5/1/2023 0 Comments Montreal f1 2017In 2011, Marie-Andrée Martin posed for her partner Pierre Guillet next to a Lamborghini. Peel Street turns into a luxury-car showroom every year, and fans are only too happy to be in close proximity to them. It means extra bookings as visitors - about half from outside Quebec - extend their weekend visit into a full vacation, while conventions jostle to schedule activities around the Grand Prix. It means downtown hotels fill up to more than 90 per cent occupancy, with average nightly rates jumping from roughly $170 to $375. That means high-end restaurants get to stock up on caviar and truffles, pricey wine and more even more pricey Champagne, to satisfy the wants of F1’s travelling glamour crowd and the expense accounts of executives trying to woo clients. restaurateur put it, it’s the one weekend of the year Montreal gets to “act like a New York, like a Paris, like a London.” Article content F1 fans gather for the finishing ceremony at the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on June 9, 2013, Photo by Dario Ayala / Montreal Gazette Files This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Germany’s Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning the championship with Mercedes last year, counted Montreal among his favourite F1 stops, and summed up its essence nicely: “It’s a beautiful but also crazy city where there is always a lot happening, particularly in the evenings.” At venues where tracks are farther afield, drivers feel cut off from the vibe - if it even exists. One big reason is the proximity of the circuit to downtown, allowing them to stay in the city and soak up the party atmosphere. It’s the one weekend of the year Montreal gets to “act like a New York, like a Paris, like a London.” Drivers, teams and the rest of F1’s travelling entourage, which numbers 1,000 or more, are sincere when they say they love coming to Montreal, and they say it a lot. In every other way, though, the welcome is warm and generous - and appreciated. To add insult to injury and scattered car parts, the wall also became known for the the slogan it used to carry: Bienvenue au Québec. Super-slow bends give way to high-speed straights where cars hit 330 km/h, and the proximity of concrete barriers and shortage of runoff areas leave little room for error. The track is often cited as a favourite among drivers, who enjoy the challenges posed by its singular design. “This wasn’t just a Grand Prix,” a senior Mercedes official said at the time. That race is still considered among the most chaotic of all time, as drivers struggled to keep their cars pointed in the right direction on the drenched pavement, and Britain’s Jenson Button - in last place before the restart - skillfully picked through the pack to score an unlikely victory. It’s also where the longest-ever Grand Prix was held, in 2011, clocking in at more than four hours after being suspended midway because of torrential rain. Afterward, drivers marvelled that much of the soggy crowd had chosen to sit through the entire thing. Fair to say, some people would like a permanent parting of ways. There have even been a couple of brief breakups along the way. It’s our country’s most important tourist event in terms of economic impact and international media coverage. Every year, the packed grandstands draw the admiration of visiting drivers and teams, and the envy of other host nations struggling to fill seats.Īnd, yet, Montreal’s love affair with its Grand Prix, like all relationships, has had its share of rough patches. Last year, race winner Lewis Hamilton gets splash on the podium. Champagne is the drink of the day during Grand Prix - for drivers, for partiers, for anyone who can afford it. It’s the seventh stop of 20 in the planet’s premier racing series. This year’s event takes place June 9-11, covering Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and the race on Sunday. Of course, it’s mostly about the Grand Prix, on Île Notre-Dame. Meanwhile, jammed bars, restaurants and hotels rake in the jet-set tourist dollars. Manage Print Subscription / Tax Receipt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |