Revv your party engines. Grand Prix festivities have officially kicked off in Montreal.
The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix three-day happening is the largest sporting event in Canada.
People in downtown Montreal are already gearing up for a weekend of activities.
“I feel great, I’m loving it,” said local fan Gaetano Marchetta.
Fans come in all sizes this year.
Theo, a five year-old, is decked out in Team Red Bull gear and is cheering for Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 world champion in 2021 and 2022.
“He wins all the time, all the Grand Prix. He’s the only one,” Theo said, enthusiastically.
A group of Guatemalan fans say they have travelled to 14 Grand Prix to see their favourite, Fernando Alonso, a Spanish driver who races for Aston Martin.
But they say it wasn’t easy to get tickets. “It’s getting harder every day,” said Ivan Galindo, a life-long F1 fan.
The Canadian Grand Prix was one of the first to sell out on Formula One’s 2023 race schedule — tickets were all gone last year.
According to Tourism Montreal officials, Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series is partly to blame.
The reality show invites viewers backstage to the races and front stage for the drama. Yves Lalumière, Tourisme Montreal’s CEO, says it’s fueling sales and driving new fans to the sport.
“A lot of younger, a lot more ladies coming to the Grand Prix, a more general attendance that is coming this year,” Lalumière said.
Lalumière says he expects 300,000 visitors to Montreal for the event.
That’s a problem for residents who encounter closed streets and little parking downtown.
“Where I’m gonna park? There’s too many cones in Montreal,” Marchetta said, jokingly. He left his car at home and took the metro.
Races begin on Friday at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
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