Peel Street buzzing with excitement on eve of Canadian Grand Prix

McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari were all well represented Saturday, with kiosks lining the curbs of Peel Street in downtown Montreal.

“Our dad liked it and we got into it,” said Colwin Whitaker a young Formula One fan.

This year marks the 55th edition of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Fans witnessed history during Saturday afternoon qualifying, as Sebastian Vettel posted an outright track record lap time of one minute, 10.776 seconds to claim the pole position.

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READ MORE: Vettel takes pole position at Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying

This marked the first Montreal race that a Ferrari driver won the pole position since Michael Schumacher took the first grid back in 2001.

Lewis Hamilton, this season’s championship leader, qualified fourth while native Montrealer Lance Stroll failed to make the first cut of qualifying and posted the 17th-best time of the day.

READ MORE: Ready for race day: Montrealer Lance Stroll home for the Canadian Grand Prix

Despite the disappointing qualifying session for the hometown racer, Canadian fans were excited for the main event.

“I’ve been watching Formula One for a long time and we’re going to see our first Formula One race,” said Glynn Cornwall, a fan from Toronto who made the trek with his son and a friend.

“We’re introducing my friend to the excitement about being in Montreal during the F1 season.”

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The race happens Sunday afternoon, start time is 2:10 p.m.