and he’ll be out in the first 15 minutes tomorrow!” Ouch!
Qualifying was ok. The last 3 or 4 minutes of each session was the most exciting obviously but the rest of the time is nice filler except for the fuel burning in the last session. Webber broke the hearts of many Australians and Rosberg made himself a lot of fans by tagging the wall and still making it into the last session. It takes a lot of balls to drive a car at that speed knowing you may have broken something. In the end it looked like the Ferrari’s were going backwards ending up 5th and 10th on the grid with an all Renault front row. I’m picking Fisi to win this one because he always runs well at this track.
Oh I forgot about my view from the seats. In a word: AMAZING! These are dream seats with with the longest continuall view of the cars at the track. I’ll post some more pictures in the gallery after the race. And yes that’s me wearing a black shirt in the hot sun. 
I’ll leave with some more viewing from my seats at this years Grand Prix. Enjoy.
I’ll be arriving in Montreal this evening. I decided at the last minute to attend the Canadian Grand Prix. This will be my 20th race in Montreal. I’ve been to every race since 1985 but there was no Canadian Grand Prix in 1987 and I didn’t attend in 2001. So that leaves the grand total for me at 19 races and Sunday will mark the 20th!
I have pictures from many of the races I’ve attended and I’ll be posting stuff during the next few days as I wonder around Montreal and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
